I've got an Xbox 360 and I love it. All my friends play on it, and I LOVE the 360's controller. I enjoy sitting on my couch, and play pretty much every genre of video games besides sports and fighting. I have a mid-range laptop that I've used to dip my toes in the PC gaming world with Guild Wars, and it was a lot of fun. My best friend also played Guild Wars, so we got to play together online. I sunk quite a few hours into that game, and now I'm eagerly awaiting Guild Wars 2. I have Morrowind and Oblivion for my 360, and Oblivion is by far my most played game of all time with 500+ hours. I learned about the massive PC community for Oblivion and all their modding stuff and I became kind of interested in it. However, I didn't have a proper gaming rig, and was content playing on my Xbox. With Skyrim just around the corner, along with Guild Wars 2, (but more importantly Skyrim) I'm thinking about dropping about $1500 on building a nice gaming rig that will last me a while and will play Skyrim, with all of its spectacular mods, perfectly. How much more will I get out of Skyrim, considering it's my favorite game and I'll be putting hundreds of hours into it, if I do this and get it for PC. What advantages do/will PC gamers (especially for Skyrim) get over console gamers? If I get a PC and really like playing Skyrim and GW2 on it, I'd get other games for it too, instead of for the Xbox, such as Mass Effect 3, Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, and Command and Conquer. Do you thing switching to PC, at least for some games, be a good decision? Why?

EDIT: I've decided that I'm going with getting a PC. I've been doing some research on PC parts and what I would need to build a PC, and this is what I've come up with. It's about $1000 for everything going in the case and $400 for the rest. Does this look good for a PC that can run Skyrim on max settings and will last me a while? I've made sure to keep it upgradeable for the future so I can add a second video card in crossfire, more ram, a ssd, and possibly water cooling for overclocking when it begins to get to slow. Here are the parts I'm planning on getting. Feel free to leave any suggestions, as I'm very new to PC gaming, and this would be my first time building a computer. Thanks for all the comments guys. TES has a great community here on the forums.

HAF 922 case
AMD Phenom II 1090t (six core) and a Noctua NH-D14 CPU cooler
HIS Radeon HD 6870
2 X 4GB Corsair DDR3 RAM @ 1600MHz
2 WD 750gb 7200rpm hard drives in RAID0
ASUS M4A88TD-V motherboard
775w Thermaltake PSU
LG Blu-ray reader DVD burner
24" Monitor
Microsoft Keyboard and Razer Mouse
2.1 Channel speaker system
Windows 7

What do PC gamers get over console gamers (talking about Skyrim)?:
Mods
Better graphics (not sure to what extent though)
Creation Kit.
(I'm sure there is others but in my opinion I say those are the 3 major ones)
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You can plug your 360 controller into a USB port,should work for Skyrim.

Well you can play on PC with a 360 controller and sitting on a couch too for me PC is where i play most Oblivion and Morrowind, Oblivion modded is well is whatever game you want it to be , you can stay years playing different stuff

Just go http://www.tesnexus.com/ and see if you want to play on a console or on PC. I have a 360 and a PS3 btw i love them too. On PC not only you can donload mods but you can make them too wich is a lot of fun

As for other games , PC has a lot of nice games too but we can't talk about other games here "enthusiasts about" :dead:

If you are willing to spend $1500 on a gaming rig, then go for it. It will definitely be worth it. You can hook up your computer to your TV and connect a 360 controller if you wanted to.

One cannot simply "join" the glorious PC master race at the drop of a hat...

It takes years of good works, gym-haunting, fake tan and hair bleach to get there! Incidentally, you will also end up resembling your glorious shirtless Nord hero from the game. Like all of us glorious PC master race-ers. Yep. :whistling:

PC. Creation Kit alone is worth it.

I doubt you need to spend that much on a computer, but it would be a real piece of work, definitely the PC, the graphics will be better, if you have enough ram or a fast enough hard drive the loading time will be a lot shorter, dx11 if you can handle it, you can buy controllers, and mods

Depends on what your needs/preferences or budget are. If you got the money and want to play games with higher detail and in this case have tons and tons mods then I would go for a PC not to mention everything else you can do with a PC. You can use an xbox controller and a TV on your PC too if you've got an HDMI output which most GPUs do nowadays. If you already have a PC sometimes it's as easy as swapping out a GPU and probably PSU for a better one; that's what I did (although I already had a decent CPU and RAM so it might not be that easy for you) and I barely even use my xbox anymore except for exclusives.

edit: wow I'm a PC fan boy lol

The most obvious benefit for PC gamers with Skyrim is mods(the ability to use and create them). I suppose there might be higher resolution textures on the PC as well, but whether or not you can actually use them will also depend on your PC and the quality settings it can run the game at.

As a PC gamer, I've also come to love the keyboard and mouse as an interface in general. I think you could argue that it's the best option for first person shooters especially... because the mouse allows for the best accuracy and precision when shooting. In addition, the keyboard has more than 100+ buttons... while the XBOX controller has maybe 10-15? With more than 100 buttons, you have more options and can better customize the controls of a game to your liking.

The Battlefield franchise is probably my favorite of all time... and you mentioned Battlefield 3 coming out this year. I think the PC version will support 64 players on a server, while the console versions will only support 32 players. Also, if you like to fly aircraft in that game(or others) you can plug a joystick into your PC... which makes flying aircraft/helicopters much easier. I don't think they make joysticks for consoles... and I shudder at the idea of flying aircraft with the XBOX controller.

If you are really serious about PC gaming... you might try to build the PC yourself. You will end up saving money and buying only what you need/want... nothing else. You will also learn more about how computers work... and what the various system requirements/specs recommended for PC games really mean.

Personally I barely spend much of any time playing games on my Xbox 360 anymore, including Oblivion. I got it for PC as well and have played it quite a bit, and not necessarily because of mods, I usually play games vanilla style, but for the convenience factor. I can do so much with my PC aside from gaming and it's more convenient to switch to a game, plus you've got console commands which alone are quite fun like spawning enemies at your feet or reviving NPCs that you just killed. I don't know how many times I've revived the Adoring Fan in Oblivion, probably hundreds if not thousands of times, I do like killing that guy and then giving him some nice weapons/armor to equip and battle with. Overall I prefer the PC version of that game by far. This isn't even taking into account the many graphical differences and what have you. As for Skyrim, I'll probably end up getting for both the Xbox 360 and PC, just because I love Elder Scrolls so much, and occasionally like to switch things up a bit by playing it on Xbox every now and then.

We get 1080p. Shiiiiiny.

And mods, which not only increases the life span of the game, but the graphical capabilities and also helps to improve aspects of the game that you dislike or to add features that you sorely miss (hardcoe mode, for example).

This I agree with I find the keyboard and mouse infinitely superior to a controller but I do sometimes get cramps when I play for a long time lol which is something I never really had a problem with using an xbox controller.
PC games are usually cheaper too especially when they have sales on steam.

If you were already going to get a PC of that caliber, absolutely get Skyrim for PC. For $1500 you can get an amazing rig, though I doubt you'd need to spend more than $1000 unless you want to.

I had Oblivion for the 360 when it came out, but as soon as I bought my new PC about 2 years ago I got it for PC and it's provided endless amounts of enjoyment. The replay value goes through the roof with a modding community like Oblivion has and you can pretty much customize the game exactly how you'd want it. Check out the Top 100 and some of the Files Of The Month over at Sir Drake's link to tesnexus and some big name mods like Midas Magic and Deadly Reflex, there are some amazing things mods can accomplish. And with Skyrim fixing so many of Oblivion's flaws, modders can focus on making even better and more ingenious additions.

Either go with PC if you have the means to buy a reasonably good rig, or play Skyrim on your 360 now and later on revisit it on PC (when the GOTY edition comes out) and you are able to buy a better PC.

Not only can you learn how to use the creation kit yourself, but adding mods to your game from the community adds whole new dimensions. It usually takes awhile for really good mods to start appearing, and start with some of the better ranked mods on the Nexus.

Mods are well worth the effort to switch to PC gaming, there basically won't be an aspect of the game that won't be modded and improved. TES has the best modding community I know of.

Not that it matters; if Skyrim has controller support (which I'm sure it will), you can still switch to a 360 controller while on the PC!

The only problem is I don't have a wired controller and those wireless adapters for PC seem to have been wiped off the earth lol Plus I don't think OBSE had the ability to map buttons to a controller, maybe that will change this time around though.

It's sounds to me like your minds already made! If I were you throw that budget out the window. Take some time to read up on the latest/greatest in hardware and decide what you want. Make a shopping list and look for the best deals. I bet if your smart you will never spend $1500

Things you'll need:
Cpu
CPU cooler
Motherboard(same socket as the CPU)
Ram(check to see if your mobo is dual or triple channel, buy accordingly)
Power supply(get over the minimum needed for your gpu)
Gpu(get one high-mid high end, you can grab a second one later if you wish but I like one card solutions myself)
Hard drive
A case
Speakers
Mouse and keyboard
A desk or spot to put this
Monitor.
DVD player
Maybe a card reader if you want.

Thing is, half that stuff you can recycle in your next build, x years down road. Most likely these CPUs/ram they have now will be good for gaming for a while, so you'll only have to buy new graphics every now and then. I spent roughly $900 when it was all said an done 2 years ago, and have only upgraded my gpu one time, and don't plan on upgrading for another 2 years at the least.

Just do research, and you'll be good to go.

The whole issue is money. I have $400 Laptop which wont even handle the minimum req. for the game to run. With that being said, I would buy a custom $800 comp that I built, because of the mods mainly. I have a 360 which was 200 and allows me to play as if I had a 700$ comp. without mods. If I had the money, I would definitely buy a comp to play Skyrim in highest detail, but I dont have the extra dough. JM2C

Go with the PC version. Since you haven't experienced mods, I can tell you that they can turn the game into a whole new experience. It's amazing, I've probably spent about a similar amount of time on oblivion as you but no way could I have played that much without mods. The amount of content mods add throughout these games life cycles is barely quantifiable. Just remember though the process of adding a bunch of mods can be a hassle.

Cant belive no one said it. sixI PrONz and piretzin stuffs is pc. Jk

The pc revived morowind and oblivion for me . Whe you put them in and get the texture replacers, lighting mods and other such things even the vanila game is brand new, then you [censored] yourself when you start adding content.

Then theres the creation kit god bless you if you have made one of the fantastic mods on my game right now.

I can tell you that I switched from PS3 to PC for Fallout New Vegas because I wanted to mod and haven't been sorry a bit. That game needed bugfixes that the modding community had along with the extras...the mods that add things to the game that the developers left out. I don't expect that with Skyrim though. There will still be mods that add so much more to the game. It wasn't difficult to learn to mod and the Creation Kit should be great. I'd say go for it...you won't be sorry.

:tes:

You don't need to drop $1500 on a rig that will play Skyrim. It's being built specifically for hardware several years old. The PC version will offer some extra performance features from newer technologies, but overall it'll be playable on a rig that you could buy for half that price, or less, especially if you're building it. Though, if you have the money, you'll be able to spoil yourself quite well I've put about $1300 into my current machine with some planned upgrades that could add a few hundred more (SSDs and the like )

Also, everyone pretty much answered the "why you should switch" so I'm offering PC advice But I will reaffirm the point of mods. The greatest thing that will ever happen to your games. Also, the controls are far more versatile than a controller, though you could plug in a wired Xbox Controller if you want to, or buy a wireless USB receiver. (Wireless charging cords don't work)

But if you want any tips on building, feel free to ask!

If you have the money to drop for a gaming PC there are more than plenty of reasons to go for it.

-Better Graphics/Bigger MP Maps and More Players in FPS games
-Mods
-Cheaper Games (with a few exceptions)
-Mouse+Keyboard OR Controller
-Monitor or TV Screen
-Modular Upgrades (this is a biggy) which lets you upgrade little by little, instead of having to buy a whole new system all at once.
-It's an "all-in-one" device (rather than buying a console and a basic PC separately)
And tons more.

Now, $1500 for a machine you're building yourself will get you an amazing rig. But you don't HAVE to spend that much. Really all you'd NEED is (and even this is probably overkill for Skyrim):
HDD
Quad Core CPU (using the stock heat-sink)
650W+ PSU (when buying a PSU make sure it's 80+ certified, that's SUPER important)
Motherboard
Case (I'd try and get one with some basic stock case fans)
Disc Drive
Mid range+ video card (GTX 460/AMD equivalent+)
4GB RAM (DDR3 is quite cheap now)
A copy of Windows if you need it.
Monitor+mouse+keyboard+Speakers

All that would probably run you between $700-$850, depending on current prices, sales, rebates, and what you already have so therefore wouldn't need.
Now obviously you CAN pay more if you really want that extra, extra kick. Say a higher end video card and/or SLI or CrossFire, more RAM, bigger monitor (or if its a 3D one), liquid cooling, an SSD etc.

I initially payed $750 for:
AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE CPU
Asus Mobo (M4A78T-E I believe)
LG CD/DVD Disc Drive
4GB DDR3 G.SKill 1333MHz
EVGA Geforce GTX 460 1GB
Corsair TX650 PSU
WD 1TB HDD
Cooler Master 690 ATX Mid Tower Case
20" Monitor
Keyboard

And I had no trouble maxing out games with AT LEAST 60 FPS in 1600x900 resolution (including Crysis 1/Warhead/2, BFBC2, The Witcher, etc). I then went and added 4 more GB's of RAM and an 80GB SSD for ~$230 more.

So, if you WANT to spend $1500 and are going to build it yourself, go for it. But if you plan on buying it from somewhere pre-assembled, I'd personally rethink building it yourself. It's quite a bit cheaper to do so.

I have a 360 also. But I really wish I had the money to buy a rig so I could play Skyrim on max settings. And mods! So for sure go with the PC. If you have the money that is.

This ^^

www.newegg.com