The PC vs Consoles Debate (Part 2)

In my previous post I promised that today I would address the issue of pricing in the "PC vs Console" debate. Both sides make the claim that their chosen platform is cheaper. Console gamers explain that a console costs about $400 when new, far less when customers spend a year to purchase, while PC gamers claim that PC gaming isn't as expensive as people make it out to be. As you probably read in the pieces that prompted these posts, Gordon and Klosowski make these arguments in their pieces. A quick read through the comments sections will show that players echo these arguments.

Now, PC Gaming enthusiasts, go ahead. As a chorus: "I can build a gaming PC that can run everything on ultra high for 400$!!!"

No, you can't.

The PC vs Consoles Debate (Part 1)

There's a bit of an argument going on (again) over at Lifehacker about the superiority of PCs over consoles and vice-versa. Making the case for the PC, Whitston Gordon argues that they keyboard and mouse are "better" controllers than any other, that PCs have a higher graphics potential, that PCs are more flexible and upgradable,  that PC games can be modded, and that the PC cost issue is a myth. Making the case for consoles, Thorin Klosowski argues that consoles work "out of the box" every time, that consoles are more comfortable to play on, that controllers are better than keyboard and mouse, and that consoles get exclusive games. Both of their arguments are valid, and I'll explain why in a bit, but my issue of contention is that these two articles seem to be working in a vacuum. Rather than working as a true series where one responds to the other, they come across as two distinct and isolated "here's my list" pieces. And so, in the spirit of figuring out what is better, PC gaming or console gaming, let us tackle each of the points presented in both pieces.