Video games have become one of the most popular entertainment media in the world, surpassing other industries in revenue, such as cinema. There are many platforms on which we can play them, but normally the debate when buying a console is usually reduced to whether it is better to buy a computer or a console. Therefore, we are going to help you decide between a PC or a console .
Until a decade ago, the debate between console and PC was not focused only in terms of performance or price, but in terms of number of games. The main developers did not even bother to launch some of their titles on PC, since there was a wide user base with PS3 and Xbox 360. In addition, the consoles used different architectures than the x86-64 of the PCs, which made it very difficult port console games to PC.
The console architecture change changed the debate
That changed with the arrival of PS4 and Xbox One , where both consoles use AMD x86-64 processors, just like PS5 or Xbox Series X. Since then it has become much easier to port console games to PCs and development costs have been reduced by not having to understand from scratch how a console with a totally different architecture works, in addition to being able to squeeze its performance before.
Playing on PCs was expensive at the time of PS3 and Xbox 360. Although computers were offering much better performance, it was difficult to compete with the attractive price of consoles. With PS4 and Xbox One that changed, since even a year after the consoles were launched you could already make equivalent computers in performance at the same price. With PS5 and Xbox Series X both companies have partially rectified that, offering performance equivalent to the current high-end graphics range instead of choosing to launch mid-range equivalent consoles as it happened with PS4 and Xbox One.
With PS5 and Xbox Series X we live again a time where, from the outset, it will be more profitable to buy the console directly instead of a PC. Sony and Microsoft usually sell the consoles at a loss at first, or at cost, in order to compensate with other services later, such as online or the commission they take for each game sold. Thus, depending on whether we are looking to save money in the long term or depending on the games, we will choose one or the other. We will list the advantages of each platform and draw a final conclusion for each.
Advantages of playing on PC
Always up to date
The PC is the reference platform today. Improvements at the level of performance or graphic quality always come to computers first because they are where NVIDIA, AMD and Intel take their components first. Therefore, you can test the graphical improvements before they end up later arriving at the consoles.
Free online
On consoles, playing online is paid. Depending on the modality we choose and if we find any offer, the cost is usually around 45 to 60 euros a year. In 5 years, we have a cost of between 225 and 300 additional euros that must be taken into account in the price of the console that with the PC we would not be paying, since playing online is free.
Cheaper games
PC games are cheaper for various reasons. One of the most important is that Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo take a percentage for each game sold, which is not paid on PC. This is why a newly launched multiplatform game on PC costs less than on consoles (for example, 70 euros on consoles and 55 or 60 euros on PC). Some online video game stores like YuPlay offer a huge variety of games you can instantly play without leaving the comfort of your home.
In addition, the price of PC games drops faster over time, with constant offers from platforms such as Epic Games, Steam. GOG or Origin that leave them at ridiculous prices. And we also have high competition in key stores, where any game that is a few years old can be found easily for 10 or 5 euros. And even if you can’t find it in any store, you can always download it by torrent.
Components that you can improve whenever you want
With PS4 Pro and Xbox One X the ban was opened to intergenerational consoles, launching models with improved performance. Although with PS5 and Xbox Series X it does not seem that the same thing will happen due to the great power they will have as standard, with the PC you can always be prepared to update it whenever you want.
For example, you can assemble a piecewise PC with a good processor and a high-end graphics card. When four years pass, if you see that there are better graphics cards on the market, you can sell the one you have and buy a new one at the same price that Sony and Microsoft would try to sell you another new console, in the same way that you can also sell the previous console .
In addition, on PC you can improve it as you can. For example, you can mount it with 8 GB of RAM, and if you get some extra money, you can buy the additional 8 GB, a better SSD, a larger capacity hard drive, etc.
Long-term savings
All the previous points lead us to that, when you want to buy one or another platform, you must analyze the cost in the long term. In the first year, perhaps the console with online and games will be cheaper, but after five years you have to add the extra cost of the games when paying the commissions of each game or online. With 10 games that you buy in that time and the price of the online, it is possible that you are paying an additional 350 or 400 euros that in that time you will not pay on the PC.
Choose graphics quality and performance
When you put a game in the console, it adjusts to the performance that it can get. However, we have to settle for what the company forces us to play, such as 4K at 30 FPS, when we would rather play in Full HD at 60 FPS with better texture quality.
On PC you can change the graphic setting to your liking depending on the resolution of your monitor or television, as well as the frame rate that it is capable of displaying. For competitive games, it is better to be able to play at 144 or 240 Hz than at 60, and the consoles will not exceed 120 Hz because they are made to synchronize at that frequency, which is the maximum that 4K televisions show today.
Also, on PC, loading times are a thing of the past, although luckily Xbox Series X and PS5 have changed that and offer serial SSD drives.
Play with any controller
If you do not manage with mouse and keyboard, on PC you can use any controller to play, be it Xbox One, PS3, PS4, etc. In fact, if you use the Xbox One, almost all games detect it automatically and you can go to play with it natively without complicating your life. In console you are forced to use command yes or yes. In addition, on PC you can mix controls to play multiplayer with any control that your friends bring.
Play on TV or mobile remotely
The console is usually connected to the TV, while the computer is almost never next to it. On PC there are more and more solutions to play remotely. In our own house we can use Steam Link, In-Home Streaming or NVIDIA Shield, thanks to which we can play without hardly lag in our local network on mobile, tablet, other computer or even on our Smart TV if we have a Samsung with the app from Steam Link. With this you have the additional advantage of not being listening to the noise of the console or the PC on the television, since we will have the PC in another room.
Backward compatibility and more variety of games and emulators
Although Microsoft took a huge step with Xbox One X, and Sony with PS5, the kings of backward compatibility are still PCs. We can run decades-old games natively without resorting to even emulators. Once you have it in your Steam account, Epic Store or any other store, you can play it forever without fear of whether the next generation of consoles will no longer be compatible.
With Xbox Series X and PS5, native backward compatibility has improved, as both consoles share architecture with their predecessors, a fact that has not occurred until now in the history of the consoles of both companies. With the new consoles it is possible to put a game from the previous ones as is, and play it, also adapting the graphics to the power of the same if the developers have released a patch for it.
On PC, however, the number of games available is much larger and more varied, where we also have emulators to play practically all the games and consoles of the 20th century, and even part of the 21st century with the PS2 emulators or the advanced ones that there’s the PS3 one. In addition, PC also has great exclusive games played by millions of people, like Dota 2, LoL, CS: GO, Arma III, Team Fortress 2, etc.
Forget about the physical format
On PC, the physical format is a thing of the past, since all games are purchased in digital format. Thanks to this, the games are always updated and there is no waiting for the console to update it. This has as a counterpart that we cannot sell the games, but considering how cheap they are if we get a good offer it is not very problematic.
Mods
Modifying the graphic aspect is something that is done in almost all games. Titles like Skyrim or The Witcher 3 are some of the best examples of how far it is possible to improve a game at graphic or gameplay level. You cannot make changes to the games on the console.
You probably need or already have a PC
Finally, it is important to note that, if you have a limited budget, you are probably interested in buying a computer to play. If you are a university student and you are traveling all the time, a gaming laptop can come in very handy because you combine the best of both worlds, and anyway you will always need a PC to work. In addition, it is always easier to justify the purchase of a computer to work, and that for a little more money also serves to play, since your loved ones will be more understandable if you explain that you will be saving money.
Advantages of playing on console
Exclusive games
Playing on console also has its advantages, and one of them is exclusive games. Microsoft fully and completely opened up to the PC from Xbox One X, allowing cross-play and enjoying a game on PC or Xbox regardless of the platform on which we buy it whenever we do it in its online store. 
In the case of Sony, the company has been more hermetic with its titles, being its games first one of the biggest incentives to buy them, such as the jewelry created by Naughty Dog. However, Sony is opening up more and more to the PC, where they decided to launch Horizon Zero Dawn as the first test to see what advantages the platform can offer them. However, at the moment many of their exclusives are still available only on their consoles, and if you want to play them, you will be forced to buy them.
Easier to use
An obvious reality is that the console is designed to turn it on, configure it with a few parameters, insert a game, and start playing. The PC requires knowledge when configuring the parts, as well as assembly, installation of the operating system and configuration. If you like to fiddle and put everything to your liking, better a PC, but the simplicity of a console is still superior if you don’t have much time to configure your gaming platform.
What do your friends have?
Despite the advancement in cross-play in titles like Rocket League, Fortnite or Call of Duty, it is still necessary to have the same console for many popular titles like FIFA.
Your previous console games are worth it
The backward compatibility, as we said in the PC point, has improved substantially with PS5 and Xbox Series X, to the point that you can put the games from the previous consoles and play them. With this, you do not need to sell your current collection, something that you would have to do if you are looking to make the leap from consoles to PC; Although if you start from scratch it is not a factor to consider.
You can resell your games
The physical format has the advantage that it allows you to sell the game once you have completed it or no longer play with it, allowing you to offset part of the high initial cost. Despite this, what you take out of a game by reselling it is what you will probably save if you buy the game in some offer on PC assuming that you buy it out on console.
Unified community
Although almost all friends are usually on Steam, there are more and more gaming platforms like Epic Store, Origin or Battle.net, so you have to control all of them to see which friends are online to play with them. On consoles, the friends list is unique for all games.
conclusion
The PC has been a better platform to play than consoles for more than a decade. There are many advantages offered by this platform, including more variety of games, better graphics, more versatility to play where and with the controls you want, and also it does not seek to get money every month for playing online. In return, it’s a more complex platform to set up from the start, but then long-term results pay off, plus you learn a lot in the process.
The best thing is to be able to have a pair of PC and console ; especially if this is PlayStation. After all, what matters is where your friends play and what games you are going to play. If you like Sony exclusives, you will have to buy a PlayStation. However, buying an Xbox may not compensate because all its games are on PC, and in addition to not missing any on the computer, you will have the added advantage of having a computer.
