A Technology News Article
Computers vs consoles.
How does the PC gaming experience differ from that offered by consoles? PCs have a long precedent for online multiplayer gaming, something that's only just coming to Xbox and PS2. This is the most profound difference between gaming on the two different types of machine. But, for someone used to joypads, there's also the significant factor of the interface. Playing on a keyboard (which has its origins in typing for heaven's sakes) is a very different experience, and something that in many ways defines the viability of genres. So, are some games better suited to consoles and others to PCs?
Sure, Half Life is a classic first-person shooter. A benchmark. Roll on the sequel. However, the act of controlling Gordon Freeman with both your mouse and your keyboard, digits scampering around, is a drag compared to guiding Halo's Master Chief or your TimeSplitters 2 protagonist, by way of a reassuringly clutched joypad and a well-designed control system. (Sure PCs have joypad peripherals, but they're not the default.)
When playing other genre games – notably simulation and strategy games – PC is, thus far, the only option. For the while, the elaborate control system of a real-time strategy game like the majestic Rise Of Nations (the recent game from the designer of Civilization II) demands the keystroke versatility of a keyboard and the grunt of a PC memory. (Plus, there are those online opportunities.) With The Sims on a PS2, the gameplay feels awkward thanks to the commands having been squished into the joypad controls. And frankly, if you associate your console more with exploration, fighting and racing, The Sims feels turgid. Play a Sim on a PC and your expectations are different - you expect to commit to the game differently, interacting via your keyboard almost as if you're working.
These distinctions are not rigid, doubtless. Boundaries are blurred by the porting back and forth of games. And these days, both PCs and consoles are increasingly becoming “home media centres”. But the associations of plugging a console into your TV (something long associated with leisure) compared with those of playing on a PC (a machine with more explicit work connotations) mean that the experiences provided by consoles and PCs remain distinct. Daniel Etherington 27 June 03
How does the PC gaming experience differ from that offered by consoles? PCs have a long precedent for online multiplayer gaming, something that's only just coming to Xbox and PS2. This is the most profound difference between gaming on the two different types of machine. But, for someone used to joypads, there's also the significant factor of the interface. Playing on a keyboard (which has its origins in typing for heaven's sakes) is a very different experience, and something that in many ways defines the viability of genres. So, are some games better suited to consoles and others to PCs?
Sure, Half Life is a classic first-person shooter. A benchmark. Roll on the sequel. However, the act of controlling Gordon Freeman with both your mouse and your keyboard, digits scampering around, is a drag compared to guiding Halo's Master Chief or your TimeSplitters 2 protagonist, by way of a reassuringly clutched joypad and a well-designed control system. (Sure PCs have joypad peripherals, but they're not the default.)
When playing other genre games – notably simulation and strategy games – PC is, thus far, the only option. For the while, the elaborate control system of a real-time strategy game like the majestic Rise Of Nations (the recent game from the designer of Civilization II) demands the keystroke versatility of a keyboard and the grunt of a PC memory. (Plus, there are those online opportunities.) With The Sims on a PS2, the gameplay feels awkward thanks to the commands having been squished into the joypad controls. And frankly, if you associate your console more with exploration, fighting and racing, The Sims feels turgid. Play a Sim on a PC and your expectations are different - you expect to commit to the game differently, interacting via your keyboard almost as if you're working.
These distinctions are not rigid, doubtless. Boundaries are blurred by the porting back and forth of games. And these days, both PCs and consoles are increasingly becoming “home media centres”. But the associations of plugging a console into your TV (something long associated with leisure) compared with those of playing on a PC (a machine with more explicit work connotations) mean that the experiences provided by consoles and PCs remain distinct. Daniel Etherington 27 June 03
posted by Iain at 3:05 PM
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