I don't really want to start a debate on which is better, but I think this article was pretty objective in pointing out the pros on cons of each.

It all comes down to personal preference and cost.

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Gamers are usually divided along pretty rigid lines.

Some favour consoles like the XBOX-360, Playstation 3, or the Nintendo Wii. Others prefer the PC. In the end, it comes down to personal choice and cost.

A console does not usually face a wide range of upgrade choices and is therefore less intimidating than the PC. You buy it, you play it and you don't worry about keeping drivers up to date. For PC gamers, the act of upgrading your system can be a rewarding (and expensive) task. So, if you own neither, which is the best choice? Here are some of the advantages (and disadvantages) of both.

Consoles

The Good: Simple and straightforward, a console couldn't be easier to use. You turn it on, insert your game and play. Due to the fact that each console is (supposedly) identical, game makers know exactly what the capabilities of your system are. The longer a console is on the market, the more time game makers have to learn to tweak the system to squeeze every last iota of graphics power out of it. As was seen in some of the later XBOX titles, the system could do a fair bit more than it could when initially released.

The Bad: You really can't change the core hardware in a system. If that hardware has fallen behind the times, then you are stuck with it. Game makers may be able to squeeze more power out of the system through software tweaks, but they'll always have the same hardware. Now, the original XBOX's graphics pale in comparison to the 360 or PS3. No amount of tweaking will let it catch up. Also, games have very little content that can be added after purchase. Even Microsoft's excellent XBOX-LIVE service only offers a few new maps, skins, or missions for its games.

PCs

The Good: A PC's hardware can be a very fluid thing if the owner is a gamer. A skilled upgrader can take a mediocre machine and turn it into a turbo-charged juggernaut with graphics output that would make Bill Gates weep. With the amount of customization options available, PCs can be highly personalized and gamers often spout the technical parameters of their machines like car enthusiasts talk about their rides. Microsoft's new Direct X 10 allows specialized video cards to produce mind-blowing graphics without sacrificing frame-rate. Translation: games look better and play faster than ever before. Games are also upgradeable on the PC. The modding community is made up of game enthusiasts who continually work to add new content to existing games. Some of the content is amateurish; other content is as good if not better than the original game. Whether you just want to download new furniture for your SIMS or you want to tweak a game file or try any one of a thousand mods for Oblivion, the gaming community has you covered.

The Bad: Firstly, the cost. PC gaming rigs simply cost more than consoles do. My gaming PC cost me $3,000 total once I added a top-of-the-line video card and upgraded the sound and hard drive. And there are better systems out there than mine. Some gamers have spent as much as $7,000 on their systems. There are a lot of people who get scared even thinking about taking the cover off of their PC. Gamers tend to upgrade a lot so if you are not familiar with hardware installs then you'll probably take the computer to a shop and have them do it for you. Here's a tip: physically installing a video card takes about a minute and most of that minute is spent undoing the screws on the back of your PC. Installing the software is an automated process that might take a few minutes (most video cards ship with add-on programs). If you take the PC to a shop, they'll probably charge you an hour's labour for 5 minutes of work. Do yourself the favour: learn to install your own video card.

So which is better? Only you can make that decision for yourself. Personally, I prefer gaming on a PC because I like to tweak my games, add mods, and generally extend the playability of the games. Console games can be great, but once you've played them through, there's generally very little that you can add/change for a second run. But hey, I'm just a game reviewer, right? What do I know...

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I have always preferred consoles for gaming and a PC for everything else. Of course I'm getting well into the "older" segment of gamers, so I don't have much interest in or use for online play capabilities, etc. In fact, I bought a PSP for myself this past Christmas, and I figure it's about the limit, technology-wise, of what I'll ever need so far as my individual gaming preferences go. To make a long story short, I agree with Cam: it all comes down to personal preference.

PC's are more versatile than consoles....I can't ever imagine I'd buy a console.

I'd kill for a Nintendo Wii with Smash Bros Brawl and Twilight Princess, (not really, but I'd love it) but aside from that, I'm a PC gamer.

And unofficially, the PC can EMULATE other consoles.