Extremely High Priced PC vs X-BOX 360. Why does 360 take the stand?

Question

Think of a X-BOX 360 game that has the greatest graphics you've seen. Consider the price. $400. Think of Flight Simulator X or a game with great graphics that has been on the X-BOX 360. Consider the price of the computer which can handle the settings equal to a X-BOX with great framerates. Expect the price of $1500 or even much higer. Is there something that Im not understanding? Is it because the PC has full internet access? Expanded hard drives? Office 2007? These are guesses, but why is this so?

Edit: A computer can out-perform an X-BOX by features and programs, but I didnt address that. Despite the cons of a PC, I perfer it over a X-360 due to those features

Answer 1

Game console makers control their hardware and software licenses. So they can sell the hardware at a loss - sometimes they lose billions of dollars just by making and selling the console. The price of a console is not representative of its actual value.

Since they can control who makes games/software/hardware for their console - they make the money back here.

They sell the consoles cheap to gain market share, then make the money in games.

Game consoles are made just for playing games and so they do it extremely well. Computers NEED to be able to match technical standards so they can work well with a thousand different printers, mice, monitors, PCI cards, ect. When people say "computers can do more" - they are expected to be able to do even more than you'd normally think. Run servers on the fly, render video, edit audio, print various formats, read a million different file types. Having a gaming PC means you pay more - sometimes a lot more, but you do get quite a bit in return - again, more than you'd notice regularly.

Answer 2

It is because the xbox 360 is built for gaming, but nothing else. While it can function as a home media center, it still is not perfect in this respect.

A computer on the other hand has many purposes. By the way you worded the question, you are looking at a computer very narrowly. Lets start with internet. Along with internet goes email, instant messaging, and obviously access to unlimited amounts of information. On the computer, you may edit music, movies, create playlists, play games, change graphical interfaces, build web pages, design software. You may also do the boring things, like write papers, create slideshow presentations. The fact is, a computer has way more options.

As for why it is more expensive, it lies simply in power. The standard PC has much more processing power than an xbox. The reason an xbox seems more powerful is because when the programers create the games, they know the limits of the system it will run on, so there is no question as to whether the system can handle the game. Hopefully i answered at least some part of your question

Answer 3

Faster load times! Better graphics! More capabilities! Room for upgrading! With a PC you can do more! Not everyone has a XBOX 360, But nearly everyone has a PC... There are gaming computers that top the XBOX360 by a long shot, of course with the XBOX 360 your only limited to the games Microsoft shells out.. Which I can tell you are a very few selection.

With a PC you can download emulaters and play any type of console game! Download movies! (if your bad;) All sorts of stuff that you cant do on a 360. Its not all about gaming that makes it worth the price. But I can tell you my computer deffinatly out performs the 360 by far.

Answer 4

Graphics on the 360 don't quite match a high-end PC. The PS3 does- in the long run that might be the platform for people who tire of constant upgrading.

Office 2007- You are kidding right? That's an extra $500 above & beyond the cost of the PC!!!

But the Xbox 360 is too busy displaying the blinking red lights of death, anyway...