This has been a hot topic on the forums as of late, so here's a dedicated thread posing the basic question:

Do PCs make a better gaming platform than Consoles? (Xbox360, PS3, Wii, etc...)  Or is it the other way around?  Provide your argument(s) as specifically as possible.

Let's put all the pieces on the table and sort out the bigger picture!
 

PC Pros:
   Better controllers
   Customizable
   More Powerful
   Better Picture
   Better Sound
   Better Framerate
   Smoother Gameplay
   Better all around experience
   Ability to keep up with high end gaming

   Cons:
   Lazy developers = bad cross console games
   Corporate interests keep some good games out of PC user's hands
   Expenses to keep up with high end games
   System crashes

Console Pros:
   Assured performance = no worries over how games will run
   Exclusive titles

   Cons:
   After a few years only low end games run
   Limited upgrade (with the 360 you can add a hard drive... woo hoo)
   Less powerful
   Gameplay is inhibited by controlers
   Lower quality picture and sound
   Holds back games that could be better but have to be developed for low end systems
   System crashes

   
   Some games are literally toned down for consoles once technology surpasses them. Even for other reasons games are toned down. For instance, the gameplay is slowed down in Unreal 3 on PS3 and will also be on 360 when it comes out because console users simply can't keep up. The things that PC users can do in games like Unreal Tournament or Quake are simply amazing. The precision that comes with PC gaming is amazing.
(the paragraph above is mostly for FPS games)

   Besides PC being the best for FPS gaming, it is also the best all around platform. Using the keyboard and mouse is far superior to a gamepad for RTS games and RPGs. With the keyboard you can make complex key bindings that you couldn't do with a gamepad. Plus, for RTS games the over head for two gigantic armies is huge therefore having a top of the line system will be able to handle them better than a console. Also PCs are much better for MMO games. Again PCs can much more easily handle the brunt of so many people in one area. I foresee heavy lag in Frontlines: Fuel Of War for 360 users.(of course this game wasn't put together all that well. I had the open beta less than a month ago and it was chock full of bugs. Now apparently the game has been released) So, PC is definitely better than consoles. And mrbiotech, your mac running windows (which I still think is a PC in sheep's clothing) is better for playing Lost Planet than an xbox 360 with the graphics set on the same level as they would be in the 360. If you turn up the graphics above the 360 level then you should get about the same framerate. But don't push it.

(Oh, and I know that you can use Keyboard and Mouse with some consoles these days, but they aren't standard issue and it isn't normal to walk in on someone using a keyboard and a mouse with their console, so jog on.)

AHA!  Now we're getting somewhere!

so much for that