I just can’t do it.July 10th, 2008 by Leslie
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Many gamers have their preferred method of getting their digital entertainment fix. Quite a few are blessed to have the means to be quite eclectic in their collections.
Myself? I just can’t do consoles.
Personally, I’d rather spend a good portion of my paycheck on a new, decked-out PC gaming and graphics design rig. At least I can multitask its usage into both entertainment as well as marketable products for my clients.
Fuck that $500 Xbox. And its extra controllers for more multiplayer fun. And the hard drive for downloadable content. And the downloadable content that costs extra. And the XBL fee.
It’s not paying me back.
I haven’t bought myself a new console since the first PlayStation. I also don’t plan on doing so any time soon, either, although I did have that glimmer in my eye several months ago. I wrestled with the decision for weeks, and decided against it. Quite vehemently.
Instead, I bought myself several very large upgrades to my desktop computer, and have been ecstatic with the performance ever since. Even the worst coded or just plain resource intensive games, like Hellgate or Bioshock, run perfectly well. Not to mention the entire mechanical surgery cost less than the standalone hardware for a new console nevermind the plethora games I’d be tempted to purchase the first day as well as any extra peripherals. It also helps me get my work done.
The purchase of a new console, I view, is a waste of resources for me considering I also have several other slightly expensive hobbies.
Many of the games that appeal to me are also created for the PC. Some upcoming games that will definitely be in my shopping cart come release are Fallout 3 and Left4Dead, among others. Am I missing out on owning some great games? Sure. But most of what is appealing to me is also offered for the computer or is ported at a later date, like Fable
And it doesn’t mean I won’t ever have a chance play those great console games. I can take consolation in that – and the fact that my budget that is set nicely on achieving many other goals.
I do love those small selection friends I have who see things differently and feel these expensive toys are good investments for themselves. They are all quite so willing and happy to share – especially if offerings of edible compensation are given.
Unfortunately even the handheld market is not financially appealing at all to me, either. Expensive hardware for a niche market that does not catch me, at all. Not only do the libraries these cute little contraptions offer not appeal enough to me, they’re also pricey at $40 a pop per new title.
That all being said, I do appreciate the technological advances the developers of these consoles bring us. The Wii represents an outside the box thought process merged with new technology that can only get more and more exciting.
But hell no, I’m not emptying my wallet for that shit.
July 10th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
I’ll take PC over any console, unless there is a new Zelda coming out, because then Nintendo is where its at.
July 10th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
I’m weak willed and have poor impulse control, so I have a gaming PC and a couple of consoles (360/Wii) and I can really see the pros and cons of both. I love that I can update/refresh my gaming rig when it will no longer run the latest/greatest games, but it’s nice to be able to buy a console title and not worry specs/ram/directx versions/video card, etc. It’s also nice to just pick up and play something while sitting on the couch.
That said, some games I can just play so much better on the PC (Team Fortress 2, for example.)
Also, good point about the PC investment actually having the potential to pay you back. Makes splurging for that extra ram or next sexy video card a little more palatable. No one is going to pay me for anything I do on my console, but I can actually use the PC to eek out a living.
July 11th, 2008 at 6:59 am
Consoles for gaming and PC’s for linux, it’s how life was meant to be. If you’ve ever used a windows emulator to run a game emulator you’ll understand.
July 11th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Tes - Just install Windows on a partition and boot to it to play your games. Much better than Windows emulation.
July 11th, 2008 at 9:44 am
I was iffy about buying a DS for a long time, but I gotta say, the third advance wars is the best investment I’ve ever made. $35 for over 300 hours of time I’ve logged in that game.
Just a personal choice though. =P
July 11th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
I used to be a console junky, but I’ve been moving around a lot due to school so they’ve been all but abandoned. Practically every one of my friends has a Wii or 360, so I end up hanging out and leeching using of their system if I ever want to play anything. It works out well.
Till then I enjoy my lappy and my desktop and the weird little indie games I can find (along with the titles you mentioned, those will definitely be in my cart this fall as well.)
July 13th, 2008 at 4:24 am
I started gaming on a pc.. No, wait, that is not right. I started gaming on a handheld, back in the eighties. You know, lcd games. But I got most enjoyment out of a lot of pc games. I love my DS however because I can carry it anywhere and some games on it are better than the pc version! Okay, one game is better than the pc version. We do have a Gamecube, Wii and Xbox360, but we rarely play it. If we do, it is me watching and Five playing. I guess if I was younger and did not have resources to get an excellent pc, I would play my Wii or Xbox games in my tiny room all the time. More time and less money is good for consoles I guess. Less time and more money means that I want to multi task, as mentioned. PC games for me then…
July 14th, 2008 at 7:01 am
I’ve enjoyed console gaming up through the PS2, but the “next-gen” consoles don’t do it much for me. Now consoles get online, do your taxes, and you can download mods and patches! In other words, it’s just like a PC, but still less functional (and more prone to bricking)! I liked older consoles where the benefit was you did just pop the game in and go–no worries about hardware compatibility and patches and the like… but it seems to me these days consoles are becoming more like gaming PCs in more of the bad ways and none of the good.
July 17th, 2008 at 8:35 am
I never gamed on a PC before the Sims, and then WoW. I still don’t play anything on my PC other than those two games, mostly WoW lately. Every so often I have a psyhotic Sims marathon and go on a bender, but otherwise, the computer is a WoW terminal and I’m a console girl.
I will totally cop to purchasing an XBox purely for one game: Rock Band. I don’t regret it a bit. Was it expensive? Well, yes. But hey, that’s why I made the choice to be a dirty, dirty corporate ho. When the budgetary concern part is removed from the equation, why not? Let there be rock.
Also, like Demo, I will purchase any console or other platform that will deliver a game containing Link. I’d never played a fighting game in my life before Soul Calibur II, but promise me a game wherein Link will steamroller someone and whack them directly in the solar plexus with the hilt of his sword, and: yes, please, give me a helping of that and a side of fries.