Advice on game consols...

[DrSpike]

Not really.......does sample selection problem mean anything to you?

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by child of Thor
But you cant beat a good pc - you also can do other stuff with a pc if you fancy a break from gaming.
I got a clunky old PC for playing good strategy titles and classic games and an xbox for some playing some of the better newer releases.

well yeah, its hard to make sense of the Console vs PC decision out of context of what you own, do etc.

I think its a pretty rare household that should buy a console before the first PC, given the other important uses for the PC. The usual assumption of PC vs console debates is a console vs a new or upgraded PC, with the assumption that the existing PC is adequate for non-gaming purposes. Which then gets into long debated over replacement cycles, game costs, hardware upgrades, etc. But leaves out the total household piciture i think. People need new PC's for non-gaming reasons - to run new non-game software, because of actual hardware problems, or because the household needs a larger number of PC's. Which changes the whole replacement cycle economics. Theres also the question of how many tv sets you have in your house - the assumption is often made that theres at least one set per person. Some of us watch little TV and have far fewer sets (one in my household of 3) - if one set was taken up gaming that would be an ISSUE, and so buying a console would likely mean buying an additional TV as well.

So we cant help you unless you tell us how many people you live with, how many PC's there are in your household, etc.

[child of Thor]

Well you could look at it this way - if by spending £200 approx, you can upgrade your pc to play all the new graphically heavy FPS type games, then maybe you dont need a console. I got one cause i was curious and doing a bit of modern game research. I could very happily live without my xbox - but not my pc and if i was forcd to make the choice the console would go.

If on the other hand you really want a console you have two good choices(three on an outside chance) IMHO.

Better still spend that money on something to keep you fit - like a rowing machine or something. Computers are bad and make us weak

[Carolus Rex]

Originally posted by DrSpike
Not really.......does sample selection problem mean anything to you?

Touché!

Carolus

[DrSpike]

£200 is a little light............my Radeon 9800 Pro cost £230 by itself.

[Carolus Rex]

Originally posted by lord of the mark
So we cant help you unless you tell us how many people you live with, how many PC's there are in your household, etc.

Well, let me put it this way. I was under the (false?) impression that PC's were lagging in graphics compared to game consols. Normally I play strategy games, but Medal of Honour opened my eyes to FPSs (i. e. it was one of the first FPSs I really enjoyed).

Since I played that one on the PC (and really liked the game) I figured there are more FPSs out there worth playing, and that they're probably best played on a game consol. Maybe this is wrong...

I have one desktop and one laptop. Both are old, but I can play MOHAA and Deux Ex on the desktop. It really isn't a choice between a new desktop or a game consol; I just thought graphics were better on the consol. The idea is to play strategy games on the desktop and FPSs on the game consol.

I don't have a TV yet, but I'll start a new thread on which to buy once I've decided on the consol...

Carolus

[Carolus Rex]

Originally posted by DrSpike
£200 is a little light............my Radeon 9800 Pro cost £230 by itself.

That's like, what, the graphics' card?

Carolus

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by Carolus Rex


Well, let me put it this way. I was under the (false?) impression that PC's were lagging in graphics compared to game consols. Normally I play strategy games, but Medal of Honour opened my eyes to FPSs (i. e. it was one of the first FPSs I really enjoyed).

Since I played that one on the PC (and really liked the game) I figured there are more FPSs out there worth playing, and that they're probably best played on a game consol. Maybe this is wrong...
Carolus

As I said earlier, the main benefit of the console is it wont cost you much to get one. Certainly the Xbox uses its hardware more efficiently than a PC. However, you can upgrade your machine to match/beat the performance of the Xbox, but it wont cost you £200.

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by Carolus Rex


That's like, what, the graphics' card?

Carolus

Yup.

Also another point is that there is a wider range of FPS games for the PC. If you were into the more tactical shooters which are very popular these days the PC would probably be best.

[MrBaggins]

Absolutely... nothing on the Xbox comes close to approaching the graphical yumminess of Max Payne 2 with all options enabled.

PC's are absolutely the way to go playing FPS' anyway. No experienced FPS player I know would be caught dead playing MP at TV resolution, no matter how smooth or antialiased it was.

Hi-res monitors, top end gfx cards, plus really good FPS controllers make PC's the platform of choice for FPS'

[MrBaggins]

Oh, and, BTW... another reason to buy a PS2... the Gran Turismo series. GT4 is out soon. GT3 A-spec is fabulous already, for what its worth, and reason enough to buy a PS2 on the strength of that alone.

[Maquiladora]

Sega Saturn

[Zero]

PCs suck. Try playing fighting games on PC.

IMO if ur a heavy fighting game/sports/platform gamer u should stick to console. but if you like RTS or FPS, PC is better for ya.

MP is also better on the PC, though the gap is closing a little.

True. Internet connection is a big advantage and console has been slow to catch up, but PC MP games can make you into such antisocial losers (unless you play LAN party). Not alot of PC games allow you to play MP in one machine. I hate that.

[Maquiladora]

Which was the first online multiplayer console?

Consoles are also better for shootemups, i cant even recall an original scrolling shootemup on PC.

I have the Japanese version of Civilization 2 (called just Civilization) for Sega Saturn, very confusing and made 10 times worse using a joypad.

[Space05us]

Gamecube = Crap. Nintendo died when they came out with N64

PS2 = Good, lots of games to choose from, including tons of cheap ones. It also doubles as a DVD/CD player.

X-box = Great, but expensive in comparison to the PS2. Not a lot of games to choose from and they're all expensive, even the crappy ones.