Consoles

[EngineRoom 205]

With all the rumours flying around right now about the future of MSFS, and in particular the one about a possible console version in the future, there have been several discussions here about consoles. I've seen a lot of hostility towards consoles in these discussions. In fact I read one thread this morning with a member here who was very scathing towards consoles. I've also seen this on other PC related forums.I'm just curious, where does this hostility come from? Why are so many PC users scathing towards consoles? Is there a certain "elitism" among PC gamers? How many of us here own a console? How many people here have actually *used* a console?My thoughts on the matter...I've been a PC user since 1996 when my parents got me a PC for my 15th birthday. Do the maths and you'll work out I'm now 27. My main taste for PC games is of course flight simulators, but I also enjoy strategy games and games that have a historical setting.Right now my laptop has the following flight installed:FS9 +many addons.FSX +many addonsLock On + Flaming Cliffs ExpansionFalcon 4 + Red Viper PatchBattle of Britain 2 Wings of VictoryIL-2 1946DCS: Black SharkRome Total War with 6 different modded versionsMedieval 2 Total War with 7 different modded versionsSilent Hunter 3 with the GWX modSilent Hunter 4 with the Trigger Maru mod.I'm also just getting into the Paradox strategy games, I have Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis 3, Victoria, and Hearts of Iron 2 installed (these are probably the most complex strategy games ever released).So, I think I am right in saying I can hardy be described as a "simplistic" gamer. I used to pour scorn on the consoles. I thought the games were too simplistic and easy, and would not hold my interest. In 2006 I was reading about the Xbox360 and looking at some of the games available. I went out and bought myself one of these consoles and a few games, and I haven't looked back!Right now, I only keep my PC for internet access, flight sims and strategy games. If there is a game that I want and it is available on both PC and Xbox I will buy the Xbox version.Why?I know when I buy a game for my Xbox I don't have to worry about hardware compatibility. I won't have to worry if my hardware can run the game acceptably. I won't have to worry about how much HDD space I have. I won't have to worry about draconian DRM. I won't have to worry about finding updated drivers for my graphics card. I won't have to wait for the patch to fix whatever compatibility problems there may be. I just put the disc into the machine and play. Simple. No messing around with graphics or sound options.This for me is the single greatest advantage of the consoles. It's so nice to have a stress free gaming experience which is in contrast to what I increasingly find with PC games.What about the games themselves? Granted there is nothing on the consoles with as much complexity as MSFS loaded up with all the "must have" addons. There is nothing with as much depth as Europa Universalis. Console games are more mainstream. Many will read "mainstream" as "simple" or "dumbed down". That is simply not true.Having played through the likes of Oblivion, Call of Duty 4 and Gears of War on the Xbox I can tell you there is nothing shallow or easy about these games. They do require the user to think, and to be alert and have quick reactions. You simply cannot complete these games with simple "button mashing". These are the flagship type games of the modern consoles. These games are clevery designed and slickly presented to make you want to continue the story, to find out what happens to your character next. They keep you engaged all the way and provide a great gaming experience.Then of course we have the long term bastion of consoles... sports and driving games. The consoles have long been the best platform for these games. I defy anyone to play Race Driver Grid on the Xbox360 and a large HDTV and not enjoy it.What about the social aspect of it? How many times did you have your friends gathered round a PC with a pizza playing FS? The modern consoles have moved gaming from the bedroom into the living room and made it into a more social experience. It's great fun to have your friends round, sitting in the living room taking turns to compete in games like Guitar Hero.The cost of console gaming versus PC gaming is another issue. How much will you pay for a decent PC? How long is it before that fancy graphics card or CPU you paid lots of money for is superceded by the next generation? When you buy a console you know it will be good for the next few years, you won't have to worry about upgrading it to play the latest games. Then of course the consoles themselves are far cheaper than a decent PC! You can argue that a console requires a large HDTV and sound setup, but you can also use those for TV/movies/music, i.e. they are not exclusive to console gaming. The issue of the price of console games should also be considered, they are considerably more expensive than their PC counterpartsAs someone who is both a PC and a console gamer I can tell you this:Consoles offer a far easier, stress free and more intuitive gaming experience than PCs. If you are the type who regularly upgrades their PC to the latest hardware, consoles are also far cheaper too. The games are every bit as challenging and engaging as their PC counterparts and thanks to the use of a large HDTV screen and good surround sound setup they also provide a superior audio-visual experience too.Does this mean I am going to throw my PC away and use the console exclusively?NO!The PC still has many advantages over the console:The PC is far more versatile. Gaming is one of many possible uses for a PC, unlike consoles which exist solely for games. The hardware of the PC advances at a faster rate than consoles, so in terms of hardware at least the PC will always be more powerful (this is also it's Achilles' Heel, the rapidly moving pace of PC hardware combined with the almost infinite combinations of hardware create problems we are all too familiar with!). The more open nature of the PC and PC games means that PC games are more easily modified by third parties. MSFS is of course a fantastic example of this. There are some very large and active modding communities around a great many PC games, something console games lack. There are also many more peripherals and controls available for the PC. Joysticks, yokes, throttles, rudder pedals, TrackIR... none of which are available for consoles. The PC also has the advantage of the keyboard/mouse combination. These allow games with more complex control systems to be developed, whereas console games must be developed for use with a very limited gamepad.As much as I enjoy my console, and I think it does many things wonderfully well, far better than the PC, I do not believe that consoles are ready for the likes of MSFS. They lack some of the key features that we require.However, should a future generation of consoles introduce those features, then who knows?

[Guest Staggerwing]

http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=243134