How can anyone play a console?

[TixyLixx]

I bought a PS3 yesterday to play MGS4 as I loved those games as a kid (though not anymore lol) and the graphics are just the worst. It looks like a game on the PC from around 2003 and that goes for everything else I've played. I decided to get BF3 for a laugh to compare it and it's as if you run BFBC2 on low at like a 600P resolution. Games constantly have aliasing issues with jaggies everywhere and they constantly have slow downs, like all the time.... and all the time during in game cutscenes too. What I cannot stand the most though is the low frame rates, you can see how choppy it is, it's hard to describe but it's like a slow motion effect on all the time.

I just don't get how all these review sites can stand to play consoles and I don't understand how they cannot see the game running at like 20-30FPS. Just makes me sick...

Oh and I played MGS4, realised how bad the story was in MGS games and ruined my childhood memories of MGS and how amazing I thought it was.

[Hal Fenix]

I have a PS3, Xbox 360, and a computer. I buy games for my PS3 and Xbox because (a) they have exclusives that are awesome, (b) I love lounging on my couch and playing the games and (c) they have multiple functions they serve in my living room (DVD/Blu-ray player, Stero, radio station, Netflix viewer).

I prefer to play PC most of the time, but consoles are also worthwhile investments.

[Unaco]

Graphics are not the most important aspect of games. Some people can look past "poor" graphics, to gameplay and things like that.

[coldvvvave]

I bought PS3 to play Valkirya Chronicles. Later I tried other games like Red Dead Redemption, Bayonetta, Uncharted 2, Killzone 2, Resonance of Fate. Well, I sold PS3 soon after so you can guess how it went. VC is ok but for a tactical game it lacks staying power( a sloid randomised skimrish) and I see noreason to replay it, everything else I thought was meh, sometimes pretty but boring.

[Kodeen]

Admittedly, consoles are best for TV/couch gameplay. The other day I was setting up Div2 on my HTPC, spent about an hour configuring the controller with a remapper, playing with analog sensitivities till it felt right, trying to troubleshoot why it kept crashing (for some reason outputting audio through my video card's HDMI port has added extra issues for a couple games), and eventually gave up because the text was just too small.

With a console you don't have to worry about any of that, there is a total of one hardware configuration that the game needs to worry about, and the gameplay and display aspects are suited for a far away TV and a controller.

[db1331]

I have a PS3 and a Wii, but I don't own a single game for either that I could have on PC instead. Funny you mention MGS4. I bought it about a year ago just to use some Best Buy reward zone money before it expired, and I haven't even gotten around to it yet. I fully understand how people use consoles as a secondary system. I notice the jaggies and slow down too, but games like RDR and Dark Souls are worth putting up with it. I DON'T understand how people use consoles as a primary system. Every time I see someone talking about how amazing Skyrim looks on Xbox, it just baffles me. Low resolution, 20-30fps, and 20 second load times? Really?!?!?

[ZIGS]

Can't talk about the graphics because I don't have consoles but regarding the FPS: on the few PC games that I played that were capped at 30 FPS, it was truly a terrible experience, to the point that I didn't even play the game. That's the only thing I don't get, how people can play at 30 FPS. It feels completely awful.
Maybe I notice it more because I play mostly at higher frames but for console players, who are more used to it, maybe they don't notice it as much

[arathain]

Because high res graphics are an aquired taste, believe it or not, and there are many superb gaming experiences on the consoles. Format doesn't matter. Games do.

[Henke]

I bought a PS3 yesterday to play MGS4 as I loved those games as a kid (though not anymore lol) and the graphics are just the worst. It looks like a game on the PC from around 2003 and that goes for everything else I've played. I decided to get BF3 for a laugh

You bought a PS3 without doing some research or even bothering to look at screenshots of how games looked on the system? And then proceeded to buy BF3 just for a laugh? If I actually believed your story I'd say you had more money than sense.

[caseyfoster]

Consoles are just for a different genre of games (coming from a PC FPS player) just not FPS's. Sports, driving and exploring games are good on them but nothing else.

[Sketch]

Any game can be good on console, obviously something like Arma2 is not gonna work (although I've played DayZ with someone who uses a pad), but I don't see why everyone has trouble playing shooters etc on a console. It's not hard to do.

[cosmicolor]

If you like fighting games you pretty much have to have a console to keep up with the genre.

[TixyLixx]

Any game can be good on console, obviously something like Arma2 is not gonna work (although I've played DayZ with someone who uses a pad), but I don't see why everyone has trouble playing shooters etc on a console. It's not hard to do.

Analog sticks are too slow I always end up looking at a wall.

[Xercies]

Couch multiplayer is a lot smoother on a console, exclusive games, sometimes cheaper on websites, also never really cared about graphics to much. Aloso 30 fps is fine for me. Maybe its because i went through a number of years with crappy computers and old consoles but if the game is good the graphics easily get ignored.

[SirKicksalot]

Some console games do impressive things, like Resistance 2's water. I thought MGS4's OctoCamo was gorgeous.

[thesisko]

A bit shocking to see the "comfy couch" argument made at RPS. And no ones's even bothered to pick it apart yet.

[Nalano]

(c) they have multiple functions they serve in my living room (DVD/Blu-ray player, Stereo, radio station, Netflix viewer).

Are you trying to imply that PCs can't do these things?

[LaunchJC]

Until about 3 years ago my gaming had been exclusively on consoles and I see no problem with them. Obviously graphically pc is always where the innovation is (as well as better post-release support, etc) but the fact is that every format has its great games! I think there is a little lack of truly interesting games on consoles at the moment, but you only have to look to the previous generation to see a lot that would've been worth picking up a console for.

[Kodeen]

A bit shocking to see the "comfy couch" argument made at RPS. And no ones's even bothered to pick it apart yet.

What about the 'comfy couch' argument do you not like? Sometimes you want to play from a couch.

[Nalano]

but the fact is that every format has its great games!

Nothing about console-exclusives makes them impossible to translate for PC. They're arbitrarily console-exclusives. They're specifically designed as exclusives so you buy consoles. They're meant as selling points. That's not an advantage: That's a ruse.