Is PC gaming cheaper than Consoles?

[CompleteDouche]

I've been wondering about this for a while, and just think about it.
Consoles generally when announced are at $400
Each full retail game for the Console is priced at $60
Controllers vary in price but are around $30-$60
There is also the Subscriptions like Xbox Live or Playstation Plus around $50 a year.
Then when the next generation of Consoles come out, you buy the same things as above over again.

PC gaming can vary greatly depending on what parts you buy, and where you buy it.
If you build your Computer you could build a mean gaming machine for around 600-700 or you could head to BestBuy and get a $1500 gaming rig, which could be around the same specs.
Games for the PC platforms are priced at 40$ Brand New
Many PC games go on sale every holiday (When most people buy games)
With a PC, you can upgrade your CPU/GPU generally to keep being able to play the next generation

What is the cheaper option in gaming?

[iMini]

In the long run a PC is cheaper.

[scetch00]

Short term - Consoles (PS3)

Long term - PC (Gaming Rig)

[KeithHybrid]

Just get a console. What with piracy and DRM, the PC gaming scene is gonna die before long...

[CompleteDouche]

At 7/8/10 06:13 PM, Grubby wrote: No. Right now, you can buy a 360 Arcade for about $80.00.

:I mean fro m the beginning of each generation, and staying current with each one (Upgrading each generation to new console/hardware)

My PC that can run most games on optimal settings cost me more than $1,200 to build.

Really? My Brother got a $800 he built and it can max Crysis

Yeah, if you are lucky and buy REALLY cheap value parts and slap them together you can make a decent rig for about $500 or 600 that can run Battlefield 2 and Team Fortress 2 pretty well. But it's hard, and usually all the upgrades along the way add up quickly.

I guess when it gets further down the line, like when having to upgrade CPU/PSU, but nothing too big. The biggest one would be if you needed a new motherboard for RAm, but 4-8 gigs is still overkill.

[CompleteDouche]

At 7/8/10 06:15 PM, KeithHybrid wrote: Just get a console. What with piracy and DRM, the PC gaming scene is gonna die before long...

Piracy is rampant on Consoles as well. DRM is on consoles as well. The only bad DRM is with ubisoft's games, and a crack comes out every day.
I don't think the PC scene will die any day soon, many developers are moving back to PC anyway.

[Preternatural]

At 7/8/10 06:30 PM, CompleteDouche wrote: many developers are moving back to PC anyway.

That's funny, I was getting the opposite feeling, with Valve and Bioware and Bethesda and the such.

[injexen]

Personally, I think PC gaming is a better deal. First you have all the dlc's. If you're playing games like HL2, you have all these custom made user mods that you won't find with console games. You also get instant updates, and in some positions, you get features that don't come with anything outside the PC game.
Furthermore, the other features that the PC itself offer. It's all right there. Also, why should I pay extra yet to play games online with Xbox when I already have an incoming connection?

All these console are is just a computer with an extra page of programming that validates the disks you insert.
Really, just stick to your PC.

[ParadoxVoid]

You can basically get a good PC for a little more than a modern console's release price these days. And the games are a hell of a lot more cheaper, Steam sales being a prime example of where you can save a lot of money that console owners have no option but to fork out the extra cash for.

Then there's all the free DLC from developers like Valve, free mods, and the lack of subscription fees for basic online play, such as Xbox Live Gold.

I think overall, while the initial investment seems like a lot, the cheapness of the games coupled with only having to upgrade smaller parts as opposed to a whole console, would make it cheaper in the long run. This does come off as a tradeoff with the amount of labour hours you want to put into your machine, upgrading etc, and also since PCs are more likely to screw up due to any number of reasons, though these are software related rather than hardware faults (RROD being a prime example).

[Calcos]

If you are into Fighters, get a console. If you aren't into Fighters, get a PC.

[LulzCal]

Well, I suppose if your upgrading your PC to keep up with the new games then yes, in the long run it would be cheaper than purchasing a new console every 7ish years. Also, the fact that the DLC is free, games are cheaper and you can install mods to improve your experience, this just saves more money.

But, for many people, one investment every 7ish years for a new console is easier to handle.

[Robotchk12]

Just think that, instead of just being able to play games, you can browse the internet and other stuff with a computer.
An Xbox is only good for games.

[darklink4567]

Definitely PC gaming is cheaper. Although if you want to run the new titles coming out these days you would need to get a pretty good computer. Now if you just want to play the simple games that doesn't really require all that much like Counter-Strike, or TF2, a simple well rounded computer is fine. And at least we don't need to pay extra for online like those Xbox live assholes.

[darklink4567]

At 7/9/10 01:20 PM, Mendou wrote: Nobody plays PC games anymore.

And that statement just made you a total retarded douche.

[BrandonXDD]

In the long run, the PC will end up being cheaper.

[Slosha69]

At 7/8/10 05:59 PM, scetch00 wrote: Short term - Consoles (PS3)

Long term - PC (Gaming Rig)

This. I think PC gaming is not king because people are intimidated buy high initial costs. But yet people were still willing to pay $600 for a new PS3 back in the day.

Not to brag or anything, but my PC cost me around $1,300. Did I need to spend that much? No. You can get a great gaming PC for under $700. You obviously wouldn't be able to play games at maximum settings, but it would still be so much better than console graphics.

[Jackho]

At 7/8/10 06:47 PM, Grubby wrote:
What are your parts?

Here are my parts:

[Deadly-Shadow]

The price of a decent PC will always be more than the price of a console, but you'll be able to save money in the long run. Not only will you never have to worry about getting an entirely new PC, since you can upgrade it, you'll also be able to get your games dirt cheap. Games are generally cheaper on Steam, plus they have some incredible sales.

Simply put, it's a big investment at first, but you'll save money in the long run.

[DirtySyko]

It all really depends on how you look at it, and what time of entertainment system you want to be playing on.

I got the 360 at launch, and only had a really shitty, small SDTV at the time. I played on that for about a year, and some games were unbearable (Dead Rising,) and I just wasn't getting the full experience I wanted. I felt like I had wasted money in buying an HD console and not taking advantage of playing in HD, so I bought a new television. A $300, refurbished Philips CRT, and gaming was much better. So, I had spent $400 on a console, $300 on a television, and had a collection of maybe 6 or so games, which I'm sure I all bought at full price at $60.

I also have bought a PS3 and a Wii, so the prices I was paying for console gaming was definitely much more than PC.

When I first built my gaming PC a few years ago, it cost me a total of $1,250. I built it from the ground, the only things I didn't buy were a new monitor or speakers. Since then I've upgraded some parts, some upgrades I didn't need, and spent about another $600 on a new motherboard, CPU, graphics card and PSU. Only reason I upgraded at all was because my original PSU died on me and my graphics card fried. I'd probably still be using the same parts otherwise. I've also bought a new LCD monitor which cost $200. So, I've spent a lot on PC gaming too. The difference is, I don't just use PC for gaming though. It's nice having a beastly computer that I can run programs like Photoshop and Flash on quick and efficiently. Games are also cheaper, and in my opinion PC gaming is infinitely better control wise, graphically, and community. Piracy is also easier, if that's a path you'd want to take.

Also, I replaced my old CRT television with a 48" Samsung LCD about a year ago, and that cost me $1,000. A nice television for console gaming costs a hell of a lot more than a nice monitor for PC.

tl;dr: They're both fucking expensive, get a new hobby if you don't want to be broke all the time.