Consoles are better for gaming than PCs – and this is a hill I’m willing to die on.

It may be clear that I am a console gamer at heart, but while I am biased, I also have the facts to back up my argument.

I do not understand why PC gamers prefer their hardware and often look down on their console-using contemporaries.

Although the rivalry may seem pointless as it stems from pieces of hardware that play games, the somewhat classist attitude presented by PC gamers has pushed me to explain why consoles are better for gaming.

Consoles are more accessible

Historically, the most significant benefit of consoles has been how easy it is to start gaming.

While PC gamers had to go through lengthy installation processes, console gamers put the disc/cartridge into their console and began playing.

As consoles have used more online technology over the last few generations, game developers have used digital updates to fix broken games at launch, No Man’s Sky and Cyberpunk 2077 are good examples of this, but these issues are generally universal and still affect PC users.

It is not only the games themselves that I find less accessible on PC but also the community.

When I initially attempted to get into PC gaming as a teen, I was pretty shocked at how unaccepting the community was towards console gamers.

I was regularly mocked for struggling to adjust to different controls for PC games and not understanding my computer’s specs.

I had no such issue when playing with other console gamers, even ones who owned tech that I was unfamiliar with, who always welcomed me and regularly shared their copies of games with me.

Some of my favourite memories from my childhood were playing local multiplayer games at my or my friends’ houses.

Tech on consoles is good value for money

I also quickly realised that consoles are far more affordable than gaming PCs.

This is still relevant with today’s hardware, as Tech Times noted that it would cost $1,176 to build a PC with similar specs to a PS5 – which only costs $500 in the US.

I also prefer that a console’s specs are set and do not need modification, as PC gamers often spend obscene amounts on new hardware instead of any actual games.

Great Exclusives

Console manufacturers have always ensured that high-quality first-party games were at the forefront in their respective libraries.

I’m writing this article just after the release of God of War Ragnarök on the PS4 and PS5, which is receiving incredibly positive reviews and will likely be one of the best-selling games of the year.

Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo’s incredible exclusives drive up the sales of their respective consoles, and the competition between the companies ensures that high-quality games are constantly being produced.

I am aware that more console exclusives, especially PlayStation’s, have been released on PC over the last couple of years, but these games are released years after their respective console ports.

So, although 2018’s God of War was eventually ported to PC, God of War Ragnarok only launched on Sony’s consoles this month.

Moreover, in a PlayStation Blog Q&A last year, the Head of PlayStation Studios, Helmen Hurst, stated that releasing PlayStation games on PC will never come at the “expense of building an exciting line-up of great console games.”

Hence, it is unlikely that Sony will keep releasing games on PC if it negatively affects the sales of its consoles.

On the other hand, Nintendo has had no interest in releasing their games on PC, which seems to be working for them, as their popular series, such as Mario, Zelda, and Animal Crossing, have helped propel the Switch to over 111 million sales.

Microsoft has recently changed its focus, prioritising its subscription-based Xbox Game Pass, allowing consumers to play a collection of games on any device – including PC.

However, I have always felt that Microsoft’s exclusives left much to be desired, so its shift to an all-platform approach has not affected my position.

Ultimately, the ease of use and the exceptional exclusives are why I, and millions of others, prefer consoles over PCs.

Read more: the video Game I like the most