They each have their benefits. Saying either side is the best is just a pointless debate. Having played EXTENSIVELY on both setups I feel I'm qualified to enlighten you on 4 pros and cons of each.
PC Gaming:
Pros
1. A Mouse makes a very intuitive and sensitive device to aim with, there are a variety of them to use so you can pick the one that works the best for you. You use it while your using the computer so you become very accustomed to it.
2. A Keyboard offers a virtually limitless medium for configuration. Keyboards come in different shapes and sizes and even can be purchased specifically designed for the game your using.
3. The graphics are unparalleled. The latest greatest hardware always shows up in PCs first and the graphics truly show that.
4. PCs are used for far more then just games so it is easier to convince your spouse, parent, or self to buy.
Cons
1. All PCs are not created equal. In competitive and even advanced gaming it is clear that there is always an edge to the gamer with the best hardware. Even to build your own really good PC, not the best, your talking a $2000 a price of entry FAR higher then console gaming. While this is not necessarily a consideration for casual gamers it is frustrating to know that your computer may be what is holding you back.
2. The keyboard's single greatest strength, configurability, is also its greatest weakness. Learning to play on a standard keyboard is not pretty for a new gamer. The buttons you press have little to no correlation between the action the game takes and learning which buttons do what can be very frustrating. The buttons are often not oriented in an easy to press intuitive manner and require some skill to master and time to learn. Buying a keyboard specifically designed for gaming can make learning easier and button placement more intuitive, but setup on those controllers, depending on game, can sometimes take hours.
3. Graphics are designed to be bleeding edge in most games; in order to stay up with the graphics, you need to upgrade hardware at least every 2 years, depending on how much you spend on it. PC games made the graphics card market what it is and the games are usually designed around the latest greatest with the ability to play pretty well on moderate hardware. PC gaming can be VERY expensive. Low frame rates in a game can kill the experience completely.
4. PCs are used for other things and this can sometimes lead to annoyances for gaming. Other people in the house might need to use the computer, you might get viruses or other things that slow it down, sometimes applications that are running in the background can have a dramatic effect on performance, and because the platform is open PC games are a much more attractive market for cheaters.
Console Gaming
Pros
1. Entry cost is relatively low when compared to PCs and you don't have to upgrade for usually 5 years.
2. Everyone plays on the same hardware. Every console is pretty much the same, making for a far more level playing field. The software was designed for the hardware. Because every console is the same and every controller is the same, games are designed ground up to maximize that piece of hardware and gameplay is designed to be intuitive for the controller.
3. Multiple people can play on the same piece of hardware, making it a far more social gaming device. It is much better to see the expression on your friends face when he gets taken out then to hear about it over voice communication.
4. The community, the hardware, and the online experience are all "closed". Typically leading to a much more secure gaming environment.
Cons
1. The hardware isn't as good as PCs can be. You are limited to the hardware the console company can afford to put in there rather then what you can afford to buy. You don't get the cutting edge graphics that you do on PCs and until recently the resolution wasn't even close either.
2. Consoles are really only used for one thing so they can be a harder cost to justify then getting a PC which can be used for many more productive things.
3. Analog sticks are not always the best pointing device for the game and sometimes it would be nice to have a few more buttons. Even though you can hook up a keyboard and mouse to a console(on the 360), the games are not designed around it so they really don't take advantage of the benefits very well.
4. The environment is closed so you don't get some of the cool mods that you can for computer games. Until recently games and consoles that got rushed out the door and still had bugs in them were stuck without the ability to update them. Game developers also have the ability to exploit their gamers a lot more because of the close market. Charging more money for new level and add ons to the game that would usually be given away free or developed for free by game enthusiasts.
Those are just some of the pros and cons to each of the markets, and I think from that list you can see why each side appeals to different markets. It isn't that any way is particularly better then the other. I can see why console series such as the Halo one continue to succeed the way they do. When you know everyone else is getting the same game as you are and has the same hardware as you do, it becomes a great platform for competition. It is pointless to argue which style of gaming is better when both has benefits the other doesn't, and those benefits appeal to some more then others.
PC Gaming:
Pros
1. A Mouse makes a very intuitive and sensitive device to aim with, there are a variety of them to use so you can pick the one that works the best for you. You use it while your using the computer so you become very accustomed to it.
2. A Keyboard offers a virtually limitless medium for configuration. Keyboards come in different shapes and sizes and even can be purchased specifically designed for the game your using.
3. The graphics are unparalleled. The latest greatest hardware always shows up in PCs first and the graphics truly show that.
4. PCs are used for far more then just games so it is easier to convince your spouse, parent, or self to buy.
Cons
1. All PCs are not created equal. In competitive and even advanced gaming it is clear that there is always an edge to the gamer with the best hardware. Even to build your own really good PC, not the best, your talking a $2000 a price of entry FAR higher then console gaming. While this is not necessarily a consideration for casual gamers it is frustrating to know that your computer may be what is holding you back.
2. The keyboard's single greatest strength, configurability, is also its greatest weakness. Learning to play on a standard keyboard is not pretty for a new gamer. The buttons you press have little to no correlation between the action the game takes and learning which buttons do what can be very frustrating. The buttons are often not oriented in an easy to press intuitive manner and require some skill to master and time to learn. Buying a keyboard specifically designed for gaming can make learning easier and button placement more intuitive, but setup on those controllers, depending on game, can sometimes take hours.
3. Graphics are designed to be bleeding edge in most games; in order to stay up with the graphics, you need to upgrade hardware at least every 2 years, depending on how much you spend on it. PC games made the graphics card market what it is and the games are usually designed around the latest greatest with the ability to play pretty well on moderate hardware. PC gaming can be VERY expensive. Low frame rates in a game can kill the experience completely.
4. PCs are used for other things and this can sometimes lead to annoyances for gaming. Other people in the house might need to use the computer, you might get viruses or other things that slow it down, sometimes applications that are running in the background can have a dramatic effect on performance, and because the platform is open PC games are a much more attractive market for cheaters.
Console Gaming
Pros
1. Entry cost is relatively low when compared to PCs and you don't have to upgrade for usually 5 years.
2. Everyone plays on the same hardware. Every console is pretty much the same, making for a far more level playing field. The software was designed for the hardware. Because every console is the same and every controller is the same, games are designed ground up to maximize that piece of hardware and gameplay is designed to be intuitive for the controller.
3. Multiple people can play on the same piece of hardware, making it a far more social gaming device. It is much better to see the expression on your friends face when he gets taken out then to hear about it over voice communication.
4. The community, the hardware, and the online experience are all "closed". Typically leading to a much more secure gaming environment.
Cons
1. The hardware isn't as good as PCs can be. You are limited to the hardware the console company can afford to put in there rather then what you can afford to buy. You don't get the cutting edge graphics that you do on PCs and until recently the resolution wasn't even close either.
2. Consoles are really only used for one thing so they can be a harder cost to justify then getting a PC which can be used for many more productive things.
3. Analog sticks are not always the best pointing device for the game and sometimes it would be nice to have a few more buttons. Even though you can hook up a keyboard and mouse to a console(on the 360), the games are not designed around it so they really don't take advantage of the benefits very well.
4. The environment is closed so you don't get some of the cool mods that you can for computer games. Until recently games and consoles that got rushed out the door and still had bugs in them were stuck without the ability to update them. Game developers also have the ability to exploit their gamers a lot more because of the close market. Charging more money for new level and add ons to the game that would usually be given away free or developed for free by game enthusiasts.
Those are just some of the pros and cons to each of the markets, and I think from that list you can see why each side appeals to different markets. It isn't that any way is particularly better then the other. I can see why console series such as the Halo one continue to succeed the way they do. When you know everyone else is getting the same game as you are and has the same hardware as you do, it becomes a great platform for competition. It is pointless to argue which style of gaming is better when both has benefits the other doesn't, and those benefits appeal to some more then others.
