[Intrepid Homoludens]

Stick with a desktop PC if you're going to use it almost exclusively for gaming. You can't continuously upgrade laptops (yet).

Originally Posted by booB

You don't HAVE to keep your computer state-of-the-art, but the option is there, and, yes, many of us enjoy having a high-end gaming rig. And it's not as difficult or expensive as it sounds; a good gaming computer costs about the same as a PS3, and a high-end gaming machine can be put together for less than what most console gamers spend on a single generation of consoles.

I've been out of the loop with the progress of PC hardware in the past 5 years since I've switched to console gaming almost exclusively. If it's possible to get a good gaming computer for the price of the a PS3, as you stated, what can $300 buy me? That's the current market price for a PS3, and that's what I paid for my console.

Would that $300 gaming computer come with a beefy enough graphics and sound card so that I don't need to upgrade at all for the next 5 years?

The only advantages of console gaming are: 1) the number of games released, and 2) the ability to easily play on your giant TV instead of a monitor.

Actually there are further advantages...

*Console exclusive games. XBL, for example, offers games by independent designers, many of them young talents fresh out of school. Some big releases have become console releases only, like the upcoming Alan Wake (though it may be ported to PC depending on console success).
*Online games like 1 vs. 100, where you're pitted against your friends and many other fellow gamers around the world. Cash prizes are offered.
*Netflix streaming service, a lot of which are HD quality.
*Social networking like Twitter, Facebook, and in-game voice/video chat without having to leave your couch.
*Upcoming advancements in gaming interface such as movement control - Natal for XBox and Move for PS3.

Basically the consoles aren't so much trying to replace the PC as they are further streamlining and improving themselves as venerable entertainment, information, and social networking hubs. It really depends on how you want to experience your gaming lifestyle.

Whereas the PC allows you freedom to tinker and screw around with hardware and games, many people around the world don't care for that or do not have the time and patience to poke around inside their PCs and would rather experience the games and have lots of fun.

Most PC gamers would argue that 1) is irrelevant, because the vast majority of console-only games are crap, and 2) is going to become irrelevant shortly, as media PCs become more popular.

That's merely a matter of opinion, don't you think? There is a widespread snobbery (i.e. resentment) within the PC gaming crowd over consoles. It wasn't as rampant before the current generation of consoles ignited the gaming world and introduced many otherwise non-gamers to video games, especially in that those non-gamers would never have gotten that chance if gaming stayed mostly on the PCs.

Then again, if you're buying a laptop for the express purpose of playing high-end games, then you are insane, and you've probably already answered your own question.

I'm waging that perhaps in the near future some laptops may become modular, allowing you to replace aging hardware (like graphics cards) with newer and more powerful hardware. But that may end up being a niche market anyway. Most people don't care for tinkering like that unless they're already experienced geeks who know their stuff.