Console vs Gaming PC: Which is Better for Gaming?

Ever since the dawn of the first gaming devices, there has always been an eternal corporate war in which only the gamers will win (usually), console vs gaming PC. Consoles are created for the sole purpose of gaming while gaming PCs are useful for every other computer-related discipline. 

Recommending that you just get both and sleep more soundly than anyone else is somewhat irresponsible on our part. Not everyone is financially fortunate enough to afford both. So here we are with that question again.

Instead of laying out the merits of both devices and achieving nothing but another stalemate, we have our criteria points all of which have equal merit (more or less) to decide which wins in this console vs gaming PC war.

Graphics – Gaming PC Wins

The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X has made some commendable strides with ray tracing and 4K capability, but it still lags behind in framerate and just about anything involving graphical fidelity. The PC is still the undisputed king of immersion when it comes to rendering digital worlds.

Thanks to the more robust GPU and more adequate cooling system, gaming PCs are able to push past the console’s limits and PC gamers have enjoyed both 4K, ray tracing, DLSS, 60+ FPS, and many other graphical technologies years before consoles even attempted to accommodate such demanding visual upgrades.

It’s also worth noting that PC components update themselves more frequently (around 2-3 years for every generation) and each new generation brings improvements and sometimes new tech. So at the rate gaming PCs are advancing right now, it appears there’s no way for consoles to catch up, not without sacrificing its most important aspect or advantage…

Price – Console Wins

Speaking of that glaring advantage consoles have, this is it. For $500 you get an impressive gaming device– flagship phones are more expensive than that these days.

You simply aren’t inclined to spend too much on buying a console, whether it’s a PlayStation or Xbox. The controllers are already included and they will readily connect to any modern TV which is a standard household appliance.

Meanwhile, you could find a gaming PC for nearly the same price as the gaming console and it would have better graphics, but then you’d still need to spend quite a bit more on the monitor, chair (unless you want your back blown out by the time you’re 40), desk, speakers, mouse, and keyboard. 

By then, the price gap had already gone too wide and you could have instead bought a console and several console games.

This is why consoles are more popular than gaming PCs for the average gamer or average person. 

Consoles will also stay relevant and supported for more than seven years– even when newer generations get introduced. Gaming PCs can stay relevant that long as well, but support is not as good since there are so many component manufacturers and software to take into account.

Regardless, consoles are still the better gaming devices if you’re new to gaming and are trying to see what you like without spending too much.

Games – PC Wins

The argument for consoles would be ‌console-exclusive titles, especially from Sony and Square Enix, but if we’re going off exclusives, then gaming PCs actually have more. And that argument for console exclusives doesn’t hold up well these days especially with Sony and even Square Enix readily making deals with PC ports of their exclusives. 

Meanwhile, Xbox-exclusive games are usually available on the PC as well since Microsoft owns that console brand.

So really, the exclusivity merit in favor of consoles is gradually falling apart and is typically prevalent in Japanese video games. 

There are also certain games on the PC that might never get ported to consoles due to their complexity such as Total War titles and many other strategy games. World of Warcraft, the top MMORPG even today, is still only a PC-exclusive, song with other top MMORPGs such as Guild Wars 2 or even New World.

But the real meat of PC exclusives lies in indie gaming. Every year, hundreds or even thousands of new PC-exclusive indie games are released and some of them are too well-crafted to ignore, such as Dwarf Fortress.

More points in gaming PC’s favor, of course, would be modding. This is how games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim have stayed strong on the PC for more than a decade. A lot of talented modders are even making video games out of these video games thanks to modding. That’s just now possible with consoles. Not yet.

Accessibility – Console Wins

Then again, modding is complex and so are a lot of indie games. Actually, the whole gaming PC ecosystem is complex for most people, especially those who grew up without access to them. 

For that matter, if you just want to play a video game at the end of a long day and don’t have time to wrestle with Windows updates and missing drivers, then a console is the better deal. Because what good is a gaming platform if it won’t even allow you to always play games whenever you’re ready?

And what good is a game that’s highly moddable when half (or more) of the player base doesn’t even want to learn how to mod the game?

The console’s simplicity puts it ahead of the gaming PC. If you want to play a game, you don’t have to shop for a mouse, a keyboard, a monitor, or worry about which component or peripheral to plug into. Just plug the console into the TV, turn on the controllers, and you’re good to go.

Multiplayer is even more accessible for ‌consoles these days especially with a lot of games still supporting couch co-op and local multiplayer, making consoles fun, social gaming devices.

Even your grandparents can quickly learn it. Now, try teaching them how to install games on the PC while you’re on the phone. See the difference?

Overall – Console for Pure Gaming

It looked like a tie, but we’d be lying if we insisted that all these criteria points were of equal merit. Price is actually the biggest factor here because it determines whether you actually get the gaming device or not.

And for pure gaming bliss where you don’t have to worry about anything else other than enjoying the device you paid for with your hard-earned money, then consoles are the clear winner. 

For everything else, there’s the gaming PC. Think of it as the next step ahead maybe after you’ve spent enough years on the console– the possibilities are endless with the PC. Still, we assure you, you’ll miss the console’s simplicity if you decide to switch platforms to the PC.

Think of it as an analogy. Consoles are commuter trains or busses, while gaming PCs are cars.