Will Consoles be better than PC

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photonboy
There's no single answer as there is a list of PROS and CONS for both.

Right off the bat there's a lack of high-resolution games like Starcraft 2 that not only look better at higher resolution but also require a keyboard and mouse to play (and the Steam Controller will never be suitable for many of these).

Controller aside, a 4K HDTV doesn't really help much since it's unlikely you'd be sitting close enough to benefit the same way (I sit about 24" from my 27", 1440p panel). If I sat FOUR FEET from a 48" 4K HDTV then most of the normal video looks like crap, plus it's just too close for the family.

Not that consoles will be gaming in 4K for many, if any titles even with the new ones coming. 4K video yes, 4K games unlikely (though...
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photonboy

photonboy

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There's no single answer as there is a list of PROS and CONS for both.

Right off the bat there's a lack of high-resolution games like Starcraft 2 that not only look better at higher resolution but also require a keyboard and mouse to play (and the Steam Controller will never be suitable for many of these).

Controller aside, a 4K HDTV doesn't really help much since it's unlikely you'd be sitting close enough to benefit the same way (I sit about 24" from my 27", 1440p panel). If I sat FOUR FEET from a 48" 4K HDTV then most of the normal video looks like crap, plus it's just too close for the family.

Not that consoles will be gaming in 4K for many, if any titles even with the new ones coming. 4K video yes, 4K games unlikely (though probably a HUD for 4K and that's it).

I'm probably going to buy the XB1 Scorpio for the living room, but will keep my desktop PC for my office.

So...
Both consoles and PC will have a place for a long time to come. If consoles start to offer games meant primarily for a high-res monitor + keyboard/mouse that would change things a lot (maybe hook a 2020 XBox to a 4K gaming monitor) but I think that would CONFUSE the game store so I don't think they'd bother.

*Also, Microsoft wants people to stay on Windows 10. Replacing the need for that by making XBOX a viable replacement will hurt them as some people will start switching to Linux.

I guess a "STEAM MACHINE" is a bit of a hybrid console/PC but then it comes with a PC price tag. It's something to keep an eye on in the future though.

STEAM LINK is a $50 device that allows streaming to an HDTV from your PC. I thought about that, but then I'd have to negotiate my PC usage with when kids want to use the XBOX so that's not feasible either.

GSYNC (NVidia) and Freesync (AMD) can make games a lot SMOOTHER. With some monitors you can average over 100FPS with minimal latency and no screen tear. Even gaming at "only" 40FPS can be a great experience though with Freesync you need at least 2.5X the max/min ratio to work properly (i.e. 30Hz to 75Hz is fine. But 30Hz to 75Hz is bad.).

PC:
- games you can't play on console
- higher quality games (for more expensive hardware)
- asynchronous monitors (GSYNC, Freesync) are awesome and no HDTV has this yet
- VR and other hardware that consoles don't have quite yet

Console:
- hardware cheaper (though games more expensive)
- less hassle to setup and maintain
- 30FPS gaming sucks (some drop under 15FPS at times!)

Summary:
Will there ever be one, best solution?

Not likely. A console would have to offer most everything we get on PC and that's just not likely to happen.
 
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M

Mercian

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The main problem with consoles is that their shelf life is about 7 years and use mid range components when they are released so they soon become obsolete. Even the Xbox One and PS4 update will be lucky to match a low end I5 and GTX 970 which has just been trounced by is replacement. Perhaps Microsoft and Sony will make upgradeable consoles for their next generation.
 
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MasterMace

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Nintendo, Sony, Sega and Microsoft have given up on having good parts developed for consoles. Sega is dead now, I know. If all that the companies are doing are sticking cheap PC parts into their rigs, they are going to be cheap PCs. If they develop great hardware, like they did in the past, they will do well.
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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I partially disagree.
It is not possible for Microsoft and Sony to compete with the hardware the best PC's have now. The ecosystem is no longer what it used to be.

Also, the PS4 is doing quite well now. If they had better hardware in 2013 thus losing $200 per unit would they have a higher profit? No. No, they would not.

We are going to be getting hardware updates soon which I'm fine with since the games must also come out on previous consoles (so it's a little like PC where you can spend a little more for a better experience). The XB1 Scorpio should have 4.5X the GPU power, and about 2X the CPU power as the XB1.

When we start getting all games at 60FPS/1080p with even better graphics (which will continue to improve with techniques like Photogrammetry) it will be hard to justify spending more for slightly better graphics.

The MILLIONS of current console owners prove that higher specs don't necessarily sell consoles. The PS4 being higher spec than the XB1 helps, but if specs where all that mattered then why didn't those same people just build $1000+ gaming PC's?

 
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BurgerandChips66

BurgerandChips66

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You will always be able to build a gaming PC that offers better graphics/resolution/frame-rates than the latest consoles. The issue is that you will always have to pay more for that hardware vs. the consoles.

I have a PS4 and Xbox under the TV in the living room and I have them for their simplicity and console exclusive titles. My gaming PC is far too big to fit in the living room!

I have the high-end gaming PC for all of the reasons listed in the other posts above. Certain games are also just 'better' on PC. For example Battlefield. I have BF4 on the PS4 and it is fairly enjoyable, but playing it on my PC with a mouse and keyboard at >120fps is the only way for me....
 
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James Mason

James Mason

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It doesn't have to be.
http://pcpartpicker.com/builds/#E=10

But it's mainly that the living room is a bad place to play games by yourself.
 
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ulises314

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