PC or PS3: The hardest choice or anything but?

November 18, 2006 8:30 PM

With hundreds of die hard PS3 fans camped outside Metreon, site of the San Francisco Playstation store and home of the official US launch for the Playstation 3, PC Gamer magazine showed up and presented one die-hard PS3 fan with arguably the hardest choice he'll ever have to make; to give up the right to own (or be gifted) a Playstation 3 for the next three years in exchange for a free $7,500 custom-built Falcon PC and "a better gaming experience." Here's what happened and here's the signed contract.
posted by Effigy2000 (41 comments total)

tough choice. Sign the contract, then if you want a PS3 in the future, lease it.
posted by b1tr0t at 8:34 PM on November 18, 2006

Considering that there are no interesting PS3 games at this point, I don't think I'd have a hard time with this particular choice. :)

Plus, there's always the 360 and Wii. It's not like the PS3 is the only (or even the best) game in town.
posted by Malor at 8:40 PM on November 18, 2006

and he can play the PS3 at a friends house, which to me is a giant loophole that Falcon shouldnt have allowed.
posted by tsarfan at 8:45 PM on November 18, 2006

Note the intricate plumage on the Falcon which signals to the opposite sex: "Do not, ever, have sex with me."
posted by basicchannel at 8:48 PM on November 18, 2006 [5 favorites]

Of course, once Falcon have got all the publicity they want for their super-awesome gaming PCs with solid platinum microchip conductor substrate it doesn't really matter whether this guy lives up to his promise or not. I somehow doubt highly-trained PC Gamer operatives will be orbitally inserted into his house every six months to make sure he is still PS3-free, as the contract allows.
posted by A Thousand Baited Hooks at 8:51 PM on November 18, 2006

Yeah, real tough choice...

By the way, I have the 30 inch dell display that is basically the same as the Apple panel. Gotta love it!
posted by autodidact at 8:54 PM on November 18, 2006

No contest. None-what-so-ever.

And nothing in the contract says he can't play the PS3. He just can't own one. With a tricked-out Falcon NW, he doesn't need much else.

(The paintjob on the case is horrifying, but I'm sure the innards are things of beauty.)
posted by grabbingsand at 8:54 PM on November 18, 2006

presented one die-hard PS3 fan with arguably the hardest choice he'll ever have to make; to give up the right to own (or be gifted) a Playstation 3 for the next three years in exchange for a free $7,500 custom-built Falcon PC

Uhh, it would be quite an argument before anyone could convince me that's the hardest choice he'll ever have to make: "Hmm, should I take this free $7500 PC, or just spend $750 so I can have a PS3".

I'll probably check the PS3 out, but for several hundred dollars less, I'll probably pick up a 360 once the price drops $100 or so. Vastly better controllers, HD DVD vs. Blu-Ray, and Gears of War (!!!).
posted by The God Complex at 9:01 PM on November 18, 2006

I'd happily swear never to play, touch, or inhale the fumes off a PS3 for the next 150 years for a $7500 Falcon.
posted by Foosnark at 9:13 PM on November 18, 2006

Is this really the kind of thing journalists should be doing?
posted by empath at 9:14 PM on November 18, 2006

Is this really the kind of thing journalists should be doing?

Good point! PC Gamer Magazine should have higher ethical standards than to advocate PC gaming. They should be on Capitol Hill pounding the pavement for answers, dammit!
posted by JekPorkins at 9:20 PM on November 18, 2006 [3 favorites]

Was anyone else annoyed by Sony's lavious launch party, if they spent more on manufacturing than marketing, maybe people could actually get PS3's eventually (I say this as someone who doesn't want one, but would love a Wii).
posted by drezdn at 9:20 PM on November 18, 2006

They probably think the increased demand from under-delivering in the first week is better in the long run. Even people that didn't want a PS3 want one now, because OHMYGODIWOULDBESOCOOL! Like, people that really wanted it could have been the first few to pre-order six months ago, rather than wait until now.
posted by The God Complex at 9:23 PM on November 18, 2006

Itza no-brainer. Take the Pimped Rig. (You can see his boner in one of the shots if you look closely). He can always drop in at Metreon and play any one of the 30-or-so PS3 units they'll have on display in a couple of months.

As an aside: That_place_is_cool. Had to attend a conference in SF recently and stayed at the Marriot next door. Went in and pwnd the Guitar Hero on big screen in Dolby 5.1 one evening after a vendor open bar upstairs....WOOt.
posted by HyperBlue at 9:26 PM on November 18, 2006

Sony is losing so much money on these consoles that I don't think they WANT to sell very many yet. They're losing almost $400 per console on the cheap version in Japan, and about $250 on the cheap version in the US. That drops to about $165 on the more expensive version, since they sell it for an extra hundred bucks and it costs them only about $15 more, but it's still a heck of a loss. So the scarcity *might* be artificially exaggerated.

Personally, I'm much more interested in the Wii, which comes out, um, half an hour ago. :)
posted by Malor at 9:28 PM on November 18, 2006

I wonder which one will be obsolete faster? PS2 is 6 years old and there are still games coming out for it. The same can't be said for a 6 year old computer.
posted by smackfu at 9:38 PM on November 18, 2006

I'm sure he can get one of his friends to buy him a PS3 and rent it to him for $.01 per day.
posted by matkline at 9:50 PM on November 18, 2006

I live in San Francisco, and I dont think Metreon is that cool.

Although, Ive always been more of a retro gamer
posted by subaruwrx at 9:50 PM on November 18, 2006

smackfu writes "PS2 is 6 years old and there are still games coming out for it. The same can't be said for a 6 year old computer."

The one true game gets a new version every couple of years and it'll run on 10 year old equipment.
posted by Mitheral at 10:06 PM on November 18, 2006

My God. If I had one of those computers I would become a hermit.

The only thing that's allowing me to make it through university is the fact that I intentionally keep my computers sub-gaming.

If it weren't for my academic aspirations I'd probably route about 95% of my life through my computer, and I'd dream of getting something like that.
posted by Alex404 at 10:06 PM on November 18, 2006

And now, on the eve of the launch of the most powerful game console in history, PC Gamer and Falcon Northwest will join forces to prove that the PC is, and always shall be, the finest gaming platform available to man.

Who says activism is dead?
posted by poweredbybeard at 10:07 PM on November 18, 2006

Oh, did I say activism? I mean Activision.
posted by poweredbybeard at 10:07 PM on November 18, 2006

If I had one of those computers I would become a hermit.

I obviate that problem by getting Macs. Seriously.
posted by Heywood Mogroot at 10:30 PM on November 18, 2006

I heard the kid interviewed today, he seemed quite happy, because he admitted that he was ONLY BUYING THE PS3 TO SELL IT ON EBAY!

hmm $2k on ebay vs $7.5k new computer?
also, he already play WoW and other computer games. The interview made pc gamer look really stupid (unfortunate because i really love that magazine).

Funnily enough, i heard this on the PC Gamer Podcast itself.
posted by sophist at 11:01 PM on November 18, 2006

...die hard PS3 fans...

Massachusetts Man Is Shot as Crowds Wait for Sony Console

[BugMeNot logins, if req.]
posted by cenoxo at 11:04 PM on November 18, 2006

Played a PS3 at Best Buy today. IMO the 1080 display made a much bigger difference than the new console. Nintendo is going to destroy Sony and their $600 box.

(I'm sticking with my PS2)
posted by photoslob at 11:07 PM on November 18, 2006

They're trying to convince people to buy high end computers rather than Playstations, right? But the computer is still more than ten times the price of the console system. How can a rational argument be made that the former is a viable replacement for the latter? Yes, the computer does more stuff. And yeah, you were probably going to buy some sort of PC anyway. Even if you already have one, you'd have to upgrade sometime in the next few years. But won't most consumers buy the PS for a few hundred bucks, a PC for 500 to 1000 and still come out six grand cheaper? How can this be a sensible option for anyone outside of a small group of well-off game fanatics?
posted by Clay201 at 11:36 PM on November 18, 2006

If it was a sensible option, they wouldn't need a magazine to convince people to buy it.
posted by b1tr0t at 12:02 AM on November 19, 2006

"I live in San Francisco, and I dont think Metreon is that cool."

Well I'm just a occassional, occupational tourist in SF, but it still beat pumpin quarters into an arcade machine (done plenty of that). Caught Talledaga Nights one night, saw the Titanic Exhibit as part of another vendor party, and had some decent Sushi all under one roof. Could see the place from my hotel room.

You have a great city.
posted by HyperBlue at 12:33 AM on November 19, 2006 [1 favorite]

I liked when the article called everyone waiting in line campers. Other than that, I can't imagine this stunt could do anything but hurt PC gaming - "hey everyone, play games on your computer - it's only ten times as expensive!"

Personally, I'm old enough to enjoy crossword puzzles now - it's a relief.
posted by pinespree at 12:52 AM on November 19, 2006

Other than that, I can't imagine this stunt could do anything but hurt PC gaming - "hey everyone, play games on your computer - it's only ten times as expensive!"

The PC vs consoles thing has always had an air of class warfare about it. PC gamers who've just dropped $2000 on a high end PC hate console owners who can play the same games for $300, and console owners hate PC owners who get to play better versions of those games.
posted by hoverboards don't work on water at 3:00 AM on November 19, 2006

Why does game writing have to be so bad?
posted by KirkJobSluder at 8:11 AM on November 19, 2006

I'm still pretty unimpressed about the PS3, and the $600 price tag renders even the vaguest idea of getting one out of the question.

However, if someone posed the same offer, say in 1985 for exchanging an NES with a PC, I doubt we'd have any takers. But with the XBox and Wii (the kid probably is probably getting ready to line up for the latter), this offer is far from an oath of celibacy. He'll live.

As for the poster mentioning the loss of money on consoles, that's pretty much standard. That's why we pay $60 instead of $40 for the same game on the PC. That extra $20 bucks is going to have to translate into at least 8-10 games per buyer to break even.

Their insistance to throw in the Blu-Ray drive, the unimpressive opening line up of games and the price tag is all going to hurt Sony in the end, something they really can't afford right now.
posted by portisfreak at 8:33 AM on November 19, 2006

I'm sure he can get one of his friends to buy him a PS3 and rent it to him for $.01 per day.

In 3 years he'll have paid him back about 12 dollars. His friend should really rent at about 3 bucks a day.
posted by Frasermoo at 8:44 AM on November 19, 2006

I somehow doubt highly-trained PC Gamer operatives will be orbitally inserted into his house every six months to make sure he is still PS3-free, as the contract allows.

I bet PC Gamer will send someone at least for the first year or two to write follow-ups on how much this guy absolutely loves his PC and will never go back to inferior console gaming ever again.

On another, very hypothetical note, if this guy swears off all console gaming, even wii and 360 (which of course he doesn't have to) and continues to be hardcore into PC gaming, he'll have to spend at least 1-2 grand in the course of this console cycle if he really wants to keep his PC at the cutting edge. If they hadn't given him the $7500, PC gaming would be more expensive even than buying a PS3 for some ridiculous price on ebay.
posted by gauchodaspampas at 8:46 AM on November 19, 2006

I think someone should research the ways in which psychosis and fandom are related.

Honestly, I'm in the process of shopping for a new gaming system, and I've just come to the conclusion that most games journalism and especially magazines like PC Gamer are written by and for a select fringe of fanatics, and are out of touch with the rest of the market who just want to spend a modest amount of money on their entertainment.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 9:35 AM on November 19, 2006

The PC vs consoles thing has always had an air of class warfare about it.

Umm, no. Unless you're arguing that most people wouldn't have computers otherwise, and unless you're willing to discount that a PS3 player still needs to get a TV and a decent sound system, the PS3 and other consoles are about equally as expensive.

You can assemble a new officey desktop with a good monitor for probably about 1200$. The only thing a gaming rig really needs is a another 600$ for a high end video card and maybe another stick of RAM.

This is basically why I haven't owned a console since super nintendo, because I have no desire to own a television. But a computer for me performs so many functions already (workstation, stereo, movie station) that upgrading it to a gaming rig is really not a huge difference.

The PC vs Console thing has always struck me as a tech-nerd vs consumer thing more then anything else.
posted by Alex404 at 9:49 AM on November 19, 2006

and console owners hate PC owners who get to play better versions of those games.

I think this is changing. Apparently some of the new games on 360 (such as Gears of War) actually run about as well as they would on a $5,000 or so PC, without any of the hassle with drivers.

Personally, I've always played different games on my PC than I have on my console systems. Online play with consoles doesn't interest me much, and FPS games require a mouse and keyboard to be played effectively.
posted by The God Complex at 12:45 PM on November 19, 2006

Alex404 writes "This is basically why I haven't owned a console since super nintendo, because I have no desire to own a television."

I have a computer monitor with component video inputs, so I can use it for both PC and console gaming. Very nice.
posted by Bugbread at 3:58 PM on November 19, 2006

Assuming he was guaranteed a PS3 I would say he got a raw deal. He can't sell the PC for 3 years or he has to pay the full price for it. He already admitted he was going to get the PS3 to sell on ebay (I've seen them go for over $3000).

So in short he passed up on getting $3000 cash for a $7500 computer that he can't sell for 3 years (by which time it will hardly be worth that much). A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush in my opinion.

Now if he was planning on selling the PS3 to buy a super computer that's another story.
posted by Sandor Clegane at 5:06 PM on November 19, 2006

Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop hating America!
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 8:24 PM on November 19, 2006