The left control/joystick of a 360 controller allows for more precise and smooth controll over the players motions as regards to speed of movement and diagonal directions. For examaple, a player can move diagonally while looking straight ahead. On PC a person must combine moving forward with straffing to the right along with shifting the mouse to move somewhat diagonally but ultimatley resulting in a crescent or curve shape path……whoopdy f****n doo! Which is more important when sniping or run-and-gunning? Moving slow and/or diagonally or aiming more precisely? Exactly, PC wins stfu.

As already made clear above by Bob & others, a mouse is much more precise when talking about aiming and firing. You dont have to return to center to stop movement like a joystick and having the left click under finger-tip and a very short “travel” of the button is like having a revolver thats always cocked…hence “twich response.” Competitve real life shooters require a trigger pull with a short distance and low resistance…and the mouse click is more preferable in this area than the trigger of the 360 controller. It’s a combination of these small differences that add up to make PC FPS shooting more precise and quick. Although none of this takes into account the fact that consoles implement “Aim Assist” and larger hit-counter areas on players to make it easier for 12yr olds to prestige in 2 weeks!
Play any COD game on PC for a month and then play that same game on 360 and pay attention to the kill cams with machine guns, especially the slow-mo kill cams at the end the game, then try and tell me that the hit-counters are the exact same! No it’s wider on the 360. Making shots that would be misses on PC into hits and adding Aim Assist…thats what I call cheating!

*hit-counter is the space within and around a player where bullets will cause their health to decrease*

I looked up this article while having a debate with co-workers. 23yrs old, 27yr old, and me 33. These guys simply do not understand how these new console gaming platforms are ruining online play. It was one thing when consoles couldn’t access the internet. I think the internet access alone has created the monster we’re faced with today. These folks just don’t understand what they’re missing out on and talking to them is like talking to an apple fan boy. I’m sure we all know how that is.

I have a long history of gaming. Probably too much. I started out as a kid, with my first computer being a VIC20, then upgraded to a C64. I had a ton of ported games from the Atari, but also had the Atari 2600. Other consoles came and went. In the late 80′s I used a Apple II. I switched from Commodore/Apple to the PC around 1991. Through the 90′s did mostly PC because I started building and servicing them for a Mom and Pop OEM that opened in the early 80′s. So what I have to say comes from a perspective of someone who had played games on “PC” and console gaming markets.
—

I do not like where the PC or console markets are headed. It seems like the PC games are constantly being nerfed and dumbed down. And likewise the consoles are trying to be more PC like. Plenty has already been said in this article and comments. I agree with the general idea that PC FPS gaming is superior to console. But I also see plenty of strengths in the console market for FPS games. Two of which they seem to want to abandon. These two items are; split screen multiplayer (system link is icing on this cake), and the ability to add bots. And yes, many PC games also have bots. Split screen is one item PC gaming will never be able to address. This HUGE. And I find this very disturbing.

For awhile all I played was PS2. Mostly Gran Turismo and the Socom series. I personally owned about 8 PS2′s. I even had 4 slims with integrated screens. Great for on the road. Then along came the Xbox. Supporting 4 player split screen. And the ability to system link four boxes for 16 player Halo matches in one’s basement or garage. Nowadays the consoles generally only support on player per console, and try to pigeon hole you to online gaming only. I understand why, it’s all about the money. Sell one console, one copy of the game and four controllers? Or sell four consoles, four game copies and 4-16 controllers, plus internet/live service?

Likewise many FPS games for the PC have become more arcade. Most of them also do the same. They tether you to online play. They aren’t the in-depth games that required a lot of tactics to play. They are mostly run and gun fodder that frankly has become boring.

So what do I use then?

Both. I believe there is a place for both the PC and the console. One major hit to the console market is one is tied to the console they buy. I have a couple different ones (suddenly online console gaming is not that cheap). I do this because I have different friends with different consoles. Right now I’ve limited myself to just the 360 and the Wii. But I’ve had to fight the urge several times from buying the PS3. That’s a big con. But the funny thing is my friends all have PC’s. Most of us have laptops. Most with some sort of dedicated GPU. So what happens then?

Generally speaking when we play together online it’s usually PC. An RTS like Starcraft, Rise of Nations, etc. And then a select few FPS’s; UT2004, lately BF2 and now I’m trying to get them hooked on Project Reality. Also some OFP/ARMA.

But if it’s an impromptu game at someone’s house generally the consoles reign supreme.

Just this last weekend I was at a friends over the weekend hunting. Guess what came out? Yep, a couple Xbox 360′s on big screen TV’s. Call of Duty 3, Gears of War and Halo Reach well into the night. One of my other PC gaming friends was there. He played a couple games of SC2 one morning. I went to get him the Project Reality files to his laptop. That’s all the farther I got.

This is why I believe there is a place for both. Even if we’re talking strictly FPS games. I hope that both sides wise up and pander to their respective strengths. I stick to PC for deep games with a lot of tactical depth. If I want a quick grunge war the consoles get turned on.

To all with respect,

I not only want to say that I have never been for or against Consoles…. but, as an original PC Gamer and PC Builder, and having played my share of Consoles… to include ALL platforms… MAC, PC, XBOX, XBOX 360, PS3, Wii, DSI, Sega Genesis, Atari 1200, Atari 2600, etc, etc… I have some basic things to say on the subject of whether or not PC Games are being dumbed down and why I think some PC fans love the PC experience and their machines.

1. PCs Are EXTREMELY customizable and Upgradable. Don’t think ANY of you can argue.Try upgrading, or even opening your XBOX without voiding the Warranty agreements. What’s the matter, don’t have the cash to buy two $400.00 graphics cards… sure the Console is a nice “In the Box” solution for you. I want to upgrade and build. My PC is over 5 years old now and I still play the latest games. And can still upgrade 9 more processors and 3 x new graphics cards and 130 more GB of RAM.

2. A 5 year old PC, in most cases, can still be upgraded and will handle newer games, or at least, games which are 2 yrs newer than the PC itself. No cross-platform bs and no “Oh I can play it on my PS3 but not my PS4? PS5? PS6?… ” Besides the fact of proprietary game properties which would require you to buy 4 different platforms IOT play most of the game content out there.. but still not all (Enter the Money Market)

3. A PC is NOT a “2 year solution in a Box” …. built with what the manufacturer has decided one be fitting. With consoles, the fact is your stuck with what you got, till the next $300-$500 Dollar machine comes out 6 months to 1 year later. That’s fine for some folks, because it fits their needs. Not for me. And oh, but the way, ask Game Developers “under the table” if they would rather build a game within the confines of a single property… or have the freedom to build to specs based on today’s tech… If they say they don’t want to utilize All that technology has to offer, then I call shinannigans.

4. A Console is great for the 10 year old who doesn’t care to deal with upgrading. Or doesn’t have the Dough to buy a PC. And as a great “Plug and Play” System. Oh wait, PCs are generally plug and play… especially with Windows 7.

5. With the latest in technology, such as Crossfire X and TRI SLI… Octa Core, Quad Core, Tri-core by AMD, i7 Tech from Intel, increasing performance over the best a console can offer, do you really think Console developers are building/catering to these specs? It aint about the damn specs, it’s about what I see on my screen and the performance characteristics that go with it.To me, Oblivion was outstanding… DA:O was crap for graphics. IMO.

6. YES, I have played many games, One recently of which, Dragon Age: Origins, which has worst graphics, but it is a completely newer game than Oblivion. Now why would the graphics be worst on my PC while playing DA:O than Oblivion? I run the highest possible specs on both games with Dual GTX TRI SLI EVGA 790X Ultra SLI. Why? IMO, it is the developer has created this game for Consoles, and the PC is left with a mediocre experience graphically. IMO.

7. Control. I got used to playing HALO with the Console controls…. however, I have NEVER been able to beat my own scores in a shooter without using a keyboard and mouse. Don’t want to entertain opinions on Xbox controls, for me they suck. Always have when compared to PC.

8. I think one more example of “Dumbing Down” a great PC game to fit the needs of the consumer, and a different fanbase, is Star Wars Galaxies… one of the best MMORPG PC games ever…. this is a different issue, but the same. SOE took a complex, albeit ADULT, oriented game that the original fans loved, and re-invented it to meet the needs of the younger fanbase of WOW attics. Tell me you don’t think of the word immaturity when you play WOW. All the while alienating the entire original SWG Fanbase…One clear example of this, was I had friends who leveled for 2 years to get their Jedi up to 80…. or even to “become” Force Sensitive … then what happened, SOE cut 20+ character classes and many days, weeks and hours of character leveling was dumbed down to meet the “new” generation who wanted a simpler experience while introducing a new Jedi class. IMO, they should have came out with WOW years earlier. IMO this is kinda like that. What I call catering to the economic environment and the world is definitely about the cut-throat marketing that is this century.

Hmm … this kinda feels familiar.

And Oh by the way, I do still play Consoles… just don’t appreciate my graphics experience being cut into and developers catering to consoles when I want to play on my PC. I would ask them to please develop for PC or Console… not both. I think that’s only fair.

Just my opinion. I’m entitled to it.

Deathadder3k

Thank you for this article, this is exactly what I think, said with the right words and arguments.

I won’t have to explain this to people arguing the question ever again, I’ll point them directly here !

I read some comments, and I pray that there is not even the slightliest autoaiming for gamepad users. I play L4D (also L4D2), it would mean that people choosing the worst way of playing on PC (gamepad) are advantaged by the game ^^

That would be a nightmare…

Come to think of it… I was referred to as wet, sloppy AND back-door all in the course of one discussion… I must have said SOMETHING right!

“Nope. To experience the full potential of this competitive genre, you need to play First Person Shooters on ALL available platforms; as they are NOW and have always been intended. Not just so you have a more informed opinion, but because in order to get the “Full Potential” out of anything, you need to experience it…well…fully.”

Excellent point Evan, though that particular line was specific to the console vs PC debate. However, I agree with the sentiment when it stands on its own.

Nick, just to clarify, CS is not my personal favorite by any means. It never has been. CS and CS:Source are big in the competitive gaming so I thought it fit to include them. Even I don’t think they compare to Halo 3 at this point. Anyways, I see all your points and they are good arguments. We can just agree to disagree. As long as you concede that I am right. lol — Just kidding.

The last thing I want to mention is in reference to my counter-points, or lack thereof. I thought I commented on everyone of the points in these posts that I thought were relevant to the topic. If not, let me know and I’ll do so now.

Good debate everyone, and one that will not be resolved here. Let’s put it to rest and wait for my next post.

“Transformers The Movie: Why it sucked on so many levels!”

At any rate, it’s 1:15am and I’m going to sleep.

Here’s the actual full version:

I won’t be getting to my little piece on the Contoller tonight after-all. Quite a bit has been said here, and I think we might need to back off a bit…

…BUT FIRST!:

“Evan, if you think this is what I mean about hardcore, competitive gamers, then you are sadly disconnected from the PC gaming community and have fallen victim to a long dead stereo type.”

That is not what I think of when I refer to “hardcore gamers” although they would certainly fit into that category. As far as my level of disconnection…yes. I am disconnected from those individuals who think that they can’t have a both enjoyable and competitive game experience on anything BUT a PC. We’re quibbling over what is realistically a one-sided argument. How many “Console Gamers” do you know? I don’t think I know any…and I play a hell of a lot of console games. You never hear of someone say something to the effect of, “I’d never touch a PC for gaming, that’s just crazy-talk. How could you possibly have any fun sitting at a computer for hours on end?” I haven’t. Sure, there are people that don’t game on their PCs, but that’s not because they are anti-PC gamers.

“This is what happens when you try to have a discussion with Console gamers, they immediately feel attacked as if somebody somewhere said that Consoles suck and you are a lesser person for preferring them over PC gaming ..
Some of these retorts, while possibly valid for some other discussion, aren’t even close to the initial discussion presented …
Most likely because there are no REAL valid arguments to shut down the points of our fearless author (IE.Bob), since most are simply mathematically factual, so some backdoor tactic of arbitrary irrelevant arguments are thrown forth.
So to those people, I leave you with this ..”

What is what happens? You get a counterpoint to the majority of your posts? What’s the point of asking the question or voicing your opinion if your too “set in your ways” to ever hear the other side of the argument? If someone is going to take the time to write a well-worded and informed article on the world of PC and Console FPS, should one NOT respond in kind with counter-points to the majority of the article. I don’t think any of my arguments were off-base, and they certainly weren’t arbitrary, irrelevant or back-door. You need to consult dictionary.com and find some different adjectives. If you’d like, I can fire up my PS3 and send you a nice screen-shot of the site in 50” of glorious HD right from the comfort of my couch, or chair, or carpet, or even toilet if I so choose.
If you are under the impression that I feel attacked in any way, then you are under the wrong impression. This article wasn’t written to attack anyone. It’s an opinion piece…and a valid one at that. Your kind words however, are spoken like a true PC Elitist. There’s plenty of “attack” in your little jab at us foolish console morons. I know what you are going to say… “I play consoles all the time!” A) Sure you do, sure you do. B) I guess that makes you the resident expert then doesn’t it. Throwing out funny Billy Madison quotes isn’t going to prove whatever point your little diatribe was trying to get across. If you truly feel dumber after having read what I’ve written, that’s probably because it went over your head. Believe me, I can throw out movie quotes with the best of ‘em, but frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn. Oop, there I went and did it! Back to my point on the article being an opinion piece, that is where the discussion should end. I’ll get to it as soon as you inevitably (I like that word) read the next paragraph(insert punctuation here)

Furthermore, I don’t see how myself or especially Nick could ever, EVER be labeled as “Console Gamers”. That’s straight-up Horse Hockey. How about the simple title “GAMER”, because that’s what we are… Gamers. Tried and true. I have played just as many games on the PC as I have on consoles in my life. Hell, I wasn’t even allowed to have consoles as a child. My entire gaming experience growing up was on a 286 with a monochrome sepia colored monitor that was originally intended for night-time CCTV surveillance. It was a huge deal when I got my first CGA color monitor. Where in the World is Carmen San Diego never looked so good! We’re coming to the crux of what this is all really about. Because I don’t LIMIT myself to playing exclusively on a PC for FPS(only one very specific genre mind you), I’m what’s known in PC circles as the dreaded “Console Gamer?” That doesn’t make sense. That’s like your mildly racist Great Aunt telling you that you shouldn’t have a black friend because “he’s one of ‘those’ boys.” Don’t think that I don’t understand what you’re getting at. I understand the culture of clan based gaming. I understand the culture of owning/operating private servers. I get it, I really do. I’m all for it actually, it’s good fun had by all.

“To experience the full potential of this competitive genre, one needs to play First Person Shooters as they were originally intended, on a PC.”

Nope. To experience the full potential of this competitive genre, you need to play First Person Shooters on ALL available platforms; as they are NOW and have always been intended. Not just so you have a more informed opinion, but because in order to get the “Full Potential” out of anything, you need to experience it…well…fully.

-UncleHerpie

You want me to name 3 other “most competitive FPS games in existence?” or just more on consoles? As far as I read COD: World at War is a competitive FPS Though I won’t say for certain because I won’t make assumptions on games I haven’t play. And if you’re thinking that’s a “PC port”. Well it came out for everything simultaneously, there’s a reason developers can plug console controllers into their PC while they’re building these games. Or should we only count FPS for consoles designed by developers only using the console itself? In that case you win, as every game in existence has been programmed on a PC.

Certainly the PC currently has far more good Shooters, PCs have been around far longer and have quite the collection. Again, not what we were arguing. Listing off games that were out before a developer had the option of putting them on more than one system is a waste of time. You said you were trying to “illustrate the differences between quality and quantity”. Apparently we got turned around and now that my agenda.

So I looked up Shooters coming out in 2009 on the PC and the Xbox 360 because that seemed fair game. How many Shooters are coming out for each system in the same given year… sounds like statistics! Now I will note not everything IGN.com listed as “Shooter” seemed to be a FPS. Some were void of any screenshots and I’m pretty sure I saw a space invaders game in there, but I don’t want exact numbers just an approximation.

PC scored a 56 games categorized as 2009 Shooters.
Xbox 360 scored a 54 games categorized as 2009 Shooters.

Damn PC exclusives! Certainly All 56 of the PC’s list were a FPS and 50 of the 360′s were Third Person Shooters, or Side-Scrolling Space Shooters! Again though, quality over quantity. Crysis is prime example of a great looking FPS. Though every time I read about it the gameplay is cited as being mediocre. Also, no Team Death Match? Really? I prefer objective CTF game types anyways.

This is my final argument,

For all intensive purpose I say Halo 3 is #1 competitive FPS.
If I’m right you’re opting that the classic Counter-Strike is the # 1 competitive FPS.

Halo 3′s ranking system is complex to say the least. You have a Skill level, which reflect your individual skill in a particular type of game. You can have multiple skill levels, perhaps you’re great at Free for All Deathmatch but have a difficult time playing CTF. And then you have your Rank, which is based on how good of a player you are overall and the number of games you’ve played overall. When you join a ranked game in Halo 3 you are put into matchmaking, which searches for people of your skill level in that game type. Meaning you won’t commonly get free kills against a lowly noob, and you won’t be dominated by someone of far greater skill than yourself. Literally, every frantic as you are fighting against players who are as good at this game as you are. You gain skill be consistently preforming well against opponents of your skill level or higher. You can go down in skill level if you preform badly enough against opponents of your own skill level. Also when I talk about your performance I don’t just how many kills you got. Halo 3 literally takes into account every action you do on the battlefield, from helping your team to camping with a power weapon. It factors into your skill up. Skill up enough and play enough games and you’ll rank up. Ranks give you an idea of how experienced a player is, but not how well they’ve performed in the past in this game type. As such, it is nearly impossible to reach max rank, as you’d have to never lose a game against balanced opponents. Even if you do reach the max, there are no perks for ranking up. Simply more difficult opponents.

As far as Counter-Strike goes, can you not simply join a server potentially full of unskilled players and “pwn face”, or join a server full of a clan ready to eat your teams babies and dub you “asshats”? Games like Battlefield are also excellent games, but the balanced competition ends as soon as a new player plays against a veteran who out equips them due to the perks. Trust me, there is nothing I enjoy more than man-handling a single opponent that out equips me… or four or five of them.

In my opinion, Halo 3 is simply the most recent extraordinary FPS game designed for competitive playing. It doesn’t make a 360 better than a PC. I actually preferred Halo 2 more simply because there was less pressure each game and more over powered weapons that were difficult to counter. I once had a 42 kill streak with a tank, that’s hard to accomplish these days. At some point it’d be nice to all get together a form one large team of well versed players, PC or console. Andrew included, watching him stand still in Halo 2 while I could hear him talking on the phone made for some great games of Defend the Stationary Teammate.

I leave you with a link to my Halo 3 Service Record

TheAverageMean

And a video that helped me formulate my opinion.

Good Point Rick

Hope to see you folks at the cookout, or else I’m not going.

You’ve taken what I’ve written wrong. I am actually not PC Elitist at all. I use the term “console gamer” to only describe a person who’s predominant choice is a console over a PC. Its not an insult, you’re reading way too into it. It was merely used as an adjective so a reader can easily see what audience I was speaking about. Show me where I’ve truly bashed a “console gamer” or “console system” in any of my replies, I’ll change my statement and I’ll agree that I am in fact a PC Elitist.
PC Elitists are just as annoying and foolish as Console Elitists, I have zero love for either, both are ignorant and can’t possibly offer any true insight in a conversation such as this.
If I’ve bashed anything, its the gamepad in terms of FPS gaming only, in the fact that mouse aiming and precision is superior. Never did I say console FPS’s are crappy or that the people who prefer them on a gamepad are crappy.
I own and play both, and Im 50/50 between them. I love my Console for games like Burnout, Assassins Creed, Bourne Conspiracy and the like. I love my PC for games like Company of Heroes, CoD and WoW etc .. Very similar to what Meg just posted.

My point was, in saying that, that obviously we have some very dedicated console gamers here, who have ridiculously taken offense to Bob’s little essay. Some facts are facts whether they make you happy or not.
And as far as my last reply, it was aimed at the fact that after the first few replies, everybody started hopping on soapboxes about things that are completely irrelevant to whats in the original article, in some attempt to slam PC’s and PC games.

So, try again.

If we were talking about Battlefield 2 vs Halo 3, then you have a debatable argument. But we are not talking about just 1 game vs another, we are talking about the whole picture.

Also Youtube is blocked at my work .

In my mind, if I want to play something that gets my blood boiling and adrenaline pumping – I’ll sit at my pc and load up Call of Duty. If I want calm and relaxing times with some laughs – it’s the console.

So to those people, I leave you with this ..
No Points

“To experience the full potential of this competitive genre, one needs to play First Person Shooters as they were originally intended, on a PC.”

I would think having a wide range of games and game styles to choose from fits into the “full potential” spectrum. And take the original Counter-Strike off the list if you want. Most of the games are still more advanced than even the newest Xbox 360 games. That’s because developers of console games are leasing gaming engines, like the Source and Unreal 3 engines, for their games. These engines have been around for a long time on the PC. I don’t see Cryteks engine being utilized on the Xbox 360. That’s probably because the Xbox would melt. Though, luckily for console users, you will be seeing the cryENGINE 3 sometime in the future — which will be able to be run on consoles.

Why continue to make games for a system if it is not the venue of your genre?

Don’t misunderstand me, gaming on the PC as we know it will go away someday. The real money for developers is in console systems, because of the multiple reasons I (and you) mentioned before, i.e., ease of development, maintenance, expense (initial investment), saturation, support, entry level…

The only reason why FPS games are so strong on the PC and the only reason why they are still developed for by gaming companies in a time when games are fleeing the PC in droves, is because of the huge fan base this genre has on the platform. It’s going to be big on console too, but from people who are now just being introduced to the genre, not from people who have experienced both — or the type of gaming I’m talking about.

“I WASTED WAAAAY TO MUCH TIME PLAYING WARCRAFT!!!”

You and me both. (that was the other 1%)

Most of your points are right on. Consoles, in my opinion, are still king when it comes to games, gaming, videogames, etc… The points you (and others) make about the couch are decent and walking around is cool, if that’s your thing, but they’re all irrelevant to competitive gaming in this genre. You don’t see thousands of couches lined up at QuakeCon . And even if you disagree and think it is relevant, buy a gaming laptop and play where ever you want, on the beach, in a hotel, on your roof, by the pool, on your couch, etc… you get the point.

PC gaming somewhat disconnected, emotionally and interactively.

We’ll save this debate for another time.

Anyways, rock on with your suckage. Just make sure to keep having fun. I’d rather you play First Person Shooters on a console than not at all. Not everyone needs what the PC has to offer.

Also I recall also Halo for the PC did very well, most of all among the modding community. It hardly was a bomb… but maybe it wasn’t popular with people still playing CS. Not to mention it came out long after its console couterpart and not alot of fans buy a game twice just to mod.

As long as Counter-Strikes name keeps getting dropped I’ll keep on dropping Halos. CS originally being a mod of Half-Life you pretty much listed it 3 times. When does the # of available FPS’s equal quality of competition within a game? Can we pick one topic and argue that? There are plenty of FPS’s on the 360 considering its barely been out for 2 years and it was designed by Microsoft for Shooters. The PC FPS has been around somewhat 40 years? Saying a system had a lot of games back when other options for developers didn’t exist is ridiculous. Everyone using the same hardware on a console equates to more fair and competitive gameplay, so those who are better at the game excel at it.