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PC vs Console Gaming

Jared Peck

Pittsburgh Technical College

English Composition 1

Ms. Jessica Cooper

2/22/22
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PC vs Console Gaming

In 2020 there were 49.6 million gaming Pcs sold worldwide, compared to 46.3 million

gaming consoles. Based on that fact you can tell the world loves gaming. There are two

definitive groups in the gaming community the Pc gamers and the Console gamers. There are

pros and Cons to each side depending on your situation. Your decision may be swayed by your

friends, a random YouTube video you watched or even some of the exclusive titles they have

released on each platform. There are 3 main deciding factors in your decision, Affordability

Convenience, and Customization.

Affordability is a main factor in whether you chose a console or a PC. People mainly assume that

Pcs can be more expensive because of all the options they are presented with, however that is not

true all of the time. Consoles are very cut and dry one main system that cost a base price that is

what you pay and that is what you get there are multiple generations of some brands for example,

an Xbox one compared to an Xbox one S. The Xbox one S has slightly better processing and a

few different features for fifty dollars extra. Pcs on the other hand are way more complex and

offer many more options for pricing. You have two options when buying a Pc buying the parts

and building it yourself or buying the Pc already built. If you buy the parts yourself you can get

better value as there is no build cost added on when you check out. Pre-built Pcs can however be

a better option if you would rather just plug and play. Consoles range from three hundred to five

hundred dollars and pcs can range from as low as one hundred and fifty dollars to two thousand

dollars.

Convenience is another factor largely considered when choosing your device. When you buy a

console, you essentially plug it in and set up an account and you are on your way. Pcs require a
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little more setup than that. Pcs are less convenient in the fact that you have to download windows

and create more accounts to play as well as getting a desk setup. Consoles however you create an

account for the certain console you have download the games and next thing you know you’ve

been playing for the past five hours. Another thing about consoles is the fact that it is more

convenient to play in a living room at a tv as the controller can just be held in your hand opposed

to a keyboard and mouse that need a hard surface to rest on. On the other hand, while you can

game on a Pc you can do so much more such as write a compare and contrast essay on the

differences and similarities between Pc and console gaming as I am doing right now. However,

on both Pcs and Consoles you can run apps like Spotify YouTube and, Twitch. As well as play a

lot of the same games.

The final factor between the two is customization. Pcs as I mentioned before you can pick and

choose how powerful you want it to be. Consoles are cut and dry everyone has the same parts

which limits what games you can play before you either upgrade and buy your next console or

just simply cannot play the game. Pcs can also be upgraded as well if you run into a game your

computer cannot handle because it is too demanding you can buy better parts and upgrade rather

than buying a completely new rig. Some similarities in customization however you can

customize the outside of your machine weather that be with stickers however you want. You can

also customize your profiles for each system by setting a color of your preference, as well as a

profile picture, and name. Pcs however you can customize virtually anything from operating

system to desktop background. Consoles are locked to one operating system and there is no way

to change it no matter what you do.

In conclusion there are three main factors in deciding whether you should get a Pc or console

Affordability Convenience, and Customization. Depending on your situation and your wants for
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your setup. You can tailor your experience to what you want and what you need based off of

Affordability Convenience, and Customization.

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References

Alsop, T. (2022, February 17). Game console market share 2020. Statista. Retrieved Feb-
ruary 22, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/276768/global-unit-sales-of-video-game-
consoles/

FRAMINGHAM, M. (2020, September 30). Gaming pcs and monitors will benefit from
increased time at home and GPU refresh in 2020, according to IDC. IDC. Retrieved February
22, 2022, from https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS46896420#:~:text=As%20a
%20result%2C%20global%20shipments,IDC)%20Worldwide%20Quarterly%20Gaming
%20Tracker.