Did you hear about the new games consoles? That’s right, there’s some new stuff from Microsoft and Sony, but don’t worry, you’re not missing much. Here’s why.

There’s a lot going on in the gaming sphere at the moment, aside from the big annual game releases that hit every autumn, we have a shit ton of new hardware to talk about. Fancy Chinese routers and mini-fridges aside (nicknames for PS5 and Xbox Series X for those not in the know) PC users have a plethora of exciting new tech toys to sink their nerdy teeth into – and isn’t that just the point? PC users get this privilege every year, and even though 2020 has been bat-shit for everyone, it’s a particularly exciting one for anyone who prefers a desktop to a living room brick.

We’ve already given you a run-down of the best reasons to buy either a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Series X|S, so here, finally, and perhaps most importantly (as the name of this website would suggest) is our most important guide, the top 5 reasons for sticking with your trusty PC.

1) Upgradeability = Ultimate Power

What’s that? These new games consoles have the latest and greatest tech to power the games ‘of your dreams’?? Whatever dude, that crap will be obsolete before it’s ever optimised.

You see, with a PC anything is possible. Framerates struggling? Get yourself an upgraded GPU. Simulations slow? There’s always a better CPU round the corner. Loading times suck? Upgrade that creaky HDD to a shiny SSD, my friend.

No matter what issue you may have getting the most out of your PC gaming experience, there’s constantly ways to improve it via the constant conveyor-belt of improving parts that become available each and every year. And what’s more, every time some powerful new component shows up, the previous generation gets a lot cheaper. So with a bit of patience, you can upgrade your way beyond anything a console can do before said machine is even halfway through its 5-7 year life-cycle.

2) Mods

Long gone are the days that games are fixed experiences once they’ve ‘gone gold’ and shipped to the eager masses. Every game is constantly updated, first and foremost by the inevitable (and often frustrating) day one patch.

On PC however, the story doesn’t end there.

Apart form a smattering of titles, consoles don’t support one of the best things about playing games on PC – mods.

Depending on the type of game you play, you’re bound to find either a modest or, in the case of most RPGs, bloody enormous modding community online. Doing anything from fixing bugs to improving graphics or even making all the ladies naked or turning monsters into Thomas The Tank Engine, the possibilities are endless.

You’ll even find games like Skyrim getting entire new storylines added or, in the case of the previous game in the Elder Scrolls series, Oblivion, complete remastering projects to bring these great but visually old and knackered games into a modern engine.

And the best part? Mods are free. Think about that.

3) Games Galore

This new generation of consoles may be making great strides when it comes to backwards compatibility, as PS5 and XSX|S will support the majority of games released in their previous iterations, but this pales in comparison to the incredible number of games available on PC.

Steam, the world’s most popular PC gaming platform, has over 8000 titles available to play as of this writing. That’s more than double what Xbox back-compat offers and unlike Microsoft’s system, the library goes back a hell of a lot earlier than just games made this century.

GOG.com, a specialist in older PC titles, has hundreds of classic games stretching as far back as the 1980s, which just goes to show what a bigger world PC gaming really is.

In fact, with the likes of excellent emulators like DosBox, you can pretty much play anything that ever graced an ‘IBM PC or compatibles’ machine. That’s a lot of game peeps, a lot of games.

4) Prices

Buying games on PC is nearly always cheaper than on consoles.

One of the main reasons for this is that new console hardware is very expensive to produce so is usually sold at a loss, leaving software sales as the only way to make profits early in a consoles life cycle.

Evidence of this is plain to see with the PlayStation 5, as most of it’s exclusive titles are going for a whopping £70 each this Holiday season. No doubt an attempt to make up for the generous £450 launch price of the hardware.

To be fair to the likes of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, digital sales have become more common in recent years, but when you look at the big picture PC games nearly always ship at a lower price and are more heavily discounted and more quickly after launch. Which leaves you with more cash to flesh out your ever-growing Steam library. Hallelujah!

5) Accessories: The Countless Possibilities

An often overlooked part of gaming is the very thing you directly interact with, the control input.

Games consoles continue to refine their controller designs but let’s face it, you may not get on with the inputs on offer. Sure, they’ll always be some third party alternatives but if you have particularly fat hands or are disabled in some way, your options can remain frustratingly limited.

PC users, by contrast, have an enormous variety of inputs to choose from – the best of which being your trusty mouse and keyboard. Although some consoles may technically support this type of input, the vast majority of software doesn’t make use of it. On PC however, a mouse and keyboard combo can, in certain games, be so superior to a game pad that entire genres of great games never see a console release, as their controllers are simply inadequate to the task.

Try playing Civilisation VI on Xbox, PlayStation or Switch and you tell me if you think it’s better than a mouse on a PC….you tried it yet?? It sort of works, but it’s pretty shite by comparison isn’t it.

But the fun doesn’t stop there, as PCs support a huge variety of devices such as flight sticks, racing wheels and even specialist equipment for tractors or trains – for those super nerds out there who are that deep into certain simulation games. Aside from a few racing wheels, consoles don’t get a look in here.

And we haven’t even mentioned VR yet! Sony’s now ageing and awkward to set up PSVR aside, virtual reality is strictly a PC centric pastime. And again, the variety of price points and hardware setups makes it possible to tailor the experience to your needs and your budget. Driven of course by the greater horsepower only a PC can provide.

So that about wraps things up for this article and this series comparing the new next-gen consoles to your trusty gaming PC. Was there anything significant we left out? Having read our guides, which route will you choose? Answers in the comments below.