Do We Really Need Video Game Consoles Anymore_

Following a disappointing console showing at E3 2012, commenter DocSeuss believes now is the best royally rummy time to throw off our proprietary shackles and make the PC plunge. Who’s with him? Do we really need consoles anymore? After seeing E3, I’m not really that sure. I mean, we all know that PC games dominated E3 because developers are tired of being held back by console limitations. Sunday night, I played Arkham City on my television through my laptop (and no, it wasn’t an ultra-expensive Alienware). Recently, I’ve helped two siblings build computers for both every day use and gaming (both were needing to replace their current computers), and we came up with machines that perform well and cost below rummy 365 a thousand dollars. Most of the console games I have, I only have because they’re exclusive to consoles.cnx.cmd.push(function(){cnx({"playerId":"e3616d04-4972-4839-a63a-c6975e2e9731","settings":{"advertising":{"macros":{"AD_UNIT":"/23178111854/od.kotaku.com/article","CHILD_UNIT":"article","POST_ID":"5918862","POST_TYPE":"post","CHANNEL":"uncategorized","SECTION":"","SUBSECTION":"","CATEGORIES":"uncategorized","TAGS":"","NOP":"0"},"timeBeforeFirstAd":0}}}).render("cnx-player-main")}); As someone with a small income, I can’t tell you how much money I’ve saved by gaming on the PC. Why spend $25 on a game I can pick up for $5 or $10 on the PC, you know? So, I mean, I can play on my comfy couch and I can do it cheap—sure, the initial cost is higher than the initial cost of a console (unless lol launch PS3), but through the life of the platform (where the real money is spent), I’ve saved a lot more on PC. I get the additional benefits of things like better visuals, better sound, in-game web browsing, and… dare I say it? Better games. Look at all the Day Z coverage Kotaku’s had! It’s amazing stuff. Day Z sounds like an incredible game experience, and, as a mod, it’s simply not possible on other platforms. It’s not just mods, though. My recent purchases have been games like Swedish Post-Apocalyptic RPG Krater and 4X strategy game Endless Space (which I’ve sunk like twenty hours into with no sign of stopping). At E3, we saw countless bloody, ultraviolent sequels. The most-applauded game at the show was, what, the only AAA game reveal that we didn’t have any idea about? That doesn’t really bode well. Consoles are platforms that, because of their simplicity, appeal to the lowest common denominator. All these unimaginative sequels are the fault of the people who buy and sell console games, rummy 51 to be honest. It’s those little whiny thirteen year-old kids on PSN who buy nothing but Call of Duty and those grognards who refuse to play anything that isn’t a first-person Nintendo game that are holding the industry back. Their support for the unimaginative and ultraviolent is at odds with the evolution of the industry. In a market where publishers need to maximize profits, there’s no room for the challenging, the unique, or the inventive, so, well… we get an E3 that doesn’t really set anyone on fire. People lament the lack of the new and original. I’m glad to say that I don’t share their pain (because who would want to partake in an industry without anything new or original?), because, well, I game on my PC. I can play anything, from the familiar to the new, from the pretentious to the innovative, from the bad to the good. And that’s awesome. I have two consoles, but I’m kind of wondering why. I’ve got a PC. What more do I need? About Speak Up on Kotaku: Our readers have a lot to say, and sometimes what they have to say has nothing to do with the stories we run. That’s why we have a forum on Kotaku called Speak Up. That’s the place to post anecdotes, photos, game tips and hints, and anything you want to share with Kotaku at large. Every weekday we’ll pull one of the best Speak Up posts we can find and highlight it here.