Although traditional console gaming still has its adherents, we are seeing real growth in the PC gaming market. In particular, the buzz around Alienware’s new gaming laptops and curved monitors shows gaming is on the rise because it offers portability and convenience.
At this point, you will be saying: “yeah, but you can get that playing on a mobile too.” Well, that is true, but even the best mobile device cannot match the audio and visual quality of a PC.
People start playing games in the first place because they are drawn to the audiovisual aspects, as well as the stories. It is those parts that allow us to really immerse ourselves in high-quality games and forget about the real world for a while.
Here we will outline the six features that make PCs the best choice for playing games.
Superior visual quality
With every passing year, the standard of games graphics gets that little bit higher and PCs are the best way to experience that. A must-have title for 2022 like ‘The Witcher 3’ offers a visual world realised with ultra-high-end imagery and consoles like the Playstation 4 or Xbox One can’t match the hardware in a top-of-the-line games PC.
With the latter you can play a game like this with higher grade graphics settings and frame rates, giving you sharper, clearer pictures at every step. This does only apply to the very best games PCs of course, but if you can afford the cost you will see the difference on screen.
Microphone syncing for streamed games
There are some types of games where being able to sync up a top-notch microphone like the HyperX Quadcast will be a big advantage. Say you are streaming a real money online poker game and you want to be sure the other players can hear what you are saying.
In a game like that, where you are playing for hard cash, not prestige, being capable of communicating what you want with crystal clarity is essential. There may be less financially at stake, but for a noisy war game like ‘World of Tanks’ where strategising is important, syncing up a really good microphone will also improve the experience.
The best choice for streaming sync-ups if money is no object will be the Elgato Wave: 3. If you are working to a budget, the Blue Yeti USB will meet your needs pretty well.
Free multiplayer game access
Multiplayer gaming is a big deal in 2022, as more people want to play alongside friends. That is a problem if you are using a games console as both Playstation and Xbox require you to pay for special multiplayer access services.
The cost of Playstation Plus and Xbox Gold Live is currently USD $60 per year, which might not seem like a lot. When you realise that PC gamers are getting access to hot multiplayer titles like ‘Halo Infinite’ and ‘War Thunder’ at no extra cost you might start to feel differently.
Then there is the fact that over the course of five years, you will be handing out USD $300 to these services. That could be used to get a new and better graphics card for your PC instead.
Access to Steam
Steam is a genuinely immense online games platform and – at the moment – it is definitely ahead of those provided for PlayStation or Xbox. The single biggest reason for that is simple: it has better offers on its games.
A typical sale offer on Steam will see older titles for PCs like the various Grand Theft Auto ones reduced pretty drastically in price. Sometimes you can find yourself paying half as much as you would from the Xbox or PlayStation stores.
Sony and Microsoft realise this and they are trying to pick up the slack. At the moment it is another argument for using a PC though.
Better control
First-person shooter (FPS) games like ‘Payday 2’ are ones where control and accuracy in the shooting are really important. Here PC gamers have an advantage over console players because they play using a gaming mouse.
These provide a far greater degree of fine accuracy and motor control than console joysticks. The latter often give delayed, sluggish responses when you go to shoot.
And yes, we know that console-only FPS titles have the assisted aiming function to counter that. It is a lot less satisfying than relying purely on your own skill though, so it is another area where PCs have the edge.
More games choice
Both PCs and consoles have titles only available for that format, but PCs just offer more overall choice. Aside from PC-exclusive games such as ‘League of Legends’ and ‘DayZ’, they also get many titles before they arrive for PlayStation or Xbox.
One example of this is ‘PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.’ That hit the Steam platform at the beginning of 2017, which was almost a full year before console gamers got to play it.
None of this is to suggest that consoles do not have any arguments in their favour. Games consoles are often cheaper and are also easier for novice gamers to get used to.
For those who are really serious about gaming though, PCs really do make the most sense. Providing a greater choice of games, first market access to hot titles, superior hardware and the option to accessorise, they give a better overall experience.
