HALF LIFE'S AND HALO'S

[TriniXaeno]

I know I won't see a collapse of the mmorpg empire.

I know I won't see a dissapearance of cs source, quake 4, quake enemy territory, battlefield 2, etc...

what do you think I'll see?

wanna make a friendly wager?

If the PC scene is still thriving, you have to give me all your coveted pics of Morgan.

If I lose and the PC scene is wshb, you'll have access to my treasure trove of Halle mpgs.

lol

(and wtmc @ laertes pronounciation...yuh mean is not "l8ters"?? good thing I does call you by your first name yes)

[shivadee]

I eh puttin Morgan up for nuttin. Especially mih autograph and pic. And yuh could forget about mih Aishwarya autograph too buh anyway i talking MONEY. Daz all i care about. They could have all the stereotypical ppl who support PC for whatever reasons. It wont make money like consoles. The reason is because of what you said and what i am saying now, since i didnt say it before.

It isnt making money like it used to

People cannot afford to keep upgrading their pc to play games and its easier to get consoles

ATI and NVidia could make graphics cards till kingdom come. If people not forking out 400 US for the card then it wont make money.

the market for console games is just growing exponentially.


No doubt it have a people that like PC otherwise it wont even be ON the showfloor at E3. But when you see HANDHELD and MOBILE gaming being put on the FRONT floor and PC in the BACK, EVERYONE know what goin on.

The day i went to get my pass they were setting up the booths. 2 guys talking about their booth. One was doing SQUARENIX and saying it is real sh!t. Dumb@ss didnt even realize that SQUARENIX booth made one of the biggest impressions on the showroom floor. And from experience their presentation blow out EVERYONE elses. Friggin plasma screan surrounding the whole friggin room, light effects changing to the color on the screen. Not a single fart of PC gaming there. Go watch ATI and Nvidia booths and see. E3 is all about BLOWING your budget on ADVERTISING for games and takers, and dread even the friggin NVIDIA staff almost get cussout from me and plenty other ppl for their f*cking attitude. BUT ah hadda say the ATI ppl was real real cool and the ATI girls......well you can see for yuhself. *grumbling*f*ckin Nvidia ppl.

Nothing wrong with liking PC gaming for those that like it, thats their right. Its all good if you like it. But dont even begin to try telling me that PC gaming is making profits like it used to. Im not interested in PC gaming other than using the developer systems for making console games.


*Neway B enough ole talk. Ah have a Carmack and David Jaffee interview here from Gameinformer i took pics of i feel you go want to read about the new Quake and PS3 .....about 4MB so leeme know hwo to sen it*

[TrinireturnofGamez]

 Its not like console gaming makes such great profits as opposed to the PC,  the 3rd party developers eg. Square enix ,  Capcom make big bucks but the companies that produce the consoles  have to spend billions subsidizing powerful  hardware in them ,  how do you think they manage to put  an 8 core CPU and 24 pipe GPU in the PS3 for 400-500 US when a PC at that speed will cost 2000 or more ?  They make a loss every console they sell  and have to recoup the cost on the games ,and with piracy as bad as it is its not easy .   
  Microsoft lost 10 billion US making the xbox as big as it is now ,  its no easy task making consoles .
    Also consoles rely on PCS more than you think ,  the graphics core in the PS3 is nothing more than a modified 7800 GTX shrunk to make it cheaper and run at  a higher clock , if Nvidia didn't sell graphics cards for 500 USD  and people didn't buy them regurlarly  then graphics as a whole will be behind a few generations due to less funding     , Nvidia and ATI do alot for graphics on the whole,  sony has their own custom video chip that they threw away in favour of superior Nvidia design ...     
   The difference between PC and console is that the hardware manufacturers make a profit on  every component in them  ,  so even if people pirate games like hell the industry will still move forward , there will always be an incentive to produce parts for the PC as there will always be a profit in it . Wheareas consoles lose out on the hardware   , and need to make large profits through games , and with people making modchips all the time thats  a hard thing to do.
   Also with consoles running C++ code now instead of assembly language ( one step up from binary, you must specific to the hardware you use so its a nightmare to port )  on the PS2 and PSX  its a very simple matter to port a game from platform to platform , a game made for the PC need not be a waste if it doesn't sell much due to the PC market not bieng profitable for gaming,   just throw the code in a different compiler and you have a console game waiting to sell for minimal cost , and  many games made for the console will be ported to PC to make an extra dollar anyway .
   point : PC GAMING WILL NEVER DIE  , and PC Gamers will give up their pcs over their cold dead bodies .
 Piracy will never die  , no system is invurnarable , crackers are thousands of times more skilled than the people they pay to fight them  .
     

[Kaizen]

umm where did this argument come from i was just discussing halo and half life 2 as the leading fps in there respected markets and now we have mc poloitics of pc and console O_O WTMC X 2

[shivadee]

Its not like console gaming makes such great profits as opposed to the PC,  the 3rd party developers eg. Square enix ,  Capcom make big bucks but the companies that produce the consoles  have to spend billions subsidizing powerful  hardware in them ,  how do you think they manage to put  an 8 core CPU and 24 pipe GPU in the PS3 for 400-500 US when a PC at that speed will cost 2000 or more ?  They make a loss every console they sell  and have to recoup the cost on the games ,and with piracy as bad as it is its not easy .   
  Microsoft lost 10 billion US making the xbox as big as it is now ,  its no easy task making consoles .
    Also consoles rely on PCS more than you think ,  the graphics core in the PS3 is nothing more than a modified 7800 GTX shrunk to make it cheaper and run at  a higher clock , if Nvidia didn't sell graphics cards for 500 USD  and people didn't buy them regurlarly  then graphics as a whole will be behind a few generations due to less funding     , Nvidia and ATI do alot for graphics on the whole,  sony has their own custom video chip that they threw away in favour of superior Nvidia design ...     
   The difference between PC and console is that the hardware manufacturers make a profit on  every component in them  ,  so even if people pirate games like hell the industry will still move forward , there will always be an incentive to produce parts for the PC as there will always be a profit in it . Wheareas consoles lose out on the hardware   , and need to make large profits through games , and with people making modchips all the time thats  a hard thing to do.
   Also with consoles running C++ code now instead of assembly language ( one step up from binary, you must specific to the hardware you use so its a nightmare to port )  on the PS2 and PSX  its a very simple matter to port a game from platform to platform , a game made for the PC need not be a waste if it doesn't sell much due to the PC market not bieng profitable for gaming,   just throw the code in a different compiler and you have a console game waiting to sell for minimal cost , and  many games made for the console will be ported to PC to make an extra dollar anyway .
   point : PC GAMING WILL NEVER DIE  , and PC Gamers will give up their pcs over their cold dead bodies .
 Piracy will never die  , no system is invurnarable , crackers are thousands of times more skilled than the people they pay to fight them  .
     

You and I have completely different views to this thing. I look at it from a profit standpoint as ANY person who works in the industry would. You look at it from a gamers standpoint. I love to play games yes, but not as much as i love talking about the industry and its inovation as far as HARDWARE is concerned. But you see for ME to buy a PC to play games specifically, with the resources the PC has, even if you gear it towards gaming i feel like i getting ROBBED.

And this tripple core processor nonsense you talking about, the hardware of the console, remember this is ALL for games. In time PC will have more power than that yes, but dread power for power that damn PC not putting out what i would pay for. I understand your point, but dread your WHOLE argument is not about that point. I not interested in C++, or graphics cards or anything like that. I am talking about a console, and a PC. One is for gaming ONLY and one is NOT (even if you create it to be it is NOT). Get it straight. I talking about console GAMING and PC gaming, not what is in what because the ONLY argument PC gamers have is that they have more power, i not disputing that. But it STILL not generating profits like consoles.

Its good to see that PC gamers are standing strong. To be honest you wont find such die hard ppl in the gaming industry. But money talks, and it talking now. What you hearing more about through news and such? XBOX 360 or ATI Radeon new Video Card? What on the cover of Forum, TIME, Newsweek magazine? Why you think it there? Because stocks are GOING UP for MS and SONY in that field. You know the Playstation has become a MAJOR source of profits for SONY? Over ALL their other electronics the PS2 selling more.


ANd yes boy console games are making THAT much profits. Console games have trippled the industries profits in the last 4 years. TRIPPLED dread. Read your anual EA, Eidos, Capcom and Activision reports. EA is THE BIGGEST third party company for games IN THE WORLD, and its not because of Battlefield 2. Your biggest companies are what? Valve, Blizzard and .....well daz it? How much money they making? Its FINE that they make good games yes. But WHY you thnk they porting HL2 to XBOX? Far CRY to XBOX? the DOOM 3 EXPANSION to XBOX? Because OBVIOUSLY it will make money. PLENTY money. MORE money.

 and about this HALO 2 vs HALF LIFE 2 thing. Dread Halo 2, weather you hate it or not, sold over 125 million in ONE DAY. Top f*cking that. Half Life 2 take 2 MONTHS to make that kinda money  (1.7 million). FOr a MOVIE to make that kinda money in ONE DAY is big deal and a f*ckin video game do that? come nah man. Then include GTA, Gran Tourismo (in Japan) and any Final Fantasy games. Yes some are out on PC, which sells more?

The industry LOVES to make games that do well, because the gamers love it and IT MAKES MONEY. the videogame industry is VERY competitive and gamers are VERY forceful in their ideas as we can see. A game sells because people like it and it makes MONEY. and it almost always, ALWAYS makes more money on the consoles.

NEway i not out to convince anyone. This is my opinion, you have yours, god is love.

[vinion2000]

trini, that was one of the worst opening statements you ever made, PC games making more profits than consoles? name 1 developeror publisher who stopped making console games and went to do pc games instead because of profits. your statement is wrongside.

Um Monolith. many of the exworkers for Square left and made Monolith which is now a premiere PC gaming company. their first hit NOLF was a pc title an they are avid pc producers. in fact over the years they have made more money than squaresoft. they have re-entered into console after regaining the license to Xenogears and make Xenosaga along with other games.

ive personally always pondered going back to consoles but i find them so limited that its almost to quote  shivadee " i feel like im getting robbed ". i see  shivadee point cause evertime i have to upgrade i decide whether that $2000+ should go towards a console or a single GFx card. then i play HL2 on full or Doom3 on full or even SC: Chaou Theory on full and i remember why i did it. true we often dont get sexy new paper reports and glamourous news articles but we still are the backbone of gaming. with most of the top selling games being pc games. plus even if money talks GFX talk more. Ati and Nvidia are he choice of the nextgen consoles but they have to push the industry so they can make money. thats why the TWIMTBP ( the way its ment to be played) was set up by Nvidia. to push the industry. the PC is the future where the ideas are created and the consoles are the present. the result of that future.

now let meh just deal a little with what  shivadee said about the pc and sale and money. now forgeting what i said earlier answers what he was saying. the fact is ppl forget that the pc gaming market here is different to that in america or europe. a game worthy pc can be purchase for £250-£400. since the bundle deals are great buying a system isnt as inacessible as you would think. plus  not all pc games are high-gfx games. fact that most pc gamers are women (wait) since ( you bet ) more women play games online ( lol ) on their pc.  now they may not be gamers in the frag night aspect but it whats butters EA bread. Sims is by far the larges PC franchise and gaming franchise probably only outsold by GTA3 and Metal Gear.

not to mention the million dollar industry that is MMORPGs ( like beago said ). with almost a new MMORPG being release every other month. we have seen almost every large developer make some type of experience. this is an experience which often isnt translated properly to a console cause you still need that keyboard. mics are nice but then cause language barriers.

funnily enough if anything thats going to come out of this new nextgen war is proabably more games for the pc as coding for the console will become closer to pc ( like what trini said ). your probably going to get more pc ports of console games. hell fable, xmen ledgends 2 and ultimate spiderman all console orignals now on the pc.

i could argue more everyone on this thread seems to agree with me ( with the exception of laertes and  shivadee )

[shivadee]

Be sure that I am not bashing the PC just because i have consoles. I have spent, just like ppl here, a lot of money on PC's for gaming. But after spending 18 grand on a PC to game vs 1500 on an XBOX or PS2. Dread you do the maths. I USED TO be all hell bent PC. But NO game worth that kinda money, none. In a year you gonna have to spend another 400 or 300 US to get another graphics card.

ITs simple figures and practicality. They make a mmorpg every month.... (now i not bashing you vinion, your points are well made, VERY well made) but how much of these MMORPGS tank after 6 months? And the remaining, how many really have people that play online? Besides the established games. Because the Matrix game kinda buss, Star Wars has lost allot of gamers even after Ep3, I think only WoW, EQ and Guild Wars in full motion. You dont see much on FFX1 either. And now SUN systems bringing out a whole new set of MMORPG, but look at the element involved. Real time fighting with attacks.....wait....that sounding console.

SIMs was huge yes for women. But BELIEVE ME, more women DO NOT play PC games than consoles. More WOMEN THAT PLAY PC play SIMS more than any other game, maybee yes. But by far, by far it is easier to get a Gamecube (because it cuuuuuttteeee *womens reasons - generally speaking*)than a 10 grand (TT) PC.

SOme of  the ppl from Square made monolith yes. The creator of final fantasy is XBOX now. And yes more money than Squaresoft, but they sure as hell not making as much as SquareEnix. A merger is usually a last chance deal. ITs when there is no other alrernative (Management 101) because it usually never works. No doubt square had to merge, but then so did Vivendi. But look at profits now. And to the demise of many PC gamers out there, UBISOFT gonna follow soon. EIDOS too, unless they are already, that company done filing because they bankrupt.

To lay my argument to rest (unless ppl want to kick up dust again) PC games, to me, are phasing out, but it wont be going anywhere RIGHT NOW. They are not out of the game *so to speak* but they are certainly being handed their hat.

Besides that. I not out to convince anyone, and no one sure as hell cant convince me. We can argue from not to kingdom come and no one will change their mind. Opinions are opinions. And to add to this, we hella straying from the point of this thread

[TriniXaeno]

lol @ straying

nice arguments from both but I must cast my ballot with Vinion on this one.

Also, to counter for every failing mmorpg and pc title, there are failing consoles and poor selling console games.

That pretty much evens out the situation.

The only thing that is giving  you the impression that consoles are wtfpwning, is there greater sales figures at the end of the day and the combined might of their marketing machine.

That stands to reason. It's a fair appreciation of the scene.

But does it mean that PC gaming is phasing out? I think not.

Ultimately, both are converging so the point is moot.

PC gaming was decidedly difficult back in the day (not so long ago) when dos and diskettes were the tools of the trade.

Consoles were simple and cheap and used cartridges. Consoles had the biggest advantage ove the PC THEN!

Today, the PC and Consoles are closer than ever before in form and function (and with XBOX 360, pricing). They use the similar media (CD/DVD) and can even use each others hardware (controllers, keyboards, mice).

Games commonly exists across all platforms and are only made platform exclusive by "political / marketing arrangements" and not technical reasons.

my $3.46

[Arcmanov]

I've played both games, and I was an unashamed, PC FPS hater until I played Halo ON PC.  THEN I got to experience Half-Life 2.  Both games are extremely good, but because of the story, graphics, and most importantly GAMEPLAY, the nod will always go to HL2.
As Baego said, Halo was released on PC, so it IS fair to compare it to HL2.

Hands down.  Half-Life everytime.

[Kaizen]

wow i best change the name of this topic lol i understand both of your strong points on pc gaming and console gaming whcih breaks down to Advantages and Disadvantages
Pc is great for online gaming on the fly
is also great for fps.rts and simulation games
easy to program for games are cheaper than the consoles e.g newly released games are 49 on console 29 us on pc
Console though
ONE console can have up to four players on it for multiscreen cheaper and more efficient than loging around a computer .the downfall really hmmmmmmm you have to pay for online play? ?

[shivadee]

aye aye aye!!!!!  ^_^Yuh dun know me, the console crusader...ah tell yuh Kaizen you shouldnt have started this thread 

Actually as far as paying for console gaming online goes im all for the pay to play PROVIDED the service is good. And it is. I get far FAR less lag playing HALO 2 online and most other XBOX games than i do playing any PS2 game.

Even though on PC you can get online with Dial Up, just like PS2, you quickly realize that its a waste of time, especially in todays day and age where everyone on broadband, or should be.

But dont worry about PC game prices......wait nah.....hommuch is guild wars? WoW? City of Villains? Black and White 2? NBA Live 2k6...........oho....thought so  And then you need hardware to run all that. Wait can you get these Pre-owned?  oh god no boyyyyy.....the CD Key done registered and used.....hard luck dey

[Kaizen]

mmorpg on whole is like 49 - 60 us them other games is 39 us ent? me eh know lol

[Beomagi]

You and I have completely different views to this thing. I look at it from a profit standpoint as ANY person who works in the industry would. You look at it from a gamers standpoint. I love to play games yes, but not as much as i love talking about the industry and its inovation as far as HARDWARE is concerned. But you see for ME to buy a PC to play games specifically, with the resources the PC has, even if you gear it towards gaming i feel like i getting ROBBED.

Really depends on how you look at it. I will ALWAYS have a good pc. The processor wont be out of date, and i'll always have a ton of ram due to my computer usage habits. All I need is a video card.

And this tripple core processor nonsense you talking about, the hardware of the console, remember this is ALL for games. In time PC will have more power than that yes, but dread power for power that damn PC not putting out what i would pay for.

Most games on arrival and even late would only be using a single thread. they wont be using all the processing power of the console, and the cell processor isn't strong in single threaded performance.

Over ALL their other electronics the PS2 selling more.

undoubtedly, though they have excellent marketing. How many of you have that tune from the psp ad stuck in your head? Profits for console GAMES are high, profits for the console itself is negative. Profits for games that are multiplatform are less than average as you're now introducing more time making the game(also depends on the dev team). Creating a game for a multiprocessor/core system, including the new cell based xbox/ps3 is going to increase development time some more.

Only time i paid more than $50 for a pc game was collector editions. I wont argue infavour of pc game profits - it's obvious the console makes more money. All the game stores around nj/ny have a couple of shelves for pc games, and the rest is console games. I'm not even going to get into mac games.

If there is any argument though that pcgaming would "die" put it to rest. This year alone presented numerous A titles for the pc alone. leaps and bounds ahead of the last couple of years. And there would always be that class of gamer just out for the highest quality most immersive gaming experience they can get - and that class is the pc gamer. The higher resolution, the upgradability, the expandability - just appeals to some of us more

btw as far as online console gaming goes, you pay for the link period? you cant just hook up to a router and connect to their server?

[shivadee]

btw as far as online console gaming goes, you pay for the link period? you cant just hook up to a router and connect to their server?

You can connect thru a server, direct connection, through a PC, anything you want.

Ok now to chook some fire:D

the HIGHEST class of gamer is NOT the PC gamer......doh tie up yourself atall atall. The highest class is the gamer that does it ALL, that is PC and Console. The gamer that plays EVERYTHING. And what do you consider class? how much money you spend....well there you go. You want some proof of the PC gaming industry slowly disipating......they just cancelled SW Galaxies on the Japanese server. SONY have killed the financing of that game in Japan. PPl doh play dem ting in Japan anymore. Now of COURSE this is a different culture, of COURSE these ppl focus allot more on on the single player experience rather than the online aspect, hence PS2 making a killing there...AND FFX1 still doing well there, well because its FF.

Half life 2? Fear? QUake 4? Doom 3? Prey? Battlefield 2? COD 2? All these games commin to console, and the multiplayer experience is FAR.....FAR batter on console. The interface for online multiplayer on a console is new but MUCH more refined, much easier to use and much easier to maneuvre. In other words, this form of gaming will get new gamers into the industry MORE than the PC, in other words, more money is comming through the consoles. But yes the RTS still rules ONLY on the PC.

My point. If you dont realize, realize now......videogames are becomming stagnant. They are getting BORING....Any person who has been gaming for 20+ years like myself can tell you. The games are almost always sub par......the ONLY gaming experience that is generating the sales AND the experience is the Nintendo DS. Nintendo, or should i say the Japanese ONCE AGAIN are going to have to save the videogame industry from its own demise. ONCE again Americans are f*cking up the gaming industry with games not living up to the hype. The cycle starts again.

Dread alyuh PC gamers starting to sound like Apple fans. But i said this already, when consoles become upgradeable........PC's are dead. We are seeing the FIRST phase now. The XBOX 360 comming with upgradeable HDD and memory, the PS3 following suit. As soon as you can swap out your GFX card and upgrade the Processor First party companies are gonna see a WHOLE new system may not be necessary and save money.

But its funny. PC gaming has been more popular for much longer......and the Console industry in just 6 years come up and cut its @ss in profits and have Hollywood spending cash on gaming. Alyuh men living in the past.....but i like the 80's too eh

[Beomagi]

Halo = unoriginal , dime a dozen mindless shooting of aliens gameplay , Halo 2 was a cheap sequel with a half baked story and some new graphics .

You could have ended it with that. I'm a gamer. That's means, that i dont CARE about who makes the game, so long as it's good. I played both. Halo was the BEST COOPERATIVE GAMING EXPERIENCE I'VE EVER HAD.  Halo's slow as molasses necessary reflexes let it be console playable. and it was insane fun playing with my roommate, every minue that we were not taking finals. I've replayed single player twice so far. and it's enjoyable. Yes other games did the same thing before - just none have ever done that so well! Last time i enjoyed a cooperative experience in an FPS was quake2 3.20- and i'm talking level based, not squad tactics.

Half Life2 is a gaming masterpiece. No room for a second player, but the game just wasn't intended for that. Story and level wise, it's beyond Halo - that goes without saying, though it did have a couple of years ahead of it

Shivadee, pc gaming wont die. So long as dweebs sit infront a computer and want to be entertained, it's going to exist. Console games are of course going to take a bigger bit of the apple, there's no argument there. But to say pc gaming is going extinct, i may as well sign your name up with the naysayers from the last console push, and the one before that, and the one before that... It's getting smaller, but look at this year how good the pc had it - look at the number of a-class titles that came out.

Baego  - actually halo started out as a MAC game - i'm just thankful they let me use the right mouse button

[shivadee]

cool scene. 

[Beomagi]

oh btw - when i said "highest class" that class referred to the graphical aesthetic, so many inacuracies in english The class you're referring to is the gamer himself. and i fully agree, experience it all. But i've said it before and i'll say it again, I will always have a good pc, I just need the video card to complement it the expense isn't much compared to my cable bill. And I like playing at my super high res, tweaking every aspect of the graphics to get the best compromise betwen graphical setting and framerate.

The interface for a console an pc is equal - it depends on the game dev to make it easy to use - what i look for in an online interface, is how easy it is for me to find good servers, servers i like, and where my friend is - e.g. of a bad one - quake 4 - GAWD AWEFUL! there's no need for any difference between either system - it's up to the designers, and when they mess up - they mess up bad. that said, there's always gamespy Ever play Tribes 2? Not the best but it was quite functional.


wondering how i missed your last post at this point Shiva, but then again, i VNC into my pc from work, so i figure its the slow tear as i scroll

YES consoles are becoming upgradeable - AND more expensive, AND carrying a more potent os AND etc. etc.

They're becoming more and more like pc's all the time. I have a couple friends that use the original XBOX as a linux pc. cheap pc.

BUT what you will probable see from this is 1 of 2 things

1. Consoles split into 2 groups - like graphic cards - you'll have the "low end" console, and the "high end" console. Manufacturers take heavy losses now with console releases, and rely on games. IF the console is to replace the pc, then they would not be able to suffer a loss since there'd be development on the said consoles as well, thereby raising the price.

2. A shift in architecture from 8086. The eventual use of cells (or it's derivatives depending on how successful it is) for home entertainment center pcs, then home pc's in general. This is more unlikely, though it an interesting way to look at it, another architecture as the MAC fades from sight.

[shivadee]

some interesting points there.....Im always interested in discussions like these but it ends up being a flame war, its good to see when you chook fire ppl dont get flustered and keep their head on with valid points. In 5 years im going to be in this industry....maybee less. I always like talking to people who are much more than "PC rulez, because i say so" than anything else. there are too much adamant ppl on these forums. No doubt the gaming population is notorious for smack talk. They really just buttering up themselves for a cut@ss though.

 But then we wouldnt be gamers if we wern't otherwise. WIth that said...my smack talk....the number of ppl worthy of me bothering to continue an argument on in this thread i can count on half a hand, and thats just in forums......where you have time to research and think....in person...well most ppl dont stand half a chance.

The demise i see for PC gaming is just the cost of hardware. The games are fine. Only so much people can afford hardware like that. And for what? 2 games that are worthy of those graphics? It is not economical for people to shell out that cash every year for top-of-the-line graphics alone....and then thats all PC gaming has going for it.  Innovation is what is left to the console, and that folks is what is going to save the videogame industry once again.

You are still gonna see PC gamers out there. But the numbers are dwindling compared to the number of console gamers. I see some PC based companies are trying to breathe new life into PC gaming eg. Maxis and their SIMS advertisments. They should realize that with respect to their target niche this isnt going to work....sometimes i wonder if these marketers keep their brains in their @ss.

[Beomagi]

The turn off from computer gaming is that most computers ship with onboard video. For that I hate intel - they are the most popular video accelerator in the business (intel extreme). Too bad for us really. $150us would net you a decent card capable of playing any game.

The cost of hardware is falling, and more and more people are able to afford it. With the projected cost of the xbox360 and ps3, prices can be looked at as rising on the console (even though these companies are making a loss on the main machine sale - ok, we CAN say ANY console is cheaper than neo geo, in that case, it's falling )

PC gaming has in my experience grown over the last 8 years I've been in it heavily. Recall the cost of voodoo2 - even sli (scan line interleave back then). this came around 1996 - roughly the same time as the nintendo 64, and ps1. Different economy back then. anyone affording the voodoo2 was awed. When I was looking around for a pc back in 97 - i had to pay $3000 - for a pII 266MHz, when the totl was 366MHz (look at how fast cpu prices fall now from the top). This was Dell, and they were one of the most competitive as usual. Back then a top of the line machine would easily cost $5000. I remember oogling over falcon northwest pc's configured at over 10k us. how much does it cost now for a kick ass pc? Prices have fallen a lot, and would continue to fall. Lan parties are more popular now. When the 6000 series from nvidia came out, what happenned? The 6200 was capable of playing doom3 and halflife 2 decently - albeit at low res - 800x600, but that would be better than what most people got from their consoles. That card came in at $100us. It isn't price that slowed the uptake of pcgaming, but lack of knowledge of what is necessary to enter it.


The guys at my workplace dont even play with their consoles, we play on the pc. At maximumpc, more and more people are jumping on building their own pc or asking about places to buy gaming PCs. Everything in my experience points to a rise in popularity in the use of the computer. Though, that does not mean that there has been a drop in popularity relative to the rise of consoles, which is why brick and mortar stores here are pulling out of selling pc games.

I also believe that more people are playing both. From this set (well, intersection of subsets) they have more console games than pc games. It's not about cost, it's about satisfaction. The console would always be the best at instant gratification, and they'd buy a few key pc games that suck time. RPG's such as neverwinter nights on a console is possible, but a cramped interface feeling would exist because while consolles can be created to support a higher resolution, your tv wont support it. Morrowind, baldurs gate clones, etc. Can you use a monitor? sure! but the console is about standardization, and the games arn't going to be designed with multiple screen interfaces in mind. Games where you'd want to sit down for hours upon end - and keep in mind that rpgs on console and pc fell like totally different animals mostly - everquest, guildwars, diablo II - yet i wouldn't care to play ffx2 on a pc
I can definitely see fps games hit the console when keyboards and mice become popular on it. Though there would always be that stubborn pc crowd that would stick with the pc for one of the genres it's best it - Fear, Quake4, Doom3, HL2, as recent example this year alone. Want cheap? UT2004DVD edition is only $20 and has hundreds of mods out already.
I picked one class of rpg and the fps 'cause I belive that for now that's the pc's strong points. There's another big strongpoint that i've recently gotten back into and that's simulators. Multi-monitor setups for flying using a stick and throttle is so bloody immersive, you have to try it to believe it - though while is is prolly the strongest example of strictly pc gaming, it's also one of the least common.

When the console jumps in price by another hundred or 2 - give it 2 generations... becomes even more upgradable, as lets you connect directly to a monitor for high resolutions, use a mouse and keyboard as you'll desire for most pc oriented games, lets you run non game oriented apps, you'll arrive at a pc under a different architecture.

[shivadee]

maximum pc.....hadda check alyuh out......wait this is in trini?

I told Baego already. At E3 this year it very very clear that consoles are dominating the floor. They are making the money. People JOIN the industry today MAKE GAMES for CONSOLES.

You walk into the Southhall at E3, the main entrance and where PC games? ATI and NVidia, SUN systems and Blizzard down in the BACK. who in the front? EA, Capcom, Konami up in FRONT.

I know PC gaming rampant in Trini. people love they "computah games". I used to be ALL gung ho PC. i drop 20 grand on a gaming PC about 3-4 years ago. You know what? When 2 years pased that was when i realized that UT not running well on a 1.7GHXz PC with 521DDR ram, which was pretty good 3 years ago. Man PC hardware can get as cheap as it wants.....but a gaming PC never gonna cost 4 bill US, 5 bill US or even 6 Bill US.....deffinitely not anytime soon.