Discuss - PC Gaming is winding down...

bfar

bfar

bfar

Soldato
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Not even 5 years back, many of us used to stroll down to the local news agents and pick up a PC games mag with a couple of CDs or DVD on the front. Chances are, there would be at least 4 or 5 good demos worth playing. A brand new title might be priced at around €35 if even, and there seemed to be a lot more of them.

Nowadays, we're lucky to see that many good titles in 6 months. Yesterday I went in to a popular games store. In the smaller than ever PC section I glanced at the chart-shelf. I couldn't help thinking the "xmas" range was more than a bit lack-luster. Alongside the exciting 360 and PSP lines, and innovative new Wii range, I had to wonder if it was all still worth it. Thinking about it now, this is the first xmas in ages where I haven't asked for a PC game in my stocking.

On the plus side, there's a handful of good titles on the 2007 calander. Most of them are already delayed. They might come out on time to be playable on our current rigs. They might actually work without a patch. Fingers crossed! Development times are definately streched these days. Current technology requires more developement time. Publishers are cutting costs.

And all the while that XBOX 360 is looking at me from across the store. Powerful, and looking good. €450 with a couple of games. Half the price of a new rig. Half the hassle probably. More social too. Already a great range of games and more on the way. I wonder If I'll bother with that C2D rig after all. Could even sell the 8800.

Your thoughts....
 
I totally agree, I think it's mainly due to the consoles catching up and bringing out great games soley for consoles.
 
Ecl said:
I totally agree, I think it's mainly due to the consoles catching up and bringing out great games soley for consoles.
Click to expand...


As pretty as your sig is, it breaks the forum rules for dimensions and file size.

Just letting you know :).
 
It's harder to make PC games these days therefore it's taking much longer. Back in the days you had a team of 4-8 people working a few months on a game and got it released. These days you have to get it spot on since chances are your company won't be around for a second title if the first one flops (smaller companies that is). Consoles is easier to develop for since you only code to one architecture.

But, I agree. I'd rather play good console games these days than bothering getting a game to run on my PC. Doesn't stop me from upgrading the damn thing ever so often!
 
I think (and hope) that pc gaming is just in a bit of slump at the minute. The launch of the 360 means that people can afford to purchase a console that is as powerfull as most pc's and play games on a HD telly which look just as good as pc games for the most part.

I think PC's will bounce back though, in a couple of years time PC hardware will be well in advance of the current gen consoles, and I think PC games in certain area's are always way ahead of the console market such as driving sims, flight sims, MMO and RTS.

I do agree that the decision to stick with PC gaming is getting tougher though. I went 14 months without upgrading which is a record for me. Since I got my 360 I just didn't see the need to spend more on upgrading the PC. I finally caved in last week and got a 8800 GTX and dell 2407 and I'm really happy with my upgrades. I think that PC gaming will become more of a niche market with fewer people opting for it, but I think there will always be an enthusiast market there that is prepared to spend considerable amounts of money on their PC habit.
 
People arent going to be buying new consoles every year. So PC' s will keep their advantage over the consoles.

Plus PC Games are more adaptable, modding etc

PC's RULES!!!! :D

Merry Christmas all
 
Well as long their are companies like AMD, Intel, nVidia etc pouring money into PC development I think PC gaming is safe. Hopefully with Vista and big market campaign from Microsoft it should improve things.
 
I can only think of a few reasons for this happening:

- Nextgen consoles have caused developers to switch their attention away from PC releases.
- Adoption of new technology causing title delays (parallel programming/DX10/Vista/Physics/PixelShaders)
- Cost of PC components spiraling as hardware providers resort to bruteforce methods to cope with increased performance demand.
- Consoles games stealing sales as they are hitting a bigger market because consoles perform more tasks that only PCs did (music playback/HD movie playback/internet access and so on)
 
yea id agree that console tend to be getting more attention, from;

Retailers
E-tailers
Developers
Press

etc

a lot of new PC games are coming out now as Ports of the console version, GRAW/R6LV for example. Rainbow 6 (original) started it on the PC, and now we have a situation where it appears to be far more profitable for devs/publishers to make these kind of games for a console and then to port it across, as opposed to doing the opposite.

i think the ROI of console game dev is far higher than PC Games, therefore it makes sense to focus on dev'ing games for console's.

But this does not mean that there arent any PC games being developed independantly, but certainly there arent in the magnitude there have been previously..
 
Consoles have always had as good graphics as PCs - they have for as long as I've been paying attention, anyway. The Xbox was better than any reasonably affordable PC when it came out, as was the PS1, as was the megadrive. I assume it was the same before that, too.

PCs have always cost more for the amount of gaming you get, but the games are in a whole different league to what you can find on a console. (Think ELITE vs early platformers on the consoles...)

I dont think its winding down at all tbh.
 
eekfek said:
what, this isnt a groundbreaking new thread ???!!!?!?!
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Hardly :p , but the circumstances are changing fast. So I think the question will always be relevent. Espesially for enthusiasts who spend a lot of money on gaming equipment.

I feel that as newer generations of consoles arrive, they bring more and more features to the table that used to be unique to the PC. The original Playstation was good, but it could never replace PC style gaming. The 360 on the other hand, is now a cheaper viable alternative.

And now Nintendo is here with a genuine revolution in control systems that could revitalise the whole industry.

But ultimately it's about the games. And in that area you could argue that the PC is beginning to lose it's edge.
 
bfar said:
Not even 5 years back, many of us used to stroll down to the local news agents and pick up a PC games mag with a couple of CDs or DVD on the front. Chances are, there would be at least 4 or 5 good demos worth playing. A brand new title might be priced at around €35 if even, and there seemed to be a lot more of them.

Nowadays, we're lucky to see that many good titles in 6 months. Yesterday I went in to a popular games store. In the smaller than ever PC section I glanced at the chart-shelf. I couldn't help thinking the "xmas" range was more than a bit lack-luster. Alongside the exciting 360 and PSP lines, and innovative new Wii range, I had to wonder if it was all still worth it. Thinking about it now, this is the first xmas in ages where I haven't asked for a PC game in my stocking.

On the plus side, there's a handful of good titles on the 2007 calander. Most of them are already delayed. They might come out on time to be playable on our current rigs. They might actually work without a patch. Fingers crossed! Development times are definately streched these days. Current technology requires more developement time. Publishers are cutting costs.

And all the while that XBOX 360 is looking at me from across the store. Powerful, and looking good. €450 with a couple of games. Half the price of a new rig. Half the hassle probably. More social too. Already a great range of games and more on the way. I wonder If I'll bother with that C2D rig after all. Could even sell the 8800.

Your thoughts....
Click to expand...

Theres some things a console cannot compete with a PC with for me.

Categories

RPGS
FPS
STRATEGY
SIMULATIONS

It just cannot compete in these areas with the likes of Medieval TW2, COH, HL mods and HL2 + mods, Vampires: Bloodlines, Fallout 2, Arcanum, Silent Hunter 2 (or 3), Planescape Torment, BG2, FS X, Neverwinter Nights + NWN 2, Oblivion, Morrowind, GTA SA,

+ hundreds and hundreds of demos, movies and mods to download and try!! The amount of choice is breathtaking in comparison to what a console can offer on these same terms and guess what its all FREE! (mostly)

The sheer depth and customizability of a lot of these games offers great appeal to the gamer. They can design and create their own games rather than being fed something EA has sold them. Pc gaming appeals to those who like to tinker with their games because gaming for them is about choice not about a fixed end content that you are sold by the game company.

Basically if you like games with instant appeal gratification that you can pick up and play for 10 minutes then go down the pub then a console is what your looking for.

If you're looking for something with bags more immersion, realism, interactiveness, depth of gameplay and sheer amount of things you can do then pc gaming is the choice for you.

pc gaming is NOT all about the graphics.... or the latest new thing on the horizon. What i mean is it isnt dependant on new games coming out for it to be worthwhile gamingwise. There is a huge back catalogue of pc games & modding teams all remaking games. A massive ongoing community.

And thats only one aspect of owning a PC that you can do. Theres watching+editing movies, playing+editing music, browsing the internet, mundane tasks like using ms office, programming, designing websites, etc etc etc

Never will a console be able to compete on those terms because if it could it would no longer be a console.....it would be a pc :)

On a personal note having owned a number of consoles i would say often they cater to a younger market. I certainly feel in a lot of games you are hand-held down a linear path ie they are very much dumbed down
entertainment.

xmas range lackluster?

NWN2, Medieval War2, Splinter cell DA, Company of Heroes, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, Oblivion NON, WOW: burning crusade, Guild Wars Nightfall, etc etc!!

what do we have from the xbox 360 this xmas then?

On a footnote....can you express your views on gaming from a console on a forum like this? Or do you need a pc?
 
Briton said:
How many years have we been reading about the demise of PC gaming now?
Click to expand...

I'm not saying it's going to fizzle out tonight, but those shelves in the stores are getting smaller and smaller.
 
The day I see Company of Heroes and Medieval 2 on the Xbox 360, and a keyboard and mouse, that's the day I'll get a console. Until then it just doesn't have the kind of games I play.

But who knows... Rome Total War 2 on the PS3 anyone!?!?!?
 
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