It used to be taken as a child’s game up until the 80s, although it had been developed as long ago as the 1970s. It became popular with the Millenials and by the late 1990s, it became an industry in its own right, contributed to by celebrities and actors. So much so that popular technology industries such as Microsoft and Sony contributed to the pie’s share.
The 90s saw the industry to be split into two competing factions
- Console Gaming
- PC Gaming
The rapid advancement of Microchips and integrated circuits led to rapid advancement in both industries. More powerful technologies and hardware initiated a race to add better features such as graphics, and sound quality. There were separate technology components such as GPUs, graphic cards, sound cards, and other add-ons that were developed.
The new millennium was the era of computers and the internet. This was the era of CDs and DVDs.The advancement of the internet introduced Pier-to-Pier gaming, this was a setback for the console industry as the online P2P industry skyrocketed, and kids and teenagers alike were clinging to it.
Nevertheless, The introduction of the internet made the game development process much faster and more efficient. Resource-intensive games started developing and the PCs started to be more hardware-dependent. Console gaming was still alive and kicking and was still growing rapidly. With Consoles like Playstation and X-box, the same consoles were able to cater to the newly emerging high-end graphics games with the technology for years.
In the 2010s PC gaming gave another blow to console gaming by providing Cloud computation, the need for powerful hardware can be replaced by basic hardware and internet bandwidth. But there was another contender in the market that was knocking on the door, the smartphone. Now the smartphone is giving competition to both PC gaming and console gaming but there is still a strong gaming community that is still sticking to the base.
Console Gaming
Development with Time
In the late 1960s, the Brown Box is said to be the prototype of the gaming console that can be connected to Television. This had very basic games such as ping pong and dart etc. However, in 1970 the development of the Atari 2600 took the gaming community by storm. It had cartridges that had the game already installed in it connected in a hot-swappable fashion. So a single console can be used for multiple games it was a revolution in making.
The enthusiast started developing companies that develop those game cartridges. These include the likes of Sega and Nintendo which eventually started developing their own consoles by the 80s. This ushered in the era of gaming, Attari, Sega and Nintendo became the choice of youth.
In the early 90s, the likes of Phillips and Sony were developing prototypes of CD player consoles that had gaming features and after years of Research and Development, in 1994 Playstation was launched. It ran on CDs instead of bulky cartridges. This was the new direction as it ran the same CDs that can be used for PC gaming. However, in those days, software development restrictions restricted the use of CDs interchangeably.
CDs were cheap and easy to replicate so Playstation usage grew by leaps and bounds and by the advancement in the software they were able to cater to the needs of newer more resource-intensive games.
Although Nintendo 64 and Sega Saturn were efforts to catch up with the PS, PS one was the enhanced addition with a memory card feature on which the games can be saved during the gameplay.
With the new millennium came the came XBOX, Nintendo Cube, and especially PS2 with sales reaching millions in the long run, these became the defacto choice for gaming and these were all over pop culture.
In the same era game development also became a serious business, with companies like Electronic Arts, Activision, and Rockstar Games, and also companies like Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony with their own game development divisions. This ushered in gaming as an industry, with gaming competitions and conferences held globally.
Past 2005 was the so-called early modern era in which, the concept of immersive gaming appeared which literally meant to be present in the scene. 3D gaming and Digital displays are the concepts that emerge in the era the games have days-long gameplay and a storyline became more and more popular.
In this era, the popular consoles were Xbox 360, Sony Playstation 3, and Nintendo Wii. These offer full 1080p HD graphics, remote sensing 3D movements, and haptic feedback so there was a feel involved in all that makes one feel that he is living the visual that he is seeing.
By this time there was a game between the big three and were either out of the competition or were pushed to game development. For the companies in competition, the technology kept getting better as the games kept much more sophisticated and detail-oriented.
Effectiveness in terms of Technology Retention
A plus point for the console gaming system is that they have an era although, when speaking of technology Moore’s law also applies to gaming consoles but they have an effective age and normally serve the purpose even after that.
For understanding, PS2 was launched in 2000 as the PS3 was launched in 2006, and game developers started making keeping in mind the technology of PS3 but the as long up to 2015, PS2 was up and running and even supported the newer, incoming games.
Price
On paper probably you would find that the console is on the pricier end of the spectrum but its effectiveness in terms of retention makes it a better choice as that probably would last an age. So it will eventually prove cost-effective.
Gaming Experience
The consoles offer a better gaming experience. It was true in past and this is true now. In the past, the graphics and sound were all dependent on the Television and the console only have to focus on the gameplay and gaming experience.
With the development of better display screens console manufacturers had to focus on the experience. The features like haptic feedback, and 3D motion sensing the Virtual Reality gears pretty much boast the gaming experience to premium and as near to reality as it can get.
PC Gaming
Development with Time
Computers have been said to come into existence in the late 1930s with machines like Mark-I. However, Proper computing and memory power come up till the 1950s such as UNIVAC. These computers were associated with their strict professional purposes such as military uses to decipher encrypted codes or map out projectiles and in the aerospace industry with calculations in multiple processes within a short span of time.
In 1960 universities begin to catch up and programs start rolling out with courses that allowed the use of computers in various industries like Air Traffic Support, the Stock market, and other various industries associated with the general public.
In the same era, enthusiasts came up with programming codes that were not only computer games. The first computer game is said to be Spacewar developed by 3 MIT students. Over the years simple games such as Pong came into existence which was developed by enthusiasts out of curiosity but never hit the market.
In the 1970s with the development of integrated circuits ICs, IBM and other manufacturers begin manufacturing machines that can be used by individual businesses. This created a software development market in which all sorts of application software were developed. The codes were from open-source programming languages such as FORTRAN, Cobalt, etc. The enthusiast was still in the play, but a few of them were developing gaming applications for the Program software. Consoles Manufacturers in Japan such as Sega and Nintendo started making games for computers. These games were not as easy to play as on the console. The most popular game of the era was Pac Man which continued to be popular till the 90s.
By the 1980s PCs were introduced and the program software companies such as Microsoft and Apple Macintosh were developing games of their own games along with other third parties.
The few popular games were Microsoft Flight simulator, Pac-Man, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Solitare, etc. These games had simple gameplay, which work as simple commands from the keyboard, the display was not monochromatic but also not colored in the complete sense.
In the early 90, Doom came which was the first multicolor game it was initially available on only PC primarily on Windows Operating System. PC world was catching up with the console market.
Microsoft started building its own games under its own creative studio, they were open-source and were becoming the base of companies like Electronic Arts and Rockstar to come into this full-time business of games development. Even in that era, the fact that these games were open-source enthusiasts start developing games modification of their own colloquially known as mods.
By the end of the 90s, the hardware development company looking at the opportunity these games offered started the development of technology that was much more supportive of these games like graphic cards, sound cards, and even dedicated GPUs. Computers were cheaper than the consoles and this add-on provided the same features as the consoles were giving.
The 2000s rolled and computers became a household device. Moore’s law was working on computer hardware as well the Companies such as Nvidia and RADEON begin developing special hardware for PCs, and PC manufacturing companies such as HP and Dell starts developing PC, especially for gaming.
This in a way led to the same effect as of the consoles that the people having the equipment were able to play those games but with the case of PC, you always have cheaper alternatives.
By 2010 Intel and AMD were headed over heels in the race for making the better PC, in all form factors.
Gaming PC with better hardware and specification started rolling in. Cloud computing revolutionized gaming in 2015 since time games were taking up too much space on hard drives. As a result, when you purchase a game, you will get an extension rather than the application itself.
The PC will only be using the bandwidth of the system and that game will be stored on the cloud and will be accessible through that account on any device.
Effectiveness in terms of Usability
It may be true that every year there is a newer, better PC rolling out of the assembly line that outweighs the merits of its predecessors but PC effectiveness comes with the hardware.
So it is upon the user how much additional hardware he may be able to install on the PC for better gameplay. Sometimes a simple graphics card or GPU can make the PC a better option than the console.
Price
PCs have always been cheaper than PCs, and even within PCs, there is a lot of price competition.
There is always this option that instead of buying a gaming PC you can buy a simple PC and turn it into a gaming PC. So you will spend on the areas which you like to enhance instead of an all-rounder package.
Gaming Experience
The PC market has been the market leader in gaming since the late 2000s and continues to take the lead on it till most part of the 2010s. It might be true that the gaming experience of consoles may be greater than that of PC but the PC can make to have the same or even better experience if need so.
There are technologies like curved screen monitors, heavy-duty GPUs, and 6D and 8D surround systems that can provide you with a better experience than the consoles can ever do more over the virtual reality devices are also catching up with the computers.
PC Gaming Vs Console Gaming – Similarities
1. Popular Games: Both PC and console games have almost the same games normally the game is released on PS or Xbox first and then later release for PCs. But there are games that have been released on PC first and after gaining much popularity that has to be released on consoles. In essence, every popular game made for either is available or will be made on both platforms.
2. Health Hazards: There is a lot of study material available, that hints toward the mental and physical disadvantages of video gaming itself. Although with time there are standards made that in one way or another answer these questions. Like rating of games that mention which age limit it is suitable for and parental guidance issues but recent issues like mass shootings are said to be the outcome of this gameplay.
3. Wireless Integration: The current technological advancement is said to have the same effect on the PC as alike to consoles as both are becoming less and less reliant on hardware and more on the internet, bandwidth, and cloud computing capabilities. So in principle, they would have a difference in gameplay and not in technology.
The Blazing Question: Which is better?
It all boils down to the fact of what the users need. If it is to be better gameplay and technology retention, that either one wants a better gameplay experience or that he wants that the device to at least last longer over years with support available then Console gaming is the deal. As can be seen that the Playstation2 had a time period of 7 to 8 years but it retained its market for 15 to 20 years.
With the PC the advantage is that it is modular and can be customized according to the needs. Although often these would make you spend more money than the actual thing in general PCs are cheaper than consoles. But there is always this thing that there is much more variety available in the PC market and that keeps it in the budget range.
We think that consoles are good not only in price retention but also in the last age. PCs have not been able to match the gameplay experience of consoles which is reliant on technology.
Conclusion
We think that the console is the best option for most users. It is a matter of preference that what suits you the most. But we think that consoles are the best in the long run.
The PC has its advantages but those are all-rounders, whereas the consoles’ only task is the gameplay. In hindsight, most consoles and manufacturers are also PC manufacturers and they stress that Console gaming is better so be it.
Hopefully, you got what you were looking for. If there is any comment or concern we would love to hear from you. On either of the platform, enjoy gaming.
