NFL
By: Rick
I did it. I finally joined the dark side and got a PC for gaming. It’s 2025, and after much pressure from a few gaming friends because “PC gaming is just so much better”, I took the plunge. As the pricing of building your own continues to skyrocket due to the demand for parts, I bought a premade setup from Best Buy, and here’s what I’ve found so far:
Pricing Is Higher:
When it comes to consoles vs PC, there’s obviously a price difference, and that’s okay. Let’s be honest, consoles like Nintendo, Xbox, and PlayStation only have a few more years left until they’re hitting the $1000+ mark. Xbox has leaned into the market with their recent handheld being $999 for the better of the two versions. Spending $1100-$1500 for a PC might not be in your price range, but the consoles won’t be far behind. Think of it this way: if the cell phone in your pocket costs ~$1000 and the PC version of a gaming device can get up to that range, how long before consoles justify it?
Better Performance:
While consoles do just fine processing, they’ve come a long way; PC is just faster. The load screens aren’t as long, the lag on input from the controller isn’t as bad, and the overall performance just seems smoother. I’ve been a die-hard console player since I was 5 years old. Now I’m over 40 and still game on Nintendo, Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. It has been one of my longest-standing hobbies, and compared and contrasted, the PC is just a much cleaner way to game when it comes to performance. Yes, I’ve been very fortunate to afford to game in this manner, while not everyone can. Yet, with payment plans from buy now, pay later services, it makes it a bit easier to dip my toes and invest in a better-performing device.
Cheaper Games:
If you’re looking for cheap games, then PC is where it’s at. Steam often has a large library of games, most of which are on sale. There are also a ton of indie games that are available, and most of them have steep discounts as well. For the most recent sale for the holiday, I purchased at least 3-4 games that probably would be “on sale” for Xbox or PlayStation for $19.99. You might not be playing AAA games, but for the money you paid, these games easily fit your budget and more often than not are just as enjoyable.
Familiar Feeling:
One of the hardest parts of switching from a console to a gaming PC was the controls. I’ve never been a huge fan of keyboard and mouse gaming. Save your criticism, I’m just not that guy and prefer something I can hold in my hands and play. Now that gaming controllers can be linked via Bluetooth, the hesitation is gone. I can enjoy most of the games I like without having to learn all the new controls. This drastically changes my opinion on the subject.
PC gaming isn’t for everybody. How they’re simultaneously making it more affordable and less affordable than ever is very chaotic. Do you “need” to play on a desktop to enjoy gaming? No. That superiority complex that most people have when it comes to a Windows device vs a console is a bit of a stretch. There are benefits in both, and do what you can afford.
