Console vs PC: Cost of Games

i concur. Its just the comfort in knowing that whichever game you buy will be guaranteed to work on a console, where pc its a shot in the dark. Even if you meet minimum or recommended requirements still doesnt mean it will work the way it was meant to be played
 
Deceptor said:
I imported Resident Evil 5 (PS3) from the UK for only R400, didn't even have to pay import tax :). At that time RE5 was like R700 in SA. So it's best to search around before buying.
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+1 thats how i got my Street fighter IV, Paid R380 for my sealed copy a few months ago :cool:
 
Tinman said:
Console gaming does not have to be more expensive, you just need to be smart about it.

Places like Zaps have a massive selection of preplayed games (in perfect condition) that sell for between R200-R400.

Also, every month different retailers have specials where you can by quality titles such as Bioshock for less than R300.

Admittedly, brand new AAA games that launch at R700 are a bit much for many, but if you are willing to wait a month or so you can always find them somewhere (legally) for less than R400.
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So true. I recently got an Xbox and picked up pre-played Gears of War 2, Resident Evil 5 and Fable 2 for about R250-R300 each from BT Games.

Also, shouldn't you be trying to get one of the cheaper Pro consoles now, instead of waiting for next month, before they are all gone.
 
I bought my first new game this year on friday... Ashes 09....

other than that i trade online or buy pre-played... saves me LOTS of $$$$
 
Wlad said:
Pc games is cheaper yes, but what about the long run. Always upgrading to keep up with your modern age games. I prefer my xbox, everything works hehe
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You don't always have to upgrade. If you build your system properly you can go 2-3 years depending on what resolution you want to play and settings.

Yes most pc gamers will upgrade before that time but that's more to do with wanting to upgrade rather than having to.
 
Some good points being made here which make both a pc and a console viable.

I think the thing with a console is the convenience. It's just a matter of obtaining that title and playing it versus a pc that 'can' have a spec issue.

Now when it comes to cost of upgrades for a pc, Stefan made a very valid point in that a decent upgrade can last 2 - 3 years. An example of that is that I have used the same CRT monitor for years and only replaced it with an LCD last year.

This brings me to my next question. How many Xbox / PS3 owners have had the same console for 2 - 3 years or longer (I am not even sure how long the Xbox 360 / PS3 has been around)?

Looking at some overseas websites at the cost of games, it seems we are forking out a chunk towards importers and distributers as well. This is only speculation on my part as I haven't really looked into it in great detail (as yet).
 
Well...an average console has a lifespan of around 5 years, though the PS2 is still in circulation and the current generation looks to stay on the scene for a while still. I think manufacturers aren't in a hurry to upgrade and gamers are still happy with the tech. Probably a console owner would keep their machine for 3-5 years on average then, maybe even more?

TBH the real difference is the kind of games you can get on either format. Strategy games, MMORPGs, things like Eve Online, FPS are better suited for a PC, whereas Zelda or GoW fits a console better.
 
Gradius said:
All games get developed on the PC in the first place. So you need to port everything over to the respective platform,test,de-bug etc. Very time consuming :/
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This is very muddled, and a peculiarly persistent misconception. Just because a game is (necessarily) developed on PC, doesn't mean it's ported to console. Porting is the process of re-engineering a game to another platform. However, many games are developed, for example, specifically for Xbox. As such, there is no porting involved. The game is coded using Xbox devkits and Xbox-specific frameworks.

Of course, some games are ported over to console, but I'm pointing out that this is most certainly not always the case. In fact, it's increasingly common for games to be ported to PC instead - many developers these days use the Xbox or PS3 as the lead dev platform.

It's interesting to note that the development framework for PC and Xbox is extremely similar. This is why PC / Xbox releases often precede the PS3 version.

The reason console games are more expensive is because publishers have to pay a licensing fee to Nintendo / Microsoft / Sony. It's as simple as that.
 
Gradius said:
I meant to say it gets developed on the pc.
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But... you did say that. My point is, games are developed on PC specifically for certain platforms - and this isn't necessarily PC.

Example - last year I co-dev'ed an Xbox game. It runs on Xbox. It can't run on PC. This is because it was specifically developed for the Xbox platform.
 
It's an old school adventure game called Ultimate Quest, developed as an entry to the Microsoft Dream.Build.Play contest. It's not available to the public (yet), but we've had it - and will likely have it again - on demo at rAge. You can read about it here.

Screenshot21_2.jpg
 
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looks really good, I shall be travelling from Durbs to r@ge this year after a long hiatus. look forward to seeing it there! keep up the good work :D
 
Tinman said:
Admittedly, brand new AAA games that launch at R700 are a bit much for many, but if you are willing to wait a month or so you can always find them somewhere (legally) for less than R400.
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Which is about as long as a PC gamer has to wait for the release bugs to ironed out :D
 
If your PC was built with running Xbox 360 ports in mind, it will still continue to be able to play 360 games for the duration of that consoles lifespan. Budget quad core, 4GB DDR2, 9800 GFX card, sorted, as long as your restricting yourself to playing 360 ports.

In this age of console gaming, constantly needing to upgrade is a bit of a lie TBH. Those PC specs would play 360 ports and they would look slightly better, but, you have the OPTION, if you have more cash for cutting edge hardware, to push the sliders as far as you like. And no, the difference is not slight. Play with max settings for 5 minutes, then set them down the medium-low again, your eyes bleed. Its like the difference between TV and HDTV, you couldn't care for HD, until you'd see it in all its glory.

Back in the day, yeah, PC devs tended to develop largely for higher end hardware, so you were in for a upgrade every 2 years. It just so happened that it was during that period that we saw the biggest leaps in games, in graphics, AI and game mechanics. Devs and their games have kinda hit a hardware wall now, bring on the next gen on consoles!

This post comes off as PC fanboi, but I have a 360 as well and its a fun, easy to use platform. I have no hate for consoles, except the Wii.... I just wish they'd push out the next gen of consoles at a faster pace so we can see the bar raised again in gaming.
 
Blackhand said:
I just wish they'd push out the next gen of consoles at a faster pace so we can see the bar raised again in gaming.
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It would be awesome if console manufacturers allowed for 3rd party hardware upgrades but as mentioned previously, licensing makes it way too profitable for them to allow this. In the same light, why don't developers allow for PC games to run directly off the CD? Instil that same sort of pick up and play mentality that has made the success of the PS2?
 
that would make games better what about people that don't care about the games and scratch the games that would also suck.
 
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