[citation][nom]mchuf[/nom]Since most games are designed for console (mostly Xbox 360) specs, leaving pc games as the "red-headed stepchild" of gaming, most AAA pc games will be console ports at least for the near future. And you can see more and more pc games are leaving out a lot of customizable settings because of that. So most pc games aren't really that much better looking than their console counterparts. The fact that pc hardware is superior to console hardware, even future console hardware, is meaningless. Yes, I play great pc only games, but those are increasingly being niche or indy titles. The majority of AAA games play as and look just as good on consoles compared to the pc version. Why spend $150 - $200 every two to three years to upgrade your gaming rig, when you can buy a console that will play the same games for 5 years? Now if most of these games were being developed for the pc first and then ported to consoles, then my opinion would be entirely different.[/citation]
Games tend to look better on PC than consoles. For PC gamers, the difference is noticeable since we are up close to the monitor and we get to see every detail. You don't need to upgrade your PC every few years. If I play Source games, will I need to upgrade from a GTX 460 or HD 5770 to a GTX 580 or 6970? No I won't need to (even the GTX 460 and HD 5770 are a bit overkill). Some people still use their GeForce 9,8, and 7 series GPUs and they perform pretty well for old cards. And for consoles, costs add up. For Xbox, you need to spend $60 a year for online gaming. PC gaming requires no online fee and the money you save adds up. Consoles also have accessories which people buy (Xbox 360 has wireless adapters for the older consoles, Kinect, Move, and so on). Chances are, the price adds up to the cost of a gaming PC. PC gamers don't need accessories like those. Also, the cost of PCs are a few hundred dollars. A console is usually $300. Add those up, and you can build your own mid-high end gaming that will play games better than a console and still last. PC gaming isn't meant to max out every game. You can tone down a few things and still have your PC last just as long, if not longer, than consoles.