Diablo III: PC vs. Console comparison

Well, it had to be done, the question… should I get console version or stick with PC version of Diablo 3?

So, as you might guess each has it’s own perks. It’s own pro’s and con’s. That’s mostly what I’m going to list so that way you can choose the best for yourself as they both are quite comparable products. One will definitely not give you a total different experience than the other. Most will be the same with a few changes on each.

Console

The basis of the console version was to give access easily to a whole different control set than a game like Diablo has ever seen. Mind you that is quite the challenge when you look at it. How does one do some quite precision things on console that they can do on PC? Well, you don’t in many cases for the console, of course this is a con as if your playing the “hardcore” mode where all you have is one life and no screw up’s allowed… precision is more or less necessary. However saying that it’s not impossible to play hardcore nor is it too much harder. Lets get into the list and I’ll explain each pro/con there as well.

 

Pro’s:

“Loot 1.5”: Self termed by the players as Blizzard has been talking about Loot 2.0 and a ton of the features of it. It seems console has gotten quite a few of the early. They have mentioned this isn’t all Loot 2.0 is going to contain however it does include things like your loot that drops will always be specified towards the character your playing. In the end… More. Better. Loot.

Offline: Yup, on Pc you always need a internet connection. On console you don’t. A real simple one here especially things with latency on hardcore modes. Obvious PRO.

Rolling: Well, you can do it and it’s fun. Very fun, if you ever watched me stream console you likely noticed I rolled around to pretty much get anywhere. Ohh I guess it also helps avoid attacks but ROLLING!

Mid-ground:

Auction House: Really this is here because its a 100% personal preference if you like the auction house. Some do obviously and others don’t. With that said its being taken away from the PC soon so neither platform will have it but as of now. If you hate the Auction house then grab yourself a console version if you can’t wait until Blizzard removes it from PC.

Con’s:

Targeting: While there is a specific button for it (L2/Ltrigger) the lack of specific targeting or ground targeting is just horrible. If you want to lay something behind the first wave of monsters coming at you… well sir I wish you a ton of good luck with that. With a controller, it’s just not meant for that sort of precise targeting on a ARPG.

Player Base: Of course it’s split between two consoles and you can’t play with anyone else off platform. So that means no PS3/Xbox360 cross-play or PC/PS3 cross-play or any sort of combo. There just plain isn’t as many people to play with due to that. As well as not having any chat channels to find people in all your stuck with is the rather bad matchmaking that has been with Diablo 3 since the start and while it has gotten a bit better it’s still lacking quite a bit. Your best hope is to find an online forum that caters to Diablo 3, such as DiabloFans.

UI: Well, it’s okay with 1 player but if your using a larger TV to game on with your consoles your going to notice that the skill icons for abilities that have cooldowns are quite small. So small in this case you will often miss when it is off cooldown for longer abilities like the Barbarians earthquake or Wrath of the Berserker. On top of those being small, if you intent to have a 4 player local co-op session in your living room… well the screen can get a bit cluttered with 4 players skills, resource globe, health/EXP bars as well as the map! It’s just plain cluttered.

PC

PC, the original Diablo 3 and well Diablo platform. where most would say it belongs. However it also has it’s own problems.

 

As for the Pro’s and Con’s of the PC you can pretty much look at the Console’s cons and make them pros on the PC and same with the pro’s to con’s. I’ll go into a bit more detail, however most should be pretty obvious.

 

Con’s:

Loot: Well it’s just horrible on PC. You will maybe find a legendary (1) from level 1-60, and you will likely be unable to use it. Your best bet for gearing up is selling all the loot you get some possibly on the Auction house if you find anything “decent” and then start buying better gear over the Auction house. It really is the best way to do it like that and it’s sad. If they don’t implement Loot 2.0 before they get rid of the Auction house then give up gearing anything new and I’m being 100% serious here.

Online. Only.: While in most places I don’t see much of a problem as the internet connection is constant and generally never has hiccups. However sometimes ones internet can go down, be in a area without it or many other possibilities. It’s a game I mostly play solo anyways so why can’t I just play it offline, even if my character doesn’t cross over to the online world.

 

Rolling: Why can’t I has roll  on PC :(.

 

Pro’s:

Targeting: It’s plain superior on the PC. The controller can’t match the abilities of a mouse in a skilled Diablo players hand. You can hit and target things mid pack 100% all the time no random luck stuff. You can also target things on the ground that’s pretty helpful for traps or if you want to lead a few of the front monsters to you before heading fully in with a tactical pull with a grasp of the dead or such.

Player Base: It’s where everyone bought it first who was interested in it, before the console versions were announced this was all we had. There are chat lobby’s as well as many established groups that play and again, websites also help with getting groups but you’re not 100% reliant on them now.

 

UI: It’s how it belongs. Diablo style. The HP orb on the left and the resource orb on the right with a EXP bar, potions menu and such between. Takes up much less real-estate than the console version, especially with 4 players on (even when they’re not in local co-op they take up a lot of room on your screen on console!). Maybe it’s because I’m used to it this way… but it just feels “right”

 

 

 

So, you have before you most of the pro’s and con’s of Diablo 3 for each version. Now there are a few more things to mention however.

 

Are you a fan of either the 360/ps3 controller? It might be worth the sacrifice of precision to be more comfortable. Blizzard did a great job with this PC to Console port. You even have extra stuff like Loot 1.5 ontop of PC!

 

Another note, this one a bit more important. Looking forward to the newly announced Diablo 3 expansion Reaper of Souls? Well, while this is 100% speculation I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if it was delayed for consoles. So again that might swing the favor into the PC version.

 

 

You have my thoughts, now I want yours. What version of Diablo 3 do you prefer Console or PC and why?