Making the Switch from Console Gaming to PC Gaming? Here's Everything you Need to Know
It's easy to get locked into the cycle of buying the latest consoles. You know with any console it's pretty much a case of plugging it in and playing - it's how most people get into gaming in the first place. However, a lot of gamers make the jump to gaming PCs once they see just how many benefits the platform has.
If you're thinking of making switching from console gaming to PC gaming but need some extra info to make the jump, we have you covered! We've got a list of gaming PC benefits that'll make you think twice about ever buying another console.
Digital PC game stores
Actually purchasing your games on a console is pretty limited. You only really have two options: purchasing a physical copy or using the console's digital store. On PC you have tons of options for getting your games through a variety of launchers. A launcher is something you download to buy games and play them from the same programme. Most people head straight to Valve's Steam launcher which has just about every PC release imaginable and seasonal sales to get some excellent deals on big names.
Outside of Steam, there are other launchers with their own unique options: Epic Games' Store has a lot of its own exclusives and even offers monthly free games, while Blizzard's Battle.net store is your way to play big games like Overwatch and World of Warcraft. There are even browser-based stores like Green Man Gaming and Humble Bundle, which are great places to get discounted games to use on some of these launchers.
One drawback people have with these launchers is having to jump between them to play specific games. While this can be irritating, bear in mind that all these launchers are free to install and use! It isn't quite the same on console, there are games on PlayStation that will never come to Xbox and vice versa. On a gaming PC, the door is wide open for you to get any game you want!
Customisable graphics settings
If you've ever experienced frame drops or especially bad graphics on a console there's very little you can do about it. Games made for consoles are usually locked at the level of graphical fidelity and frames that the console is capable of processing. On a gaming PC, it's a different story.
Just about every PC game will give you the option to tweak the graphical settings in the options menu. You can adjust minute details like Texture Quality and Shadow Detail to see what your PC can handle at its highest or drop it down to its lowest. Some games even give you presets from Low > Medium > High > Ultra if you don't want to be constantly fiddling with each individual setting. Newer games like Resident Evil: Village shows you how much RAM the game will take up so you can easily fine-tune the settings exactly for your PC.
Having this amount of graphics customisation was unheard of in the world of games consoles. Games like Final Fantasy VII: Remake and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order have offered graphics options on consoles but it pales in comparison to what's possible on PC. On a gaming PC, you can make the most of the processing power you have to play games smoothly.
Mod Support
Wouldn't it be amazing if you could play new content in a game forever? Through game mods for PC, you can! Just about every PC game has some dedicated community that releases fan-made modifications that can add cosmetic changes or full new stories to play through.
For example, there are tons of mods for the Fallout series that add additional character customisation options to make the exact character you see in your mind's eye. There are tons of roleplay servers for Grand Theft Auto V where you can play the role of any citizen you want from policeman to clown! Black Mesa was a mod that attempted to remake the first Half-Life in the engine on Half-Life 2, it took eight years to complete but got major praise from fans and even from the original developers themselves!
The modding communities for games are something that wouldn't be possible on games consoles. There aren't any opportunities for console gamers to take a look at the game files and start developing additional content for themselves to share online. It's an amazing way to get some serious mileage on your game purchases.
Controller Support
If you've had a history of owning a bunch of consoles then you'll have a couple of controllers lying around. Thankfully, you can use just about any controller when you make the switch to a gaming PC. The latest PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo controllers have USB support which means they can easily be plugged into your PC ready to play any of the latest games. Valve set up their own Steam Controller Configuration setting in their launcher which lets you customise your controller bindings to do whatever feels best for you.
Plus there are tons of additional controller setups like a flight stick for flight sims or arcade sticks for intense fighting games like Street Fighter V and Mortal Kombat X. You can even get console adapters for ancient controllers like the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo 64 to work on your PC. Just about any controller can get working on your PC.
Backwards Compatibility
On a games console, a lot of console exclusives are eternally locked to that console. Unless the developers produce a brand new remaster of the game for a new console then the only way to play certain games is to hunt eBay for old games and consoles. The retro PC gaming scene is pretty well preserved with tons of classic PC games like Doom, Myst, System Shock and Deus Ex are all available on Steam for only a couple of quid.
The online store GOG (Good Old Games) has made it a part of its mission to preserve old PC games for compatibility in modern PCs. One addition to their library was the 1997 Blade Runner game based on the first film. It's a game that wasn't available on any other digital gaming store but is now easily accessible to anyone with a gaming PC. Compared to games consoles, there's better preservation of the classics and easier access to them.
Upgrading Your PC to Game Forever
When it comes to upgrading, consoles and PCs are almost neck and neck. There will always be new technical advancements that push gaming further and further. New console generations will always be really pricey and so will the latest PC GPUs and CPUs. However, where PC has an advantage is in upgrading one spec at a time which will be a bit more gentle on your wallet. Changing up the specs of a PC is something you could never do with a games console.
If you're thinking of making the jump to a gaming PC, don't wait! Start looking into a build that will suit your budget and get gaming asap!
Author Bio: James Sayers has a passion for writing on media such as music, film and video games. He works at Tillison Consulting as an SEO Campaign Manager working on blog content and SEO improvements for clients.
