If you’re a PC gamer, you probably see a lot of things out there about PC gaming from console gamers that are flat-out false. Now sure, we are not innocent in the platform war with the whole “PC gaming master race” thing, so let me just get ahead of that and say I think that’s dumb too. People should play wherever they want, and why would I care if someone prefers to play on a console over a PC? However, I think a lot of people avoid PC gaming because of this misinformation, so I want to set the record straight on a few things. That way, people can make their gaming decisions based on nothing but the facts. Let’s debunk some common myths with the reality of the situation.
“Gaming PCs Cost Thousands Of Dollars”
When people rail against PC gaming, they often suggest that gaming computers cost $2,000 and that you have to upgrade every year. In reality, you can buy a $600 prebuilt gaming desktop from Amazon right now that has a GPU equivalent to that found in a PS4 Pro. Sure, we’re about a year from the next console generation, but the PS4 Pro only came out about two years ago.
Yes, $600 is still more than the $300-$400 that a PS4 Pro currently costs. However, the gaming computer also doubles as a fully functional Windows 10 computer. I will never understand how people who have a $500-$1,000 laptop and a $300 gaming console think that gaming PCs cost too much money, especially when you can buy a gaming laptop with a GPU equivalent to that of a PS4 Pro for less than $700.
“PC Gaming Is Complicated And Confusing”
People who hate PC gaming often act like it’s too complicated, and that you have to spend hours tinkering with drivers before you can play any games. This may have been somewhere in the realm of truth 10-15 years ago, but now with Steam and other launchers, playing on PC is pretty much as easy as playing on a console. Most PC games nowadays run through some launcher, so tinkering with things yourself is not necessary unless you want to get into modding or other functionality that is not as well-supported on consoles.
People also think that the only way to get a deal on a gaming PC is to build it yourself, but the section above shows that that’s not true either. Therefore, if you buy a prebuilt gaming desktop, PC gaming is not really any more complicated than console gaming. Yeah, you have to deal with Windows 10 updates and patches, but it’s not like consoles don’t have those nowadays anyways.
“None Of The Good Games Are On PC”
Again, this may have been true 10-15 years ago, but nowadays the vast majority of multiplatform console games also come to PC (even if PC gamers have to wait a few months in some cases). Even if you don’t count PC-specific releases on Steam, you can play a ton of Xbox One games on PC with PC Game Pass, and you can play a ton of PS4 games on PC with PlayStation Now. In other words, all you really need nowadays is a gaming PC and a Nintendo Switch, and the only games you’ll really be missing out on are PlayStation first-party exclusives, at least until they’re added to PS Now.
“I Prefer Playing On My TV With A Gamepad”
These days, the Bluetooth Xbox One controller is plug-and-play with Windows PCs, so it’s really not any more complicated than it is on Xbox One. In addition, other controllers are natively supported on Steam with Steam Input, so for most PC games that’s not a problem either. Then, you can easily project your PC display to a TV using an HDMI cable (just like you do on a console), and with Steam Big Picture mode, playing with a controller is pretty much no different than playing on a console. In other words, you only have to play PC games at your computer desk if you want to.
At the end of the day, while PC gaming was vastly more complicated than console gaming once upon a time, the gap has shrunk to a point that’s basically negligible. It’s also not nearly as costly as some people would have you believe, and while building your own PC will usually be better than buying a prebuilt computer, you can also buy a prebuilt gaming computer for less than you might think. If you want a gaming laptop, check out our sister site at Laptops On A Budget, but if you want to save a few bucks, you can find a prebuilt gaming desktop for less than you think at your friendly neighborhood electronics store (like this one from Best Buy that has a GPU that’s very nearly equivalent to that in a PS4 Pro). Whatever you end up doing, happy playing!
If you want to read more, check out the accompanying partial list of advantages of PC gaming!
