Gaming is the use of computer software for interactivity at a specified level of difficulty over a network such as the Internet. A video game console is a form of computer gaming in which the user interfaces with a computer program or game and interactive real-time action is resolved by use of game hardware (video card/processor, hard drive, memory, etc.) to produce visual output. Computer games are categorized into several categories, such as racing, action, strategy, adventure, puzzle, shooting, sports, car and bike, and card games.
During the past years, the PC game market has expanded beyond recognition and several companies have emerged, each claiming to provide the best online gaming experiences. However, many popular PC game brands such as Valve Corporation, Playlogic, and Electronic Arts Inc., among others, have entered into a fierce rivalry to provide the best online gaming experience to gamers around the world. In this regard, there is fierce competition not only among PC game brands but also among individual game consoles manufacturer such as Sony, Microsoft, Sega, Nintendo, and Playlogic.
The emergence of these gaming giants created a massive market for video games consoles both for personal use at home and in public. These ever-increasing demands have resulted to the emergence of new and advanced consoles every year. In the last few years, there has been a drastic change in the way video games are being played or packaged. Earlier, most video games were packaged in CD-ROM form that required installation in the personal computer. With the advent of advanced Internet technology, online gaming has started evolving into a multi-player, online game in which gamers from around the world can interact with each other.
For a long time now, console gaming remained confined to the gaming console only. However, with the arrival of online gaming and the growing popularity of PCs, the demand for video games has drastically increased. One main reason behind this is the difference in the hardware configuration between the two. Whereas, the PC operates on different CPU speeds and different memory speeds, gaming consoles have a single general purpose – to play games. Due to the remarkable dissimilarity in hardware, gaming consoles require customized and updated software programs to run efficiently on the Windows OS. Consequently, it is clear that gamers require a dedicated gaming console, which can run on the same operating system as the personal computer.
In addition to the above-mentioned major differences, there are several other differences as well. For instance, most personal computers do not support high-end graphic cards and audio tracks, which are the two major components of modern gaming. To play high quality video games, the players require a video card, sound card, and an operating system that support the operation of streaming multiple media like video, audio, and animation. However, with PCs, there is no such need for customizing the hardware. The users can directly access the gaming software and play the game using any type of PC that they want. As a result, gaming PCs have become an entry-level platform for high end gaming, which has reduced the popularity of gaming consoles.
The final reason behind the popularity gap between PCs and gaming consoles is the dissimilarity in the method of playing the video game. Although both involve playing games using a keyboard and mouse, there are several fundamental differences between the two. PCs, which are virtual reality platforms, support a variety of methods of playing games including text-based games, virtual reality video games (VRG), 3D games, racing games, and many others. Gaming consoles on the other hand, support only one common method of playing – shooting the game. This may be because they were developed as personal computers instead of gaming consoles.