by J. Lawrence Hawkins
Now is a great time to be a gamer. The AAA developers are mostly coming around and releasing solid experiences with enough content to justify the price, the push for loot boxes in everything is waning in popularity & viability, and indie developers have been given more access to engine tools and publishing platforms than arguably any time prior. There’s something for everyone right now.
Speaking of platforms, there are a number of them out there. Everyone has their own opinion on which platform is the best, but there is only one answer. The PC is the best platform right now. Anyone telling you otherwise isn’t giving you their opinion, they’re just wrong.
But why? Let’s dive in.
All of the other platforms out there offer you an experience in a box. Here you go, good consumer. This is what we decided was good enough for you, buy it and play it. PC is different. PC is about buying and/or building exactly what you want. You’re only limited by your budget. You can go small but functional, or go big and ridiculous. You have options. Want a system that can play all the latest games at 4K 60fps? Totally possible. Want a system that plays games and takes up as much space as an old Sega Dreamcast? That’s possible too.
If you’re gaming on PC, you’re gaming on the haven for the indie scene. 99& of all those indie games you see on other platforms? They either released the same day on PC, or PC players have been playing them already before the consoles every touched them. Backwards compatibility for your old library a concern of yours? There is no concern on PC. There is no “old library.” If it was ever playable on PC before, it’s still playable on a PC now. And the AAA games are on PC too. Gears, Halo, Madden, NBA 2K, Grand Theft Auto, The Witcher, Assassin’s Creed, The Division, Tekken, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Resident Evil, Doom, etc. … all on PC.
Retro gaming an interest of yours? Get a PC. Any platform prior to the PS3/360 era can be played there from one device. Multimedia something you want to go with your gaming experience? A PC will stream from any service. A PC can play your 4K Blu-rays. Have a collection of movies on disc you want to use without swapping dics all the time? Backup your discs and setup a Plex server for your home. The options on the PC side are staggering.
But what about on the go? Laptops. Laptops are strong enough these days to rival desktops in raw power and to outright obliterate any console on the market. Take your PC library where ever you go by packing a laptop. And if you’re the type of monster gamer that packs a PC and a PS4, you can remote into your PS4 from the laptop and play the PS4 from anywhere too. PC is the ultimate platform, there’s really no other option. If you call yourself a gamer, you should already have a PC and/or laptop. And if not, you should be getting one as soon as you’re done reading this, which is right abooooout, now. Go.
