Which provides better experience for gaming? A console or a PC

[Redwan Kabir]

This has suddenly become a hot topic to me so I would love to let Linus unfold the reality and end this debate once and for all in the Linus way.

[Levent]

ITS ALL RELATIVE

[Jurrunio]

Depends, if you're spoilt on high refresh rates then console is just, no. Until they make a way to get 120fps sustained in 1080p. Then I'll think about whether I'd make my CAD machine good at gaming (could get a used mid range older Quadro, say the M2000) or buy a console and get more options in games.

[Stefan Payne]

16 minutes ago, Redwan Kabir said:

This has suddenly become a hot topic to me so I would love to let Linus unfold the reality and end this debate once and for all in the Linus way.

Depends on the games you want to play and how.

Super Mario Odyssey don't play well on PC...

[SnowyMus]

36 minutes ago, Redwan Kabir said:

This has suddenly become a hot topic to me so I would love to let Linus unfold the reality and end this debate once and for all in the Linus way.

He did that a few years ago actually. Here's the video

In my opinion, you should play what you want.

 

Generally, a PC will provide a better experience in terms of better frame rate, better graphics, more games, more options for gaming (controllers, keyboards, etc.), more form factors (laptops for example), better social options, and so on.

 

Console have exclusives that PC doesn't have and vice versa. Consoles are also physically smaller than even most SFF PCs making them easy to move around. The Nintendo Switch, for example, is the smallest, major home console you can buy, and you can barely fit that in your pocket if you have really big pockets. Unfortunately, consoles also lack in power (especially the Nintendo Switch) and you also have to pay for online multiplayer in many cases. You're also restricted to a limited selection of input devices, usually, though some console games are supporting keyboard and mouse.

 

There's nothing wrong with playing with a console if that's what you want to play. If you are having fun with your choice of game device, then that's great. Lately I've been playing a lot of Nintendo Switch games, as the convenience of portability is something that the PC cannot yet match even with laptops, but sometimes I go on my GTX 1070 / i7-6700K desktop PC I built and have a blast on that, too.

 

I think having both a PC and a console and having the best of both worlds gives the best experience, personally. Having the most options is great.

[Kisai]

29 minutes ago, Redwan Kabir said:

This has suddenly become a hot topic to me so I would love to let Linus unfold the reality and end this debate once and for all in the Linus way.

It's all relative.

 

The "console" is the better, consistent, albeit sub-par (eg longer loading times, lower resolutions) experience.

The "mobile device", is the worst, inconsistent, sub-par experience, which is why many of the games you see for mobile devices tend to be Unity engine shovelware.

 

The PC is an inconsistent, but typically superior experience, if you invested in appropriate hardware. It can also be an inferior experience on nearly all laptops and most OEM budget PC's.

 

If a console's life is 7 years, a PC's life is 7 years, but a mobile device's life is 3, then you are likely to see the best experience over time with the console, because the games will be tuned for that console, and not the moving goalposts of the PC.

 

[Uttamattamakin]

If you have money for one or the other... you will get more gaming bang for your buck with a console and a good TV.   A lot of the best PC gaming experiences cost a lot more money.   i.e. Graphics cards that cost as much as the whole rest of the computer.  This is possible because games can be customized for a particular console. 

 

HOWEVER, if you have the money for a good PC.  $1500-$2000 by all means get a PC with a decent graphics card  (see reviews for that) and at least 16 GB of ram and 500 GB or more of storage ... at minimum... there won't be anything you can't do with it.  PLUS unlike a console you can almost always upgrade a PC one part at a time.   

[ARikozuM]

The one I can play wherever I am. 

 

3DS, Switch, Apple Pi, etc. 

[airdeano]

welcome to the Linus Tech Tips forums!

 

we have flambed this topic to an edge of insanity. search the pasted threads to seem most/of not all are locked due to the flame wars.

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about every 20-25 days this same topic gets railroaded.