The platform is more open, welcoming, and more innovative

Nov 16, 2013 17:11 GMT  ·  By

The Xbox One from Microsoft and the PlayStation 4 from Sony are now launched, at least in some parts of the world, and gamers can go down to their local store and buy or at least test one of the representatives of the next generation of consoles.

And there are clear signs that this big effort from two huge companies that are aiming to dominate the living room space will greatly benefit the PC, the often declared dead platform that only aims to allow gamers to have fun when they want it.

The Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 are undeniably a solid improvement over previous devices from Sony and Microsoft, but a PC gaming machine has several advantages.

It can be assembled right away using roughly the same amount of money but with no limitations linked to markets and launch dates.

It does not depend on the Xbox Live or the PSN service for multiplayer or for extra content, and even the restrictions that Steam poses are small when compared to those of home consoles.

And, even better, footage taken from the Xbox One and the PS4 version of popular graphics-heavy games, like Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty: Ghosts, clearly shows a big difference in quality, even if developers and publishers insist that the overall game experience is very similar.

And this is happening at the launch of the next generation of console hardware, after Sony and Microsoft have invested billions in Research and Development.

The PC will be even better in a few years, will have more indie games to choose from, and will see progress in the social space.

All these are trends that will be replicated on consoles, but their closed nature makes it harder to be nimble and quick to implement new features or new hardware, which will make the PC a more attractive platform for developers and players.