It’s one of the oldest and most prolific arguments on the Internet: PC or console. While it’s an argument that was born during a time when computers were still taking off, it still remains, with countless online forums focussed on that exact topic. Here we will look at the main differences between modern consoles and computers in relation to gaming.

The Pricing

A standard gaming PC with 8 gigabytes of RAM, full HD resolution, and an Intel quad-core will do the trick at a competitive price point compared to consoles. The Steam Hardware Survey claims these are the standard specifications for most of their customers. For more hardcore gamers to optimize their experience, expect your wallet to take the brunt. Although standard PC builds could range from $400-$700, high-end PCs could run up to $2,000 and sometimes higher. Graphics cards can cost more than a whole machine. Consoles’ advantage is that they’re cheap, reliable price points. You can purchase Xbox One and PlayStation 4’s most expensive version for just $300-$400. While consoles are limited in their functionality, you’ll get a price-friendly, performance unit.

Ease of Use

The advantage of a console is their ease-of-use. Upon buying a controller, you can unbox, plug in, and start playing. That’s plain. Today’s controller designs are simple and understandable. Computer technical issues, on the other hand, can be complex to understand and even harder to fix. If troubleshooting is required, console developers themselves provide various online tools.

Compared to consoles, PCs need more understanding of how the system will operate — especially if you plan to create your own gaming PC. Are my CPU / motherboard compatible? Which graphics card will I buy? You’ll need to study these issues beforehand.

Overall Performance

When you spend time and money on a gaming device, you’ll want to know how it works. That said, in games, PCs do noticeably better than consoles. This doesn’t mean consoles perform poorly, just that PCs have always been ahead of the technical curve.  Today’s average gaming Machine is on-par with the current requirements (specs) consoles. As for higher-end gaming PCs, you will see a dramatic quality increase. Such PCs typically run games at 4K resolution at 60 frames-per-second (fps) to 100 fps–that’s almost twice what consoles can do, whether it’s to play online bingo games for money or the latest AAA title. Random-access-memory (RAM), computing processors (CPU), GPU processors, and high-end gaming Machine hard drive storage are all far superior to today’s gaming consoles. But it will come at a cost.

Gaming Options

PCs are versatile and their gameplay options are as customizable. With a Steam account, you can play over 30,000 titles. Some of today’s top video game games can also be downloaded on Amazon for $40. Steam regularly deals with games and site-wide purchases, and it’s just one of many online gaming marketplaces. Consoles have considerably fewer gameplay options. In fact, there are about 1,100 Xbox One titles. The PlayStation 4 features similar games.

The limited amount of console gaming library is a double-edged sword. You have a lack of variety at one hand, but on the other, you have games exclusive to consoles that can’t be found anywhere else.