Systems Wars - What's the best one for gaming?

silvine

What's the best system for gaming today?

The PC seems to be the best place to play RTS games, even though consoles are making inroads on this genre. (No this isn't another PC gaming is dying thead)

The Xbox seems like the king of the FPS genre, even though real FPS fans prefer the extra control a mouse and keyboard give.

The PS3 seems like a great system for sports games, even though it's controller too light, buttons a little funny and its online set up not as good as the 360.

The Wii seems the best place for casual gaming, even though many people claim it just a novelty system. One thing is clear. It offers the most original way to interact with your games (shame the new Stars Wars game sucks).

And then there's the DS, PSP, mobiles etc. The gaming experiences on these systems can be irritating, although you can't beat Snake, Tetris or Scrabble.

Personally, I find having a console means you get to play more games quicker e.g. GTA IV. However, there is a no question that PCs offer more flexibility when it comes to the controls and the downloadable content. I reckon mobile gaming is going to get a lot bigger too, e.g. Apple's move into this area, but's it very hard to imagine this format replacing consoles or PCs as a real gaming alternative.

What do people here think?

Kiith

This will bring back the age old (well, couple of year old) argument amongst fanboys. Currently, the 360 has the best set of games, with the PS3 still lagging behind somewhat. But i still say the pc is better then any of them.

death1234567

silvine

I want that PC!

Mr Bloat

I'd be primarily a pc gamer, I believe you can't beat the pc for power, flexibility and accuracy while in game. I can fully understand why people love consoles though, as pcs are expensive to game on and you do have to maintain it and upgrade regularly.

I've owned (and still do own) many a console which have given me some of the best gaming experiences that I have had.

Of late, I've thought that there has been a bit of a drought in decent pc games. I've tried a fair few but they haven't had any lasting appeal. This looks like it might change soon enough and I really hope so!

SeantheMan

PC definitely

And its by far and away the best for FPS games.

Xbox360 has halo..and thats it..and it aint even that good

Casual offline gaming witha few drinks is where consoles win out...i.e. Fifa, GTA Series, Racing Games, Mario Kart, Wii Play etc

Anythin else..FPS, RTS = PC ftw !

mayordenis

it's really not as simple as each beeing good for a certain game type yada yada

like a simple way of putting it, if I want to play stalker I'll play it on my pc, if I want to play super mario galaxy I'll play it on my Wii, if I want to play Uncharted I'll use my PS3, if I want to play Halo 3 I'll use my xbox, If I want to play Loco roco I'll use my PSP, if I want to play Trauma Centre I'll use my DS - they all have different games and different uses.

The only point of comparison is really on the bif multiformat games and tbh they're always basically the same across the lot - couldn't say PS3 is better for sports etc. imo

silvine

But more games come out on the consoles and quicker. Take Gears of War, GTA, Halo 3, Fracture, Braid, Geometry Wars 2, Mass Effect etc etc.

projectmayhem

silvine wrote: »

But more games come out on the consoles and quicker. Take Gears of War, GTA, Halo 3, Fracture, Braid, Geometry Wars 2, Mass Effect etc etc.

Sometimes it is better for it. The problems are ironed out (some of the time) and any expansion packs are bundled in, even sometimes with stuff never released on consoles (like the extra chapters in GOW)... then comes the mods...

tman

Kind of hard to pick a favourite... Even though my 360 gets a lot more use than my PS3, I would still find it hard to choose one to get rid of over the other.
As an MMO addict, I couldn't really do without a PC either, and that's without considering all of the other stuff I use it for!
I prefer the DS to the PSP in terms of handheld games - The PSP is just plain awkward to use for proper games like God of War and Wipeout, I only really use it for a quick blast of Loco Roco whenever I'm feeling down...

The Wii sucks donkey balls... I can't decide on a clear winner, but this is most definitely the loser of the bunch.

Bolgey

best gaming console ever was the one that played 'tennis for two', the story line was a bit off, but the graphics were incredible, not to mention the replay value!!:D

projectmayhem

I'll break it down this way, as someone who owns every bloody console in the world (yay expenses!)...

PC: By far the most accurate interface with a game, as long as the game is a shooter and has no massively complex system for using the keyboard bar movement. The issue being that it's really only good for any other game genre if you buy peripherals, and it's expensive to "keep up" with the market trends.

360: Terrible hardware that Microsoft will spend years trying to make it look good through PR, but once this "cycle" is done we'll probably all look back at this as an epic failure on MS' part. The failure rate is inexcusable, and the noise the thing makes can interrupt gaming... which should never happen. The early entry to the market did get some great games though and the back-catalogue is starting to fill up with some good titles. Having said that, this is the first Christmas-period that the 360 is lagging behind the PS3, in my opinion. It's major benefit this year is the pricecuts. XBL is pretty much flawless... my only complaint is that the interface isn't as nice as the PS3's store at the moment, but I like the look of the update that's due.

PS3: Good all-round console but ignoring the extra stuff it does, the games themselves have picked up big time and being an early-adopter is paying off dividends. I've bought a huge amount of stuff on PSN and enjoyed them immensely while I've only bought 3 games on XBLA. For the most part the AAA stuff is the same as what 360 has, as development costs mean you have to work cross-platform, but what exclusives the PS3 has are better then most of the 360's exclusives, bar Halo and Gears (though both will eventually come to PC). This Christmas has a bumper line-up. It's just a shame Killzone isn't due 'till next Feb, which probably means next Christmas at this stage. The online stuff is great. The new "integrated" store works brilliantly, and feels very smooth and nice to look at. The whole XMB-in-game is great. More integration of friends in-game is needed but I'm sure that'll come with this rumoured October update with Home.

Wii: Great little idea, but mine is actually in my girlfriends' house right now, gathering a rather large amount of dust. As with the gamecube, 3rd party support isn't great and Nintendo's own titles are lack-luster except for one or two iterations every year. Stuff like Wii Fit will keep people interested for a week before being pushed under the sofa. The online component is a ridiculous effort. Nintendo should be ashamed of their online infrastructure, especially in this day-in-age.

FreeOSCAR

projectmayhem wrote: »

PS3:This Christmas has a bumper line-up.

Sorry but what bumper lineup is that? Resistance 2, LBP and Motorstorm?
Ill be getting 2 out of those 3 but i wouldnt call it a great lineup of games.

Ri_Nollaig

projectmayhem wrote: »

PS3: ... and being an early-adopter is paying off dividends. ...

How? You enjoyed the fact that you paid a fortune for a machine that was in no way worth it for atleast a year, by then alot cheaper?

mcgovern

projectmayhem wrote: »

360: Terrible hardware that Microsoft will spend years trying to make it look good through PR, but once this "cycle" is done we'll probably all look back at this as an epic failure on MS' part. The failure rate is inexcusable, and the noise the thing makes can interrupt gaming... which should never happen. The early entry to the market did get some great games though and the back-catalogue is starting to fill up with some good titles. Having said that, this is the first Christmas-period that the 360 is lagging behind the PS3, in my opinion. It's major benefit this year is the pricecuts. XBL is pretty much flawless... my only complaint is that the interface isn't as nice as the PS3's store at the moment, but I like the look of the update that's due.

I don't know who you mean by 'we' but I can guarantee you that Microsoft will look back at the 360 as an epic win.
They've had a massive increase in market share, starting to make a profit off it, gotten many previous Playstation exclusives, have the highest ever attach rate for a console, seen large increases in the States in people using the Marketplace to download films/music etc which helps further cement their place as one of the leaders for digital delivery of content, developed better ties with 3rd party publishers etc etc etc

silvine

Project Mayhem you've forgotten about RTS and MMORPG games. Surely the PC is the dominant format for these genres?

Similarily, how are PS3 reaping the dividends of their investment? There's still not much out for the console which you can't get elsewher apart from MGS4 and Drake's Fortune.

I wouldn't call the Xbox an epic failure either. Yes the hardware is lousy and Microsoft rushed a faulty product to the market but it's still ahead of the PS3 when it comes to the amount of quality games available. And the the development time of PS3 games is still a lot longer than that of Xbox or PC games.

thelordofcheese

projectmayhem wrote: »

360: Terrible hardware that Microsoft will spend years trying to make it look good through PR, but once this "cycle" is done we'll probably all look back at this as an epic failure on MS' part.

Yeah, that large chunk of the market they've captured is going to look awful in hindsight...

Praetorian

I play mostly PC, 360, PSP games, although we do have a Wii in the house that I never touch. I fear the day that Microsoft or Sony let console noobs play with keyboards and mice for FPS

Ri_Nollaig

Praetorian wrote: »

I play mostly PC, 360, PSP games, although we do have a Wii in the house that I never touch. I fear the day that Microsoft or Sony let console noobs play with keyboards and mice for FPS

I thought the ps3 supports mouse and keyboard? 360 supports keyboard too but only for typing messages...

Otacon

Ri_Nollaig wrote: »

I thought the ps3 supports mouse and keyboard?

Unreal Tournament 3 is the only game so far to implement this though.

Retr0gamer

To be perfectly honest if I didn't have my PS3 I wouldn't feel like i was missing out on much at all. The 360 gets all it's best 3rd party games and for some reason my favourite genre, JRPGs, has so far been represented best on the 360 with only a few ports on to the PS3.

White Knight Story which got announced for Japan on December 25th in japan is the only game I'm really looking forward to and I've a feeling that little big planet may be a disappointment (would love to be proved totally wrong).

projectmayhem

silvine wrote: »

Project Mayhem you've forgotten about RTS and MMORPG games. Surely the PC is the dominant format for these genres?

Ah I don't really play those. I only play C&C and Starcraft, and MMO's are a lost cause for me... so it'd be hyprocritical of me to make comment

silvine wrote: »

Similarily, how are PS3 reaping the dividends of their investment? There's still not much out for the console which you can't get elsewher apart from MGS4 and Drake's Fortune.

Like I said, I play my PS3 more then the 360. I didn't really make a big point of it but my xbox really and truely is a Gears of War/Halo3 box rather then a fully rounded games console.

thelordofcheese wrote: »

Yeah, that large chunk of the market they've captured is going to look awful in hindsight...

Point taken, but I was really referring to the hardware failures, not the sales successes... that's a given IMO.

mcgovern wrote: »

I don't know who you mean by 'we' but I can guarantee you that Microsoft will look back at the 360 as an epic win.
They've had a massive increase in market share, starting to make a profit off it, gotten many previous Playstation exclusives, have the highest ever attach rate for a console, seen large increases in the States in people using the Marketplace to download films/music etc which helps further cement their place as one of the leaders for digital delivery of content, developed better ties with 3rd party publishers etc etc etc

Again I was only really referencing the hardware failures. The stats for attach rates will be overshadowed by the failure rates the console has. Sure just two weeks ago on Kotaku there was someone from MS trying to PR-away new statistics on repairs and defects because some "ex employee" came out to diss the company.

Either way, you can't go on about massive sales when you look at the Wii. Sure no one buys games afterwards, but Nintendo's still printing money with the thing... and they make money on every machine, while Sony and Microsoft loose massive amounts. IIRC, Microsoft's game divison has never turned a profit, where Sony always manages to see profit towards the end of a consoles life cycle... which I suppose justifies its existence. Sony would probably look at PS3 driving further profit through their sales of Blu-ray stuff, and maybe even some knock-on for BRAVIA...

mcgovern

projectmayhem wrote: »

Again I was only really referencing the hardware failures. The stats for attach rates will be overshadowed by the failure rates the console has. Sure just two weeks ago on Kotaku there was someone from MS trying to PR-away new statistics on repairs and defects because some "ex employee" came out to diss the company.

Either way, you can't go on about massive sales when you look at the Wii. Sure no one buys games afterwards, but Nintendo's still printing money with the thing... and they make money on every machine, while Sony and Microsoft loose massive amounts. IIRC, Microsoft's game divison has never turned a profit, where Sony always manages to see profit towards the end of a consoles life cycle... which I suppose justifies its existence. Sony would probably look at PS3 driving further profit through their sales of Blu-ray stuff, and maybe even some knock-on for BRAVIA...

Microsoft Games Division is making money, $165mil in the first fiscal quarter last year (Halo 3) and $357 mil in the next quarter(Xmas), haven't seen any results for Q3, but they were expecting the trend to continue.
From Jan 2007 to Nov 2007, €3.5billion was spent on Xbox products, which was more than the PS3 and Wii combined.
I'm not sure if thats enough to make a dent into their R&D, repair etc cots, but their losses on console sales are small compared to Sony's losses on the PS3 (mainly due to the Blu-ray).
Of course, like you say, PS3 sales are driving Blu-ray sales, but at this stage it doesn't look like its ever going to replace DVD, with online content likely to take over, and Microsoft's Marketplace is the 2nd biggest such content provider, after iTunes I think.

Microsoft's main concern is probably the demographic they targeted and won (serious console gamers) is no longer the most profitable market, as the DS and Wii have shown, so they'll need to make the new console more friendly to the casual gamer, while still appealing to their current clientèle.

BlitzKrieg

projectmayhem wrote: »

Like I said, I play my PS3 more then the 360. I didn't really make a big point of it but my xbox really and truely is a Gears of War/Halo3 box rather then a fully rounded games console.

I am almost the complete opposite to you , only play MGS 4 on my ps3 and even that I was quite disapointed with.


On the whole front, atm my pc gets the most play through with me, but thats cause I have been on a serious RTS buzz for the last year and a half going through company of heroes, supreme commander, red alert 3 beta etc etc, and I have alot less free time so its easier for me to play 3-4 rounds online of one of these games then to play my 360 or ps3 (still at work right now ) But when I do get time to sit down and play console games my 360 would be my first choice, its good online support and most of my friends have xbox live so I play with them, I have a nice enough selection of games both exclusive and 3rd party but the xbox marketplace has really got me hooked bought bionic commando, castle crashers, braid and psychonauts all quality titles.

My PS3 got played quite abit online and offline when I picked up MGS4 but I came away from the single player experiance disapointed (no fault of the machine) and the multiplayer felt a bit flat because I didnt have any friends I knew who played it online (the only 2 other people I know with ps3's dont go online) and also I didnt own a bluetooth headset. But I love the ps3's upscaling and video support, I mostly use the machine to play dvds/video files (havnt bought a blu ray yet) or to put my music through it and have the cool earth slideshow up on it.


Alot of the criticisms of the 360 havnt come up with me. I didnt buy the wireless adaptor because I had no problem running a cable from my nearby computer, never had a ring of death (touch wood) and the noise of the machine has never interferred with my games or films. I do admit its quite loud, but i only ever notice it when there is no sound and its loading.


My poor Wii has probably suffered the most, I enjoyed a number of the initial games and I loved Mario Galaxy, but its been pretty much unplayed since, I picked up Smash Brothers but never put the effort into it, despite having a friend who plays it online (still more then the ps3). I would like to give it more of an effort but due to the need to unlock stuff and my lack of personal time I cant be fecked, hence why the PC is easiest for me followed by my 360.

silvine

I have alot less free time so its easier for me to play 3-4 rounds online of one of these games then to play my 360 or ps3 (still at work right now ) But when I do get time to sit down and play console games my 360 would be my first choice, its good online support and most of my friends have xbox live so I play with them

How is it easier to play PC games, do you play RTS games in work??

I would have though one of the big advantages of the Xbox is you can turn it on and being playing online with someone within 30 seconds. Where as with the PC, you have to boot it up, log in, load you game, find a server etc. And RTS games generally go on a lot longer than other game types. Surely gaming sessions take longer on the PC than they do on the Xbox?

thelordofcheese

projectmayhem wrote: »

Point taken, but I was really referring to the hardware failures, not the sales successes... that's a given IMO.

The hideous rate of failure with sonys hardware has never really dented it's rep, though microsoft seem to be doing things backwards in comparison to Sony. The 360 hardware is getting more robust as time goes by, where as the PS2 hardware seemed to get worse over time.

projectmayhem

mcgovern wrote: »

Microsoft Games Division is making money, $165mil in the first fiscal quarter last year (Halo 3) and $357 mil in the next quarter(Xmas), haven't seen any results for Q3, but they were expecting the trend to continue.

Is that for xbox or Microsoft Entertainment Division? Over the last 2 years (ignoring 2008) the gaming division alone (which is part of the entertainment division - same boss etc.) lost nearly $2bn. They then lost more on the Zune... Obviously they're being propped up by the rest of the company (which ironically is doing fine).

While Sony is loosing money, they've been much closer to the line then Microsoft has been. As I said, at the end of the PS2 life cycle, they turned profit... and continue to do so with the PS2 being in "new" territories.

mcgovern wrote: »

Of course, like you say, PS3 sales are driving Blu-ray sales, but at this stage it doesn't look like its ever going to replace DVD, with online content likely to take over, and Microsoft's Marketplace is the 2nd biggest such content provider, after iTunes I think.

Well this Christmas is going to be a big tell-tale sign for Blu-Ray. While I would agree that digital distribution is the way to go, you can't get proper HD content through digital distribution (as in, the content itself isn't ever going to beat disk-based media in terms of picture quality). People like me who spent stupid amounts of money on TVs will be looking for disks until they sort that out. Obviously XBLA type stuff is different, but that's still aimed at a specific market.

mcgovern wrote: »

Microsoft's main concern is probably the demographic they targeted and won (serious console gamers) is no longer the most profitable market, as the DS and Wii have shown, so they'll need to make the new console more friendly to the casual gamer, while still appealing to their current clientèle.

I would imagine that's Sonys concern too, with Littlebigplanet's push and the eyepet stuff, along with singstar (and the Xbox variant, lips) etc. I don't think either manufacturer can corner the market the way Nintendo did. Cost is an issue (not anymore really with the xbox) but the main issue is that everyone already has a perception of the PS3 and 360.... it'll be hard to re-affirm a new public perception about either console, especially since neither want to loose their "hardcore" audience. In Microsofts case, they have to be careful as casual gamers (nintendo style) seem to not care about online... so they're less likely to pay for XBL.

thelordofcheese wrote: »

The hideous rate of failure with sonys hardware has never really dented it's rep, though microsoft seem to be doing things backwards in comparison to Sony. The 360 hardware is getting more robust as time goes by, where as the PS2 hardware seemed to get worse over time.

I would tend to agree as someone who had to buy a repaired PS2 late into the consoles life, but I'd take that over the 4 xbox360's I had to go through before packing it all in and eventually buying an elite.

BlitzKrieg

silvine wrote: »

How is it easier to play PC games, do you play RTS games in work??

sadly no, we use macs at work so I cant throw a copy of c&c onto it

I would have though one of the big advantages of the Xbox is you can turn it on and being playing online with someone within 30 seconds. Where as with the PC, you have to boot it up, log in, load you game, find a server etc. And RTS games generally go on a lot longer than other game types. Surely gaming sessions take longer on the PC than they do on the Xbox?

There is no doubt it would be the same with Halo 3 or COD4 on my 360. but I usually have to wait for my housemate to finish on the tv more times then find him on the computer, then there would be times where the 360 isnt set up the ps3 is (I only have one hdmi cable between the two [f*ck you sony!]) as I or my housemate tend to watch dvds over the weekend and like I ssaid better quality on the ps3.

I just find it easier on the pc because atm my pc would always be set up and 99% of the time it would be on, even if it wasnt it would still have to be booted up anyway. Playing an RTS online has mostly been smooth for me. Use to be hell, but for the last few months I have had no problems, I boot up the game (Company of Heroes or the Red Alert 3 beta) I click automatch, grab whatever leftovers I have for a late dinner (late work = bad health ) by the time (1 min - 3 min depending if its red alert 3 or COH) I am back I would have a game loading that game would last about 15 minutes with red alert half an hour if its COH then I would just click automatch again once its finished.

most nights I get 2-3 quality games of COH in before bed, RA3 I could knock through 6 or 8 games depending on the skill level of my opponents easily.

Also honestly my game selection on my 360 while the largest on my modern consoles (still pales to my saturn/dreamcast selection) its still not vast and most of my games are single player adventure sorts or have difficult/buggy online systems. My three online games are obviously Gears of War Halo 3 and Cod 4. Also I havnt been able to get the time to set up my rock band instruments in weeks and I have money put aside to buy a load of songs too, might wait until rock band 2 shows up and spend it on that instead.

EDIT
I forgot to add my pc selection of games is huge and I usually have 6-7 of them installed so its easier selection for me to pick through then going to look for games among all my other ones.


I'm not the most organised of people