In case you missed out on this (which obivously you did), we are saying that Stranglehold is not an optimized PC game, but rather an unoptimized PC port, which is just as unfair as expecting consoles to run Crysis without any optimization, right?

You are looking at one console - the 360. I am saying that if you wanted to play Mario Galaxy, GT5 and Halo3, well, you will need to buy more than one console. Of course, that argument can be thrown against the PC as well (you need to buy all those consoles if you want to play those games) but the same can be said for the PC: There are PC-only games that if you want to play, you will need to buy a PC. Therefore, that argument is moot.

And when did I ever say PC gaming would cost 350$? I say the starting point for reasonably good PC gaming starts at $700 (some say lower but then again, that just shows how we perceive things differently). PC gamers rarely use their PCs for gaming only. It's a multipurpose machine and delivers value not just on the gaming front. That's something that cannot be said about consoles.

But ok, I'll bite:

Minimum System Requirements of Stranglehold, a game completely unoptimized for a PC, thereby requiring the PC to run the game by brute-force:

Hmm... let's see:

50.00 + 59.99 + 74.99 + 52.70 + 26.00 + 74.99 = US$338.67

Throw in a cheap keyboard and mouse and you're set - for about US$350.

Mind you, I wouldn't buy something like this, but we are talking about getting Stranglehold to run, correct?

Oh, and you can also make all that money back - and much much more, by using your computer for productivity purposes - unlike the 360. But I'm sure you already knew that.

See? That wasn't so hard - and no luck required!

Edit: I forgot about the optical drive (but since it wasn't listed as per ckmlb's specs, but you can find DVD drives for less than 15$ and CD-ROMs for less than 4$. Doesn't change the price much, and you can probably still buy the lot for a smidgen under $350 (taxes and S&H not included, but then again, it isn't included for the 360 either).

Incrementally helps but it can add up over the years and big shifts seem to happen every 5 years (a console cycle). For example anyone that bought a PC back in 2002 very likely has an agp card and ddr ram as well as a motherboard with a socket that doesn't support the latest processors. So if they wanted to upgrade that would literally have to change almost all the major components in the system (cpu, ram, videocard, motherboard). They then have to worry about unforseen costs such as a power supply that doesn't supply enough power or that doesn't have the right connectors. It can get expensive.

Changes in computer architecture do not necessarily happen every five years, and they definitely have nothing to do with consoles. And you certainly don't have to change everything as long as you know what you are buying.

For example anyone that bought a PC back in 2002 very likely has an agp card and ddr ram as well as a motherboard with a socket that doesn't support the latest processors.

• You can still buy AGP cards if you want:

http://computers.pricegrabber.com/video-cards/p/5/popup2%5B%5D=1:596/popup1%5B%5D=15:387

• You can still buy DDR RAM (which in case you didn't know, DDR4, DDR3 DDR2 and DDR are backwards-compatible - you can use the memory modules, but the speed is throttled back):

http://computers.pricegrabber.com/laptop-memory/p/43/popup2%5B%5D=9:210

• Even pin instructions are relatively safe from change for around 7.5 years if you know what you are buying. Athlon's Socket A lasted around that time, and I bet that the new Core2Duos will last about the same.

http://computers.pricegrabber.com/processors-unboxed-oem/p/209/form_keyword=socket+A

What you are saying is only half the picture. While new technology keeps on coming out, that doesn't mean they immediately throw away the old. You can still buy Socket As, AGPs and DDRs for your aging system, and if before you only had a 128MB Radeon 9500, 512MB of DDR and a Sempron 2000+, I can guarantee that upgrading to a 512MB 7950GT, 2GB DDR and Athlon 3800+ will make that aging fossil of a computer you have feel like new.

Before anyone tells you this, DDR2 are not backwards compatible. The socket is different  

My bad - it's been a while since my last upgrade!

It's ok, but DDR3 is compatible with DDR2, so you weren't all that wrong  

EDIT: Nevermind, DDR3 isn't backwards comp. either, blah   

...and the $350 system still holds up!

The biggest problem with PCs is price, certainly, but near-equal in importance is user friendliness. Most people simply do not know how to assemble a PC from scratch, and do not want to take the time to learn, easy as it may be (it really is easy, for those who haven't tried it).

Similarly, as most PC games these days focus on multi-player, it's not an especially friendly environment for novice or even moderate players. Whether you play RTS, FPS or even MMOs such as WoW, you are almost always thrust in to situations where a large portion of the people know precisely what they're doing and will stomp you in to the ground. That's not satisfying to many people.

User friendliness really is an issue here, as both the systems and games are too complicated for many to enjoy.

Absolutely - and covered in the thread. It is definitely more of a hassle to play games on a PC, with the installs, driver updates and different logins and portals for different games. Having an operating system that isn't designed for gaming, but for general-purpose computing doesn't help either.

It is, however, very easy to build your own computer - I walked my brother-in-law through the parts buying and building process by phone and he got it right on the first try!

About games like WoW though, it applies to consoles as well, although with farming and accounts being leveled up 24/7 by three college friends adds to that unfairness.

I bet those that haven't played Mario Strikers Charged would get their @$$es handed to them if they jumped right into online. Warhawk beta players have an inherent advantage over those who are buying the retail version and playing for the first time as well. Certainly veterans of Halo, Halo 2 and the Halo 3 multiplayer beta will most likely have the upper hand against those who are playing any version of Halo for the first time.