Fanboyism

[Grimm]

This seems to be an ongoing issue in every gaming community everwhere, no matter where you go or what you talk about. There will always be fanboys for a game/gaming platform, and another group completely against that game/gaming platform.

The one thing that people seem to forget: The games. The games are what we use the platform for. We rent and buy games to be entertained, either as a little diversion from a hard day's work, or as a hobby we will never let go.

However, there are always those divisions amongst people, divisions that create more anger and hate than necessary. Of course there are the fanboys fighting over which console is better, but also the one between PC and console fanboys, which I hadn't noticed until I got online and on IRC and started chatting with people.

PC exclusive players always seem to have an 'elitist' attitude, scoffing at any mention of a game for a console, but also whining about how bad a company is for releasing a PC version of a console game later than the console release.

Anti XBox fanboys always rant and rave about 'Bill gates just wanting to get more money'. Anti Gamecube fanboys always gripe about Nintendo making 'only kids games'. Anti Playstation 2 fanboys gripe about the 'terrible first party games'. No matter what anyone says or does, they never change their opinions.

My question for it all is: Why? Why does it matter what platform you're playing a game on? Why does it matter if a video for a game looks terrible or really great? Why can't we just play the games?

That is my current mind set. I play the games to be entertained. I don't care what platform the game is on, I don't care how much or how little hype a game gets before its release, I will never be completely decided on a game until I have had the chance to try it out, played it for myself to determine what I feel are good and bad about the game. Why can't more people have that mind set?

[Niteowl]

because they just dropped 200 plus bucks on a specific platform in neglect of another. buyers remorse and such. at least, that's one of the reasons.

[Uranium - 235]

Gee I wonder what inspired this thread



Anyway, I suppose you could call me a PC fanboy, then.

The reasoning is, in every experience I have, every experience anyone can tell me of, console gamers aren't gamers.

1) They're 'on and off' gamers. Their parents bought 'em the XBox for christmas, and they use it as a distraction. Which is why I think sports games are so popular for consoles. As an avid gamer, I consider the console to be a PC-Lite for people that dont' have a PC for various reasons. Which is reason one I hate consoles: Almost nobody that's a true gamer uses their console as their gaming platform of choice.

2) Deus Ex 2

3) It's a console. Really not much to explain here: You can't upgrade it, it's a complete waste of money, bottom-of-the-line machines. The XBox was outdated when it came out. Seriously, the PC is the F-22 Raptor of PC games, and the console is the M1A1 Tank. Sure the PC is easier to break and more costly to repair (in terms of time, things that can go wrong). The console is more reliable, more stable, and probably cheaper to fix things with it, but to quote RvB: "You can't pick up chicks in a tank." Or for a more apt analogy, the F-22 is about 10,000x more efficient at blowing the living ###### out of everything. Reason 3 I hate consoles: Completely undeniable waste of cash.

4) People that like consoles are idiots. They'll be amazed when you tell them the parts inside the XBox are worth less then $100 on the street. I think partly because they don't want to admit they spent $300 on a 5 ton piece of plastic that runs on the ass-ugliest display system ever made, with the most limited controls. Reason 4 I hate consoles: Consolers are technology idiots.

5) Deus Ex 2

6) I don't care if a title is console exclusive. But like I said in the other thread it's a downright insult when they make sequels for a PC game that's released on consoles first. Console gamers don't deserve it. These are the people that made EA games rich because they buy "NFL: Xtreme 52! Now with more realistic stadiums! OMG!" four times a year when a new version comes out. In fact, I place the blame on games sucking lately squarely on the popularity of consoles. They've PROVEN to publishers that they'll lap up whatever pile of crap falls in their lap, hence why almost every game that sucks is "Now on Gamecube FFS!!!" Reason 6 I hate consoles: Publishers know stupid (see #4) consolers will buy whatever is thrown at them, since those that do understand the internet use IGN and Gamespy for 'reliable reviews'.

7) Consoles = wannabee computers. Really, nothing to be said here. XBox Live anyone? Reason 7 I hate consoles: People that buy them either are horribly gullible or technology idiots.

It pisses me off when a good game is released to the console because I know that's a good game 100% ruined by people that don't know how to appreciate truely good games. Pretend in some horrifying universe, HalfLife 2 is XBox exclusive.
A) You can't mod it.
B) Most games cannot be customized how you want it.
C) The control scheme is limited and sucky to accomodate people who can't comprehend anything beyond arrows, 'A' and 'B'. Have you ever seen a lifelong console player try to play a computer game? It's :Ding SAD. Not that they don't understand the controls or anything, I mean, ######, it took me ages to figure out Halo, but I plonked a couple friends down in front of NS and this whole 'keyboard' and 'mouse' thing almost fried their brain. "Dude, how do you remember all these keys?" "Woah dude you can read the writing on that wall!" (In reference to the godawful TV resolution)
D) You can't do ANYTHING with it short of hacking it with a gameshark.
E) Graphics that sucked 2 years ago, and suck even more now. Reason 8 I hate consoles: Much like reason 1, but consolers in this case can't, and don't appreciate the work it takes to mod, and what the results will be.

9) The fact that it's on a console, cost them $50 (or whatever, I don't buy those things) for a game they can play once through, have no options to customize or mod it (a la #8), then rave about the game for years, despite the fact that it sucked compared to just about every PC game out there. Dude, Halo is like 2 years old. Shut the hell up already. It has nothing, absolutely NOTHING on Doom3. ###### the only thing impressive about Halo was the sunlight through the trees, and the lightmapping. Metal Gear Solid 2? What the hell is wrong with you guys? Great story? The first two missions sucked and took me about 7 hours to get through them because the controls were so awful. No... the FIRST mission took me about 5 hours, and 10% of the second mission took me 3. Why? Well it took me a while to figure out WHY I CHANGED CHARACTERS, then I had to figure out why the hell I was on this oil rig or whatever. I can't even remember. Something about terrorists, pirates, and drugs, I think. Ever hear of System Shock 2? Reason 9 I hate consoles: Console games suck.

Oh yeah.

10) Deus Ex 2.

That was fun

Addendum: So yeah, it's okay if you want to buy the massmarket PC-lite. You just better be prepared to admit that it sucks. So the overall point is:

Consoles beyond doubt, decidedly, definitely, discernibly, distinctly, indubitably, lucidly, obviously, plainly, surely, undeniably, undoubtedly, unmistakably suck in every single possible aspect.

[BobTheJanitor]

11) Console games are so much harder to pirate. Mod chips? BOO!

12) There is no number 12.

13) I like cheese.

14) Admittedly, there is something to be said for a nice console gamepad vs a mouse and keyboard setup on certain games. On FPS games, however, PC's will always own.

15) There is also no number 15.

15) Just kidding! Guys who play games on PC get crazy laid!

16) Bob has issues.

[Niteowl]

first off, bob, gold, as always.


point B, tell me any game you actually play on PC with yer buddies IRL on the PC?
fourthly, some genres just lend themselves to consoles, sportsgames, platformers.. er, some other ones
reason two, i like games in any flavour, gimmeh gimmeh gimmeh!!

[Grimm]

One of the biggest reasons at the moment why I am glad to own a console is: Multiplayer. I know there are tons and tons of PC games out there that are 'Multiplayer', but I like the multiplayer where I'm in the room with my friends, talking trash and taking a beating. Sure, there are LAN parties and such, but not everybody has a PC, it takes all kinds of planning and loads of space, and theres the issue of the room heating up too much, and most often the game choices at LANs are limited to FPSs and RTSs.

Really, there's nothing like plopping down on the couch and getting a good game of Super Smash Bros. Melee with three of your buddies, or wasting eachother in a game of Halo, or screaming at the screen as your friend cuts in front of you and takes 1st place at the last second in Mario Kart: Double Dash. All you need is a TV, the console, the game, and the controllers, and you're good to go.

But remember, I really have no bias whatsover towards or away from specific areas, but it all depends on the situation.

Uranium, I read through the entirety of your reply, but its still lacking the solid proof you need to back up your statements. Sure, consoles can't really be upgraded, but they're very cost efficient for what they do. For a good quality gaming PC, you gotta drop at least $1,000, then the chip technology leapfrogs itself every 18 months, so you gotta go drop some more money to buy a new mobo and chip, then you'll want a new graphics card, and some more ram to let it all run smoothly. Eventually, you've basically bought a new PC multiple times with how many new 'upgrades' you're buying. Especially when considering a lot of the top-notch upgrades out there cost the same as a couple consoles.

But of course I wholeheartedly agree with Niteowl when it comes to " like games in any flavour, gimmeh gimmeh gimmeh!!"

[Geminosity]

uranium, I've been playing games on consoles since I was 4 and only started PC gaming when I was like 12 or the like.  I still play console.
Wouldn't that make me more of a gamer than you as I've not only played and completed more than you can on just your singular platform but also have the added advantage of being able to easily use more methods of control (PC-only users are painful to watch trying to use a pad) :p

Generalisations never did work all that well, especially when it comes to gamers ^~
actually you seem to have confused 'casual gamers' with 'console gamers'.  There's a big difference...

Halo has one big advantage over doom III by the way; we've been able to play halo for years XD

Actually... I don't think I'll finish there.

If you buy a game on a console you are 100% guaranteed you're playing the same game as everyone else; graphically, framerate-wise and model-wise.  It makes consoles a really good platform for competition because they're identical outside of their players.  Also the game you get is will always be stable, unlike certain games in the past on PC which have been so bug-ridden on release you needed to patch them just to make them playable.
A console/PC also isn't a military weapon or something you 'pick up chicks' in.  For the purposes of this lil discussion they're games machines and the consoles have the advantage of being dedicated games machines, which incase you hadn't noticed means they're actually capable of running things far more efficiently than a PC three times their spec partly thanks to the dev's being able to customise it to the specific hardware inherent to the machine.
If you look at the actual costs of upgrading your machine periodically and buying the latest console, the PC will equal or beat the actual money expended on the console (especially if you want to be 'bleeding edge') and then there's the time and hastle of installing the new drivers/hardware while the Consolite is enjoying their games right out of the box =P

Sure, I hate deus Ex 2 as well but you should be blaming the publishers rather than the platform.  They didn't have to keep it identical, nobody forced them with a gun to their head to release it on multiplatform.

Like the other guys said, who cares what it's on as long as it's fun

[Venmoch]

Who Cares?

I mean I've ended up playing my X-Box much more than the PC which I use for Internet only now.

Why? Because I don't have to spend any more money to make it look better. I can go out buy a game stick it in and it will work.

The fact something is coming out on something else? Deal with it, its a companys desision. If they want to they can. A company doesn't have any requiremet to release a title to PC just because the initial game appeared on the PC.

Yeah I started playing games on the PC. However I soon begain to get irritated by the speed at which my PC got obsolete so I got an N64. Suddenly I had a way of playing games without needing to be on the bleeding edge of PC technology. AND I LIKED IT!

Consoles also seem to see more variation than the PC. Take the N64, there was nothing on the PC like Body Harvest, Jet Force Gemini, Mario 64 or even Blast Corp.
I enjoy all types of games but the consoles is where I've seen most of the original ideas coming from. Take Viewtiful Joe that wouldn't appear on PC because people don't take risks with PC's its too hard to regain profit.

All the creative thinking goes into consoles. Why? Its cheaper. Look at the current list of PC "Must Haves"

Half-Life 2
DOOM 3
S.T.A.L.K.E.R
Far Cry

While I am looking forward to at least two look at the thing that connects them all. They are all First Person Shooters. In fact if I was to look at my entire PC games collection I see that most of them are FPS's. The only games that have a different premise than all the other games out there, (Games like Startopia and Republic to name two) have not sold well at all on PC.

The Demographic is changing and it seems that the Console is the point of innovation now. Which saddens me slightly as a PC gamer but it is changing. We've just all got to live with it.

[esuna]

Methinks too many people are getting annoyed at the amount of non-gamers claiming to be gamers.

I sit there and watch a tv show called Gamezville, for any of you UK Sky Digital owners, you'll know the one i mean, it is a shining testament as to what the problem PC gamers see with console gamers. The show's presented by "The Boyz", two chirpy young urban males sporting the latest fashions and spouting the latest buzzwords and "street lingo". As you can image, by this time the bile is already starting to rise.

The show is advertised as being the ultimate gamer show, covering "PC, Consoles and Mobiles".... wait, you're including cell phone games on a show about games?...

As much as i dispise that program and everything it stands for.... who cares? Y'know, just because a load of braindead morons are playing games you don't want to play, so what, they're not harming you, leave them be.

I sit and play my PS2 virtually every day, usually Tony Hawk's Underground, and i usually have friends over for some multiplayer, always on the PS2. I have 5 networked PCs in the house, i could quite as easily have set up some LAN gaming, but you know what, sitting in the same room with friends geeking off playing a fun little game is a hell of a lot more fun.

Consoles are fun, if you don't like them, please, shut the hell up about it, they're not going to go away because you want them to.

[Architeuthis]

Gee I wonder what inspired this thread



Anyway, I suppose you could call me a PC fanboy, then.

The reasoning is, in every experience I have, every experience anyone can tell me of, console gamers aren't gamers.

1) They're 'on and off' gamers. Their parents bought 'em the XBox for christmas, and they use it as a distraction. Which is why I think sports games are so popular for consoles. As an avid gamer, I consider the console to be a PC-Lite for people that dont' have a PC for various reasons. Which is reason one I hate consoles: Almost nobody that's a true gamer uses their console as their gaming platform of choice.

2) Deus Ex 2

3) It's a console. Really not much to explain here: You can't upgrade it, it's a complete waste of money, bottom-of-the-line machines. The XBox was outdated when it came out. Seriously, the PC is the F-22 Raptor of PC games, and the console is the M1A1 Tank. Sure the PC is easier to break and more costly to repair (in terms of time, things that can go wrong). The console is more reliable, more stable, and probably cheaper to fix things with it, but to quote RvB: "You can't pick up chicks in a tank." Or for a more apt analogy, the F-22 is about 10,000x more efficient at blowing the living ###### out of everything. Reason 3 I hate consoles: Completely undeniable waste of cash.

4) People that like consoles are idiots. They'll be amazed when you tell them the parts inside the XBox are worth less then $100 on the street. I think partly because they don't want to admit they spent $300 on a 5 ton piece of plastic that runs on the ass-ugliest display system ever made, with the most limited controls. Reason 4 I hate consoles: Consolers are technology idiots.

5) Deus Ex 2

6) I don't care if a title is console exclusive. But like I said in the other thread it's a downright insult when they make sequels for a PC game that's released on consoles first. Console gamers don't deserve it. These are the people that made EA games rich because they buy "NFL: Xtreme 52! Now with more realistic stadiums! OMG!" four times a year when a new version comes out. In fact, I place the blame on games sucking lately squarely on the popularity of consoles. They've PROVEN to publishers that they'll lap up whatever pile of crap falls in their lap, hence why almost every game that sucks is "Now on Gamecube FFS!!!" Reason 6 I hate consoles: Publishers know stupid (see #4) consolers will buy whatever is thrown at them, since those that do understand the internet use IGN and Gamespy for 'reliable reviews'.

7) Consoles = wannabee computers. Really, nothing to be said here. XBox Live anyone? Reason 7 I hate consoles: People that buy them either are horribly gullible or technology idiots.

It pisses me off when a good game is released to the console because I know that's a good game 100% ruined by people that don't know how to appreciate truely good games. Pretend in some horrifying universe, HalfLife 2 is XBox exclusive.
A) You can't mod it.
B) Most games cannot be customized how you want it.
C) The control scheme is limited and sucky to accomodate people who can't comprehend anything beyond arrows, 'A' and 'B'. Have you ever seen a lifelong console player try to play a computer game? It's :Ding SAD. Not that they don't understand the controls or anything, I mean, ######, it took me ages to figure out Halo, but I plonked a couple friends down in front of NS and this whole 'keyboard' and 'mouse' thing almost fried their brain. "Dude, how do you remember all these keys?" "Woah dude you can read the writing on that wall!" (In reference to the godawful TV resolution)
D) You can't do ANYTHING with it short of hacking it with a gameshark.
E) Graphics that sucked 2 years ago, and suck even more now. Reason 8 I hate consoles: Much like reason 1, but consolers in this case can't, and don't appreciate the work it takes to mod, and what the results will be.

9) The fact that it's on a console, cost them $50 (or whatever, I don't buy those things) for a game they can play once through, have no options to customize or mod it (a la #8), then rave about the game for years, despite the fact that it sucked compared to just about every PC game out there. Dude, Halo is like 2 years old. Shut the hell up already. It has nothing, absolutely NOTHING on Doom3. ###### the only thing impressive about Halo was the sunlight through the trees, and the lightmapping. Metal Gear Solid 2? What the hell is wrong with you guys? Great story? The first two missions sucked and took me about 7 hours to get through them because the controls were so awful. No... the FIRST mission took me about 5 hours, and 10% of the second mission took me 3. Why? Well it took me a while to figure out WHY I CHANGED CHARACTERS, then I had to figure out why the hell I was on this oil rig or whatever. I can't even remember. Something about terrorists, pirates, and drugs, I think. Ever hear of System Shock 2? Reason 9 I hate consoles: Console games suck.

Oh yeah.

10) Deus Ex 2.

That was fun

Addendum: So yeah, it's okay if you want to buy the massmarket PC-lite. You just better be prepared to admit that it sucks. So the overall point is:

Consoles beyond doubt, decidedly, definitely, discernibly, distinctly, indubitably, lucidly, obviously, plainly, surely, undeniably, undoubtedly, unmistakably suck in every single possible aspect.

I can't stand fanboys, because their opinions are always completely generalised and retarded, meaning they're giant flaming idiots themselves.

So, ###### you, Uranium.  

[JHunz]

Now, I only own a PC myself, but I think Uranium is overgeneralizing a bit and I'll go through it point by point.

1. Some of them are on and off gamers, and some of them are as hardcore as you or I.  This is a silly generalisation.  Do you know how long it takes to get 100% through every Final Fantasy game?  you know those people are out there.

2. Okay, I'll give you that one.  Laziest port ever.

3. It's not a waste of money if it does what you bought it to do, neh?  Consoles are portable gaming machines with standardized hardware.  You never have to worry about incompatibility with a console.  Sure, a PC beats out a console in raw numbers, but in terms of compatibility and system integration they are *far* more solid than most PCs.

4. Please.  Like they're any different than the people who buy computers from Dell and are amazed when they find out they could have built the same system themselves for hundreds less.

6. I agree with part of this point.  I was not amused when I found out the next Starcraft game was going to be a 3rd-person console-exclusive.  However, publishers - greedy bastards that they are - are all about money, and the console market is a far bigger moneypot than the PC games market.
However, you point about games sucking is stupid.  Deer Hunter and Barbie games have been bestsellers for computers for years.  And you talk about *consoles* shoveling crap?

7. Eh.  True enough.

8A. You can't mod it, true.  But you also usually get games that work right out of the box, without the post-release patching bull^^ that gets more and more common every day.
8B. If you want cusomizable games, you don't buy them for consoles.  What's your point?
8C. Simple control schemes are one of the true advantages of consoles.  I don't understand how you can think this is a downside.  That's not to say that console controllers work well for every type of game, but sometimes I wish PC developers would put a little more thought into their control scheme than providing 150 remappable buttons.
8D. See 8B
8E. This isn't a problem if you aren't a graphics whore.  I myself prefer gameplay.

Okay, I have to go to class now.  But I'll be back to finish this post.

[Ulatoh]

I dont like fanbois no matter what they are plugging,  blind dedication to one thing without the ability to modify your opinion when provided with evidence that indicates you are wrong is just...stupid...

but i dont argue with fanboi idiots, they drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

[Uranium - 235]

Now, I only own a PC myself, but I think Uranium is overgeneralizing a bit and I'll go through it point by point.

That was my point was to overgeneralize

[lolfighter]

Where to begin, where to begin...


1: A hardcore gamer scoffing at a casual gamer is like an alcoholic talking (usually incomprehensible) smack at someone who only drinks twice a month.

2, 5 and 10: While you are completely right, I'm not sure that's the console gamers' fault.

3: The console, by definition, offers not only more stability, but also better optimization. Why? You KNOW EXACTLY what kind of hardware your customers will play this game on (and there are no background tasks). 100% optimization.

4: That's is a far too broad statement. It doesn't fit me, for instance, and I own a PS2. And I wouldn't own it if I didn't like it.

6: See my opinion at the bottom.

7: Yes, consoles begin to resemble computers more and more, adopting features that were previously PC exclusive. How this makes the people that buy them gullible and technology idiots I fail to understand.

8: Granted, except for E. Console graphics may be sub-par compared to current technology, but they weren't two years ago.

9: Yes, console gamers do tend to rant on. Yes, Halo is not the single greates game of all time. As for Metal Gear Solid 2: You seem to be controller allergic. The controls are actually (pardon the pun) solid. The story wasn't as great as the original Metal Gear Solid, but in the beginning it's rather straightforward. Except it might not be if you haven't played any of the previous games, hence your troubles.

So, what does this boil down to? You're angry at console gamers being stupid and softcore (the previous hasn't been proven very well and the latter can't be held against them), and you're angry at developers for developing for consoles instead of PC. Big surprise: PC gamers have brought this upon themselves. While consoles are not piracy-proof, it's notably harder than on the PC. Hence consoles promise greater profits. You can't ask for idealism - idealism doesn't bring food on the table.
What I don't understand however, is why I went to the shop lately and found PoP for 299 DKR for PC, while the PS2 version cost 399 DKR. Huh? It's the same game, right? The only reason I can imagine is license fees to Sony or something.

[Malevolent]

Fanboyism is the devil! I like a lot of series and look forward to the next installment. But believe me, I won't disagree with someone because they don't like a series and call them "stupid." Also, if a new installment in a series (that I like) sucks, I won't like it just because it's part of the series. Although the Matrix triology has to do with movies, it's a good example. The first was good; the second one sucked major ass; the third was just average. I was a fan of the first, but I acknowledge that the others weren't good.

It is foolish to think a game is good because you liked every other game in the series. The fact is that no matter how good a series was in the beginning [it goes for Zelda, MGS, RE (never really impressed me much), FF, etc.], it will always degrade in quality. People's imaginations can go only so far before ideas start to be recycled. This is also more apparent when the same designer of a series directs the sequel each time.

[JHunz]

I must disagree with you on Zelda.  Every new Zelda game I've played has surprised me with some degree of originality that I didn't expect.  And I don't think the quality of the series has deteriorated in any way.

[BobTheJanitor]

I predict a free for all argument about anything and everything resulting in a massive LOX0R for this thread.

Until that time, however:

The matrix was a good action flick with enough philisophical junk tossed in to make it seem deep enough to be interesting. Reloaded was the middle part of a trilogy and could have been good or bad depending on the final installment. My opinions on Revolutions would just result in a string of # signs, so let's skip that.

And I refuse to believe that there's a limitation on story originality. Yes, you may have similar plot devices, but the plot is just a very basic skeleton on which so much more is hung. Art remains limitless, it's only hollywood-ism and the mindless search for marketable entertainment instead of true art (which is always the best entertainment) that keeps people churning out the same rehashed movie/book/game over and over.

Also, Zelda was pwn.

[Malevolent]

Don't get me wrong, Wind Waker was a blast to play. The cel-shading added amazing style to it also. Right now, the Zelda series may still be turning out quality products, but the point I was trying to make is that eventually, it will start to become more bland. Also, I admit that in theory there are no limits to what people can come up with in a game. But you have to take in account that people's minds usually think in certain ways; this in turn blocks them from venturing into new places. The only true way to keep fresh new ideas in a game series is to have different production directors while having guidlines that still keep it true to the series. Also, if I'm not mistaken, I think I recall that there was someone else behind Wind Waker along with Miyamoto.

[Grimm]

Now that I'm nearly old enough to vote in the states, I've been following the news and polotics a bit more than usual. One thing that I've noticed about it all, is that it seems like a bunch of fanoyism, but on a much larger scale. So I suppose I shouldn't be as surprised when a bunch of kids start arguing over a console or a game because there are plenty of adults out there who are the same about a certain person or political party.

Back on the topic of video games, I think that a game doesn't always need a new gimmick or flashy eye candy to be good. If they made another Zelda game with the Wind Waker engine and setup, but with a completely different story, people would definitely still buy and play it. They could probably do that at least one more time after that before everyone started complaining about it, at least for me because its the story that compels me to continue playing; I want to see what happens when I bring the three pearls together, I want to see the final challenge in the tower they have brought from the depths of the see (which is where I currently am in the game).

Of course, new people creating a game with specific set standards certainly doesn't hurt. The creator of the Metroid series has been lost to us for some time, but Metroid Prime is certainly an amazing game. Its all just a matter of if the game is fun or not.

[Legionnaired]

Halo : Not that great a game.

Halo, with 15 of your friends in the same room with you to shoot at... The best thing since sliced bread.

Most of the time, I'm on my PC, but when friends are over and want to geek it up, consoles come into their own.