PC Vs. Console: Which One to Choose for a Great Gaming Experience?

In today’s time and age where a lot of options are available for a gaming enthusiast, the biggest confusion that he faces is whether to go for a customized gaming personal computer, or a traditional gaming console that is made for the purpose. In this article, we are going to discuss some of the pros and cons of both the options so that you can determine which one will be the best for you, so keep reading.

Gaming has always been one of the most enjoyed hobbies for people and now with great connectivity and extravagant gaming resources, professional gaming has taken a great hike. What used to be considered as a time pass or a leisure experience has now become one of the highest-paid professions as well as a way of entertainment. With all the advancements in technology, traditional gaming has been upgraded to a profession through which a lot of individuals have earned respect, fame, and money. There was a time when people used to get bored of gaming as there were only a few options available but that is not the case anymore. With upgrades in hardware, software, and the overall quality of experience, gaming is considered to be one of the best experiences for any individual who likes to play games.

Lately, there has been a great discussion about whether a person should go for a customized gaming computer or a professional gaming console, and to be honest, it is not an easy question to answer. A lot of people nowadays take their gaming very seriously as they have the option of earning from it through live streams and gaming competitions. And while they want the best performance with flexible features, both PCs and gaming consoles offer different benefits. What should you do? Well, let’s cut right to the chase and discuss each of them individually based on their pros and cons.

Consoles: The Gaming Champions 

Play Station or an X Box? This has been the ongoing debate between both the communities for a long time now and while nobody knows the answer, what actually can be said is both of them are just WOW! Gaming experience as you already know is no longer only about trendy games or weapon choices (remember the time when the “S” bullets in Contra were all we ever wished for). It has drastically evolved with the technology and now frame rates, 4k quality, and refresh rates are also the key factors that contribute to a great gaming experience. The consoles do a great job in providing an engaging gaming experience by ticking off all the boxes mentioned. The gaming consoles have always been one of the most desired ways of enjoying latest and heavy games as it is solely focused on rendering the games.

Let’s jump onto what the pros and cons of a gaming consoles are and analyze their features with respect to the areas they lack in.

Pros –

1. Gaming–Centric Devices – One of the biggest benefits of getting a console is that all the properties, every single asset of that particular console are used for gaming only. It is designed in such a manner that all the games run without any issues. Be it a Sony Play station or Microsoft’s X-box or Nintendo’s Wii,all of them are designed to run every game with perfection and provide an indulging gaming experience.
2. Easy Peripheral Controllers –The biggest benefit of playing on a console is that you get to use the remote controllers for the game. These peripheral remotes are easy to use and are more commonly accepted in the gaming community as it is convenient to handle, controls are easy to grasp and provide a perfect grip to the user which helps a him better interact with the game.
3. Easily Affordable –All the gaming consoles are made with the understanding of the target audience. These consoles are easily affordable as compared to other gaming options. It majorly depends on the specifications that a console has to offer in terms of storage, rendering abilities, etc. These are also taken as the perfect gifting item for children and that is why there are multiple versions of them. The play station portable PSP and the Nintendo Switch are the two consoles that are targeted towards mobile gaming and are relatively cheaper than the full versions.
4. Easy to Setup –These gaming consoles are easy to install and can be simply hooked up to a television or a monitor without requiring a lot of assembling. Some of them even plug and play so that all you have to do is just clip the wire and Voila! You are ready to start playing. Gaming Consoles offer great mobility as well because you can carry them ( not the entire setup but the console) more easily than an entire gaming PC.
5. Extended Availability of Games – All of these consoles have some gaming library attached to them that provides some great games to be played without having to find games on the internet. You can find every single game in these libraries provided they are not exclusively released for a particular console. They also offer various memberships so that the players can get their hands on some of the most exclusive games that the platform has to offer.

Cons –

1. Low Multitasking Capabilities –While the consoles can help you in surfing the internet, watching movies, and other stuff, they are not at all built for multitasking. The sole purpose of these consoles is to help you play games at the best quality possible. So never expect anything more.
2. Extra Hidden Charges –While every service related to gaming is available on these consoles, the users often have to pay extra for some services such as library memberships, extra controllers, gaming passes, etc. People are usually not aware as they buy it as a combo but, PlayStation and X-box both come with only a single controller in their bundle and the user has to pay an extra amount to buy another one.
3. Specific Parts Requirements – All the consoles only and only work with the certified parts and products of the particular manufacturer. For instance, a Sony PlayStation requires a dedicated Sony controller to play, you can not use a 3rd party controller which is available for a cheaper price. If you live in a remote location and have accidentally damaged the controller or the cables, then there’s no option for you other than going to a service station and getting a new one.
4. Physical Disks Required –Unlike a PC on which you can install games, a console requires you to insert a Disk drive every time you want to play. This might not sound as big of a deal as if you are going to buy a disk in the first place you have no problem inserting it again and again but, this adds an extra step in the overall gaming experience which is just not worth it. Also, you will have to carry an extra case or two for the disks that you want to play. There are consoles that come with storage to load games on them but still, you are required to insert the original disk of the game that you want to play.
5. Expensive Upgrades – It is a fact with all of the electronic devices that they get obsolete real quick as the technology is always evolving. The biggest downside with choosing a console is that you can’t upgrade its parts as it is a complete package in itself and to upgrade it, you are required to buy an entirely new console which is quite expensive.

Customized Gaming PCs: The Beast!

Now let’s talk about the customized PCs that people assemble for gaming. As you might be familiar, a personal computer is a computing machine that can be used for a lot of purposes and now people have started to take full advantage of all the upgrades and parts available in the market to build devices that are not only compatible with high-end games but can also be used for other purposes such as video editing, designing, audio rendering, and many other things. The best thing about these computers is that they can be easily upgraded and can be assembled as per the requirements. Though the PCs are not solely made for gaming, they can provide you with a great gaming experience just like any other console as the processing power of new-gen computers is undefinable.

Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of having a customized PC as your go-to gaming device.

Pros –

1. Great Customization –As the name suggests, a custom PC is completely customized and almost everything can be added to a full-fledged PC. There’s no need of relying on particular hardware or software as a processor by Intel can be easily used with Nvidea or Radeon GPU. The possibilities with a customized PC are endless as there are a lot of things to choose from, unlike a console that offers fewer options. You can get one made according to your requirements and budget.
2. Amazing Multitasking Capabilities –Assembling a PC can be a blessing for you if you are interested in a lot of other tasks such as live streaming, photo and video editing as it has the capability to run different useful software and if you can go to the highest extent of customization, you can even render an 8K video in the background while you enjoy your games. Isn’t that insane?
3. Easy to Upgrade – When you assemble a PC with different parts that you see fit, you leave yourself with an option of replacing these parts with their upgraded versions. This means that there is no necessity that you have to get the top-notch version of everything at the time of assembling the PC as you can upgrade any part of your PC at any point in time. This is a really a big deal as the internal hardware of any PC or console is the backbone of a perfect gaming experience and it keeps advancing every now and then. Having an option to upgrade is always a plus.
4. Unbelievable Horse Power – Well one thing in which nothing stands a chance in front of a customized gaming PC is the processing power that it has to offer. With the help of overclocked CPUs and GPUs you can easily make the most out of any particular version of the PC and the option of increasing up RAM (random access memory) and ROM (read-only memory ) according to the requirements just adds more power to the system.
5. Great Gaming Support –Just like consoles, PCs also offer great gaming support. This means that a lot of games and almost every other game can be played on a PC. Especially with the help of emulator applications, even the game of consoles and mobile phones can be run smoothly on a PC giving it an edge over the console gaming experience.

Cons – 

1. Overheating Issues –Well, no matter how much power you put into your PC, it is not just a gaming device like a console is. When a PC is used for hours, it can overheat and get damaged due to the heat and overuse. This is mostly the case with a PC with low horsepower and processing capabilities. Sometimes even the parts can overheat and get damaged which can ruin the entire gaming experience as well as result in malfunctioning.
2. Expensive –PCs due to their customizable nature can cost you a lot of money. Higher performance requires good quality parts and good quality parts are not easily available. It is affordable for a person who can compromise in any department such as low graphics, an older processor, or low storage but if you need max performance, then you are going to pay a lot for the same.
3. Not Mobile at All –A gaming PC is not a single device, it is an accumulation of multiple input-output devices that require a proper space to be placed. You can not keep moving it from one place to another without winding it up completely. You require extra resources such as a spot, a table, a gaming chair ( a comfortable one because you know, gaming needs time), and the most important of all, a dedicated wire management system because with every device comes a wire!
4. Misses Out on Exclusives –There are a few console games that are only available for the consoles and do not support a PC and that is where a system lacks behind. Some of the exclusively released titles by either Microsoft, Nintendo or Sony are limited edition games that are not made for PCs so if you can afford to miss out on them, then you can go for a PC.
5. Less Optimized Experience – When you choose a PC over a dedicated console, you miss out on the optimization that it has to offer. A PC is not the first target device for any game developing company and it is one of the biggest minus points for a player on a gaming PC. You might not realize this if you are playing on a full-fledged customized powerhouse but then again you will have to pay a handsome amount for the same.

Final Verdict: My Opinion 

Well, this brings us to the end of the comparison between gaming consoles and gaming PCs. All the necessary points that a potential buyer should take care of are right in front of you. In my personal opinion, I prefer a gaming PC over a console any day as it serves as a complete package for all sorts of tasks that I could ever come across. It also has the flexibility that I can customize it according to my budget and upgrade it with time. Hope this comparison was clear enough to help you make a decision. Last but not least alway be conscious about online security while online gaming. 

Remember, a product that provides the best value for money is the product that you must choose. Be responsible and choose wisely.