7 Benefits of PC Gaming Over Console Gaming
Which is the better option for gaming: a Gaming Console or a PC?
This question continues to pop up to this day and it comes with a myriad of answers. Gamers continue to bring up heated discussions on which one provides the best experience.
While the discussion brings up decent points, the verdict continues to vary and split. Even with the delays posed by this year due to the worldwide crisis, we still get stellar titles for both. Today, we’ll look at the benefits of PC gaming as it continues to stand the test of time.
1. Wide Library of Game Titles
When you look at PC gaming, one of the advantages that you get here is in variety. You have a wide range of game titles that you can play and run.
The good part about it is that it also has a wide range of specifications and genres to choose from. That means you can play a game that has the least demand in resources, good for low-spec PCs. You can also play a game that pushes your machine to the limits.
You have a wide range of games on the market from various publishers. You have AAA titles that push towards a cinematic experience. This comes with the amount of polish in the graphical department.
Then you also have games from independent developers. Each game provides a different experience, varying in genre and gameplay. Some even appeal to a more retro feel.
Also, you have games that appear on both PC and Console. Some of these titles started off as console-exclusive, then soon appeared on PC after a period of time. Makes you think that a PC would give a better investment.
2. Open for Mods and Custom Content
You can leave it to dedicated fans to create custom content for many game titles. Among these fans are tech-savvy developers.
They would want to make something unique for these game titles. This also includes mods that provide a lot of changes. It comes as either a cosmetic change or a completely different game experience.
When you look at it, a good number of these games have whole communities dedicated to modding. A good example of this would be the classic ARPG Diablo II. Here, you can see mods that create a full rebalancing that even opens up a new set of skills and items.
To push this further, there are also fan-made mods that remaster the whole game. The PC version of Dark Souls, prior to the release of the Remastered version, is a good example. The game had some mods that enhanced the textures.
You can also look at Minecraft for PC as another concrete example. Where you see a myriad of texture packs and shaders to enhance the game’s appearance. You also have active modders providing custom skins or even design new levels.
3. Better Performance
Among the PC gaming benefits, you’ll notice is how it delivers far better performance than consoles. Although you may hear sound arguments on how consoles fare better than PC.
A good reason behind this is that gaming consoles have a specific set of hardware. Its parameters would usually set the bar for game developers to match and push towards.
If you look at games with multiple platforms, you would notice an interesting twist. Games that run on PC have a smoother performance when compared to the ones on a console. This can range from graphical performance to a smoother gameplay experience.
With the right set of hardware and drivers, a PC can run with comparable specs to the current and next-generation consoles. Sometimes, even better than the ones on the console versions. Due to how modular PCs can be, this is what keeps them relevant for decades.
4. Flexibility and Versatility
In this respect, a PC would have an edge over a gaming console. While as of late, later generations of consoles have also stepped up due to other features. For instance, some of them introduced the use of apps.
Most notable would be the advent of apps from streaming services like Spotify or Netflix. You can install these apps on consoles like Playstation 4 and the Xbox One. You can also surf the internet using their built-in browsers.
Even with those features introduced, a PC can do much more with its setup. Aside from being a gaming platform, a PC can also utilize more features and come off as a workstation. You can use it for editing media files such as audio and video, or for coding and developing programs.
A PC also lends well to a streaming setup, complete with the overlays and streaming programs. Meanwhile, you have to take extra steps for consoles to work well in a streaming setup. You need a capture card that you have to connect to a streaming computer, which happens to be a PC.
5. Backward Compatible
Backward compatibility is one issue that pops up in the PC vs PS4 or PC vs Console argument. The upcoming Playstation 5 (PS5) has backward compatibility as one of its key features.
In fact, backward compatibility comes as one of its selling points. This comes alongside the PS5’s updated hardware features. Despite this, PC gamers enjoy this feature even before consoles introduced this.
While there have been some software updates that would bring other games unable to function in PCs due to drivers and other programs in the OS, it is still possible to run older games in current PC builds. It appeals to retro gamers and those touched by the nostalgia of older PC titles.
New game titles raise the bar for the required specs for optimum performance. Even with that fact, you only need one PC to pick up and play older games.
This makes it easier compared to having more than one console. You have to dig up the one that you need to play the game you wish to play.
6. Open for Customization
Consoles come with a predetermined set of hardware optimized for gaming performance. While placed in a neat package, making attempts at modifying the internal hardware could cross the fine line to voiding the warranty. The closest you can get to customization would be to expand the storage via changing the hard drive.
This is where the PC shines in full glory. Even a gaming laptop, which you can use on the go, also offers opportunities for customization. The PC stands out when you build it from scratch.
This is where a PC becomes a powerhouse. You get the beefiest parts separately, starting from the motherboard and processor, to the various memory cards and modules. Cooling systems and graphics processors also come to play here as well.
Now, customization does not stop there. Aside from the main unit, you also have the other pieces of computer hardware that you connect to your main unit. This includes the monitors, the keyboard, and the mouse.
For monitors, you have a wide range of options. You can use TVs with HDMI ports, which can allow you a wide display and even a dedicated sound output (a great option if you also connected it to a home theater system). You can also use more than one display, as long as you have enough ports to connect with.
For other hardware, you can use a keyboard and mouse designed for video games. You can even choose to connect gamepads and other types of game controllers such as steering wheels and joysticks. This way, you have free reign on how you want to play.
7. Cheaper
When you combine the expenses, you can save up more when you opt for a PC compared to buying a console. Upfront, a console might even look cheap right away. When you consider the long-term interests, though, a gaming PC stands on top.
At first, you would notice that a PC comes off as expensive when you look at all the parts involved. It is an investment as you have to shell out for the best parts to get the best performance. Then again, you can start cheap and then replace the old parts with newer and better ones later on.
Compare this to a gaming console. You can get the gaming console as is once and enjoy the games available. Once a new console pops up, you would get the urge to want it and buy it as it comes out. Usually, the consoles cost far more during this period, compared to buying a new PC part that would cost far less.
The keyword here is longevity. By the time a new console comes out, the only thing you need is to buy a new PC part to play games with results that can even exceed those of a console.
Experience the Benefits of PC Gaming
Once you know the benefits of PC gaming, it makes you consider your options. Gaming consoles have unique perks and exclusives, but the PC still stands supreme with adaptability. Start investing in a PC and build your own now!
Is PC gaming best? Our points above prove how good it can be, but you can make the experience even better for yourself. Check our guides and learn how you can customize and optimize your PC to suit your tastes today!
