I posted twice in 2006. Three posts in 2009. And now, I make my first post of 2010. If I'm not careful, this will become an addiction. Anyway...
"Are PC gamers better than console players?"
Silly argument. It's like asking if North Dakota is better than South Dakota. It doesn't matter.
Both camps are gamers. I like the Xbox 360. One fellow I work with likes the PS3. Another fellow at work plays PC games. We rag on each other and talk some mad shite, but we still recognize that the three of us all love the same thing. We all laugh when one of us talks about botched attempts at something in-game, and we all get idiot-grins when the other guy is describing that amazing multikill or killstreak. The platform we play on doesn't matter. We just love the games.
The article linked at the top does not, at all, answer the question in its own headline. Basically, one guy (who advocates PC gaming) speculates that Microsoft pulled out of some kind of cross-platform competitive experiment because the "mediocre" pc gamers routinely beat the "top-notch" Xbox gamers. Also, he states, "You simply don’t get the same level of detail or control as you do with a PC over a console." I think that last statement is quantitatively true (though 'level of detail' can be an aesthetic consideration), and that few people argue against it, but it isn't proof that the PC-ers are inherently better than console-ers.
There are some great gamers out there on all platforms, and there are some real suck-ass players on all platforms, too. Playing on one doesn't bestow greater skill than playing on another, and comparing the two camps is insincere if the limitations of the hardware are not considered. Take the PC gamer and limit him to eight pre-assigned buttons, the numberpad (numbers only, but no zero or five) and two thumbsticks (and the reduced precision that goes with those sticks vs. a mouse), and he'll be closer the handicap of the Xbox players (yes, we Xbox 360 gamers are handicapped by the limitations of the controller. It's a little like playing Scrabble, but only being able to start with four tiles while your opponent gets eight).
The last half of the article asks, "But, all things considered, does the PC provide the best experience?" This isn't remotely the same type of question as the one asked at the top of the article, and has nothing to do with it. Indeed, a good PC will give you better graphics and a smoother running game with better, more precise controls. Undoubtedly. That's not what makes for a better gaming experience though.
I play PC games when my Xbox Live friends are not online or are playing something I'm not in the mood to play. The better gaming experience, for me, comes from having people to play with regularly, ones that make the game much more fun than it would be otherwise. Yep, most of the people I've met on Xbox Live are douchebags, half-wits, loudmouths, assholes or crybaby punks (most of the people I've met in the offline world are the same), but there are a few that enhance the experience for me.
They watch my back during team deathmatches. They coach me when I can't hit crap with a sniper rifle (almost every shot is a miss!). They rag on me when I'm killed by a claymore. In same doorway as before. For the fourth time. They (virtually) high-five me when I end the match with a high k/d ratio. And when I get too caught up in the game, get too competitive, they remind me that it's just a game. Or they irritate the shit out of me until I give up on trying to win, take a deep breath, and go back to playing just for fun.
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