Consoles

Computers Are Not Designed For Gaming

Home computers whether they be Intel-based or Motorola-based (basically, the Wintels and Macs of the world) are not designed and optimized for gaming. These machines must be general purpose workhorses capable of performing a wide variety of tasks. They must be word-processors, web-browsers, accountants, researchers and other things. Each of these tasks require different (in some cases, significantly so) strengths and abilities for the computer. For word-processors and web-browsers, there is a need for copious amounts of memory for storing documents, fonts, and images. They also need graphics chipsets that can display and update many small 2D objects in 2D fields (fonts and windows) as quickly as possible. Few of these types of uses require the fast 3D rendering, high-precision and efficient floating-point calculations, or intensive multi-speaker audio that modern video games do.

Computers can effectively be thought of as Jeeps or SUVs. They are the all-terrain vehicles of the electronic-gadget world.

Video game consoles, on the other hand, are designed for one very specific purpose: playing video games. Thus, they can be optimized for certain tasks and abilities. While fast 3D rendering with extremely high polygon counts and frame-rates would go completely unused in most the of computer market (most computers are still used in businesses), they are needed almost all of the time in modern video game consoles.

Extending the automotive analogy further, if computers are Jeeps or SUVs, then consoles are Sports Cars. Sure, the Jeep can probably tow a trailer over rocky ground easier than the Sports Car, but the Sports Car will undoubtedly beat the Jeep in a race on a racetrack.

Video Game Consoles Are Cheap

While you might think this is a relative thing, it really isn't. Video game console companies traditionally make their money from the sales of video games for their machines. Typically (though this hasn't always been the case) consoles are sold for much less than they cost to be manufactured. So the console manufacturers are taking a loss on every unit sold (at least until manufacturing costs, which do lower over time, shrink to where they start making a profit). For some consoles this has been as high as $500 per unit. This means that the hardware manufacturer is eating the cost for the technology in their machine.

Computers on the other hand are not sold at a loss. Computer manufactures are in the business of manufacturing computers, and they do not make any profit from software sold for their systems (this is especially evident when you realize that Microsoft has been much more successful than any of the hardware manufacturers). Plus, computers (as I mentionned above) do not ship optimized for gaming. Instead the computer gamer must spend additional money souping up their computer so that it has the power and ability to play games.

Unlike consoles, the gamer must eat the cost for the gaming hardware used on their computer.

Consoles Have A Larger, More Diverse Library Of Games

This is a very logical argument. The computer gaming market is significantly less than that of the consoles. Console gaming accounts for some 95% of the video game market. So there are simply more games and more different types of games available for consoles than for computers.

With computers, because the market is so small, gaming companies are less willing to experiment with new and interesting ideas. As a result, you will find that the vast majority of computer games fall into one of two categories: FPS and Strategy games. Plus, any really great computer games in these categories will eventually be ported to video game consoles (hey, if you have a hit in the small computer gaming market, why not make it a bigger hit by placing it in the console market?)

(See also CherishedConsoles)