Terminate421:

Emergent System:
The only reason I even own any consoles is because of exclusives.

SonOfVoorhees:
PC gamers care more about graphics and physics than the actual game....these things are not important. Making the graphics better with a mod dont make the game better. The game is what it is, the story etc can not be changed. Each to their own i guess. Just buy the games you love to play and you will be fine.

'Cuz games like minecraft just blow everything else out of the water when it comes to pure graphical orgasmictude.

First, He wasn't just talking about Graphics. Second, Minecraft is on Xbox too (YES I KNOW ITS NOT PC'D BUT AT LEAST ITS THERE)

There are times where I just like to sit down and enjoy the base game that the industry gave us. Consoles allow that option. PC's allow you to tweak it.

Even better, did anyone even think of MASS MARKET APPEAL?!? How would you like to see a commercial for say....Dead Space: Terrifying Nightmare Version and think "Oh wow, this will look fun on my xbox!" Then you find out that its available for PC only. Fair enough, you get it and find out your computer cannot handle the game since you have the same PC you've had since 2010. So now you bought a game you cannot use unless you spend more money to UPGRADE the PC.

Consoles allow flexibility. They allow the games that you buy to age well (Not graphically but in use). I still have my old N64 and sit down to enjoy Starfox 64 on there, I turn it on and there I am doing a barrel roll in less than 30 seconds.

I think you need to calm down bro. He only mentioned graphics and physics (and graphics is the main part of that since you don't really see a lot of mods dealing with physics and he goes on to talk about graphics mods). But let's look at your post.

Consoles and PCs both allow you to play the vanilla game, with the only difference being that PCs will later allow you to tweak it, so both allow you the option to play the game as the industry gave it. Mind you in current times, there is a good chance that the game the industry gave you is unfinished or broken in some way and must be tweaked continuously over the coming weeks and months. Tweaks that are done by the industry while you sit and wait. PCs have the other advantage here in that you can usually bypass these broken parts.

Unless you bought your PC for $200 bucks in a back alley, I'm willing to bet you can play the new Dead Space. My laptop is about that old and cost me $400 and it plays everything at console quality or a little higher.

PCs allow more flexibility (in fact I was sort of surprised to see flexibility as a point in favour of consoles). There are emulators for just about every game that allow you to play whatever you want in gaming history on your current machine. In fact I would argue that your point makes no sense since it essentially translates into "If you buy an older machine you can play older games" (which to me is about as completely opposite to flexibility as you can get). By that logic if I plug in an old computer I could be playing some old pc game. The only difference being that I can play that old pc game from my current pc and I can save plugging in old obsolete tech. The direct comparison for that would be if you're 360 or Wii had access to every N64 game for free.

In my personal opinion (I.E. not necessarily true), consoles have ONLY one advantage over the PC: the exclusive titles.
Really, in all respects a PC is way more versatile, you can alt-tab to search for a game guide instantly, you have tons more techincal options for a game etc. Ironically, I don't use mods often, or care about the graphics too much, but it is good that the option to choose is there.
Regarding the "it costs too much" argument, I can tell you, you dont have to spend 1000$ to get the best rig, that's a common misconception. I bought my PC around 5 years ago, and it cost me ~350$, for a medium-high configuration. I have since made NO other upgrades (except for the OS), and 95% of the games I try to play run at medium settings with no problems, which makes me think I won't buy another one for at least 2 more years.
One other great advantage is the fact that, with a bit of effort, you can play ANY of the old games. Slap an emulator on, and you're set. Dungeon keeper, Saboteur 2 (the old one), Close Combat, Syndicate etc.
And Steam and GoG are awesome.

I know this sounds strange but I multi-task. Playing a game on the PC I can only do that but with an Xbox I can write or chat with friends on the PC while playing a game.

The other thing is I've had some bad luck with PC games. Which was that it would look like it could run on my computer so I buy it then it turned out I could not, that the graphics card was not right or that the computer was not fast enough. while on the Xbox I know it's going the run without question. PC games are great, so long has you have the right hardware.

Yeah the only reason I've been playing console games past few years is the handful of exclusives and the simple fact not all my friends own the same platforms. Besides that their really is no reason to value them over a good gaming pc anymore.

Also as someone whose been building pcs for over a decade the old "its too hard" or "its too expensive" arguments really are even more absurd now than ever before. I mean ffs Windows 7 practically installs itself and you'd have to be a neanderthal to not know a green plug goes in a green plug hole or a graphics card goes in the only damn slot on the motherboard it can fit in. You barely need junior high levels of technical understanding to build and run a pc these days.

him over there:

cornmancer:

UsefulPlayer 1:
Sure that's all true but to implement all those advantages you still have to be some sort of nerd to get it going. Consoles are still the easiest way to go. Give a ten year old all the necessary equipment to achieve what you described on the PC and they wouldn't know where to start. I don't know how to hook up my PC to a TV, connect a controller to a PC, or handle all the computer specs stuff. All that is another barrier.

I don't know what's it like on the PS3, but besides online passes, the Xbox 360 is still very straight forward buy the game and you play when you get home. Yes, mods are the holy grail, but navigating the computer system is still way harder than an Xbox.

Xbox has a simpler set up and attract more of the general population. Sure PC is a step up, but you would have to level up yourself to get there.

PCs are great, but there is a reason why all my friends have Xbox Live. Like Weed is Xbox 360 and Cocaine is PC. You start with Weed first and graduate if you are really trying to reach the clouds.

To hook a PC up to the TV you put one end of the HDMI cord in the computer, and the other into the PC.
To hook a controller up to the PC, you put one end of the charger cord in the USB port on your computer, and one in the controller.

It isn't as cut and dry as you think for controllers. Xbox yes because of windows but to hook up my ps3 controller I had to download 2 different softwares and edit them.

PS3 controllers is a bit trickier, but I use mine to play Spelunky and much more all the time using http://www.motioninjoy.com/ Just load it up go over to driver manager and load the driver. That cut and dry.
I can't get the analog sticks to work, but I haven't needed to thus far. If I find a game that I really really really need them for, I'll just grab an Xbox controller and plug that in.

That's what it's come down to for me as well. Consoles no longer make sense anymore. The only reason I ever turn on the PS3 anymore is when it's a game exclusive to it or if the PC port is shoddy; that's not a good enough reason.

I bought a PC a few years back with a modest video card, and it still runs absolutely everything just fine. That wasn't always the case with computer upgrades, but we've reached a point where those upgrades are much less necessary with technology hitting some barriers here and there.

It's just hard to get excited for the next generation of consoles. Every bullet point about them seems to only benefit themselves or the publishers, not the consumers. That's what I love about PC's; there's no overarching, dominant force telling you how you can or cannot use the system you payed money for.

While I can think of several reasons why a Playstation is the better choice for me (console-exclusive games is a major one), I really must agree with Jim here. The amount of patching and updating required for recent console games can be just embarrasing, while my mid-range laptop runs everything I throw at it without much complaining.

Brad Nicholson would be ashamed of you after that workout, Jim.

FistsOfTinsel:
[Stuff that made a ton of sense]

This. All of This.

Also, consoles are a ton easier to use for children, put in disc (or pick XBLA/PSN game) and done. All you need to do is turn on a tv and a controller and you're set to go for games, netflix, whatever.

Finally, a lot of people seem to be saying that a gaming rig isn't that expensive comparatively. I call BS. Show me a gaming rig capable of playing every AAA release for 5-8 years that I can buy for $300 without ever needing an upgraded part and I'll concede that I've been wrong.

P.S:
RockBand =D

I blame Microsoft first and Sony second for allowing games that shouldn't be allowed console release at all. Look at Skyrim on PS3 for example. What's the point of the whole certification if my damn old PC (a PC of a console gamer, Radeon 3400 series, unremarkable dual-core CPU) can run Skyrim and it looks same as on PS3 AND don't have such gamebreaking issues.
It really is about quality control. You don't meet standards - you MUST be denied certification. Even if you're Activision or EA.
I do like PS3 online - generally more mature audience then PC/360 (well, not as mature as I'd wanted but still), but then again on PC one can have personal dedicated servers...
Could. Back when new games had them.
Speaking of next gen - I don't expect much from MS - they clearly trying to get into Nintendo shoes with Kinect and casual games - I do hope that Sony finally gets their certification right.
A bit of info: minimum FPS in a PS3 game that gets it certified for release is 20 FPS. It was so since 2007. What kind of walrus came up with that? 20 FPS is acceptable?

geier:
Thanks Jim, at last someone says what i think for years.

But, all the truth you told is worth nothing. Consoles will allways outsell Gaming PC's, because of the "Apple-problem".

Apple-Problem:
People who are to stupid to use a real PC use Apple products.
Because the gated system, without all the choices, possabilitys and needed knowledge are the playground of people who have no idea how to operate a IT product.

Wait. So people are using Apple products because they are too stupid to use PCs? You can't really think that, right?

Sorry to side step the PC vs console war but does anyone know what that live action battelstar/halo space opera thing at the end was?, it looked rather interesting.

I would like to dispel another myth about the cost of owning a gaming rig.

Sure a modest gaming PC will cost you 700 to 800 USD, sure, you can buy a PS3 for 250-300 or so, but... since you are a human being and you live on the planet Earth in the year 2012, YOU STILL NEED A COMPUTER!

How much does it cost to bump a modest family PC up to a moderate gaming PC? Probably about 200-300 bucks.

thanatos388:
Um...pcs are expensive and require upgrades to the pc itself to play new games. They are still a bigger hassle. That outweighs anything a pc can do as most gamers wont spend 15000 dollars to have higher definition graphics that add fuck all to the game itself.

I WAS WAITING FOR THIS.

I have a very basic system, it's almost 6 years old. Was refurbished when it was bought for me (So we're probably looking onto about 8 now), I've spent about £30 on second hand hardware (Yes it does exist) and about £40 on some new Ram.

The computer was £200 to start with. Oh and last time I checked I was playing Mass effect 3 (It's just an example of a recent game) on medium graphical settings.

So what, it's cost me about £270 and I'm still a head of current gen consoles.

So I dare someone to run up to me and say that you need to spend thousands of pounds/ dollars to get a decent gaming computer.

Oh also, I completely agree with everything said in this video. :3

The ONLY GOOD CONSOLES were those independent from the internet.

portal_cat:
I know this sounds strange but I multi-task. Playing a game on the PC I can only do that but with an Xbox I can write or chat with friends on the PC while playing a game.

Multitasking? You say you can't do it on a PC?

What is your PC running, DOS?

exobook:
Sorry to side step the PC vs console war but does anyone know what that live action battelstar/halo space opera thing at the end was?, it looked rather interesting.

It's a live action trailer for Halo 4 if I remember correctly. It's the Crew of the ship that crashes in the trailer and game play shown at E3 being briefed on their mission.

Terminate421:

Emergent System:
The only reason I even own any consoles is because of exclusives.

SonOfVoorhees:
PC gamers care more about graphics and physics than the actual game....these things are not important. Making the graphics better with a mod dont make the game better. The game is what it is, the story etc can not be changed. Each to their own i guess. Just buy the games you love to play and you will be fine.

'Cuz games like minecraft just blow everything else out of the water when it comes to pure graphical orgasmictude.

First, He wasn't just talking about Graphics. Second, Minecraft is on Xbox too (YES I KNOW ITS NOT PC'D BUT AT LEAST ITS THERE)

Do I really need to point out that minecraft doesn't exactly feature amazing physics either? And the xbox port is a poor shadow of the PC version, lagging behind in features, and limited in world size, which is practically infinite on the PC.

Terminate421:
There are times where I just like to sit down and enjoy the base game that the industry gave us. Consoles allow that option. PC's allow you to tweak it.

Even better, did anyone even think of MASS MARKET APPEAL?!? How would you like to see a commercial for say....Dead Space: Terrifying Nightmare Version and think "Oh wow, this will look fun on my xbox!" Then you find out that its available for PC only. Fair enough, you get it and find out your computer cannot handle the game since you have the same PC you've had since 2010. So now you bought a game you cannot use unless you spend more money to UPGRADE the PC.

Consoles allow flexibility. They allow the games that you buy to age well (Not graphically but in use). I still have my old N64 and sit down to enjoy Starfox 64 on there, I turn it on and there I am doing a barrel roll in less than 30 seconds.

I'm not sure why you say that the ability to use old consoles to play old games is "allowing flexibility", since it does the opposite of that.

You may be able to dedicate space in your home to storing all your old consoles, then drag them out and plug them in to play whichever game you feel like, within the fancifully claimed 30 seconds (which assumes you have access to the hardware in the first place, which isn't necessarily the case for someone who isn't at least as dedicated to gaming on their consoles as I am to gaming on my computer), but I can do the same for decades old games on my computer right now, and I don't need to maintain a shrine to my various old consoles to be able to do that.

It may take longer than 30 seconds to install Baldur's Gate again (though not much longer), and probably a while longer to get over any technical difficulties involved in playing it on a so much newer computer (I remember getting Icewind Dale 2 to work a year back was fairly troublesome), but problematic software is easier to deal with than problematic hardware. I can also get the full BGtutu experience, if I wish (as clearly I would)!

Incidentally, I just realized Baldur's Gate is almost 15 years old. Man, times sure does fly.

Anyway. As for price, yeah, PCs are more expensive, at least when console generations are 7+ years, but I haven't had to replace mine in 5 years yet (except to add more RAM and HD space), and it still runs new games just fine on max settings. Granted, it was a very expensive PC for its time (I could probably buy 5 of them for the same price today - totally wasn't worth the price by the way, at least not for what I was using it for, but I digress), but if you buy cheap ones and you are satisfied with playing games on lower settings (which'd still be far superior to anything a console could put out) when it gets old, it's not that much more expensive.

I could go on for a while, but I'm out of time. TL;DR: Consoles don't have any upsides other than a low initial cost and ease-to-use (which, granted, includes the ease with which games are made for them), while PCs have many advantages, not the least of which is flexibility - which consoles do not have, and I'm not sure why anyone would think they do. My PC could play damn near every game out there if not for anti-consumer barriers keeping it from happening. "Anti-consumer" may sound a bit hyperbolic - maybe it should be called "pro-capitalism" - but it is what it is.

You may feel good pluggin in that N64 and playin' sum starfox, but even without access to the hardware I could do basically the same with an emulator right now, and I'm pretty sure you can't fire up BG without a PC. Well... maybe if someone really knew what they were doing they could pull something like that off...

The benefit is simple. I'm a student living at home and I can afford to pay a few hundred bucks for a console. I can't afford a gaming PC, and I know virtually nothing about computers, so building one is out of the question. Also, I've had my PS3 since just after launch and it WORKS. I've never had to take it in to get fixed, it hasn't got any viruses, it just works and always has without any maintenance whatsoever. My PC, however, has needed to be fixed multiple times in the year and a half since I got it.

Oh, I almost forgot. My PS2? Also still working fine and has been for almost a decade.

SonOfVoorhees:
PC gamers care more about graphics and physics than the actual game....these things are not important. Making the graphics better with a mod dont make the game better. The game is what it is, the story etc can not be changed. Each to their own i guess. Just buy the games you love to play and you will be fine.

Oh really? Is that the reason so many PC gamers still play Counter Strike 1.6, Team Fortress 2, Baldur's Gate, Morrowind etc.

Anyway, I said the exact same thing about the negative aspects of consoles at least 3 times in the last year, here on The Escapist. And I think people called me a PC elitist for it. It will be interesting to see what people will say about Jim.

UsefulPlayer 1:
Sure that's all true but to implement all those advantages you still have to be some sort of nerd to get it going. Consoles are still the easiest way to go. Give a ten year old all the necessary equipment to achieve what you described on the PC and they wouldn't know where to start. I don't know how to hook up my PC to a TV, connect a controller to a PC, or handle all the computer specs stuff. All that is another barrier.

Step 1: Plug Cable into PC (I was capable of plugging cables into holes that looked like I can fit them in with 10). HDMI in HDMI, Controller into USB.
Step 2: Wait 1 minute for the PC to recognize the controller.
Step 3: Play.

Sorry, if you don't know how to do that you did not even try. I gamed on PC with ten and about everyone I knew did that too. Specs, cables and everything was never a problem.

SonOfVoorhees:
PC gamers care more about graphics and physics than the actual game....these things are not important. Making the graphics better with a mod dont make the game better. The game is what it is, the story etc can not be changed. Each to their own i guess. Just buy the games you love to play and you will be fine.

Yeah, because PCs are the platforms that were advertised with their graphical capabilities since their dawn...

Yeah, because consoles is the turf where the some of the most played and cherished games are over 7 years old.

Yeah, because mods are just about improving the graphical fidelity.

FistsOfTinsel:
==== Better Integration with Home Theatres ====

Consider all the stuff you'd have to do to a PC to get it to:

- be quiet, cool & small enough to fit in with the rest of your AV components & not be a big ugly box in your living room.

- have wireless controllers that also power it on & off wirelessly

- be able to launch your games without using a mouse or keyboard

- know that the games will actually play on your AV setup and be able to handle the "odd" resolution of 720p or consistently use the surround sound setup and not just revert to stereo. It's ironic you use footage for Legends of Grimrock, a game I recently bought & tried to play on my setup; it failed on startup with a directX error - I found (after googling & forum reading) that the problem was that it didn't like my projector as a monitor when running fullscreen - I had to edit the config file manually to get it to launch in windowed mode.

Powering the machine on and off is easier than you think with proper setup. I have my blu-ray set up to power up my pc with my blu-ray's remote (which mind the pc is on the other side of the house from my bluray) and it can pull music/video files to play through the wifi. This took me 40 minutes to set up including playing with the settings to get it the way I wanted it. Granted for more elaborate functions pcs still need the mouse and keyboard, although I wonder why you would NOT want to have those tools available when, as pointed out in the video, they offer greater depth of control. I'm sorry, I have tried controllers and all but dual-analog is still inferior to a mouse.

Also I want to point something out, you fixed the problem of incompatibility on your own. You didn't have to wait for the publisher to fix this for you, taking weeks to months to release a proper patch; you got help from the community and fixed it yourself, probably within hours. How is this a bad thing?

FistsOfTinsel:
==== Getting online play to work ====

- I have to worry a lot less (or not at all) that my opponents in online games are using hacked clients or various cheats

- I don't need to worry about how to get voice features to work with the games, or getting my friends to use the same voice software as I do; granted, I haven't even looked into this, but the last time I did, there were several different systems out there, none of which were compatible. The point it, like all of this, it takes some effort.

- There are numerous apps that run on Android and iOS that will tell me who is online in my friends list, what they're playing & other notifications.

- Portability: I can take game disks over to a friend's house with the same system and I know the game will be playable; I can log in with my Live account on their machine, and now I have access to all my XBLA games.

Steam unifies the voice chat and you can use said voice chat on any game you play through it. Since steam controls it you don't even have to be playing the same game all the time, you can close game, go to a new game or start a new session and your voice chat goes with you. You can log onto steam friendlist from Andriod and iOS that will allow you to see who is online from your friends, what they're playing, allows you to text chat with them & other notifications. Steam allows you to log in on other pcs and access your games as well.

FistsOfTinsel:
==== Cost ====
- Consoles cost less to get the same experience that everyone else is having for that game.

- I almost always end up playing games months or years after they launch, so I can get games cheaply on either platform, either from sales (PC) or discounts or buying used games (consoles). I haven't paid more than $20 for a game in years.

This is actually an old truth that's not true anymore. The average console cost ranges from 250 to 400 dollars depending on how many bells and whistles you want it to have. You can buy perfectly fine gaming pcs in same price range. Here's an on sale $370 pc that is a quad-core pc whose specs squashes the performance comparable to similar priced consoles and would meet any requirement settings current games would ask. Also while it's great you don't buy your games new, I don't either afterall, but pc games typically launch for cheaper than their console counterparts(although some do launch for the same price).

FistsOfTinsel:
Granted, if all I ever did was play Steam games, I'd have a console-like experience, minus the compatibility guarantees.

That's fine, I'll have thirty plus extra frames per second to keep me company. But you are greatly overstating the cons of pc gaming and pros of console gaming.

trollpwner:
P.C. gamers, could you please note that consoles are bad now, not because of weak processing or worse controls, but because of how they are being used by publishers. Therefore, they are not inherently evil and wrong, as some elitist minority jerks seem to insist.

Worse controls? Subjective. A controller in my hand is almost useless in a RTS or in a FPS if I'm on a PC but I grew up as a Sony fanboy. Controllers are really useful for sports games (yeah, I played them regularly from 2005-2007) and some third person games.

I grew up with GTA being played with a controller. I could have enjoyed Saints Row The Third even more if I had a controller with me.

Weak processors? The CPU in that PS3 is more powerful than mine. Shame it cost at least 500€ (a shit ton of dollars) on launch - and it was selling for a loss!

Consoles have convinced people that games are simple and will be simple forever. Nothing wrong with that, if it was actually true. People will wait for patches and updates, insert 25 digit (or 20? don't remmeber) online passes/DLC codes on a controller - but if you happen to have to update your graphics card then hall hell breaks loose.

I still love my 360, I just feel that I am having as much hassle as in the PC for no benefit.

thanatos388:
Um...pcs are expensive and require upgrades to the pc itself to play new games. They are still a bigger hassle. That outweighs anything a pc can do as most gamers wont spend 15000 dollars to have higher definition graphics that add fuck all to the game itself.

3 years ago, I bought a computer for 250€. It's still running recent games even though it's not exactly up to date.

On the other hand, I did not have to spend money on a console (back then two-fiddy was cheaper than a PS3), didn't have to buy a new TV, and I didn't have to buy a new computer for college.

That's right. People still need a computer if they have a console. Add 45€ as a launch price (compared to 70€) and mods and I think that playing Skyrim at 1024x800 is worth it if I cut my losses.

i.e. I do my math, I tailor my gaming experience to my needs. Why the fudge would I want Max Payne 3 or LA Noire on my PC? I'll play it on 360.

I don't generalize and say "PCs/consoles add fuck all to my experience so I will refuse to rethink my choices!"

SonOfVoorhees:
PC gamers care more about graphics and physics than the actual game....these things are not important. Making the graphics better with a mod dont make the game better.

"I have no idea what I am talking about so I will just make a wild accusation and hope other people like me back me up with their lack of experience."

Fuck graphics.

Seriously. I remember that it was the consoles pushing for the HD bullcrap, so don't pretend it was the PC market that was using graphics as bait. We had Crysis in 2007, which was after the PS3 launch. If it wasn't for that game PC gamers would sit tight on their standard definition.

My TV only does 720p and it's seriously outdated, but to hell with 1080p, it's not worth the money and I rather play my 360 in 720p than buying a new TV.

Also, I see you have no idea of what a TC (or Total Conversion) mod is. Basically you can make a whole new game based on an engine.

Which is the case for Counter Strike - a game that emerged from a mod.

Terminate421:

Even better, did anyone even think of MASS MARKET APPEAL?!? How would you like to see a commercial for say....Dead Space: Terrifying Nightmare Version and think "Oh wow, this will look fun on my xbox!" Then you find out that its available for PC only. Fair enough, you get it and find out your computer cannot handle the game since you have the same PC you've had since 2010. So now you bought a game you cannot use unless you spend more money to UPGRADE the PC.

I have the same rig since 2010 (well, if you don't count the new headset and keyboard, the old ones broke / I never had one to begin with). It costed me back then (with a Monitor I say) ~700€. I can still play games on high with that thing. The only game I had to tone it down a lot was Witcher 2, one of the best looking PC games of the last few years.

Sorry but you fall for the urban lie you that you have to upgrade your PC every year. No, since the consoles are from the hardware site shit and many games release multiplattform you could run most games on high with a expensive gaming rig from 2008. Because those were already better than consoles. Even with the next gen of consoles I won't need much upgrading.

Hrmm... some interesting post... not the artillery lobbing one would of thought, and I have a suspicion as to why...

PC Rig... home built, custom CNC milled water blocks, SLi OC'd beast rig and award winner in class...

Latest game played any amount of time...

Terraria, Day Z

Sony PS3... 7.1 DTS/AC3 1000 watt sound system, HD HGP display... latest game played...

NetFlix, Some Blu-Rays

2 game I am looking forward to... Planetside 2 (Sony), and Phantasy Star 2 Online (Sega). Both PC exclusives (atm). Yet being developed by classically console producers...

2 other games, Ni No Kuni and Last Guardian... (vapor ware?)... so the Sony games on system I am interested in a relatively/demonstrably "Japanese"...

I guess what I am getting at is there is a lot of identity crisis out in "game development" land... an ugly ugly head that keeps rearing up... "we have no engine - so sorry", "Pirates!", "My Vision!", the list is long and distinguished... like a porn star's Johnson.... It has all worn pretty damn thin over the years.

We ask for FF7 with a paint job... well, you got it... a rom with some achievements...

We ask for PC games with decent memory management... well F'U here is Skyrim locked down to a console friendly architecture...

I like all my systems... even my dust collection device... (see Wii)... but when I find myself firing up the Ole' Sega Saturn to pass the time... something is wrong, and I don't know if I am able to (with a straight face) say that any system has any more competent a strategy for product, and delivery than any other... cause by my estimation, it's all pretty crap.

Mostly from the dry humping between the publishers, developers, and console producers... It's all looking a tab bit inbred.

1st thought upon seeing the title: No shit, Sherlock.

Now that that's out of the way,

When I bought my Xbox 360, I did so because my XP laptop was deteriorating in terms of its capability (no, literally, it wasn't just obsolete, it was getting worse as time passed). And it was fun for a while. But now I have a Windows 7 PC and am having a love affair with Steam. For pretty much all the reasons you've mentioned. Hell, I've already bought some games via Steam that I already had for Xbox on the cheap simply so I can enjoy better graphics and the precision that comes with aiming with a mouse rather than an analog stick. The only games I intend to buy on Xbox at this point are games like Rock Band that require large peripherals and are best played with groups that won't fit into the nook where I keep my PC.

demonflowers:
The benefit is simple. I'm a student living at home and I can afford to pay a few hundred bucks for a console. I can't afford a gaming PC, and I know virtually nothing about computers, so building one is out of the question. Also, I've had my PS3 since just after launch and it WORKS. I've never had to take it in to get fixed, it hasn't got any viruses, it just works and always has without any maintenance whatsoever. My PC, however, has needed to be fixed multiple times in the year and a half since I got it.

Oh, I almost forgot. My PS2? Also still working fine and has been for almost a decade.

Like I said a billion times on the internet, a decent rig can be achieved for little over the price of a console. Take the long term into account: launch prices at 45-50€ at most, or the console's 70€?

I also didn't know shit about computers (still don't), that didn't stop me from choosing the right parts and paying 25€ to have it assembled by tech people.

I have a 1995 computer in the basement. It still runs games developed at that time - remarkably it is more reliable now than it was in the 90's. Is your PS2 supposed to prove anything?