I personally would go with a PC. People keep making this ridiculous argument about how expensive PCs are, but it really isn't that much more expensive than a console, plus you get extra utility, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE BLOODY CONTROLLERS!! That alone makes PCs better imho.

What extra utilities?

Everything that a Computer can do which consoles can't, not to mention outright better specs, and easier control

For 99% of what 99% of people do, all they need is a tablet computer and a console and they're be set for a decade or more and at a fraction of the cost of a PC that will have lost much of its ability to play new games in a couple of years (or less).

For comparison, I built a "budget" gaming PC about five years ago - using components that weren't bleeding edge, but were capable of playing most of the games out at that time and most games that would come out a short period after at close to max settings. I spent about $1000. The last new game I bought for it was Titanfall - and that game had to be run at about the minimum settings.

The Xbox 360 will be turning ten at the end of the year and only now are game releases finally grinding to a halt for it. The Xbox One costs $350. An iPad Air 2 from Apple's online webstore is $500 (or a comparable Galaxy Tab from Samsung's website) - and there are plenty of less expensive options that are, given the relatively limited capabilities of tablet computers, going to deliver the goods as effectively should one desire to spend less money and not have as hip of a tablet computer system.

So you're sitting at $850 for what the average joe needs for a tablet and console - or $1000 for a PC that needs to be assembled by hand and will be obsolete in half the time (at the time I built my PC, a factory assembled model of comparable abilities cost $1500).

So.... If you buy a console and a tablet (and buy a new tablet every two or three years, assuming costs remain flat), total cost over a decade (for just the systems) is going to run out to $1850-2350 (and you'll have three or four perfectly good tablets). If you buy and assemble a decent gaming rig or outright buy a decent gaming rig every five years, you're looking at $2000-3000 over the same time period. The console/tablet combination is going to be no muss, no fuss, pick up and go, while the PC will be a bit more fussy with virus scans and security software and other fun things.

Now, spreading out the cost over the same period of time (not that anyone buys consoles or tablets with loans - but people do buy PCs with loans, which increases their effective cost), that ends up at (simple decimal movement) $185-235 a year for the console/tablet owner, versus $200-300 a year for the PC owner. Not huge differences, but again, it is much easier for your average working schmoe to pick up a gaming console free and clear and then some months later a tablet (and then getting another one in a couple years) than it is for them to put down $1000-1500 at a time for a gaming PC (even though they only have to find that kind of money every four or five years, so long as they don't mind having to drop the graphics levels in their games as their PC ages).

I say this as someone who currently owns a PC, a MacBook, an Xbox 360 (and used to own a PS3 - but I only ever played Metal Gear Solid 4 on it and once I beat it, I never touched the thing again, except to box it up to move to the next home), and an iPhone.

Arguing that everybody who plays games should be playing them on PC or shouldn't be playing games is like somebody insisting that if you're going to drive, you ought to drive a BMW M3 or you shouldn't be driving, combined with the redneck smugness that real men drive pick-up trucks (men who drive SUVs are real men, too, but they're real effete men - and men who drive cars, especially hybrids, probably don't have functioning manparts).

Disclaimer: Obviously, if you built your own PC, you could easily upgrade it. However, if we're going to take that route, one could just as easily argue that a smartphone is all the tablet most people need - and just about everybody these days owns a smart phone. You can assume that the $1000 is spent over the remainder of the decade to replace old parts and broken parts on the home-assembled PC if it makes you feel better. If not, then I guess we can compare $1750 or whatever it costs to assemble and upgrade a PC over a period of a decade with the $350 it costs to buy the one console. Even if it fails, you're looking at $700 or even less, as console prices trend downwards over the lifespan of the console.

I feel exactly the same way about this.

I used to game on my PC and was forever having to upgrade the graphics card or the memory, or get a new power supply as the old one could not cope with the demand for power from the new components... and just as you got it good for one game it was obsolete.

In the last six years i've bought a decent laptop for writing, social media and processing photos (but no use at running games, it can just about run the 1998 version of tie fighter and cant run 'operation flashpoint... but then i dont need it to run games)

We've i phones and an I pad between the wife and I for more portable web access and calls, photos etc.

A decent camera for taking pics for publication and an xbox360, all of which happily 'talk' to each other, let us run netflix etc etc.

I prefer games where *gameplay* is more important than graphics. I've got an imagination so i dont need GTAV to look like a film but cost me 4k to run it. Im happy with it on by second hand 360 that cost be GBP £100 with two controllers, two guitar hero guitars and four games.

Im only buying a new console for fallout4 as i wont be able to play it on my existing machine.

I should also add that apart from playing older PC titles and GOG titles (like Arma II and TIE Fighter ) and MMOs (like PlanetSide 2 and The Old Republic ) and online shooters (like MechWarrior Online and Titanfall ), I hardly touch my PC any more. My five year old MacBook Air and Xbox 360 do 95% of what I want or need a computer to do. And neither one is slowing down or showing their age. Although trying to play Knights of the Old Republic on the MacBook does kinda suck. And frankly, an iPad and a keyboard would do 99% of what I do with my MacBook. (It just wouldn't handle playing Escape Velocity: Nova very well. Or at all.)

The only thing i miss that my computer just cant do is tank/flight sims and games like 'civilisation'.

Xbox360s limited key settings mean that they dont really have the options for flight sims.

IL2 Sturmovik on the 360 is alright but far more 'arcade' than i like.

Likewise my laptop runs tie fighter and ive a usb xbox controller i've configured for the most common swtiches.

yeah mine came with the kinect its pretty worthless. i am also very annoyed that NOW they offer backward compatibility AFTER I traded in all my old stuff!! as mentioned the movements to use the connect have to be very exaggerated for it to work same goes for speech. except for when an Xbox commercial comes on tv and the dang thing turns it self on!!! when it thinks the commercial says Xbox on!!! I also got a good PC and a good graphics card by itself cost as much as an entire Xbox one... now if micro soft would make a bluetooth/wifi keyboard for the xboxone to go with windows 10 that would be a nice improvement for surfing on the big screen. yeah i know you can do this with a PC....

Battlefront isn't going to be a good enough game that you should let it skew your console selection.

I would have to disagree with you on that one.

Well, you should wait to see if the game works before you commit to a console. EA's track record has not been good recently. That, or significant stuff will be locked behind payed DLC.

Do not buy an EA game day 1.

actually i am really waiting for fall out!! and really wish somebody would make a KOTOR III

They did it's a sucky mmo, now kotor four I'd play happily.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/141305-Fallout-4-For-Consoles-1080p-And-30-FPS-Frame-Rate

Yeah 30 fps forever baby...

PC is the way to go for FPSs. There is nothing more precise than a mouse and keyboard for targeting. Plus you have chat option in the keyboard for that much needed trash talking.

You can do a nice PC gaming system for the price of one of these new consoles. There are so many deals all over the internet. You don't need the lasted tech for a gaming system. Buy last year's model or the year before for 2/3 the price of the newest. And graphics don't jump that much where you're PC will be obsolete right away. My PC is 8 years old, built it really nice then and I still can play all the games today. Granted not on max settings but still playable. To bring it back up to top of the line I'd only need a new CPU and Video card. Which my mobo can support just fine.

This doesn't even take into account over-clocking. You can do it even cheaper but it can be difficult and a little riskier.

I disagree with being able to buy a decent gaming PC for the price of a console. This week I bought an Xbox one which came with a 1TB HDD and 3 decent games for less than $500 brand new, got home, plugged it in, installed the games and started playing. You just can't do that with a PC. I have tried.

For the OP, clearly there are arguments for and against XBOX, PS4 and PC. You have to ask yourself what you want from each unit and base your decision on that.

Question, a poster above mentioned keyboard control not be available for Xbox. I used to have a wireless keyboard hooked up for typing msgs but can they be used in games?

If not, would people consider playing RPG games (which are infinitely better on PC) on a console if a mouse/keyboard option was available?

I disagree with being able to buy a decent gaming PC for the price of a console. This week I bought an Xbox one which came with a 1TB HDD and 3 decent games for less than $500 brand new, got home, plugged it in, installed the games and started playing. You just can't do that with a PC. I have tried.

For the OP, clearly there are arguments for and against XBOX, PS4 and PC. You have to ask yourself what you want from each unit and base your decision on that.

I saw a laptop with i7 quad-core, hybrid-state drive, 500 GB HDD, 8GB RAM, and a decent graphics card for $270. That will run everything except maybe super high-end games. Sounds like a better deal then a next gen console.

$270! New? With an operating system and peripherals (like a keyboard and mouse)? Everything needed to go home, plug it in and play?

I find this hard to believe.

$270! New? With an operating system and peripherals (like a keyboard and mouse)? Everything needed to go home, plug it in and play?

I find this hard to believe.

Refurbished, but that basically means as good as new.

You would probably need to get a mouse, but those aren't that expensive.

The only thing i miss that my computer just cant do is tank/flight sims and games like 'civilisation'.

Xbox360s limited key settings mean that they dont really have the options for flight sims.

IL2 Sturmovik on the 360 is alright but far more 'arcade' than i like.

Likewise my laptop runs tie fighter and ive a usb xbox controller i've configured for the most common swtiches.

Well you're in luck. Flightsims are making a come back with vr tech. Oculus is set to be actually released next year q1

I personally would go with a PC. People keep making this ridiculous argument about how expensive PCs are, but it really isn't that much more expensive than a console, plus you get extra utility, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE BLOODY CONTROLLERS!! That alone makes PCs better imho.

What extra utilities?

Everything that a Computer can do which consoles can't, not to mention outright better specs, and easier control

That is pretty vague. Could you make a list. You would be surprised what a Xbox 360 / One can do

The only thing i miss that my computer just cant do is tank/flight sims and games like 'civilisation'.

Xbox360s limited key settings mean that they dont really have the options for flight sims.

IL2 Sturmovik on the 360 is alright but far more 'arcade' than i like.

Likewise my laptop runs tie fighter and ive a usb xbox controller i've configured for the most common swtiches.

It depends on how realistic you want your flight sims too be. I play them on my 360, although I don't care much for the idea of having a craft with 600 missiles. We also got World of Tanks, now it might have some of the controls missing that the computer version would have, they are making up for that by adding crazy content in it like a SW themed event or Laser Tanks on the Moon. Low gravity combat events. They are rare but fun.

yeah mine came with the kinect its pretty worthless. i am also very annoyed that NOW they offer backward compatibility AFTER I traded in all my old stuff!! as mentioned the movements to use the connect have to be very exaggerated for it to work same goes for speech. except for when an Xbox commercial comes on tv and the dang thing turns it self on!!! when it thinks the commercial says Xbox on!!! I also got a good PC and a good graphics card by itself cost as much as an entire Xbox one... now if micro soft would make a bluetooth/wifi keyboard for the xboxone to go with windows 10 that would be a nice improvement for surfing on the big screen. yeah i know you can do this with a PC....

You have to calibrate the Kinect before using it. Both the 1.0 and 2.0 work perfect for me outside games. From then on IF you have problems its because of the game designers for that one game. I have had nothing but perfect experiences with Star Wars Kinect, in multiplayer my only issue was that it would switch my controls so that I was playing left handed style fighting. Kinect adventures was also amazing. Then I got to some Disney game, I don't remember its name, the controls responded as smoothly as a person pumping water with a heavily rusted water pump.

JFYI NASA is experimenting with using the Kinect for ship docking on the International Space Station. Its a pretty amazing device. If you have had bad experiences with it, it was only because it wasn't calibrated or the person/s that designed the game you played didn't do a good job programming the game. Besides that Disney game I mentioned the only two that I have seen that had bad programing was a Sonic game and some sort of Olympics swimming game.

I disagree with being able to buy a decent gaming PC for the price of a console. This week I bought an Xbox one which came with a 1TB HDD and 3 decent games for less than $500 brand new, got home, plugged it in, installed the games and started playing. You just can't do that with a PC. I have tried.

For the OP, clearly there are arguments for and against XBOX, PS4 and PC. You have to ask yourself what you want from each unit and base your decision on that.

Don't forget you may get a special bonus DLC content with the refurbished PC. Free viruses, worms, trojans, and personal information left behind by the previous owner... Like their not so secret diary about them traveling too Mardi Gras every year and chopping up at-least one attendant a year into coleslaw.

Question, a poster above mentioned keyboard control not be available for Xbox. I used to have a wireless keyboard hooked up for typing msgs but can they be used in games?

If not, would people consider playing RPG games (which are infinitely better on PC) on a console if a mouse/keyboard option was available?

It depends on the game. Defiance is a game you can use a keyboard in, its a MMO shooter. I imagine any MMO on the xbox you can use a keyboard with.

I personally would go with a PC. People keep making this ridiculous argument about how expensive PCs are, but it really isn't that much more expensive than a console, plus you get extra utility, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE BLOODY CONTROLLERS!! That alone makes PCs better imho.

What extra utilities?

Everything that a Computer can do which consoles can't, not to mention outright better specs, and easier control

That is pretty vague. Could you make a list. You would be surprised what a Xbox 360 / One can do

Examples:

Computers are more portable (particularly laptops)

keyboards

computers don't need a TV

keyboards

easier internet browsing

KEYBOARDS

many many more games

KEY FREAKING BOARDS

You know what's even more mobile than a computer? That doesn't even need a monitor? And offers super easy internet browsing from anywhere?

A smartphone.

You know what's even more mobile than a computer? That doesn't even need a monitor? And offers super easy internet browsing from anywhere?

A smartphone.

Ah but I wasn't comparing computers to phones, was I? And Laptops already have monitors.

Computers don't need a TV .. but they need a monitor. Though these days, TVs are just papa Monitors .. or Monitors or bubba TVs .. oh, I don't know .. they all have HDMI ports and once you get above 24" they offer 1080p (maybe this has changed).

Computers don't need a TV .. but they need a monitor. Though these days, TVs are just papa Monitors .. or Monitors or bubba TVs .. oh, I don't know .. they all have HDMI ports and once you get above 24" they offer 1080p (maybe this has changed).

1080 is so 2012 pc users are up to 4k gaming son, and you'll have to wait for 9th gen for that by which point well of been using holographic displays for years.

Computers don't need a TV .. but they need a monitor. Though these days, TVs are just papa Monitors .. or Monitors or bubba TVs .. oh, I don't know .. they all have HDMI ports and once you get above 24" they offer 1080p (maybe this has changed).

1080 is so 2012 pc users are up to 4k gaming son, and you'll have to wait for 9th gen for that by which point well of been using holographic displays for years.

Haha. Fair enough. I guess I'm a bit out of touch with monitor technology then huh?

I read that Japan's bid for the 2020 FIFA World Cup included the promise to develop the technology to project the live game holographically into stadiums around the world. That'd be a cool application for gaming in the seemingly not so distant future. Playing a live FPS in a physical 3D environment would be top of cool. I guess that is just paintball though isn't it?