The conversation on why PC gaming is better than console gaming will go on forever, with fanboys of both sides arguing their reasons and why they are superior. To a certain extent, both systems are optimal in some way for the right users, but in this article we will go over some of the big advantages of playing on a custom gaming PC, over playing on console.
Immense Game Customisation
One of the best things when opening a PC game is the vast amount of options available. This is not true for all games, some are mobile and console ports that do not include a great set of options for the gamer, but the vast amount of games offer an incredible set of changeable options.
This goes further than just picking anti-aliasing and choosing a quality option, most games offer key rebinding in more than just a few ways. Remember on the console when you got to choose between original, alternate and one other option, on PC the game lets you change every individual key to what you prefer.
This level of customisation really makes the game work for the gamer. Instead of offering three ways to play the game on the keyboard and mouse, the rebinding system allows users to pick the keys that are perfect for the way they used the keyboard and the way they play the game.
Higher Quality Graphics Rendering
The arguments over if the PS4 or Xbox One will have true 1080p were rather sad for a PC gamer, not only because 1080p has been available for several years now on most decent monitors, but because even with the new consoles game developers are still struggling to get 1080p at 60 frames per second.
Fanboys will be fanboys, but on PC the limits are endless. Even if it may cost more, we are starting to see game developers add options for 2K (2560 x 1440) and 4K (3840 x 2160), allowing people with those monitors to have a much better experience graphically.
The weird thing is, even with PC rigs that cost under $500, it is still very likely they can run 1080p at 60 frames per second, due to the way the gaming rig is built, with a quality GPU and less fuss made when it comes to fast storage or connectivity choices, something consoles need to have to support their ecosystem.
Cheaper Titles and Choice of Distributor
To any regular PC user, Steam is probably the distributor of choice when it comes to games. This is not just because they stock the most games on their digital store, but because almost every day there are new huge deals on great titles, ranging from 10 percent to 95 percent off.
Steam has really shown how digital stores should work and has allowed game developers to have flash sales and still make big income on their titles. In the meantime, console guys still have to pick up their games for $60 after 2 months of the game being out or pick up a nasty pre-owned title that may break in the first few months.
Digital change has allowed PC users to never have to worry about physical discs breaking and we are now at the stage of really allowing sales and distribution to not affect the game developer in any way.
There is also more than one distributor on PC, unlike Xbox Live Arcade and Sony’s own digital store. This means more competition to be the best service and offer the best features, along with giving the consumer more choice on where to pick up the game.
Indie Games
The amount of indie titles popping up on Steam and other platforms right now is incredible, showing how indie development can happen on PC for next to no cost. The publishing model is still around, but plenty of indie developers would rather go it alone and try to make a game without any publisher looking over their back, telling them what to add.
This means games that cannot find space on the Xbox Live Arcade store and don’t have the money for the PlayStation Network can make games for PC that reach a rather large audience, with 60 million users on Steam alone and plenty more on GOG.
Maintaining The Rig
Personal computers are not built for one purpose, gaming is only a part of what they can do, while consoles are catching up with apps and services, the PC is still the jack of all trades and it is easy to customise and maintain a PC past its expiry date.
Due to PC manufacturers opening up their PC and easy ways to do it yourself, being able to add a new part to keep the PC alive has never been easier. Manufacturers offer cheap parts and it has become so easy to maintain and upgrade a PC, anyone can do it.
