6 Tuesday, February 19, 2013
PULSE
Michigan Tech Lode
PC vs Consoles
NICK BLECHA Pulse Editor
Video games are a fun hobby for many people. Whether it’s the thrill of competition against other gamers, or the satisfaction of completing some solo challenge, games are a way for people to blow off some steam after work, school, homework, or anything. Furthermore, with a wide variety of games and platforms available now, many kinds of people play games. However, as with any hobby, there are people who inevitably take things too far. In the case of video games, there are actually several categories in that respect, but this article will focus on two in particular: the PC and Console elitists. After all, mobile and social games aside, basically all video games are on one of the two, sometimes both, and each kind of platform has its own strengths and weaknesses. And while most gamers are perfectly willing to just play on whatever has the games they like and respect the choices of others, the elitists in each camp won’t have any of that. To PC elitists, console gamers are all either prepubescent boys screaming obscenities into a headset or frat boys who couldn’t use a keyboard if given step-by-step directions. In the opposite direction, PC gamers are mouth-dwelling übernerds that all live in their mom’s basement. The thing is, ad hominem attacks aside, each side
does have a point; as mentioned above, some games do work better on one platform or another. Real Time Strategy games, for instance, require large sections of the keyboard and the kind of fine control that only really works with a mouse, not an analog stick. When Blizzard tried porting “Starcraft” to the Nintendo 64, the result was a disaster. The same is true for any genre that requires a large number of buttons to be available, or needs the same motor precision as a mouse. Conversely, PCs have never really been able to get around the fact that they are personal computers; they’re designed to be used by a single person at once. For that reason, pretty much any kind of game that benefits from sharing a screen (e.g. fighting games, party games) is going to work much better on a console, where friends can crowd around on a couch. Finally, there are a number of genres that don’t really have any advantage one way or the other, or where people don’t agree which is better. Platform games, especially the 2D variety, can often be played with just a few buttons and a D-pad or arrow keys; such a setup would work fine on both consoles and PCs. On the other hand, untold digital ink has been spilled arguing whether a mouse or dual analog stick is better for first-person shooters, and that’s actually where the entire PC/Console war tends to focus. In addition, there’s the
issue of development. For game programmers, consoles are (in theory) much easier to work with, because the specs
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everything you have to work with. The flip side to that is that consoles only receive technical upgrades between generations,
Most gamers are perfectly willing to just play on whatever has the games they like and respect the choices of others.
are a known entity: if you’re programming for the GameBox U, you know exactly how much memory you have, what kind of CPU, GPU and
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which is a span of years. On the other hand, PC games can target the cutting edge of technical power, but because a game might be running on
who-knows-what kind of hardware, and competing with other programs for system resources, testing can be a pain. Many games are available on both, but even then most cases have the game written for one “side,” then ported to the other, and if the porting job is done poorly, the “wronged” size will be very vocal in their complaints. Ultimately, the “moderates” have the right idea. If you want to play games, just play on whatever you like. Some people may look down on you, by you can ignore them.
Superior Wind Symphony Returns to the Rosza ALEX SAARI Lode Writer
Now that Winter Carnival is officially over and Valentine’s Day has passed us by, you may think that there aren’t many events left to make room for. The Superior Wind Symphony (SWS) aims to change that this coming Friday. The SWS will present “Re:Location”, an evening of music focusing on the marvels and experiences found in small towns, large cities and hole-inthe-wall counties. As in the past, a special guest conductor will lead the
symphony. Frank Battisti, emeritus conductor of the New England Conservatory, will hold that role for this concert. Michael Christianson, current Director of Bands, said of Battisti that “he is one of the wisest living authorities in the areas of wind bands and music education [that we have].” The Superior Wind Symphony will perform eight pieces for the concert. “NYC: George Washington Bridge” pays homage to composer William Schuman’s appreciation of one New York landmark. “Avenue X”, composed by Jonathan Newman, is meant to
evoke the experience of riding the Brooklyn subway line F Train to the final stop near Coney Island. Sousa’s “The Northern Pines” reveals his inspiration for Michigan and was written during his time as guest conductor at Interlochen’s Center for the Arts, near Traverse City. “Blue Lake Overture” is in honor of John Barnes Chance’s time spent at a fine arts camp in Twin Lakes. “Else’s Procession to the Cathedral” is set in a fictional time and place and draws detail from his ‘Opera Lohengrin’. Jean Sibelius’ “Finlandia” Continued on page 7