There’s always been a clear distinction between console and PC gaming. Just about everything about the platforms made them complete different experiences and each met different needs. The lines between the two platforms are becoming heavily blurred as consoles are using PC tech and the PC’s UI (Windows 8) is adapting to the console look. Alienware General Manager, Frank Azor has told PCGamesN that consoles becoming more like PCs, means that PC is the platform of choice.
“If you look at what Sony and Microsoft are doing, they’re taking PCs and putting them into the living room. It’s an AMD CPU, it’s an AMD graphics card, it’s a standard desktop hard drive. It’s unbelievable,” said Azor. “That tells you that the PC is the gaming platform of choice out there, there is nothing out there that’s better”.
I can’t help but agree with him, a PC is a PC, no matter the shell it’s popped in. (This doesn’t mean I hate consoles, I love them, don’t make assumptions.) I believe that years from now, PC and console will blend into a new “home entertainment platform”, while laptops and tablets will remain for office use and the likes.
The biggest difference between PC and next-gen consoles will remain the peripherals used to play games. Which hasn’t been an issue for a long time since console controllers can be hooked up to PCs anyway. When you get down to the gist of it, both platforms have the ability to do what the other does in one way or another. That being said, PC maintains its unique ability to be built up out of different components, custom hardware if you will. This is something I don’t suspect consoles will ever adapt to.
Azor continued to justify his statements saying:
“You’re installing games now instead of running them off the disc, because that’s the right thing to do; you’re downloading games digitally, which we’ve been doing on PC for years; they’re integrating certain TV aspects and stuff, well, ten years ago we started experimenting with media centre. I mean we can tell you how to do that on Alienware with media centre PCs during that whole time. It’s a little bit different now because the technology has matured considerably, but a lot of the innovations and things that are proven on the PC are making their ways onto consoles and the consoles are looking more and more like PCs every day.”
As machines, the PC is dominating. It’s no longer better to design machines built specifically to play games because consoles don’t simply play games anymore.”
I don’t think that Microsoft or Sony are intentionally copying the PC platform, it’s just a matter of “How can we improve our console?”. Consoles were bound to evolve from just playing games to doing so much more, and hell, why not? One might even argue that the Alienware X51 is copying consoles by becoming a smaller compact PC. I mean it does kind of look like an Xbox 360, if you really think about it.
Last Updated: June 27, 2013
Lord Chaos
June 27, 2013 at 13:10
All heil the master race.
Gideon Venter
June 27, 2013 at 13:50
Made me giggle 8D
Warren Ross
June 27, 2013 at 13:13
What is this “clear distinction between console and PC gaming?” I don’t agree it exists: it’s artificial. I’ve always just played games. For decades now. Sometimes it’s on a console, other times on a PC. I’ve never felt the need to consider myself loyal to one camp or another, because the “distinction” is artificial and really, irrelevant to the average gamer.
Everyone else can discuss console VS PC or nVidia VS AMD or whatever, I’ll be over here playing games on whatever the hell I feel like playing on.
Lord Chaos
June 27, 2013 at 13:17
Amen brother. Gaming is gaming, doesn’t matter on what.
RinceWind
June 27, 2013 at 13:21
But is this Alien thingy as powerful as the new Xbox One and its 300,000 servers? Trololo. Nah, being serious, the PC master race have nothing to worry about. I see consoles and PCs as different beasts. When I go home I don’t want to be reminded of the last 10 hours of work I’ve just done. But that’s just me.
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
June 27, 2013 at 13:22
consoles are good for certain games while PC is good for others. Depends on what one enjoys playing 😉
RinceWind
June 27, 2013 at 13:25
Exactly. Like for example, if you want to play a game like Chrysis you may want to look to the PS3 as it’s RAM CRAM CPUR R2D2 is like 5 to the power or simba chips faster. So I’ve been told anyway.
Lord Chaos
June 27, 2013 at 13:27
ROLF. That would explain all the beeping sounds coming from it then
Harley22x
June 27, 2013 at 13:31
Hahaha at first i thought “is he serious?” then as i kept reading, i couldn’t help but laugh.
RinceWind
June 27, 2013 at 13:33
Hahaha! What gave it away? The simba chips? 🙂
Captain Minion TallTwit
June 27, 2013 at 13:42
Hell no, the R2D2 part for me.
Harley22x
June 27, 2013 at 13:46
Haha, I re-read “R2D2” a couple times, then thought “maybe they’re confused, then finally read “Simba” and was like… Alright, thays funny.
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
June 27, 2013 at 13:43
hahahahaha
ElimiNathan
June 27, 2013 at 13:54
Cant agree with this bcos the only difference is the exclusive titles. So hook a controller up to a PC and now its good for the same games the console is ?
Lord Chaos
June 27, 2013 at 13:56
I actually play Remember Me on PC with a xbox controller. Better graphics, but still not a good game.
Marc O Polo
June 27, 2013 at 18:55
amen! hate sitting at a desk
OVG
June 27, 2013 at 13:36
THE FUTURE IS CLOUD ALIENS
Lord Chaos
June 27, 2013 at 13:37
And what would they do? Rain all over our parade?
OVG
June 27, 2013 at 13:42
They will chop our heads off
Lord Chaos
June 27, 2013 at 13:44
And feast upon our brains
OVG
June 27, 2013 at 13:45
…
Lord Chaos
June 27, 2013 at 13:47
I sometimes feel I should give people a ‘safe-word’
OVG
June 27, 2013 at 13:50
supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
HvR
June 27, 2013 at 14:01
And then charge us for it.
Slade Boender
June 27, 2013 at 14:05
Unlike humans and elephants, this dude has no chin. Creepy.
OVG
June 27, 2013 at 14:10
He has a chinstady belt in fear of not becoming the ONE.
Trevor Davies
June 27, 2013 at 13:39
That’s why I use a PC exclusively, for the wenches.
Admiral Chief Groot Wors
June 27, 2013 at 14:00
Heh, we been havin it!
Gerhard Davids
June 27, 2013 at 14:02
Wahahaha no Jaggies!
Tbone187
June 27, 2013 at 14:14
Consoles always had the advantage of using tv sets… But with newer Tvs actually being jacked up monitors with tv cards build in, it renders a console pointless…And seeing as consoles are getting more like pc’s , it’s no wonder drm is featuring more…So is it a good thing or bad?? I reckon it’s for the worse, coz as they become more similar , it removes our choice to pick either platform based on their distinctive features…
Mike E. Delta
June 27, 2013 at 18:17
I keep thinking the progression is too slow, we should have HAD things like this happening ages ago…reasons why PC market slowing down? The same big box over and over, gaming rigs have been the only true innovators of ALL sizes, the mainstream needed to catch up. Let’s see what happens in the next 5 years…hoverboards and self-lacing Nike’s or the tech-ending, Sword of Damocles World code? =p