I dont know mate... I have ALWAYS found that PC had a wider selection of better games that lasted longer than consoles ever did. Maybe thats changing, but it hasn't happened yet. I stop PC gaming for a month when an amazing game comes out a console... at most, but then I'm drawn back to the more dynamic, diverse nature of PC gaming.
The ultimate solution to every problem: more space marines.
Consoles, with their proprietary hardware, have largely been immune to piracy (even after the switch to disc-based media).
Well to be fair the Playstation 1 had a serious problem with illegal copied discs. There were entire social networks dedicated to illegal copied playstation 1 games.
I dont know mate... I have ALWAYS found that PC had a wider selection of better games that lasted longer than consoles ever did. Maybe thats changing, but it hasn't happened yet. I stop PC gaming for a month when an amazing game comes out a console... at most, but then I'm drawn back to the more dynamic, diverse nature of PC gaming.
I'm not sure what you're talking about, but the diversity has always been on consoles, mainly because entire genres were near unplayable with a mouse and keyboard which seriously damaged sales. Ever tried playing a fighting game or an action game like Ninja Gaiden on a keyboard? Not recommended. Imo the PC market is overflown with first person shooters, RTS and MMO's and an RPG thrown in every here and there...and that's pretty much it
Well What I attribute it to is a simple fact. If you look at some of the highest grossing PC titles of all time they programmed their games for yesterday and not today. In the last 2-3 years PC game developers have tried to push the boundaries of todays technology which in theory sounds great but in reality they have been writing games for only 5-10% of the PC market. Who wants to shell out 50-60 bucks for a game you know will run like crap if it runs at all? Nobody thats who. Consoles on the other hand have games that are specifically developed for their hardware so they run fairly flawless out of the box. When developers realize that they need to program their games for the wider audience instead of trying to squeeze out every bit of performance the market will pick up again I'm sure. WoW, even though I hate it, is a prime example of what I'm trying to say.
1. A lot of people have no idea how to upgrade their computer, nor what to upgrade too(seriously, I don't know much either, if you asked me what a good video card was for '08 I wouldn't have an answer).
2. Buying PC games, you are basically required to upgrade every 1-2 years to keep up with requirments, and to run online games effectively.
3. You only have to upgrade consoles once every 5-6 years.
4. You can rent console games, and unfortunately some of us don't want to pay 50$ to find out the game I just bought sucks.
5. Consoles are just easier, especially for the younger crowd.
I did a search, but im struggling to find set figures for game sales, all im getting press editorials. I'd be interested to read the set sale records. That said, its been common knowledge that Console game sales have been surpassing PC game sales for decades. And as was said in the video, the newest reason for a lapse in PC game sales is the culture of downloading games from torrent. I download movies, music, but ive never downloaded a game. Purely becuase I know that downloading games is jeapodising the industry and the quality of future games. Bleh. I doubt Torrenting is going to be completely tackled, and even if it is there are other methods of downloading, so the only way this is going to go for PC gaming is with MMO's.
Watch the video in original post.
And well. If you still do not understand.
Let say development of PC game costs 40 million dollars. They sell the games for 50 million (and they count themselves lucky)
Development of XBOX game costs 40 million dolars. They sell the game for 100 million (and they say they did so-so)
Now perhaps i am the dumb one. But if i had a development company , i would not even consider PC development with such figures.
And , if anything we all know game producers are not big risk takers
I watched the video thanks, but just becuase the press say something, doesnt make it set in stone. They could be based on presumptions or even assumptions. Unless you've got set sales statistics released by a reputatable organisation then throwing numbers around is for squat.
I don't care how big your HDTV may be, you can't read or organize details from your couch 9 feet away like you can at your desk. Not only that, but you wouldn't want to.
And since you can't or won't do those things from 9' away on a couch, there's no reason to bring tools like a keyboard or mouse to your console. Not that console providers haven't tried. Every system since the Atari 2600 created a keyboard, yet nobody used them. Probably because there's no place for it and no use for it in the living room. Same thing with the mouse.
It will take a whole lot more than system capability for the console to provide PC gaming better than the PC. It would take a cultural and lifestyle shift that consoles can never make. For if you examine what games are successful on PC, you find that they can never translate well when played on the premire television in the household from 9' away. Not only that, but why would you want to? Nobody buys a console for games that challenge the player to micromanage text and data. They buy it for the cinematics and the twitch gaming.
I have little doubt that the big publishers want PC gaming to die. The problem is that PC gaming won't die, because PC gaming is all about having fun at the desk, interacting with elements that can only be fully utilized at the desk. And since the console is a toy that is neither welcome nor best suited to be on the desk, it can never replace the sort of fun the PC is capable of providing.
__________________________ "Its sad when people use religion to feel superior, its even worse to see people using a video game to do it." --Arcken
"...when it comes to pimping EVE I have little restraints." --Hellmar, CEO of CCP.
"It's like they took a gun, put it to their nugget sack and pulled the trigger over and over again, each time telling us how great it was that they were shooting themselves in the balls." --Exar_Kun on SWG's NGE
Console gaming is getting just as pricey as mid level pc's and they still do less. It may only be 400 to 600 dollars for the box but then you gotta have all the 'extra' doo dads that companies like Sony and Microcrap er Microsoft leave off so they can continue to bleed money out of you like extra controllers, an extra internet connection fee (for the xbox360 users), memory cards if you want to take a game to your friends house, etc etc.
Personally I don' t think PC gaming will ever die out it'll just continue to evolve. Though hopefully they'll get back to make games fun instead of just pretty.
No they're not. Computer manufactors sell hardware at a profit, consoles are sold at a loss which is made up through software sales. also Xbox360 and PS3 equal high end pc's, not mid level pc's. PC gaming is dying at worst and turning into a very small niche genre at best. The hardware is to expensive and the features are dropping one by one. Online Multiplayer? Now avaible on Consoles. Mods? Now avaible on consoles.
ofcourse we get the old tiresome argument :"b-but I can upgrade my PC!" yeah well guess what: You're a minority. The vast majority of people are not prepared to pay up 200$ ~ 300$ every 2 years, so you're not going to be the target audience for the vast majority of game developers. Games like Bioshock, Call of Duty 4 and UT3, all considered to be some of the best looking games avaible, are easily done on consoles.
PC gaming isn't dying and it was never mainstream like the console. Infact PC gaming is actually younger considering console's have been around since pong. The only minority when it comes to PC gaming are the people crazy enough to completely throw away their entire computer and buy new every 1 to 2 years. Console gaming is shit personally it went from being a fun thing to play with your friends on a rainy day infront of the tv to a sit at home and log on line. Its destroyed its entire reason it was even popular by making crappy large amounts of single player games and a ton of crappy male oriented bs. Atleast PC developers are learning they can't pump out a ton of garbage while Console developres are still putting out tons of shitty games and maybe one or two good ones. I find it hardly worth it to spend 400 to 600 dollars up front for a console to maybe have two hole games to play on it.
Please Refer to Doom Cat with all conspiracies & evil corporation complaints. He'll give you the simple explination of..WE"RE ALL DOOMED!
I agree with others that PC gaming was never quite as popular as consoles. Even though it's on the decline, I do not see it dying for at least 10 more years.
Pc gaming is actually not as expensive as people think. People buy a new computer around every 5 years which is also around the same time consoles are replaced with their nex-gen successors. Even if you buy a low end PC they go for around $400 - $500. Recent consoles on average cost around $400 - $500 the first 2 years they are bought. If you add the price of a console into that low end PC, that becomes a gaming PC. Many people are just ignorant to the fact that gaming PCs (a computer that can run current games on mostly high settings) can be bought for under $1000 these days and of computers in general. Also most gamers don't upgrade for at least 2 years.
Consoles are also far from being as powerful as a gaming PC. Most console games have anti aliasing turned off and use countless effects like blurs to make the game look good. Of course consoles look as good or better than any PC with technology 2 years or older. But when comparing a newly released console to a gaming PC using technology of the same year, a console is nowhere as powerful as a gaming PC. PCs are also not only used for gaming, they are continuously being used for more purposes (for example playing/recording/creating digital media) as technology advances.
As to releasing tons of crappy games every year, it's the gaming industry in general that is learning releasing games in that way won't make them $$$.
Well What I attribute it to is a simple fact. If you look at some of the highest grossing PC titles of all time they programmed their games for yesterday and not today. In the last 2-3 years PC game developers have tried to push the boundaries of todays technology which in theory sounds great but in reality they have been writing games for only 5-10% of the PC market. Who wants to shell out 50-60 bucks for a game you know will run like crap if it runs at all? Nobody thats who. Consoles on the other hand have games that are specifically developed for their hardware so they run fairly flawless out of the box. When developers realize that they need to program their games for the wider audience instead of trying to squeeze out every bit of performance the market will pick up again I'm sure. WoW, even though I hate it, is a prime example of what I'm trying to say.
Exactly.
PC Games tend to be developed for elite PC gamers who are willing to upgrade their PC every year and half, or even (as we know is often the case) upgrade their pc FOR A SPECIFIC GAME!!!
Console people buy a console and that is that -- they play on that console for years without upgrading it. Yes the games do not have the same longevity, but they are viewed also as more throwaway entertainment, and to be honest I think people are more likely to be willing to spend money on a few more throwaway entertainment games than they are on hardware upgrades for their PC so they can play a game.
Blizzard took the opposite approach of almost every developer (most push the hardware limits, as we know, while Blizzard did the reverse), and obviously it was a brilliant strategy because a lot of people simply don't and won't upgrade their PCs to play a new PC game. EQ2 paid dearly for this mistake.
PC Gaming isn't dying at all. Sure, 2007 was a pretty bad year for MMORPGs, with the exception of Lord of the Rings and the Burning Crusade, but it's nowhere near dying. FPS's didn't sell as much as they did on the consoles, but it's always like that. Because less people play FPS's on consoles, because they're console-people. Out of all the people who enjoy FPS's, the majority don't play PC games. That's just how it is, you hear console you think FPS, you hear PC you think MMORPG.
2008 looks very promising for PC gaming. Warhammer, Age of Conan, Stargate Worlds, and Aion are looking to be polished games that don't rely on having the best hardware. That'll boost sales a hundred-fold!
Currently Playing: Tabula Rasa Gaming History: EQ, EQ2, SWG, EVE, Anarchy Online, CoX, GW, SRO, Rakion, Ryzom, WoW, Rappelz, Shadowbane, 9Dragons, DAoC, Dungeon Runners, DnD Online, Space Cowboy, LotRO, Vanguard, Fury, Hellgate Wanting to Play: WAR, TCoS, Darkfall, Aion
Like most have said PC gaming is far from dead, its just shifted to a new genre. PC games are all about MMORPG's now simple as and 2008 has the best lineup i have seen to date. PC are just to useful all around, and throw in the ability to play games, and online games etc... they wont ever go out of style. Only thing i see happening are Consoles (as you will notice they already are) becoming more like a PC than an old style game system. You watch and see its not PC dying out, its the blending of the two types, console and PC.
PC Gaming isn't dying at all. Sure, 2007 was a pretty bad year for MMORPGs, with the exception of Lord of the Rings and the Burning Crusade, but it's nowhere near dying. FPS's didn't sell as much as they did on the consoles, but it's always like that. Because less people play FPS's on consoles, because they're console-people. Out of all the people who enjoy FPS's, the majority don't play PC games. That's just how it is, you hear console you think FPS, you hear PC you think MMORPG.
2008 looks very promising for PC gaming. Warhammer, Age of Conan, Stargate Worlds, and Aion are looking to be polished games that don't rely on having the best hardware. That'll boost sales a hundred-fold!
I just don't get why people enjoy console FPSs more. Do they actually like bunny-hopping and auto-aim? Do they like pushing a joystick around? Bleh.
I can't wait until a dev gets enough cynicism to place PC FPSers on the same servers as console FPSers. Let's see how those pushing around the joystick enjoy the 48% headshots. I know I'll enjoy popping them in the face every time they land that bunny-hop.
Online gaming for PC's are going down because of cheating and hacks. The more MMO's that they make for the consoles the less you'll see people buying into the MMO's on PC's. Also games like Counter Strike and other online games are riddled with people who use hacks and cheats. I like gaming on the PC because I'm use to the keyboard and mouse for moving, I find it more fluid and easy but you can buy a keyboard and desktop for the PS3 and you can order them online for the XBOX 360. If game developers come up with a way to get rid of the cheating then maybe PC gaming will go up again.
Sorry but I think the reports of PC gaming's death are greatly exaggerated. Here are some of my takes on this - and yes I've worked in the PC gaming industry too:
1. Music CD sales probably outdo movie ticket sales, which in turn outdo book sales. Heck, many successful books on the NY Times bestseller list move the same number of copies as top PC games. Yet last I checked, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com are still doing awesome business selling books for $20 a pop. Meanwhile, PC games cost $50/pop + $15/month in subscription fees for MMOGs. If PC gaming is a niche market, it's a niche that's not going to disappear any time soon.
2. The two commentators in the OP's video themselves acknowledged that online sales were not included in the figure, only retail sales. That's like somebody proclaiming "personal auctions are dead!" and then saying "but we didn't include Ebay, since Ebay couldn't possibly account for that much business, right?" Yeah, right. Download sales continue to be a big draw for PC gamers, and I think any study that excludes that number is going to be slanted.
3. One year does not a trend make. If 2008 continues to be a bad year, then maybe I'll give credence to the idea that PC gaming is dying. As it stands now, I can think of a host of reasons why PCs had a bad year, from rising gas prices to the fact that the WII continues to be the ultimate novelty item to Halo 3 launching on the 360.
PC gaming isn't dead or dying, but it is going through an industry upset. On the other hand, so is the rest of the game industry.
PC games traditionally target an older, more patient audience that plays games that are slower paced but usually deeper than most console games. Civ 2, Falcon 3.0, Deus EX, Baldur's Gate, and Rise of Nations had long learning curves and required thoughtful consideration during play. For this reason, most PC games didn't lean entirely on graphical performance and attracted a much older crowd. This shifted somewhat during the late 90's when online FPS games became THE end all and be all of PC games. Now that consoles have online FPS games of their own, the PC market is starting to shift back. The problem is that game developers aren't willing to make that shift with AAA titles aimed at the 35+ demographic.
The result is a vacuum that's currently being filled with indie games, casual games, and knock-off tycoon / sim games. All three of the the above address the major problems that the public has with PC gaming.
1) they usually have uber low system requirements.
2) They normally cost less than $30.
3) They are usually single player or hotseat which means that you don't have to worry about cheaters.
If AAA PC developers can figure out a way to appeal to older players while keeping the cost on the same level as other entertainment media as well as within the average PC owner's system specs, then getting numbers similar to consoles isn't entirely out of the question.
As for the ability to rent console games.... The PC side of the industry is experimenting with something similar with subscription based services like Gametap. Steam has proven to be a very effective tool against piracy that also helps counter-balance the power of retailers like Wal-Mart. How hard would it be to make a direct download subscription service that lets you play one or two games at a time?
Conclusion: PC gaming isn't dead, but it is changing and will probably end up much, much different than the console market.
One thing console's have over PC is the fact that they are completely user friendly--PC will never be very "user friendly", especially when you are pushing the threshold of performance and compatability.
When consoles adapt to an upgradeable platform (i.e. Xbox Brand Memory Upgrade Modules or Upgrade GPU for your console) and the settings can be increased for those who have the upgrades, it will garner more of the PC crowd--that in turn will change the scenery for console game developement, giving way to more PC oriented games like mmo's. On-board software will also help out for "sandbox" type games that need lots of ram and fast hard drives to stay in front of the processors.
There will be a complete homoligation between consoles and desktops, the most important thing being a common OS from console to PC--reducing costs and restraints for game devs--can you say no more ports? I can, and i cant wait.
The guys in the show hit it right on. There are two factors that they mentioned: piracy & machine upgrades.
The fact that WOW (BC + original) sold a ton and while COD4 sold like less than 100k is indication of the piracy issue. MMORPGs just cannot be pirated (except private server but that is not the same thing as the original). I heard that the recent why MMORPGs are pushed so much in China is because of piracy. No one develops single player games for the Chinese market anymore.
The user experience also plays a HUGE role. I have both PCs (obviously) and a 360. Whenever there is a choice, I *always* pick the 360 because I can play the game sitting on the couch in front of a HD big screen tv. It is just so much better and there is no configuring at all.
I think PC games in US will probably go the way of Asia where MMORPG will become a bigger and bigger chunk of it.
I read an article recently about how the computer chip manufacturers are reaching the limit on how small they can make the transisters inside a microchip thus pc hardware development is gonna slow down for a while until we make the transition into quantum computing. And with this I think it has affected the growth of the PC gaming industry (without the hardware to spur the development of new software) altho I don't think PC gaming is dead, not by a long shot.
I read an article recently about how the computer chip manufacturers are reaching the limit on how small they can make the transisters inside a microchip thus pc hardware development is gonna slow down for a while until we make the transition into quantum computing. And with this I think it has affected the growth of the PC gaming industry (without the hardware to spur the development of new software) altho I don't think PC gaming is dead, not by a long shot.
Semi-conductors were/are a prefect storm.
- They worked
- You could put lots of them together and connect them up to form an integrated circuit
- Integrated circuits were easy and cheep to mass-produce
- Integrated circuits could be have more and faster transistors with relative ease
- Doing this made them even easier and cheaper to produce
- they started off with enormous headroom for year after year improvement.
Quantum devices have barely qualify on the first point and no one has proposed a way that meets the other qualities. They may receive use in some special cases but I don’t see them ever picking up where the semi-conductor transistor leaves off. More likely computer performance will simply level off the way jet aircraft performance leveled off after setting record after record between the early 50’s and early 60’s
World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade (Blizzard Entertainment) - 2.25 million World of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment) - 914,000 The Sims 2 Seasons Expansion Pack (EA Maxis) - 433,000 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward) 383,000 Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (EA Los Angeles) - 343,000 Sim City 4 Deluxe (Maxis) - 284,000 The Sims 2 (Maxis) - 281,000 The Sims 2 Bon Voyage Expansion Pack (Maxis) - 271,000 Age of Empires III (Ensemble Studios) - 259,000 The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack (Maxis) - 236,000
Console games sales 2007:
Halo 3 (Bungie, Microsoft Game Studios, X360) - 4.82 million Wii Play with Wii Remote (Nintendo, Wii) - 4.12 million Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward, Activision, X360) - 3.04 million Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Neversoft, Activision, PS2) - 2.72 million Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo EAD Tokyo, Nintendo, Wii) - 2.52 million Pokemon Diamond Version (Game Freak, Nintendo, NDS) - 2.48 million Madden NFL 08 (EA Sports, Electronic Arts, PS2) - 1.90 million Guitar Hero II (Harmonix, Activision, PS2) - 1.89 million Assassin's Creed (Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft, X360) - 1.87 million Mario Party 8 (Hudson Soft, Wii) - 1.82 million
Need to say more ?
Not quite a factor of 10 but it is close.
I am also surprised that WOW (and BC) is the only MMORPG that makes top 10. Thus, it discredit the view the piracy is the main driver of the discrepancy. Because if it is, then only MMORPG, which cannot be pirated, should sell well.
Comments
The ultimate solution to every problem: more space marines.
Well to be fair the Playstation 1 had a serious problem with illegal copied discs. There were entire social networks dedicated to illegal copied playstation 1 games.
I'm not sure what you're talking about, but the diversity has always been on consoles, mainly because entire genres were near unplayable with a mouse and keyboard which seriously damaged sales. Ever tried playing a fighting game or an action game like Ninja Gaiden on a keyboard? Not recommended. Imo the PC market is overflown with first person shooters, RTS and MMO's and an RPG thrown in every here and there...and that's pretty much it
Well What I attribute it to is a simple fact. If you look at some of the highest grossing PC titles of all time they programmed their games for yesterday and not today. In the last 2-3 years PC game developers have tried to push the boundaries of todays technology which in theory sounds great but in reality they have been writing games for only 5-10% of the PC market. Who wants to shell out 50-60 bucks for a game you know will run like crap if it runs at all? Nobody thats who. Consoles on the other hand have games that are specifically developed for their hardware so they run fairly flawless out of the box. When developers realize that they need to program their games for the wider audience instead of trying to squeeze out every bit of performance the market will pick up again I'm sure. WoW, even though I hate it, is a prime example of what I'm trying to say.
Bren
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To me it's simple:
1. A lot of people have no idea how to upgrade their computer, nor what to upgrade too(seriously, I don't know much either, if you asked me what a good video card was for '08 I wouldn't have an answer).
2. Buying PC games, you are basically required to upgrade every 1-2 years to keep up with requirments, and to run online games effectively.
3. You only have to upgrade consoles once every 5-6 years.
4. You can rent console games, and unfortunately some of us don't want to pay 50$ to find out the game I just bought sucks.
5. Consoles are just easier, especially for the younger crowd.
Watch the video in original post.
And well. If you still do not understand.
Let say development of PC game costs 40 million dollars. They sell the games for 50 million (and they count themselves lucky)
Development of XBOX game costs 40 million dolars. They sell the game for 100 million (and they say they did so-so)
Now perhaps i am the dumb one. But if i had a development company , i would not even consider PC development with such figures.
And , if anything we all know game producers are not big risk takers
I watched the video thanks, but just becuase the press say something, doesnt make it set in stone. They could be based on presumptions or even assumptions. Unless you've got set sales statistics released by a reputatable organisation then throwing numbers around is for squat.---
I don't care how big your HDTV may be, you can't read or organize details from your couch 9 feet away like you can at your desk. Not only that, but you wouldn't want to.
And since you can't or won't do those things from 9' away on a couch, there's no reason to bring tools like a keyboard or mouse to your console. Not that console providers haven't tried. Every system since the Atari 2600 created a keyboard, yet nobody used them. Probably because there's no place for it and no use for it in the living room. Same thing with the mouse.
It will take a whole lot more than system capability for the console to provide PC gaming better than the PC. It would take a cultural and lifestyle shift that consoles can never make. For if you examine what games are successful on PC, you find that they can never translate well when played on the premire television in the household from 9' away. Not only that, but why would you want to? Nobody buys a console for games that challenge the player to micromanage text and data. They buy it for the cinematics and the twitch gaming.
I have little doubt that the big publishers want PC gaming to die. The problem is that PC gaming won't die, because PC gaming is all about having fun at the desk, interacting with elements that can only be fully utilized at the desk. And since the console is a toy that is neither welcome nor best suited to be on the desk, it can never replace the sort of fun the PC is capable of providing.
__________________________
"Its sad when people use religion to feel superior, its even worse to see people using a video game to do it."
--Arcken
"...when it comes to pimping EVE I have little restraints."
--Hellmar, CEO of CCP.
"It's like they took a gun, put it to their nugget sack and pulled the trigger over and over again, each time telling us how great it was that they were shooting themselves in the balls."
--Exar_Kun on SWG's NGE
No they're not. Computer manufactors sell hardware at a profit, consoles are sold at a loss which is made up through software sales. also Xbox360 and PS3 equal high end pc's, not mid level pc's. PC gaming is dying at worst and turning into a very small niche genre at best. The hardware is to expensive and the features are dropping one by one. Online Multiplayer? Now avaible on Consoles. Mods? Now avaible on consoles.
ofcourse we get the old tiresome argument :"b-but I can upgrade my PC!" yeah well guess what: You're a minority. The vast majority of people are not prepared to pay up 200$ ~ 300$ every 2 years, so you're not going to be the target audience for the vast majority of game developers. Games like Bioshock, Call of Duty 4 and UT3, all considered to be some of the best looking games avaible, are easily done on consoles.
PC gaming isn't dying and it was never mainstream like the console. Infact PC gaming is actually younger considering console's have been around since pong. The only minority when it comes to PC gaming are the people crazy enough to completely throw away their entire computer and buy new every 1 to 2 years. Console gaming is shit personally it went from being a fun thing to play with your friends on a rainy day infront of the tv to a sit at home and log on line. Its destroyed its entire reason it was even popular by making crappy large amounts of single player games and a ton of crappy male oriented bs. Atleast PC developers are learning they can't pump out a ton of garbage while Console developres are still putting out tons of shitty games and maybe one or two good ones. I find it hardly worth it to spend 400 to 600 dollars up front for a console to maybe have two hole games to play on it.
Please Refer to Doom Cat with all conspiracies & evil corporation complaints. He'll give you the simple explination of..WE"RE ALL DOOMED!
I agree with others that PC gaming was never quite as popular as consoles. Even though it's on the decline, I do not see it dying for at least 10 more years.
Pc gaming is actually not as expensive as people think. People buy a new computer around every 5 years which is also around the same time consoles are replaced with their nex-gen successors. Even if you buy a low end PC they go for around $400 - $500. Recent consoles on average cost around $400 - $500 the first 2 years they are bought. If you add the price of a console into that low end PC, that becomes a gaming PC. Many people are just ignorant to the fact that gaming PCs (a computer that can run current games on mostly high settings) can be bought for under $1000 these days and of computers in general. Also most gamers don't upgrade for at least 2 years.
Consoles are also far from being as powerful as a gaming PC. Most console games have anti aliasing turned off and use countless effects like blurs to make the game look good. Of course consoles look as good or better than any PC with technology 2 years or older. But when comparing a newly released console to a gaming PC using technology of the same year, a console is nowhere as powerful as a gaming PC. PCs are also not only used for gaming, they are continuously being used for more purposes (for example playing/recording/creating digital media) as technology advances.
As to releasing tons of crappy games every year, it's the gaming industry in general that is learning releasing games in that way won't make them $$$.
Exactly.
PC Games tend to be developed for elite PC gamers who are willing to upgrade their PC every year and half, or even (as we know is often the case) upgrade their pc FOR A SPECIFIC GAME!!!
Console people buy a console and that is that -- they play on that console for years without upgrading it. Yes the games do not have the same longevity, but they are viewed also as more throwaway entertainment, and to be honest I think people are more likely to be willing to spend money on a few more throwaway entertainment games than they are on hardware upgrades for their PC so they can play a game.
Blizzard took the opposite approach of almost every developer (most push the hardware limits, as we know, while Blizzard did the reverse), and obviously it was a brilliant strategy because a lot of people simply don't and won't upgrade their PCs to play a new PC game. EQ2 paid dearly for this mistake.
PC Gaming isn't dying at all. Sure, 2007 was a pretty bad year for MMORPGs, with the exception of Lord of the Rings and the Burning Crusade, but it's nowhere near dying. FPS's didn't sell as much as they did on the consoles, but it's always like that. Because less people play FPS's on consoles, because they're console-people. Out of all the people who enjoy FPS's, the majority don't play PC games. That's just how it is, you hear console you think FPS, you hear PC you think MMORPG.
2008 looks very promising for PC gaming. Warhammer, Age of Conan, Stargate Worlds, and Aion are looking to be polished games that don't rely on having the best hardware. That'll boost sales a hundred-fold!
Currently Playing: Tabula Rasa
Gaming History: EQ, EQ2, SWG, EVE, Anarchy Online, CoX, GW, SRO, Rakion, Ryzom, WoW, Rappelz, Shadowbane, 9Dragons, DAoC, Dungeon Runners, DnD Online, Space Cowboy, LotRO, Vanguard, Fury, Hellgate
Wanting to Play: WAR, TCoS, Darkfall, Aion
Like most have said PC gaming is far from dead, its just shifted to a new genre. PC games are all about MMORPG's now simple as and 2008 has the best lineup i have seen to date. PC are just to useful all around, and throw in the ability to play games, and online games etc... they wont ever go out of style. Only thing i see happening are Consoles (as you will notice they already are) becoming more like a PC than an old style game system. You watch and see its not PC dying out, its the blending of the two types, console and PC.
I can't wait until a dev gets enough cynicism to place PC FPSers on the same servers as console FPSers. Let's see how those pushing around the joystick enjoy the 48% headshots. I know I'll enjoy popping them in the face every time they land that bunny-hop.
Same old prognostication, year after year and yet the industry continues to thrive.
I wonder when people will get tired of predicting the doom of PC gaming. Probably never. Seems like people enjoy obsessing over it.
hmmm.... Doomsayer squeltched by facts?
after 6 or so years, I had to change it a little...
PC gaming is far from dead. Infact I predict in the next 5 to 10 years a quantum leap in gaming will be acheived!
Hazzah!
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth
John Lennon
Online gaming for PC's are going down because of cheating and hacks. The more MMO's that they make for the consoles the less you'll see people buying into the MMO's on PC's. Also games like Counter Strike and other online games are riddled with people who use hacks and cheats. I like gaming on the PC because I'm use to the keyboard and mouse for moving, I find it more fluid and easy but you can buy a keyboard and desktop for the PS3 and you can order them online for the XBOX 360. If game developers come up with a way to get rid of the cheating then maybe PC gaming will go up again.
Sorry but I think the reports of PC gaming's death are greatly exaggerated. Here are some of my takes on this - and yes I've worked in the PC gaming industry too:
1. Music CD sales probably outdo movie ticket sales, which in turn outdo book sales. Heck, many successful books on the NY Times bestseller list move the same number of copies as top PC games. Yet last I checked, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com are still doing awesome business selling books for $20 a pop. Meanwhile, PC games cost $50/pop + $15/month in subscription fees for MMOGs. If PC gaming is a niche market, it's a niche that's not going to disappear any time soon.
2. The two commentators in the OP's video themselves acknowledged that online sales were not included in the figure, only retail sales. That's like somebody proclaiming "personal auctions are dead!" and then saying "but we didn't include Ebay, since Ebay couldn't possibly account for that much business, right?" Yeah, right. Download sales continue to be a big draw for PC gamers, and I think any study that excludes that number is going to be slanted.
3. One year does not a trend make. If 2008 continues to be a bad year, then maybe I'll give credence to the idea that PC gaming is dying. As it stands now, I can think of a host of reasons why PCs had a bad year, from rising gas prices to the fact that the WII continues to be the ultimate novelty item to Halo 3 launching on the 360.
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PC gaming isn't dead or dying, but it is going through an industry upset. On the other hand, so is the rest of the game industry.
PC games traditionally target an older, more patient audience that plays games that are slower paced but usually deeper than most console games. Civ 2, Falcon 3.0, Deus EX, Baldur's Gate, and Rise of Nations had long learning curves and required thoughtful consideration during play. For this reason, most PC games didn't lean entirely on graphical performance and attracted a much older crowd. This shifted somewhat during the late 90's when online FPS games became THE end all and be all of PC games. Now that consoles have online FPS games of their own, the PC market is starting to shift back. The problem is that game developers aren't willing to make that shift with AAA titles aimed at the 35+ demographic.
The result is a vacuum that's currently being filled with indie games, casual games, and knock-off tycoon / sim games. All three of the the above address the major problems that the public has with PC gaming.
1) they usually have uber low system requirements.
2) They normally cost less than $30.
3) They are usually single player or hotseat which means that you don't have to worry about cheaters.
If AAA PC developers can figure out a way to appeal to older players while keeping the cost on the same level as other entertainment media as well as within the average PC owner's system specs, then getting numbers similar to consoles isn't entirely out of the question.
As for the ability to rent console games.... The PC side of the industry is experimenting with something similar with subscription based services like Gametap. Steam has proven to be a very effective tool against piracy that also helps counter-balance the power of retailers like Wal-Mart. How hard would it be to make a direct download subscription service that lets you play one or two games at a time?
Conclusion: PC gaming isn't dead, but it is changing and will probably end up much, much different than the console market.
I think you are exactly right--
One thing console's have over PC is the fact that they are completely user friendly--PC will never be very "user friendly", especially when you are pushing the threshold of performance and compatability.
When consoles adapt to an upgradeable platform (i.e. Xbox Brand Memory Upgrade Modules or Upgrade GPU for your console) and the settings can be increased for those who have the upgrades, it will garner more of the PC crowd--that in turn will change the scenery for console game developement, giving way to more PC oriented games like mmo's. On-board software will also help out for "sandbox" type games that need lots of ram and fast hard drives to stay in front of the processors.
There will be a complete homoligation between consoles and desktops, the most important thing being a common OS from console to PC--reducing costs and restraints for game devs--can you say no more ports? I can, and i cant wait.
The guys in the show hit it right on. There are two factors that they mentioned: piracy & machine upgrades.
The fact that WOW (BC + original) sold a ton and while COD4 sold like less than 100k is indication of the piracy issue. MMORPGs just cannot be pirated (except private server but that is not the same thing as the original). I heard that the recent why MMORPGs are pushed so much in China is because of piracy. No one develops single player games for the Chinese market anymore.
The user experience also plays a HUGE role. I have both PCs (obviously) and a 360. Whenever there is a choice, I *always* pick the 360 because I can play the game sitting on the couch in front of a HD big screen tv. It is just so much better and there is no configuring at all.
I think PC games in US will probably go the way of Asia where MMORPG will become a bigger and bigger chunk of it.
I read an article recently about how the computer chip manufacturers are reaching the limit on how small they can make the transisters inside a microchip thus pc hardware development is gonna slow down for a while until we make the transition into quantum computing. And with this I think it has affected the growth of the PC gaming industry (without the hardware to spur the development of new software) altho I don't think PC gaming is dead, not by a long shot.
A little update
PC games sales 2007:
Console games sales 2007:
Need to say more ?
Not quite a factor of 10 but it is close.
I am also surprised that WOW (and BC) is the only MMORPG that makes top 10. Thus, it discredit the view the piracy is the main driver of the discrepancy. Because if it is, then only MMORPG, which cannot be pirated, should sell well.