PC Gaming Going the way of the Dodo?

[TriniXaeno]

(Taken from an msnbc article.)

Video games -- with their intense requirements for detailed, three-dimensional graphics -- remain one of the last bastions of the consumer PC market, where speed is king.

Nevertheless, sales of PC games are struggling. U.S. computer game sales fell $100 million last year to $1.1 billion, even as spending on games running on dedicated gaming consoles such as PlayStation or Xbox rose by $400 million to $6.2 billion in 2004, according to the Entertainment Software Association.

High-end, hard-core gaming has traditionally been the domain of the personal computer, but the Xbox and PlayStation consoles have helped make video games into a mainstream activity.

New consoles from Sony Corp and Microsoft Corp based on powerful chips from International Business Machines Corp. could be seen as a new threat to PCs.

But Seckler said AMD does not view the new Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 as a risk to the company's gaming business. "It will increase interest and also add legitimacy to this segment as a whole," he said.

(/End Quote)

Now that is some scary stats.

6.2 Billion for console gaming vs a measly 1.1 billion for PC games? wtmc.

I mean, I knew they had surpassed PC in recent times, with all those console heavy weights contending for your gaming dollar, but this is ridiculous.

6 to 1 Ratio.

Are we really seeing the last days of PC gaming? Is the market gonna shrink and die? Or do you think AMD is right, and all this console fuss is going to start pouring interest back into gaming as a whole, increasing sales for everyone?

[richjob]

GAMING SHALL NEVER DIE!

THEY"LL PRY MY GEFORCE FROM MY COLD DEAD FINGERS!!!!!

[TrinireturnofGamez]

 Console gaming pushes PC gaming, many console games come out for the PC also ,and though a PC equally as fast as an Xbox 360 or ps3 is a small fortune  , Microsoft and sony are heavily subsidizing the cost to make the consoles affordable , so they can't afford for consoles to replace pc gaming with cheaper consoles  , and won't ,  as sony produces a fairly successful VIAO line of pcs , and microsoft's Windows main advantage over its competitors is its support as a gaming platform .  Both will loose alot of money if they do push for the death of the PC as a game platform .
  Also , consoles  usually deliver a different class of games than a PC , honestly , whens the last time you played an RTS on your PS2 or Xbox ? how many sim games have you seen released for any console ?  certain things are too hard to make/ play on a console , whereas Pcs work just fine with them, also with consoles hardware bieng closly related to PCs as it is ,  its a simple matter to port any game back and forth .
   Not to mention the fact that the PC has the largest library of games once you count emulation , sure your p2 and ps3 will play ps1 games , but the ps3 ain't gonna run Xbox games and vice versa .
   Whoever says PC gaming will die is a big fool , even if sony did decide to buy out all the PC developing houses , university students and people with too much spare time will get together and make homebrew games based on their own code / free game engines .

[Kaizen]

they recently had a meeting for all pc developers
damn it is it me or are we hardcore pc gamers stuck in themiddle
i hope this gaming never dies
and that there are still high class developers ready to put state of the art games out there

[W1nTry]

Dread the only thing that will make me play a console more than a PC is FF7 on the PS3 and daz it... My PC is the best thing to me after God and women. I would make a modification to a sticker a friend of mine has which goes like this: "Next to s3x I love my mazda best" to something like "Next to s3x I love my PC best" but thats a lil much. Yeah God and women!!! consoles are exactly that consoles, my PC does far too much for me to ever stop gaming on it!!!

[Kaizen]

true that i prefer my pc to anything else yes
even if some console games nive in the end they get emulators on pc

[TriniXaeno]

Well it is good to see we feel so passionately about it, yet the statistics show an alarming decrease in the PC industry with fantastic growth in the console arena.

That means only one thing. More and more developers will begin focusing on the console platform and less and less on the PC side of things.

Ion Storms luke warm sales figures and more recent closure brings the point home.

If they aren't seeing the sales, they won't stay in business.

Since the PC is such a kick brass gaming platform, that we all are making it out to be....then why is it losing in the sales race?

Could it be the Peg Leg and Parrot action? Too many Pengo CDs making the rounds?

I know the console scene has it's mod and copy game market going but it is decidedly easier to proliferate pc games illegally.

Maybe this is contributing in a big way to the serious shrinkage of the industry as a whole.

[Kaizen]

Yep it is every new game is on the net for download
look at bioware they actually made a console rpg...thats to show u
whats shocking is konami or one of them is now coming into the market!
look for hellgate london
damn i miss the studios that have been gone
SYSTEM SHOCK 3 WHERE ARE YOU!!!
lets be happy atleast cough cough ea is still here and BLizzard is still going strong along with some others

[TriniXaeno]

Yeah,

game houses like blizzard don't have much of a choice since their big games aren't well suited to the console market. Don't think they haven't tried

Starcraft was out for N64.

EA is lucky that most of it's titles can work on both. If they make even moderate sales on the PC side, it would still be worth the effort.

I try to do my part and buy original games when I can afford them. Last one I picked up was Dawn of War.

Soon as my pocket tall, will grab bf2. Dice so deserves the money!

[ProtoJoe]

The thing about pc gaming. Its suited for more multiplayer games, where there are games like MMORPGs and games like BF2. The online franchise of consoles isn't very large on the whole but due to xbox live, it is in America.

Secondly, its alot more expensive to maintain a pc, where as every 2 to 3 years you need a new video card, or something in the pc itself needs either upgrading or fixing, and for ppl like me with no income, that is a problem, it even is for ppl with an income. Where as console systems, newer generations usually come out 5 to 6 years after the current generation. And even after the newer generation of systems come out, the one before still has alot more in it.

Over all, both has its advantages, and dis-advantages. But, most days, "gamers" are becoming less and less hardcore and prefer to settle down with a console which the mostly play on their free time, instead of having a uber gaming pc, and having to maintain it.

[Kaizen]

yep this happenin long time
but pcs never gonna die forsure we just gonna looseout alot i gues

[W1nTry]

Proto buss down a HUGE point there... every year hardware getting better and because of this games become more and more and more and MORE demanding. Take for instance the diff in tech between DoomII and Doom III or Quake III and Doom 3. ITS HUGE. Its funny if u look at it this way:
1. Graphic card manus make better and better cards.
2. Game houses see the new tech, added power and possibility and make games to take adv of newer hardware.
3. Ppl end up having to get new hardware to play new games. and so on and so on.

Now look at the console market:
1. Bring out blow mind console with lots of power for its time
2. Get TONNES of developers to make games to run on EXISTING hardware. In fact game houses get better and BETTER at making games for a single console and use it to the fullest. Look at how GT3&4 look? showing the best the console has to offer.
3. Console cycle is prolly 3-5 years apart. So software houses just keep making for current tech.

Now in contrast, IF PC game houses had to work with a product life cycle of 3-5 years we'd see vastly improved performance on our current systems. We'd be using the 9800Pro and 5900XT till 2007. Games would get faster on teh SAME hardware as they tweak the engines and we'd get drivers that ACTUALLY increase performance. The console doesn't have to worry about this, it just worries about whats the next best title coming out to best the competitions offerings... SO I ask the question... is the console killing PCgaming or is PCgaming killing itself?

[TrinireturnofGamez]

also it takes more brains and time to play games on a pc vs a console.... no pc game will ever be as simple as insert cd, and hit the power button .
   Not to mention older PC gamers [i mean 45-60 year olds from the 'golden era' ]  don't get many games to satisfy them , how many truly deep and simple games are there that don't require quick reflexes or a complicated no @ss interface ?  These people are the ones who will always have a pc , and make a point of buying a new one ever 4-5 years . 
   Lastly, games need to focus more on gameplay and storyline and less than uber graphics , Doom III was the perfect example , come on no one  played the game over after they beat it once ! no one enjoys getting lost in dark corridors . Game companies need to spend more money on hiring people to streamline the gameplay and plot of the game ,and less on the graphics ! It makes little sense spitting out mediocre games with amazing graphics when most people's pcs cant run them !

[W1nTry]

Well I think JAde empire and the KotOR I&II were good examples of games with lots of replay value... granted so was Deus X as well, sad it wasn't better received. You're also right about Doom 3, noone likes to get lost in those corridors again.. sorry but it was honestly a nerve wracking game for me the first time round (must play in dark room with 5.1 up LOUD for the best gaming experience as they advise on the box I am playing Half Life 2 now and it also has its creepy moments as I have just passed Ravenholm, however its a bit glitchy and i've had the AI die on me at least 7 times already (the char would talk, talk, talk then suppose to MOVE and would stick and stand there forcing me to kill myself and play it over or quick load). I prefer Doom3 to it to be honest (plus STEAM IS UTTER MESS). Anyways consoles are retarded PCs (at least up till Xbox 360 and PS3), even then we'll pass them again soon enough.

[TriniXaeno]

good points

chakra in alyuh mc

there are simple fixes for that AI issue in HL2.

I got one that was like 3k in size when I first played the game.

[TinyGrasshopper]

I think it can best be sumised by the state of Hollywood and the music industries today. Mainstream and Independent. Mainstream making and spending lots of money with only incremental advancements in innovation and Independent with some of the coolest stuff like a platformer where you're a blob and a game where you roll up objects into balls to make stars. Someone will always be making games for the PC. it's just cheaper that way.From a technical standpoint the open source API OpenGL and downloadable content will continue to make finding distribution for unique games a possibility, and make porting from PC to console a reality. Just look at Alien Hominid.

Console gaming however as it becomes more "mainstream" will continue to overpower PC gaming but it won't go away. Besides, some games are better off in a less contrived platform, just look at UT and the community behind that. You could never do that on a console. I mean who'd want to sit in their living room and make a level using the level editor using a gamepad with 12 buttons? And stuff like The Movies. I doubt many casual gamers would be browsing through the PS2 shelf and go wow, I wanna buy "The Movies". that looks awesome!! And even though Console games are more powerful now, PCs usually catch up. Just look at the 7800 released yesterday. claiming to be more powerful than two of its 2nd best in SLI mode.

My only wish is that they try to innovate on the PC platform to make the game experience as fluid as a console while maintaining it's depth. The design of the interface for The Movies is a prime example of that. Instead of dozens of buttons for everything it will make full use of the 3d world to represent tasks. As opposed to the tonnes of D&D-style games with esoteric stats and typical fanstasy conventions that are always coming out. As for online I think PC games should try to make things easier, again to make PC gaming have as minimal a barrier as consoles. A fine example of this is Xfire. Every PC game should be bundled with it.

As for System Shock 3. Bioshock made by Irrational is coming out. Will be the 'Spiritual Successor' to System Shock. since they don't own the licence.

[TriniXaeno]

big post grasshopper. chakra to craw.

Laertes, you're right that the big money draw of the console crowd will get the attention of blizzard and others. They are no stranger to console gaming in any event. Lost Vikings was out for the snes and I am sure a few of their past titles found homes on the console.

Taking WoW there is a damn strong and sensible move. It isn't as involved as say Ultima Underworld, to make the keyboard and mouse pre-requisites. Console idmc.

Also heard talks of getting BattleField 2 on xbox live, arguably the biggest PC multiplayer title released in recent time.

Needless to say, keyboard and mouse will surely offer advantages but who is to say they won't just offer these with the consoles. They are relatively cheap add ons.

My fear is that the marketplace will become dominated by the console activity. Having a few token start ups doing work on the PC platform is not my idea of a thriving industry.

I want to see the ratio reduced. 6 Billion Console Game Sales vs 1 Billion PC game Sales = lihixxxxx

That sort of disparity can only spell disaster for the PC scene.

We need mainstream moola, fueling the developers to produce even bigger and better PC titles. Not have them all swooped up by the console croonies with fat wallets.

Don't get me wrong, I am a big console gamer too but the PC is my passion.

[TrinireturnofGamez]

Well I think JAde empire and the KotOR I&II were good examples of games with lots of replay value... granted so was Deus X as well, sad it wasn't better received. You're also right about Doom 3, noone likes to get lost in those corridors again.. sorry but it was honestly a nerve wracking game for me the first time round (must play in dark room with 5.1 up LOUD for the best gaming experience as they advise on the box I am playing Half Life 2 now and it also has its creepy moments as I have just passed Ravenholm, however its a bit glitchy and i've had the AI die on me at least 7 times already (the char would talk, talk, talk then suppose to MOVE and would stick and stand there forcing me to kill myself and play it over or quick load). I prefer Doom3 to it to be honest (plus STEAM IS UTTER MESS). Anyways consoles are retarded PCs (at least up till Xbox 360 and PS3), even then we'll pass them again soon enough.

my hacked version has no problems , after a few hacked mods/ patches , its definately the best single player FPS of the year , leave your steam to update :p .  you have to realise that things like steam are partly OUR fault for pirating the game and playing online  , in order to maximize profits and ban illegal accounts Steam , VAC and other much hated software must exist . 
  The Xbox 360 and PS3 are still PCS.. though they have IBM cpus  they still have closely related PC graphics and memory architecture  , though they are not as cheaply slapped together as the Xbox originally was ,  i bet they can still be emulated easily  once  multi core processors become powerful enough .
 

[W1nTry]

Well u are right about one thing trini we'll need mutlicore processors before we can emulate that stuff, cause i'll tell u flat out, emulating a PC on a Mac is THERAPY, and I am sure Emulating Mac OSX on a PC is also THERAPY. So not consider that these 'consoles' are tri processor systems and u'r look at a minimum of 4 dual or 2 Triple or 2 quad core processors needed to emulate that stuff and get good performance. Not to mention SLI 8800GTX's or something so (at least in the case of the PS3). So... its a LONG way off, not to mention who writing the code for these emulators? I am sure

[cdx2k1]

The things that killing the PC market are:
1)Ease of piracy
2)Inability of some to play games (hence not buy games) because of hardware requirements

I think the Pc killing itself naturally because of its nature.This refers to point 2>PC's are always upgrading themselves and new thing keep coming out.