5. Comparison of a PC with a console
One of the key differences between a console and a personal computer are the input devices used to play the game. A personal computer mainly makes use of a keyboard and mouse or even a touch screen, whilst a console will use a dedicated gamepad or other device.
So for certain types of game, the laptop is actually easier to use. For instance, massively multi-player online role playing games - MMORG such as World of Warcraft.
These are strategy games rather than all-out fast action, they also include lots of interaction with other players by typing messages on-screen. So a keyboard and mouse is a better interface for this than a hand-held game pad.
Here are some comparisons
| Personal Computer | Console |
|---|---|
Input devices are mainly keyboard and mouse although specialised devices such as joystick and wheel can be bought |
Input devices are gamepad, wheels, motion sensing |
Can be used for all the other things a computer can do such as writing essays and sending emails |
Dedicated games machine but new ones allow some television viewing, internet browsing and online areas |
Mainly used at a table and chair as you need to use the keyboard and mouse |
Can be used more casually on the sofa
|
Graphics performance depends on the graphics card installed or the performance of the motherboard graphics chip. |
Very advanced graphics is one of its key strengths |
A dedicated games computer can be expensive as it may be set up with the latest (expensive) graphics card and perhaps overclocking to get the very fastest processing speed.. |
Cheaper than a dedicated games computer |
The make of computer does not matter when playing with other people online |
Online games can only be played with people using the same console |
Tends not to be in the living room so sharing a game with family and friends is not so easy |
Console can sit next to the television in the living room, so easy to share games with the family or friends |
Booting up the computer and then the game itself can take a while |
Just switch it on and load the game |
Software driver updates in one game can affect other games on the computer - or even stop it working properly |
Each game is written for the specific console, so few problems to do with software incompatibilty |
Excellent for games needing lots of messaging with other people whilst playing |
Does not have a keyboard, so messaging is not easy. Although speaking into a microphone is possible |
Challenge see if you can find out one extra fact on this topic that we haven't already told you
Click on this link: compare a laptop to a console for gaming