11 Major Rivalries That Changed Video Game History

2. PC Vs. Console Gaming

The face-off: Ease-of-access or better hardware? The debate that'll continue long into the future, although it's very much in full-swing right now as we all question our latest console purchases in comparison to the idea of dropping a similar amount on a PC/Mac that would - in theory - be far more future-proof. Console-champions will surely be addressing the idea of something being 'future-proof' right away, as if there's anything that PC gamers are known for doing it's buying new bits and pieces for their custom rigs, tweaking the smallest rendering options for the sake of adding that little extra bit of detail to a distant treetop or a scratch in a piece of armour. The flip-side to this is the idea of just buying a game off a shelf (or digital service) and knowing you have the optimal settings to experience it as you're supposed to; no fiddling with menus to make sure your anisotropic filtering is spot-on, or whether or not your game "would be better with V-Sync", you just game and go. Rather like the debate between the resurgence of vinyl records and that of compiling an expansive digital library, those who prefer the former will point to the idea of removing the vinyl from the sleeve, placing it gently on the turntable and elegantly dropping the needle in at just the right point as a feeling that just can't be replicated by the immediacy of double-clicking from a list of a few thousand tracks. There's definitely something to be said about fiddling with settings in each PC game until you get something that looks spot on, but for those of us who constantly think we're doing something wrong, and that we're missing essential settings that would be the 'best' for that title, consoles are the way to go.