[clapsoewmred]

I'm not interested in starting a PC vs. Console war, which is why I'm posting this question here. This is also not a technical discussion, so it doesn't fit on the hardware forum. Neither is it about games in particular, so I'm not posting it on the gaming forums.

Console gamers often come back with "I like to play on a big screen, sitting on my couch" when the PC vs. Console debate flares. I've not understood this because of the following reason:

Sitting a foot from a 19" monitor, wouldn't the 19" take up more of your vision than a 32" from 6-9 feet away? In relative terms, doesn't this mean the 19" provides the apparantly larger display?

[AngelBee]

That's like saying sitting near a 36 inch TV is as good as sitting far away from a theatre-sized screen.

[Rufio]

I'm not interested in starting a PC vs. Console war, which is why I'm posting this question here. This is also not a technical discussion, so it doesn't fit on the hardware forum. Neither is it about games in particular, so I'm not posting it on the gaming forums.

Console gamers often come back with "I like to play on a big screen, sitting on my couch" when the PC vs. Console debate flares. I've not understood this because of the following reason:

Sitting a foot from a 19" monitor, wouldn't the 19" take up more of your vision than a 32" from 6-9 feet away? In relative terms, doesn't this mean the 19" provides the apparantly larger display?

Yes, but we are conscious of other physical clues (eg distance from the screen, size of other objects nearby etc) that inform us that the 19" monitor is actually not really big and it kinda affects our perception.

[exhibeKed]

Oh I will tell you I love playing on my 17" widescreen. The sharpness and clarity you get out of a smaller screen and console games is big. The only disadvantage is it is near impossible to play multiplayer on a smaller screen...

[lerobudrse]

Indeed you cannot be up close to a television and play video games because the resolution is so low you can't tell what you're looking at (Try playing HALO for Xbox with a projecter screen). With a PC, you be an inch away from the monitor and it sitll looks great.

[exhibeKed]

Indeed you cannot be up close to a television and play video games because the resolution is so low you can't tell what you're looking at (Try playing HALO for Xbox with a projecter screen). With a PC, you be an inch away from the monitor and it sitll looks great.

Don't knock playing 4 player halo on a 120" widescreen projector screen. It QWNS!!

[mrPronmaker]

I personally feel more immersed in the game when at the computer with headphones on and maybe the lights turned down. When playing a console game on a big screen from a comfortable chair six feet back or so it feels more relaxed and just killing time. I’m not a huge gamer but I sort of classify PC games as a single person experience when you really want to get into the game where as console games are more of a multiple person experience (I don’t mean people playing the game but maybe having three other people in the room that you’re also talking to or eating pizza with or something) when you have a group of people.