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Console vs PC: Why Should I Buy a Console?

Despite PC gaming's explosive growth in recent years, game consoles still remain a worthwhile option for millions of gamers out there. Here's a few reasons why you might choose a console over a gaming PC.

Price

It's hard to beat the value proposition of a game console, at least where hardware is concerned. Sure, games themselves may regularly be cheaper on PC, and you don't have to pay a monthly fee to play online, either (more on that later). But building a gaming PC - nevermind buying a pre-built one - that's as fast as a console, for the same price as a console, is next to impossible.

Break the hardware of a gaming console down piece-by-piece and it's easy to see just how good of a value a console is. High-end consoles, like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, are available at around the £400 - £500 mark, if not lower during sales. For your money, you get a fast, gaming-grade CPU, a GPU comparable in performance to a mid-range desktop graphics card (as of writing), a snappy SSD of decent storage capacity, and more. Not to mention that a console will include a controller, too, and that there's more even more affordable entry-level consoles like the Xbox Series S and Nintendo Switch Lite.

So if you simply want to play the latest gaming releases at a good image quality and frame rate, without breaking the bank, a console is your best bet.

Ease of Use

While we're of course big advocates for building your own computer here at Ebuyer, we understand it's not something that everyone has the time, money, or even the inclination for. Many people want the convenience of being able to hop straight into a game after a long day's work, without having to faff around with components, drivers, or graphical settings - and that's exactly what game consoles deliver.

You can set up a console in a matter of minutes; it's effectively a plug-and-play device. Barring software updates, you'll be in-game and controlling a character before you know it. Gaming consoles can be configured to update themselves automatically in semi-powered-down state known as 'sleep mode'. So while you're away from the controller, your console will have everything ready upon your return.

Compared to your average mid-tower computer case, a console is relatively trim. You don't need to set aside a dedicated space for a console like you would a PC, with a desk, keyboard, mouse, and monitor. A console can slide right into your existing living room cabinet and hook up to your TV - easy.

Exclusive Games

Many people's favourite games are exclusive to game consoles. Nintendo, more than any of 'the big three' publishers/manufacturers (Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo), is very protective over their property. If, for example, you want to play franchise heavy-hitters like Mario, Zelda, and Pokémon, you'll need to buy a Nintendo console. There's no two ways about it; you won't find Nintendo's games for sale on any other platform.

Sony has more than their fair share of exclusive games, too, from cinematic spectacles like The Last of Us and God of War to Marvel's Spider-Man, Gran Turismo, and more. While Sony's started to port more and more of their catalogue to PC as of late, there's usually a two-year gap between a game debuting exclusively on PlayStation and releasing on PC. So if you'd rather not wait to play some of the generation's highest-rated games, play them day-one on a PlayStation console.

This console generation, Xbox has taken a different approach to Sony and Nintendo. There's Xbox-exclusive games which you won't find on the other manufacturer's consoles - your Halos, Forzas, and so on - but they're also released on PC on the same date as Xbox consoles.

Support

When you buy a game console, you can expect it to last at least until the release of the next new console, if not further. Let's take last-generation's PlayStation 4, for instance. This console hit the market way back in 2013, but new games still released for it in 2023 - that's 10 years' worth of gaming from a single console purchase. Not many other devices are supported for quite as long. Buy a gaming console now and you'll be able to enjoy it for years to come, without needing to upgrade it.

Online Multi-Player on Consoles

It's worth elaborating on the fact that all three game consoles on the market - PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch - require an active subscription to their respective subscription services to play paid multi-player games online. Nintendo's got Nintendo Switch Online, PlayStation's got PlayStation Plus, and Xbox's got Xbox Live (also included as part of Xbox Game Pass) - all of which cost money.

So if you're thinking of buying one of these consoles (especially if it's as a gift for someone), keep in mind that you'll also need a paid subscription to access the online multi-player component of paid games, like Call of Duty and EA Sports FC. An exception to this rule is, usually, made for free-to-play multi-player games, like Fortnite.

You can purchase Xbox Game Pass right here at Ebuyer.

Consoles at Ebuyer

Here at Ebuyer, you'll find all the major home consoles on the market, including the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. We also stock a selection of games, pre-paid cards, and vouchers for each consoles, so you can pick up something to play on your brand-new console the day it arrives from Ebuyer. Spread the cost of your purchase with our flexible finance offers. And if you want your new console by tomorrow, next-day delivery is also available.