The battle of PC gaming vs consoles
Although video gaming made its way into popular culture in the 1980s and 1990s, the first games were developed in the 1950s by computer scientists that wanted to put their latest technology to the test. In 1962, a group of students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology created Spacewar! A game that featured a video display and relatively complex controls for the time.
By the early 1970s, those students had taken the code for their game to other schools, uploading it onto mainframes all over the country and giving life to the idea of multiple versions of the same game being played in different locations. The digital casino game industry was already taking off and soon, two enterprising groups were inspired to create coin-operated video games in response to the popularity of Spacewar! kickstarting the concept of an arcade-style game.
At the same time, consoles were becoming more widely available for those that wanted to game at home. Atari Inc. launched their flagship product, Pong, in 1972 to huge acclaim from budding gamers, and continued to earn fans with their follow-ups Asteroids and Space Invaders as the 70s progressed.
This gave other console manufacturers the confidence to begin making alternatives to the Atari and Mattel Electronics and Coleco both released their own consoles, with developers such as Imagic and Activision creating the software to run on them. Home consoles continued to be popular, and the technology going into them progressed at the same rate that technology was evolving.
More gaming manufactures began to create and design their own video games.
The technological revolution
As computers became more ubiquitous, video gaming continued to attract players that appreciated the increasingly high-quality games that were becoming available. Designers and developers were using the latest technology to bring high-end graphics, studio-quality sound, and exceptional production values to players’ computers.
Video gaming went from a niche interest, only available to those most into computing, to a mainstream activity that saw billions of people enjoying gaming all over the world. In recent decades, the world of technology has seen drastic changes in the way people think about computer gaming.
Gone are the days when gaming is just a thing that can be done on a computer as it is becoming more and more common for serious gamers to build their own computers in order to get the specifications, they need to play their favourite games. New devices were being designed all the time, from the hand-held digital games that proliferated in the 1980s to the thousands of gaming apps available for smartphones.
One thing that has not changed is the type of game that people choose to play as casino games have dominated the market for several years. There are modern twists on traditional games, live streamed games broadcast from brick-and-mortar casinos, and games that incorporate the latest in VR technology to keep their players interested.
Gaming hardware
Part of the popularity of video gaming is the sheer variety of ways to play – gamers can create dens packed with the latest technology or download their favourite games onto their phone to play wherever they happen to be. The gaming industry has been consistently keen to embrace the latest technology, offering the fans the very latest in immersive technology.
Consoles have gone from clunky machines trailing wires all over the game space to cutting edge machines with customisable accessories, top-end headsets and a variety of other gaming tech that makes the experience of playing all the more exciting. Many gamers have both a PC and one or more gaming consoles, but which is really better?
Original gaming consoles were more clunky with many wires.
Benefits of consoles
For those that only want to game, consoles have some advantages over PCs as they are dedicated gaming machines that allow players to connect and play together easily. The popularity of wireless controllers and the variety of games available make these a popular choice for those that want a smooth and simple gaming experience.
Although consoles occasionally need updating, they do not require the level of technical knowledge that PC gamers need to keep their computers in good working order. Consoles tend to cost less than serious gaming computers, meaning that players can maximise their budget on a machine that allows them to stream television, films, and music as well.
Console gamers also have the advantage that many games manufacturers offer system-specific games that aren’t available in any other format.
Benefits of PCs
Personal computers offer the ultimate in customisable gaming, allowing players to code their own versions of games and play a wider variety of games. Serious gamers build gaming PCs from scratch to ensure they get the spec they want, including the sharpest graphics on the market, increased memory to make their games work faster, and specialist accessories that work with a variety of different games.
Because they are so customisable, computers provide the ultimate personalised gaming experience for those that like to upgrade, alter, and modify their games simply by downloading pieces of code. PC games are often cheaper than their console-based counterparts, so once the initial investment is laid out, the ongoing costs can be lower.
Although there are advantages to both systems, gamers that want to have the ultimate control over their gaming experience will usually choose to play on a PC. However, gamers with limited budgets can get a far higher standard of play for their investment when choosing a console, so there’s a gaming system out there to suit anyone’s circumstances.
