Crossing Platforms: My Journey with Both PC and Console Gaming

Key Takeaways

• Enjoy exclusives day one on console or enhance your favorites on PC with mods for a unique gaming experience.
• Console versions offer hassle-free gaming without worrying about specs, while older games are more accessible and cheaper on PC.
• Dual-monitor setups can enhance gameplay by having a dedicated screen for guides or Discord while staying connected with friends during multiplayer sessions.

Choosing between the simplicity of a console and the performance of a PC can be difficult. If you can afford it, it’s best not to decide at all. Here’s why I use both.

Access to Exclusives

Platform holders like Sony and Microsoft differentiate themselves from the pack with exclusives like The Last of Us. These exclusive titles are one of the biggest determining factors for those choosing which platform is best for them. With the big consoles battling it out with living room exclusives to draw in players, PC players can sometimes miss out on the latest releases much like console players will miss PC-only releases.

While Xbox “exclusives” do make their way to PC day-and-date on release much of the time, the same is not necessarily true for Sony. PlayStation exclusives can take months or years to reach the PC and even then, it’s never guaranteed.

Even if you only use it for Sony’s first-party exclusives, having access to a PS5 means that you can enjoy the newest exclusive games when they are released. You can feel like you’re a part of the conversation without having to dodge spoilers for months while you wait for a PC port.

Enhance Your Favorite Games With Mods

Have you ever played one of your favorite games and thought it would be much better with a specific new mechanic, quality of life improvements, or even graphical upgrades? Playing on a PC can make these dreams come true with mods.

With the vast amount of mods available for so many different PC games, you can practically customize your games in any way you can imagine. You can even learn how to make mods yourself if you’re dedicated enough.

Trainwiz and friends

There have been several occasions where I have bought a console game I already owned a second time on PC just so that I could enhance the experience mods. Almost every example of this has caused me never to return to the console version.

Sometimes it’s just a matter of adding more content to the base game. Other times it’s a full-on graphical overhaul that can make even the oldest games look like more modern releases. Occasionally, it’s being able to play Baldurs Gate 3 using an AI voice-swap of David Attenborough .

Never Worry About Specs Again

Having a fully upgraded, maxed-out PC is great for running games in the highest possible settings, but it’s not always possible. Not everyone has the funds to keep their rig up to date, and not everyone has the time for constant maintenance.

That’s why, even if you have a mid-range PC or are worried about a newer game running poorly, you can usually rely on the current-gen console version (as long as you own the relevant console). Generally speaking, you can trust that the console version will play as intended with fewer issues than most PC ports (a worrying trend).

While I tend to prefer the console versions of most games since they are generally more convenient for me, with both platforms you can pick and choose which games you buy for each one. Even with a top-of-the-line PC, there can still be compatibility issues with your graphics card, drivers, or internal hardware that can make it a little trickier to get working.

The console version will simply download, update, and open with no hassle (barring game-breaking bugs that affect the whole ecosystem).

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Older Games are More Accessible on PC

Perhaps the biggest reason why I still use my PC for gaming is the sheer amount of older titles available for it that are difficult to find or unnecessarily expensive on a console. These games are frequently available on PC via Steam or storefronts like GOG and are often much cheaper than console ports. Older games often have dedicated communities producing patches and guides to get them working on modern platforms .

Attempts to bring these older games to modern consoles can sometimes fall flat. Take the PS5’s Classics Catalogue, which locks titles behind a subscription and requires you to stream (over the internet) them rather than installing the game directly.

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On Steam, you can buy the game directly and play it on your PC with no hassle or extra fees for perks you may not even want. Even emulation on a PC can be a more enjoyable way to play some of these older games.

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Dual-Monitor Setups Make Gaming Much More Dynamic

If you do decide to spring for both a console and a PC, it’s a great idea to get separate monitors for both. Not only will your console games likely look much crisper on a monitor, but it also gives you the option to add a second screen to your PC setup for ease of access.

With this, you could have your PC next to your console with a dedicated screen for guides, walkthroughs, videos, or even just a Discord chat or Twitch stream while you enjoy your console on the side. Monitors are also better suited to smaller setups, like home offices, student accommodation, or compact apartments.

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Whenever I play games on my console, I usually have Discord open on my PC so I can easily talk to friends online about the game while I play it which is more seamless than the PS5’s Discord integration . Additionally, having a guide open on a larger screen next to me makes hunting down that elusive item or beating that difficult boss much easier since I don’t have to keep pausing the game to look down at my phone.

Never Miss Out on Game Sessions With Friends

Both consoles and the PC have no shortage of multiplayer games, even free ones, to play with your friends. But consoles can sometimes be limiting when it comes to variety since they are typically more expensive to release games on.

You are more likely to find a wider variety of multiplayer games on PC, and many can be customized to cater to you and your friends’ preferences with things like custom game modes or modded clients.

Cross-platform play also gives you a lot more freedom when it comes to choosing a platform for a game since you can still play with your PC friends in games that support it even if you opt for the console version. On the other hand, if a game does not offer cross-platform play, you can simply get whichever version is common among your friends and never have to worry about missing out on multiplayer gaming sessions.

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It’s okay to prefer one over the other when it comes to the PC and console debate. The argument as a whole has a lot less weight in the modern era, where the platforms are closer than ever. Nowadays, the differences are less about hardware and more about personal preference and demographics, but if you’re someone like me who has a wide range of tastes, having as many options as possible when it comes to games is always a good thing.

Still, maybe it’s my left-handedness making it less convenient to play PC games and my love of PlayStation trophies, but I don’t see myself fully committing to a PC any time soon. I’d much rather live my life with access to both and choose my preferred platform according to whichever is the best option for the game I want to play, and besides, nothing beats an old-fashioned couch co-op session .