Why I love playing Overwatch on console

It’s great to be able to play Overwatch in peace.

Here’s a review from an Overwatch player on PC and console from GameSpew:

I’ve owned Overwatch on PC since the game came out, but every free weekend I switch to console and enjoy it more. Christmas just passed, I finally got Overwatch on PS4 and haven’t touched the PC version since – except to test new heroes on PTR. Before I bought the PS4 version, those free weekends weren’t just 2-3 games, I spent most of my time playing Overwatch on console.

On PC I’m always pressured to play my best, and if you don’t, it’s very easy to get the “public opinion” stream from the chat. Everyone wants to play the game ‘meta’, and if you don’t, there’s a good chance you’ll get the same results. You can’t play the characters you want and if you still ignore this, prepare to “eat” from the chat channel. Do you understand what I mean? On consoles, Overwatch is more entertaining and simple. People can play any hero they want, whenever they want. They are less focused on winning by playing in the meta, and players don’t have the patience to ‘curse you’ by typing rather than through buttons on the controller.

You’ll understand this feeling on consoles, everyone is the same: sitting on the sofa, relaxing with Overwatch. On PC, everyone is sitting up straight, the mouse configuration is optimized, and ready to play like I’m competing in the Overwatch League. I try to avoid ‘try hard’ on PC for those reasons. Even in quickplay, you still encounter a lot of toxic elements in Overwatch.

Overall, Overwatch is easier on consoles. Everyone is on the same level. The tempo on consoles is slower because turning around can’t be as fast as on PC. The slow tempo is more suitable for my ability.

Also, I really hate a small group in the Overwatch PC community. Every 9 out of 10 games someone ‘slams’ someone else and it just keeps going. I know the vast majority of gamers aren’t like that, but it annoys me when a small group is the ‘worm that makes the pot of soup’. Gradually it became an incurable disease in the PC community. Blizzard keeps telling us to report these behaviors. While the Blizzard team did ban more players for such behavior, I wish the PC version didn’t have this problem. While at the console, people simply ignore it.

Of course, not everyone agrees with me; Overwatch has a large player base on PC for an obvious reason. Lots of gamers want to get better, and a lot of them want to be the next part of the esports scene. That’s fine. But with me? I just want to play Overwatch without the toxic experience. I will continue to enjoy on console, and you can continue to enjoy on PC.

Author: Jack Bamfield