deleted

The thing that jumps into my head before anything else is that PC folkers (and Xboxers) are missing out on the Uncharted series. That's a pretty huge deal.

Beyond that, I think it will take more thought. PC has started to get so many ports of console games now, that PC gamers are just not missing out on nearly as many things as they used to.

I think in terms of who's missing out on what, there's always the matter of games that are exclusive to a specific platform, so I'd say PC gamers are missing out on God of War, Halo and Red Dead Redemption for example, same way console gamers miss out on a bunch of exclusives from competing brands (Microsoft vs Sony vs Nintendo).

In terms of game mechanics, I don't think there are many differences. Maybe in the VR front, but then again one could argue it's more of an external thing to games. I think the main difference is still in the kind of services and ease of access the different platforms provide.

The thing about PCs is that games are muuuuuuuuch cheaper in platforms such as GOG and Steam, mainly because they have so many sales and reduced prices after some time of having a game released (not to mention way more giveaways with sites like humble bundle and even GOG every once in a while), which doesn't happen often in digital marketplaces on consoles (well, at least in Brazil, don't know if that changes depending on the country). Also, on the PC one can play games from several different "generations" without having to keep a bunch of consoles or waiting for backwards compatibility (meaning I could switch from Jedi Knight Dark Forces to The Witcher 3 in a minute), so I guess console players miss out on that. Then there's the whole thing with graphics, having to pay for multiplayer or not, etc...

On the other hand, console games are as easy as putting a disc on the tray and playing it. At least that's how it used to be, but games got so big now you need to install them just the same as with a PC, however, the difference is that it is guaranteed to work on the console, whereas you might run into issues on the PC sometimes.

I might have gone on a tangent here, but that's how I see the difference between platforms.

TL;DR: the main difference, in my opinion, lies in the kind of services provided and exclusive games.

I got a PS2 a couple years ago (I think I remember even asking advice about what games to get on this forum), because I heard it was the best console of one of the best console generations, and I learnt a very unfortunate thing: so much of the gameplay woes that plague games today seem to have stemmed from consoles. I think it was on the console that QTEs were first popularised. And the dumbing down of control schemes to fit console sensibilities. Not to mention VERY badly optimised UI (at least badly optimised for PCs). And I'd say the checkpoint system (with all its flaws) probably exists due to consoles.

On the other side, consoles are becoming more PCified too. Before, the point of a console was to be able to get a machine, and then regardless of what the game was, if it was made for that machine, you could play it. Now you often have to "upgrade" your console. Likewise, you can't just play a game out of the box, you have to update it the first time as well. Plus there's all the other online nonsense.

In my mind, game consoles were created as appliances: you would plug them in and they would perform their single job with no problem.
PCs were more of a generic tool that could do spreadsheets, accounting, typesetting, CAD, media creation, and also games.

Consoles began to provide other forms of entertainment, like playing music and movies. They also started to provide on-line services.
Computers started to become dumbed-down easy-to use tools, with specific builds, locked-down ecosystems and stuff. You don't need to know about computers to use a computer or play on a computer.
This is why I think PCs and consoles are converging.
X-Boxes and the Steam machines are almost blood-related, I think.

When will Dwarf Fortress get a Playstation port? Beats me? But with Shenmue coming to PC, I'm sticking with this platform.

deleted