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Sure, we’ve heard the PC vs Consoles argument hashed out more times than your Xbox red rings or you upgrade your video drivers, but one stance both sides seem to agree on is that laptop gaming is ludicrous. I’d like to take an unbiased look at the pros and cons of not just PC vs Console gaming, but how the laptop gamer on the go sees the argument. Now, this article would have looked immensely different had I written it 12 – 18 months ago, so I also want to factor in the evolutions that PC gaming has undergone in that timeframe and how they affect my preferences.
Why leave the desktop for a laptop?
The obvious reason is portability. All the features of a home PC tucked in a shoulder bag, and with you wherever and whenever you need it. Not only will your games and game progress follow you, but the documents you were working on, the programs you need, and all of the tweaks you have made to your PC keep that intimate environment intact wherever you go. For the gamer in us, a laptop is a much easier setup for the ever dying LAN party–no need to carry the monitor, frag box, keyboard, etc. Of course, the draw to this step comes with the assumption that you have a reason or a need to bring all of these things with you, be it work related or just simply frequent travel, without that, most would never make the jump from computer desk to coffee house stool.
What are the downsides?
Let’s look at that portability notch again, shall we? Are there sacrifices made to be able to take that sweet rig with you in a shoulder bag? You bet!
- Screen Size. Maxed out at 19″, the larger the screen the heavier your bag becomes. Along with this, the more locked down your resolution may seem. If you don’t spring for a high res machine right away, there is no trading up later.
- Hard Drive Capacity. Most laptops seem a step behind in hard drive speed and capacity. While not as expensive as the 360 add-on units, one of the few laptop upgrades does come at a price. Again, if you don’t spring for a dual drive machine, you limit your chances of expansion later.
- How portable are you when not near an outlet? Portable or not, whether you are at the coffee shop, the hotel, library or airline seat, you won’t get far without a power source. Sure there are some sweet gaming laptops out there, but none will not take a performance and/or battery life hit when not plugged in, putting a serious short circuit into your gaming sessions.
- Upgrades Upgrades Upgrades. Outside of your RAM, your Hard Drive capacity and your Sound Card, you have lost all ability to upgrade your machine if you make a laptop as your portal of choice. Rule number one when buying a laptop – Go Big Or Go Home! The shortcuts you make at purchase will look 100 times bigger one year after purchase.
So the jump from desktop to laptop still seems ludicrous, but how about the jump from PC to Console?
Why PC? One Machine to Rule Them All!!!
Of course the most compelling reason to stick with a PC over a console is the multi-faceted functionality. The PC offers great games, but still serves all of the other functions of an office tool, email platform, more capable Twitter/Facebook client(Yeah, I went there), and multimedia machine. Computer, home theater and gaming platform all rolled in one. Isn’t that worth the extra cost of admission? If not, there’s the open platform customization, the higher res capabilities, higher precision controls and the possibility of stability. Then there’s the mods—way before Microsoft concocted ‘DLC’ in a boardroom of Dante’s Inferno rejects, PC gamers were blessed with tons of extra content for their favorite games, with zero cost. Call me biased, if you like, but I have not seen much in the way of DLC to make me think there is anything worth paying Microsoft points for, that is better than the free content available on PC. Overall, PC components are coming down in price and lasting longer, if you are willing to stay slightly behind cutting edge tech. Video cards for $100-$150 will last a long time, and RAM doesn’t need to be bumped up quite so often. Couple that with the fact that the cost of the 40-50 inch HDTV’s are not usually factored in to the “cheaper hardware” cost most console gamers tout, and the gap seems slightly more bridged. Twenty inch HD monitors are much cheaper, but if you still prefer the big screen, wireless peripherals and connectivity to your TV are becoming much more feasible and affordable options these days. I refuse to hear the same console gamer who has paid $250 for headphones tell me that my PC hardware prices are bloated. How about backwards compatibility? It’s nice that when I upgrade my computer, I can go back and dust off most old games(ie games from the XBOX/PS2 gen) and still play them. It’s actually fun to do that and see the improvement in graphics when you upgrade your hardware, something you don’t get when your returned red ringed 360 arrives back on your doorstep. My final two words on this argument – Draw Distance.
Consoles Dismissed?
Sounds like a very compelling argument in the PC corner so far doesn’t it? Well, there is a Kryptonite to the Yellow Sun fueled Super-computers of today – true Plug and Play. True Plug and Play compatibility will not be found anywhere outside a gaming console, not now and not anywhere in the near future. This may sound like a small feature, but it’s a huge blow to the PC market, all games work, all peripherals work, and drivers are only something found in racing games. So the right hook has connected, now how about that left uppercut in the form of ‘no DRM’. PC gaming has gone from an activation code input, to a one-time online activation that may even be fading into a required internet connection to play even your single-player games; all in the name of anti-piracy DRM. From a simple annoyance to a game crippling pestilence, DRM has evolved into the monkey on the back of all PC gamers, regardless of the genre you like to play-but it’s not a console issue. With the PC dazed and confused, a haymaker comes and levels it for the ten count – Used Game Sales and Game Rentals. Try renting a PC game, or selling it back when you don’t like it, or have finished it. Better yet, try getting a PC game from Gamefly.
Go to Everday Gamers for the Rest of the Article!
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