Not really. A PS4 is a $AU450. A gaming laptop is $AU2,000+. It's better to buy a regular laptop and a console to get the advantages of both worlds. A desktop offers virtually no advantage. Also, plenty of people carry their PS4 when travelling - I've seen plenty of FIFO workers bring their PS4 with them.

Those small PCs do look small, though, still useless without a screen.

As for the setup further below, honestly, who wants to game like that?

Is it really important?

Each of the gaming choices have their perks and flaws. I personally enjoy gaming on consoles more because of its dedicated nature. Everything is just a button press away. But I also game on PC (mostly during the last year or two of a console gen, when there's some software fatigue showing).

PC is open and highly customisable. And with the proper setup, you can play while lying comfortably on your couch, same as with consoles. From my experience, PC gaming IS more expensive than console gaming. But if you don't mind waiting a bit before getting new releases, then the price of games kind of makes up for the price of the hardware required to run them. True enough, you don't need a state of the art PC to enjoy PC gaming, but that kind of defeat the very reasons to choose PC over consoles, which are (for the most part) better performance and picture quality. Unless you're into piracy, which is an other story in itself and certainly not a good argument to bring up when discussing perks and flaws.

A lot of people here say that it doesn't cost that much to have a PC capable of running current games with performance somilar to that of the PS4. But if all you want is a machine capable of running games the same as a PS4, then why bother with a PC in the first place?

The actual truth though is that specs for specs, you can't build a PC that will run games as well as a PS4 for around the same price. The tower itself will cost you around what the PS4 costs, but then you need a keyboard, a controller, a mouse, the OS, etc. PS4? around 400 bucks and you get all you need to start playing games, hassle free...

That's my experience with PC gaming at least. I enjoy the platform. Steam is awesome. And a PC serves more purposes than simply gaming related stuff. But when my PC gets really outdated, usually around the start of a new console generation, I simply go for the consoles and start thinking about my next gaming rig, which I usually get 3-4 years into the gen. Until then, my old PC is used primarily for internet and work related stuff, as well as a media hub.

Anyway... Games are what's important. Option A might be better than option B for you. But to call one a definite winner? It's all a matter of taste/opinion, and wallet. To try to make more of this than that, I have to call juvenile and misguided elitism on it.

Uh. PC has more games. It's also cheaper over the long term thanks to free online and cheaper games.
You don't have to spend $2,000 on a gaming laptop. That's absolutely hogwash ridiculousness, you seriously believe that? Like, seriously, seriously?

And good for people carrying around their PS4. You can do that with a PC too. It's not an "exclusive" feature.

Heck. Lian-li made a "train" case. It will happily run along a track you have set-up. ;)

Then get a desktop PC with a screen built in.



Where is the screen for your PS4? xD Do you carry around a 60" Television in your back pocket?



And for the set-up below. I do?
I run triple monitor 1440P (7680x1440).
You have no idea how surreal it is to play something like Battlefield 4 or Dragon Age Inquisition like that, epic doesn't even begin to describe it.

In-fact according to Steams hardware statistics... A couple million people play in Multi-monitor configurations, go figure.

Quality of games over quantity.

The PS4 doesn't need a screen because everywhere you go you have access to a TV - at your house, someone else's house, a hotel. Is there anywhere where you stay that doesn't have a TV?

And, yes, a decent gaming laptop is AU$2000+.

PC has quality. Some of the most expensive exclusives ever made are only on PC like StarWars the old republic.

There are PC games which have more gamers playing them, than PS4 consoles sold. Can you guess them? Hint: They are MOBA's.

PC obviously has quality and quantity.

Personal taste/opinion plays into games though, very subjective staircase you are walking down.

The difference is though... Your PS4 games will end up on the PC whether you like it or not, eventually, the same won't happen in reverse.

You *DO* realise you can use a TV on a PC right? It is just as portable as a PS4. If not more so and can interface with more technology.

No. A gaming laptop doesn't need to be 2 grand to be decent. Want examples? 

I think at this point, despite the fact you have shown you have very little knowledge of the PC landscape (I.E form factors, displays etc'), you will still dismiss it at every turn, despite the proof that contradicts your claims.

^ That agenda :p

I don't care about a multi monitor setup. I used it a few times and I'm either only looking at one screen or get annoyed wih the seams. Even for work I found it rather pointless. I guess I could have used an extra screen while playing Elite Dangerous as I was spending about as much time alt-tabbed on the forums while creating a travel log. I played it on my laptop whenever I had a bit of time, no room to connect another monitor. Just had enough space for the wiiU gamepad with Netflix. (That game has some serious downtime lol, space is big)

I've been gaming on this setup since end 2006.




9 years later and it's still awesome. Consoles are perfectly adequate for that, especially this gen. I only need more shelves :) I hardly ever move the PC over anymore since I got a ps4. The last game I played on that on PC was Fract OSC. If you want immersive gaming, just get a projector. 1080p projectors are not expensive anymore and work with everything, unlike a triple monitor setup.

It's the pefect place to relax at night. The PC can stay at the work desk.

That is a rather beautiful setup you have SvennoJ, loving the HDDVD player for the 360 on the desk :) got one of um just for the media remote with my 360.

OMG just stop feeding Lawlight and the other trolls.

There is no agenda. I just dislike false information. :)
Also impressive and clean set-up.

You bring up some valid points about Multi-Screen gaming.

I too thought the bezels would annoy me, find it hard to focus on a single screen...
Eventually you learn to focus on the central screen and your peripheral vision picks up the action on your side panels.
Eventually your brain turns off to the fact  there are even bezels present.
I have been eyefinity gaming since the Radeon 6000 series of GPU's released which would be almost a half decade ago now.

Is it for everyone? Hell no. Nor would I expect everyone to jump aboard.
There is a stupidly large cost involved in terms of initial set-up and the need to upgrade to the highest-end components available on the market which also requires a degree of technical capability both for the hardware and software.

As for a 1080P projector... Not to be a resolution snob... But I cannot stand 1080P and below, that's a last century resolution :P
I endure it for a few console exclusive titles, but overall, prefer 1440P - 4k gaming.
Nothing stops you from getting 3x - 6x projectors though... ;)
Personally I dislike projectors due to their poor performance in area's with substantual amounts of light.