PCs are often expensive pieces of equipment that we want to use for all of our electronic activities. It wasn't so long ago that we were prepared to invest 1000's on the right machine. But these days budget laptops can be bought for just a few hundred, this is especially true now we have netbooks.

Nevertheless, those that want a machine that is optimized for gaming may be prepared to part with anything up to 2000. In comparison, consoles are usually an investment of a few hundred, but their performance can often be far better for the latest sports games.

It used to be the case that computers offered vastly impressive specifications to consoles, but that has changed somewhat in recent years. The latest consoles now come with their own processors, hard drives, and the ability to connect to the internet.

The thing about owning a console such as an Xbox360, PlayStation 3, or Wii is that you know it will work with any game designed for that particular system. However, PC sports games are always a bit of a lottery, unless you have an expensive system designed for gaming.

The problem usually stems to the fact that most low-cost systems and the majority of laptops use a shared graphics card. This means the amount of power available for gaming, depends on what the computer is using for other tasks.

If you happen to have a system with a dedicated graphics card, then you are likely to receive much better performance from the latest sports games. The graphics card problem is a bigger issue for owners of laptops than those that have a desktop system. This is because a dedicated graphics card can be installed in a desktop PC to solve these problems.

Unfortunately, the problems do not necessarily end with getting the game to run, because many users may receive lagging game play, which makes certain sports games impossible to play. So, playing games on a PC can certainly produce a big challenge.

However, that doesn't mean that consoles are for everyone and PC gaming still certainly has its place. One of the main reasons for this is the way the console gaming industry is going. I personally think the more active style of gaming that was first introduced by the Nintendo Wii is great and has opened up video games to many more people.

But it may not be for everyone, especially avid gamers that aren't used to it and prefer to play the traditional way. In the future, PC gaming may be the only way to remember how gaming used to be, and it still appeals to a lot of people. The debate between gaming on PC or via console systems is really one of personal choice; although, many people may ultimately decide on a combination of the two.

James Kent is a fan of many sports as well as a keen player of sports video games. Follow James on Twitter and Facebook.

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