Im stuck in a dilemma between getting a new PC and a new PS3. Which do you think is better for gaming.. I might have a budget of $300 but not more than that!.. I would mainly use it for gaming and watching movies. But the problem is, I already have a PC with the following config: > Monitor: CRT LG SyncMaster 753s > 2.4 GHZ Intel celeron processor > VIA motherboard upgradable only upto 2 Gigs of RAM > 1.5 Gigs of SD RAM > 128 MB NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 w/ SDTV out. > 1 TB Seagate Freeagent USB HDD > 1 non multimedia keybd. > 1 Ordinary scroll mouse. > Power supply is pretty ordinary its 110 Watts i think.. As I already have a PC, I thought of getting myself a new PS3 and a 23" LCD HD TV.. Thats almost $600 combined. I was planning on getting the PS3 first and the TV later.. But Ive been getting advised from some really nice people here at afterdawn, to instead go for a PC, cause as they say, a PC's graphics are much better than the PS3's... So, my questions are as follows : > Do I go in for a PC or a PS3? I dont mind buying the games, but I dont think $60 for a PS3 game quite gets my goat. PC versions of the same games are available for $15 or less and I can even get rentals in my area.. > Im not particularly a "quality > quantity" kinda guy. I just want something that does what I want it to do. For Ex: I dont need to see eye popping clarity on my TV screen to enjoy my games. Please base your suggestions on this. Thus, Blue ray is utterly useless for me. I was considering the PS3 for its games, NOT for its 1080p upscaling, or its blueray player. Im happy with DIVX 700MB rips that I dump into my HDD from the DVDs I rent. > I know, I can never get a "bleeding edge" gaming PC because its simply out of my price range. But, I need to be able to atleast play the latest games with some amount of eye candy, at a decent FPS. > I would also like it if you could suggest a build such that I could squeeze in a sound system too. > And Oh, can I get a wireless gamepad for my PC just like the XBOX, or the PS3's so I can sit far away and play, say, an FPS game? If so, what is the price range for such hardware? The thing is I spend 10 hours + sitting at work in front of a PC, and loathe coming home and sitting in front of another one.
The graphics produced by a PS3 or xbox360 will be a lot better than those made by a $300 PC. Your current computer has nothing that could be used for a new gaming PC other than the mouse, keyboard, screen, and (possibly) the case. The newest PS3 games do cost $60, but most drop to about $20 within a year...and there are already plenty of these titles that you can play until the games that are $60 now go down to $20. The same is true of PC...but piracy tends to drive the prices down a lot faster (thanks pirates!). You can get wireless game pads designed for PC, you can also use the PS3 and 360 game pads with PC, but you need to get a bluetooth adapter if you want to play without a cable. Of course, the last thing you would want in a FPS game is a gamepad...a cheap keyboard/mouse combo is far better.
PC gaming will always be better than console gaming. But with that said, if you have a low budget computer, then it might not.
Long story short: A $300 PC will be useless for gaming, because you can't build a gaming PC for $300. A gaming PC will eat a console alive. Your PC is too old to upgrade into a gaming PC, so you will have to buy a new one, and on that basis you will have to spend a lot more than $300 to play games on a PC. A typical basic budget gaming PC that can play games, just at low graphics settings with minor lag will cost roughly $500 (US)
However, a PC that can run GTA4 at 720P will cost far more than $500. PS3 and Xbox360 can both do this without issue. While graphics are great from a high-end gaming PC, the main appeals of PC gaming are the cost of the games, and the keyboard/mouse control scheme. The low price of the games is negated by the high cost of hardware, so you have to buy a lot of games to get the same games per dollar as with a console. The keyboard/mouse issue is a bigger one. There are a couple of companies that make PS3 controlers in mouse/numchuck form...but these do not respond the same way that PC mouse/keyboard controls do. There are also several converters that let you use normal USB keyboard/mouse combos...I have not tried these yet, as games are optimised for a joystick...so even the best converters can't completely reproduce the movement feel of a PC mouse.
Yes, but not as good as the same titles run on PS3/360. Also, consoles stay still. Gaming PCs are constantly requiring upgrades in order to play new games smoothly...PS3 & Xbox360 owners cannot upgrade their consoles, so they do not need to do so.
