PC's as we know them, might be dead in five year's. Would be a more accurate statement.
"Personal Computer" doesn't this describe a desktop, tablet , cell phone or laptop?
Technically they are all "computers". I think what the OP was referring to us tower/desktop PCs. Tablets and phones are usually not included in the PC category. Laptops are sometimes included in the PC category, sometimes they are not, go figure.
I know
It's just funny how a term like "personal computer" when it was coined meant a Commodore, Apple, Atari, Tandi or any other computer that was affordable and used in the home at the time. Gets corrupted into such a narrow term, basically meaning a "Desktop Running Microsoft Windows"
Seems kinda dumb.
Well we have to have a team to join..:)
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
To use a crude analogy: the microwave did not kill the stove. The stove is not a dead technology. The advantages of faster and easier meal preparation are not always an adequate substitute for traditional cooking. Both technologies can live together in happy harmony once the benefits and limitations of each are clearly understood.
Originally posted by Krimzin Will never happen. PC Gaming will evolve but you will never see the end of the PC. Its like saying that Cell phones are on their way out.
20 years ago people would have said the same thing about landline phones.
PC gaming does evolve...its what we call "consoles". They carry the same system of a PC anyways (bar OS ofc).
To play devil's advocate; the PC for gaming could very well be killed off intentionally.
First off, the only markets PC seems to dominate for gaming is MMOs, MOBAs and RTS games. Casual gaming has seemingly moved completely into the smart phone and tablet markets (look at Candy Crush and Flappybird). Anything else consoles outsell in terms of units (latest CoD sales have Xbone and PS4 on top http://www.vgchartz.com/gamedb/?name=call+of+duty%3A+advanced+warfare). Of course, take VGchartz for what you will. Now we have Steam Machines on the horizon attempting to consolize PC gaming to a degree.
While demand for PC gaming will always be there, will there be enough support from the folks that matter (publishers and developers)? Why release games for PC if they don't sell nearly as well as their console counterparts? How many more casual PC gaming enthusiasts would dump their PC for consoles if there was native keyboard and mouse support?
Just a reminder, I am merely playing devil's advocate here. Don't take this as me attempting to predict anything.
Death of the PC? seriously, when the PC is the only gaming platform that is actually still growing, vs that of the consoles which is contracting in a huge way, highly doubtful indeed.
One of the things about PC's if not the most significant, is that they are so easily upgraded, how easy is it after all, to upgrade a PC by just replacing the GPU, Just look at the hardware spec's reqd for most games these days, in terms of processor speeds and cores, the requirements have rarely changed to be all that demanding, whereas that of the GPU requirements has changed quite a bit, so much so that as long as your PC has 3 or 4 cpu cores and can run at 3.0ghz or so, your usually pretty much good to go, as long that is, as you have a decent GPU in your system. Which is probably why Nvidia and AMD are still in business
On the other hand, Console sales are contracting, this isn't so much about which console is best, none of them have gained much traction when you look at the xbox360/ps3/Wii sales figures, if anything the market has significantly contracted, which is no doubt why all the successful games on console are developed for the previous generation of them.
Which takes us back to hardware requirements for games, when the newest consoles are comparable to a 3 or 4 year old mid range PC, not even a high end PC, but mid range, then unless developers are going to develop for PC only, which is unlikely in the face of all those PS3's and Xbox360's out there, as they are the clear majority of the Console gamers out there, then hardware requirements are probably not going to be changing that drastically anytime soon.
As for sales of actual PC's perhaps here Microsoft are themselves to blame, as Win 8 is even less loved than Vista was, and reputedly why PC sales are down to such a degree, and probably why so many PC's out there are still using XP, with most of the worlds PC's using either XP or Win 7 is roughly 80 percent the rest split between vista, 8, mac and linux distro's. Probably no surprise that an XP system with SP3 is probably more than capable of running modern games still either, with the main criteria probably being whether its a 32 bit or 64 bit OS
One thing for sure, if everyone chucked their PS3's and Xbox 360's in the bin, then the development of console games software would crash the very next day.
It can only be possible if there will be something better but so far there isn't. Tablets pffff - cannot even work on them because I need big screen to open several documents and keyboard to type. Also, I refuse to play looking through a keyhole. Consoles have some potential though as they are much cheaper than a gaming PC and not bad either.
Btw I wouldn't even mind the death of PC MMO gaming anymore as this genre has turned into blatant cheating and money grabbing with F2P/P2W schemes. Scum like this can kill PC gaming faster than alternative technologies imo.
What everybody forgets here is that a desktop PC is already becoming seen as a dinosaur in todays world. My own father is in his 80's and keeps telling me how he rarely uses his PC, and mainly uses his smartphone now.
Sure the "Personal Computer" computer will be around in some form, but what form will it be? As generation after generation loses touch with what us oldtimers fondly remember as as the "Glory Days" of PC gaming, you will see a shift.
I wouldn't put a time frame on it, but check out the Kurzweil videos if you doubt it. Information technology increases at an exponential rate. Most likely it will become more compact and perhaps even wearable. Clunky desktops that you upgrade, will be laughed at as archaic. I figure I might be buying one more PC and then after that I can't even guess.
Technology and society will dictate how it goes. Not a handful of PC master race hangers on.
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
People have been claiming this for years. The pc isn't going anywhere. People claim the tablet will take over the pc in the corporate world well that isn't happening and won't for awhile. As long as the corporate world keeps using the PC there will be a use for pc in our homes. This myth has been going on for awhile maybe repost this in ten years and you might be on to something.
If you tell a bad story enough times, in the end, it will be the only story around.
Thats how it is going with games. More and more bad MMOs, tablet, smartphone and console games are coming out. In the end, people have, if it isnt already so, forgotten how a good game should be like. Fun !
People have been claiming this for years. The pc isn't going anywhere. People claim the tablet will take over the pc in the corporate world well that isn't happening and won't for awhile. As long as the corporate world keeps using the PC there will be a use for pc in our homes. This myth has been going on for awhile maybe repost this in ten years and you might be on to something.
Well I work in a hospital, and in there, practically everything is a workstation now. In fact the few remaining desktops are probably 10 years old now.
The article states many are over 4 years old now. That says to me that you really don't need cutting edge technology for most work related stuff.
Maybe if you were in graphic design or something. But in most applications, even older PC's can still do the job adequately.
The thing is 10 or 15 years ago, smartphones and tablets were science fiction. Look how fast they have developed ,and that is because society determined there was a demand. If businesses decide the same it will change quickly.
But true enough. Impossible to put a time frame on any of this unless you are Hari Seldon.
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
What everybody forgets here is that a desktop PC is already becoming seen as a dinosaur in todays world. My own father is in his 80's and keeps telling me how he rarely uses his PC, and mainly uses his smartphone now.
Sure the "Personal Computer" computer will be around in some form, but what form will it be? As generation after generation loses touch with what us oldtimers fondly remember as as the "Glory Days" of PC gaming, you will see a shift.
I wouldn't put a time frame on it, but check out the Kurzweil videos if you doubt it. Information technology increases at an exponential rate. Most likely it will become more compact and perhaps even wearable. Clunky desktops that you upgrade, will be laughed at as archaic. I figure I might be buying one more PC and then after that I can't even guess.
Technology and society will dictate how it goes. Not a handful of PC master race hangers on.
I agree.
PC's are rapidly becoming "specialist devices" that are focused on very narrow areas (e.g. gaming or gfx design). For the "average user", their needs are increasingly being met by smaller ultra-portable devices. As internet speeds and bandwidth become ever cheaper, more and more everyday activities will switch to cloud-based applications.
Five to ten years ago, you needed a PC to do wordprocessing, spreadsheets, etc. Those things are increasingly being handled by tablets. The average home user no longer needs a PC to access emails, surf the web or do the monthly budget. THAT is why PC sales are declining, today's high-power desktops are simply overkill for the average consumer.
A 5 year old mid-range PC can still handle everyday tasks just as well as a modern beast. There's no need to replace it, unless you're a gamer first and "home user" second. By the time that old rig cannot run Microsoft Office any longer, Office will most probably be exclusively used on tablets...
People have been claiming this for years. The pc isn't going anywhere. People claim the tablet will take over the pc in the corporate world well that isn't happening and won't for awhile. As long as the corporate world keeps using the PC there will be a use for pc in our homes. This myth has been going on for awhile maybe repost this in ten years and you might be on to something.
Well I work in a hospital, and in there, practically everything is a workstation now. In fact the few remaining desktops are probably 10 years old now.
The article states many are over 4 years old now. That says to me that you really don't need cutting edge technology for most work related stuff.
Maybe if you were in graphic design or something. But in most applications, even older PC's can still do the job adequately.
The thing is 10 or 15 years ago, smartphones and tablets were science fiction. Look how fast they have developed ,and that is because society determined there was a demand. If businesses decide the same it will change quickly.
But true enough. Impossible to put a time frame on any of this unless you are Hari Seldon.
At the moment, smartphones and tablets are little more than toys, they can't cope with business demand, and they can't handle modern games, the only way for the PC to die out, is if everyone stops playing games like world of warcraft etc. Which lets face it, is an unlikely scenario. It will take a significant leap from current technology to bring about a scenario where the PC is no longer a necessary part of not just online gaming, but modern games in general.
As for smart phones and tablets, they are replaced on practically an annual basis, and in all probability are little more than a passing fad until the next electronic device becomes the new must have item, which very much identifies also the type of games that are played on them. Durability and longevity is not part of their design.
When you are talking "PC" here Phry, what you are really talking about is a modular design. I mean everything is a "PC" in a way. Consoles, tablets, phones are all PC's.
So what we are talking about here is basically modular design, and the interface which is keyboard and mouse. All the desktop adds to the gaming experience is ugradeability, and some might say an antiquated interface , since it has been around for some time as well.
So a PC's big advantage is that you can make it as powerful as you like, depending on how much money you spend. But what happens when people decide I am happy with the performance I have now. Or.... a console is good enough me, PC games are a pain in the ass, and I enjoy my big screen.
We all know what the cost of a high end graphic card is. And also that said card will become cheap relatively quickly, because the next card will be out. But if the market shrinks then costs will go up because of economies of scale. Suddenly PC gaming becomes more and more expensive to keep up with. Also the perceived performance improvements will be diminished. Which will only increase the spiral of cost. Eventually even mainstream PC gamers will start to wonder if it is worth or the trouble.
If the desktop market isn't growing there is a reason, and that reason is that society dictates demand.
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
Death of the Desktop... would be a different discussion.
I can foresee a day when all my computing power needs will fit in my pocket. And through Blue Tooth or what have you, it will be able to communicate with any peripheral I need.
How many words per minute can you type on a tablet compared to a keyboard? Until you can silent communication with your mind, the keyboard is going no place soon.
Tablets and smart phones are very handy in some respects and completely suck in others. But when its powerful enough and can wirelessly communicate with any peripheral I need including monitors, keyboards, mice etc. etc. it's just a smaller, more convenient PC.
PC = Personal Computer
It isn't going anywhere until the next "Dark Age" which could be in 5 years for all we know
Death of the Desktop... would be a different discussion.
I can foresee a day when all my computing power needs will fit in my pocket. And through Blue Tooth or what have you, it will be able to communicate with any peripheral I need.
How many words per minute can you type on a tablet compared to a keyboard? Until you can silent communication with your mind, the keyboard is going no place soon.
Tablets and smart phones are very handy in some respects and completely suck in others. But when its powerful enough and can wirelessly communicate with any peripheral I need including monitors, keyboards, mice etc. etc. it's just a smaller, more convenient PC.
PC = Personal Computer
It isn't going anywhere until the next "Dark Age" which could be in 5 years for all we know
Agreed.
The modular desktop is what this discussion is about.
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
First off, I am old enough to disclose that my first PC was the Tandy 1000 I bought at Radio Shack back in the late 80's. I also studied the architecture of the 8088 / 8086 chip. Since then....I have owned and built more PC's then I can remember. On the weekends I listen to a guy on the radio who does a Tech Show. He is very knowledgeable and I respect his opinion the majority of the time.
However, this last weekend he made a bold statement I completely disagree with. He said the PC (as we know it) will go the way of the DoDo bird and not be around in 5 years. He theorizes that everything will be going to "PC Tablets". Sure, the PC market has taken a sizable hit since the IPAD and other tablets have become very popular. However, with the multi-billion dollar video game industry as well as the major players in the GPU / Video cards, there is no way (in my opinion) the PC will die. Thoughts?
-Rig
They have been saying the PC is going to die since the first consoles appeared.. Its still here and going strong.. Tablets will not kill off the PC market either..
Maby PC sales are down since everyone with half a brain is capable of putting together his own pc.
Starts with a new vid card an before u know it they find out they dont have to spend 500 more on a pc that they can put together themselfs.
Got about 8 or so in my neighburhood who came to me just for a new vid card.
All 8 now have made the pc they wanted themselfs, that look and work how they want.
Nomore buying a new pc when u just need a videocard.
Some pc's are even artistic or a fashion statement nowdays.
That's a great looking PC!
You are probably right, about having half a brain and you could build that. In my case, my half a brain said I did not want to bother learning, or take the risk of possibly screwing it up. So I just paid someone else. Embarrassing, I know.
Its a great hobby that you have. And I bet that once you finish building one you are already thinking of what you might want to build next.
But that is different from the guy who just wants to play games. To that person, building their own PC doesn't matter. All that matters is getting a good gaming experience. And good is relative. Do they need the most recent bleeding edge technology? Or are they happy to have what everyone else has and be on an even footing, with ease of use?
Again society will dictate what comes out ahead or if there is room for both.
Edit: Damn , I guess I should have said modular desktop PC!
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
The PC as we know it *will* die, but not in something as little as 5 years, and i don't think tablets are the way to go.
Instead, we will see a rise to the smart home, where your house is completely networked and you can control everything via a tablet or smartphone. With so much space available, there is nearly unlimited processing power, even more than a PC can offer given it's still relatively small form factor. All you need is a monitor you connect ot a outlet or even per wi-fi or something, or a smart wallpaper, made of OLED.
If all rooms have OLED wallpapers etc., you could game everywhere in your house, without having to move anything or reconnect etc. You would either just punch some buttons on the wall itself or use your tablet/phone to set it a wall to gaming mode.
Heck, it is already possible to use voice recognition to do that. "Computer, set east wall to gaming mode".
No matter how much power you manage to cram into a tablet, you can always simply use more space to achieve more power, so a tablet will always be inferior to something bigger, unless something fundamental changes. We would need something where processing power does not scale with size. Which is nigh impossible, as we invented parallel computing long ago. Even if you have something like quantum computing, there are limits. Very high limits, literally impossible to imagine, but there are limits. The moment we hit that limit, we simply make it bigger or use two CPUs etc. Unless the very nature of quantum computing (or whatever we will use) makes both things impossible, we will always use something bigger for the more complex tasks.
I'll wait to the day's end when the moon is high And then I'll rise with the tide with a lust for life, I'll Amass an army, and we'll harness a horde And then we'll limp across the land until we stand at the shore
The PC as we know it *will* die, but not in something as little as 5 years, and i don't think tablets are the way to go.
Instead, we will see a rise to the smart home, where your house is completely networked and you can control everything via a tablet or smartphone. With so much space available, there is nearly unlimited processing power, even more than a PC can offer given it's still relatively small form factor. All you need is a monitor you connect ot a outlet or even per wi-fi or something, or a smart wallpaper, made of OLED.
If all rooms have OLED wallpapers etc., you could game everywhere in your house, without having to move anything or reconnect etc. You would either just punch some buttons on the wall itself or use your tablet/phone to set it a wall to gaming mode.
Heck, it is already possible to use voice recognition to do that. "Computer, set east wall to gaming mode".
No matter how much power you manage to cram into a tablet, you can always simply use more space to achieve more power, so a tablet will always be inferior to something bigger, unless something fundamental changes. We would need something where processing power does not scale with size. Which is nigh impossible, as we invented parallel computing long ago. Even if you have something like quantum computing, there are limits. Very high limits, literally impossible to imagine, but there are limits. The moment we hit that limit, we simply make it bigger or use two CPUs etc. Unless the very nature of quantum computing (or whatever we will use) makes both things impossible, we will always use something bigger for the more complex tasks.
Yea I agree, the possibilities are staggering.
I think the point here is : If you think that desktop PC's like the one pictured above will remain relevant for a long time to come, then you may be mistaken.
And how long, could be sooner than you think. That's just my guess, it will probably be somewhere in the middle, when the diehards that cling to desktops die off, and the new generations say, "What were they thinking??"
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
In the 8 person team I work in I am the only gamer. I am the only person who owns a desktop PC. The others own laptops but rarely use them. They do everything on their tablets (android or ipad). I should add that this is in a home setting, at work we all use laptops.
So yes, in a mainstream setting it is quite possible that the PC will go the way of the Dodo. It will continue to be niche for gamers and as long as the manufacturers make money they will offer the product but I can see it disappearing for most mainstream home users, tablets are more convenient and getting more powerful.
Originally posted by RigamortisFirst off, I am old enough to disclose that my first PC was the Tandy 1000 I bought at Radio Shack back in the late 80's. I also studied the architecture of the 8088 / 8086 chip. Since then....I have owned and built more PC's then I can remember. On the weekends I listen to a guy on the radio who does a Tech Show. He is very knowledgeable and I respect his opinion the majority of the time.However, this last weekend he made a bold statement I completely disagree with. He said the PC (as we know it) will go the way of the DoDo bird and not be around in 5 years. He theorizes that everything will be going to "PC Tablets". Sure, the PC market has taken a sizable hit since the IPAD and other tablets have become very popular. However, with the multi-billion dollar video game industry as well as the major players in the GPU / Video cards, there is no way (in my opinion) the PC will die. Thoughts?-Rig
Before any technology is going to be minimized and condensed for a tablet its always going to be developed on a pc first.
Cutting edge technology will always be big before it's small, end of story.
Comments
Well we have to have a team to join..:)
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
To use a crude analogy: the microwave did not kill the stove. The stove is not a dead technology. The advantages of faster and easier meal preparation are not always an adequate substitute for traditional cooking. Both technologies can live together in happy harmony once the benefits and limitations of each are clearly understood.
20 years ago people would have said the same thing about landline phones.
PC gaming does evolve...its what we call "consoles". They carry the same system of a PC anyways (bar OS ofc).To play devil's advocate; the PC for gaming could very well be killed off intentionally.
First off, the only markets PC seems to dominate for gaming is MMOs, MOBAs and RTS games. Casual gaming has seemingly moved completely into the smart phone and tablet markets (look at Candy Crush and Flappybird). Anything else consoles outsell in terms of units (latest CoD sales have Xbone and PS4 on top http://www.vgchartz.com/gamedb/?name=call+of+duty%3A+advanced+warfare). Of course, take VGchartz for what you will. Now we have Steam Machines on the horizon attempting to consolize PC gaming to a degree.
While demand for PC gaming will always be there, will there be enough support from the folks that matter (publishers and developers)? Why release games for PC if they don't sell nearly as well as their console counterparts? How many more casual PC gaming enthusiasts would dump their PC for consoles if there was native keyboard and mouse support?
Just a reminder, I am merely playing devil's advocate here. Don't take this as me attempting to predict anything.
Death of the PC? seriously, when the PC is the only gaming platform that is actually still growing, vs that of the consoles which is contracting in a huge way, highly doubtful indeed.
One of the things about PC's if not the most significant, is that they are so easily upgraded, how easy is it after all, to upgrade a PC by just replacing the GPU, Just look at the hardware spec's reqd for most games these days, in terms of processor speeds and cores, the requirements have rarely changed to be all that demanding, whereas that of the GPU requirements has changed quite a bit, so much so that as long as your PC has 3 or 4 cpu cores and can run at 3.0ghz or so, your usually pretty much good to go, as long that is, as you have a decent GPU in your system. Which is probably why Nvidia and AMD are still in business
On the other hand, Console sales are contracting, this isn't so much about which console is best, none of them have gained much traction when you look at the xbox360/ps3/Wii sales figures, if anything the market has significantly contracted, which is no doubt why all the successful games on console are developed for the previous generation of them.
Which takes us back to hardware requirements for games, when the newest consoles are comparable to a 3 or 4 year old mid range PC, not even a high end PC, but mid range, then unless developers are going to develop for PC only, which is unlikely in the face of all those PS3's and Xbox360's out there, as they are the clear majority of the Console gamers out there, then hardware requirements are probably not going to be changing that drastically anytime soon.
As for sales of actual PC's perhaps here Microsoft are themselves to blame, as Win 8 is even less loved than Vista was, and reputedly why PC sales are down to such a degree, and probably why so many PC's out there are still using XP, with most of the worlds PC's using either XP or Win 7 is roughly 80 percent the rest split between vista, 8, mac and linux distro's. Probably no surprise that an XP system with SP3 is probably more than capable of running modern games still either, with the main criteria probably being whether its a 32 bit or 64 bit OS
One thing for sure, if everyone chucked their PS3's and Xbox 360's in the bin, then the development of console games software would crash the very next day.
It can only be possible if there will be something better but so far there isn't. Tablets pffff - cannot even work on them because I need big screen to open several documents and keyboard to type. Also, I refuse to play looking through a keyhole. Consoles have some potential though as they are much cheaper than a gaming PC and not bad either.
Btw I wouldn't even mind the death of PC MMO gaming anymore as this genre has turned into blatant cheating and money grabbing with F2P/P2W schemes. Scum like this can kill PC gaming faster than alternative technologies imo.
What everybody forgets here is that a desktop PC is already becoming seen as a dinosaur in todays world. My own father is in his 80's and keeps telling me how he rarely uses his PC, and mainly uses his smartphone now.
Sure the "Personal Computer" computer will be around in some form, but what form will it be? As generation after generation loses touch with what us oldtimers fondly remember as as the "Glory Days" of PC gaming, you will see a shift.
I wouldn't put a time frame on it, but check out the Kurzweil videos if you doubt it. Information technology increases at an exponential rate. Most likely it will become more compact and perhaps even wearable. Clunky desktops that you upgrade, will be laughed at as archaic. I figure I might be buying one more PC and then after that I can't even guess.
Technology and society will dictate how it goes. Not a handful of PC master race hangers on.
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
People have been claiming this for years. The pc isn't going anywhere. People claim the tablet will take over the pc in the corporate world well that isn't happening and won't for awhile. As long as the corporate world keeps using the PC there will be a use for pc in our homes. This myth has been going on for awhile maybe repost this in ten years and you might be on to something.
http://betanews.com/2014/11/24/corporate-pc-demand-will-last/
If you tell a bad story enough times, in the end, it will be the only story around.
Thats how it is going with games. More and more bad MMOs, tablet, smartphone and console games are coming out. In the end, people have, if it isnt already so, forgotten how a good game should be like. Fun !
Well I work in a hospital, and in there, practically everything is a workstation now. In fact the few remaining desktops are probably 10 years old now.
The article states many are over 4 years old now. That says to me that you really don't need cutting edge technology for most work related stuff.
Maybe if you were in graphic design or something. But in most applications, even older PC's can still do the job adequately.
The thing is 10 or 15 years ago, smartphones and tablets were science fiction. Look how fast they have developed ,and that is because society determined there was a demand. If businesses decide the same it will change quickly.
But true enough. Impossible to put a time frame on any of this unless you are Hari Seldon.
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
I agree.
PC's are rapidly becoming "specialist devices" that are focused on very narrow areas (e.g. gaming or gfx design). For the "average user", their needs are increasingly being met by smaller ultra-portable devices. As internet speeds and bandwidth become ever cheaper, more and more everyday activities will switch to cloud-based applications.
Five to ten years ago, you needed a PC to do wordprocessing, spreadsheets, etc. Those things are increasingly being handled by tablets. The average home user no longer needs a PC to access emails, surf the web or do the monthly budget. THAT is why PC sales are declining, today's high-power desktops are simply overkill for the average consumer.
A 5 year old mid-range PC can still handle everyday tasks just as well as a modern beast. There's no need to replace it, unless you're a gamer first and "home user" second. By the time that old rig cannot run Microsoft Office any longer, Office will most probably be exclusively used on tablets...
At the moment, smartphones and tablets are little more than toys, they can't cope with business demand, and they can't handle modern games, the only way for the PC to die out, is if everyone stops playing games like world of warcraft etc. Which lets face it, is an unlikely scenario. It will take a significant leap from current technology to bring about a scenario where the PC is no longer a necessary part of not just online gaming, but modern games in general.
As for smart phones and tablets, they are replaced on practically an annual basis, and in all probability are little more than a passing fad until the next electronic device becomes the new must have item, which very much identifies also the type of games that are played on them. Durability and longevity is not part of their design.
When you are talking "PC" here Phry, what you are really talking about is a modular design. I mean everything is a "PC" in a way. Consoles, tablets, phones are all PC's.
So what we are talking about here is basically modular design, and the interface which is keyboard and mouse. All the desktop adds to the gaming experience is ugradeability, and some might say an antiquated interface , since it has been around for some time as well.
So a PC's big advantage is that you can make it as powerful as you like, depending on how much money you spend. But what happens when people decide I am happy with the performance I have now. Or.... a console is good enough me, PC games are a pain in the ass, and I enjoy my big screen.
We all know what the cost of a high end graphic card is. And also that said card will become cheap relatively quickly, because the next card will be out. But if the market shrinks then costs will go up because of economies of scale. Suddenly PC gaming becomes more and more expensive to keep up with. Also the perceived performance improvements will be diminished. Which will only increase the spiral of cost. Eventually even mainstream PC gamers will start to wonder if it is worth or the trouble.
If the desktop market isn't growing there is a reason, and that reason is that society dictates demand.
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
There will be no death of the PC
Death of the Desktop... would be a different discussion.
I can foresee a day when all my computing power needs will fit in my pocket. And through Blue Tooth or what have you, it will be able to communicate with any peripheral I need.
How many words per minute can you type on a tablet compared to a keyboard? Until you can silent communication with your mind, the keyboard is going no place soon.
Tablets and smart phones are very handy in some respects and completely suck in others. But when its powerful enough and can wirelessly communicate with any peripheral I need including monitors, keyboards, mice etc. etc. it's just a smaller, more convenient PC.
PC = Personal Computer
It isn't going anywhere until the next "Dark Age" which could be in 5 years for all we know
"Be water my friend" - Bruce Lee
Maby PC sales are down since everyone with half a brain is capable of putting together his own pc.
Starts with a new vid card an before u know it they find out they dont have to spend 500 more on a pc that they can put together themselfs.
Got about 8 or so in my neighburhood who came to me just for a new vid card.
All 8 now have made the pc they wanted themselfs, that look and work how they want.
Nomore buying a new pc when u just need a videocard.
Some pc's are even artistic or a fashion statement nowdays.
Agreed.
The modular desktop is what this discussion is about.
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
Assembling a "Desktop"
these days, is a hell of a lot easier and less confusing than plugging in all the cables for my 7.1 Stereo system.
"Be water my friend" - Bruce Lee
They have been saying the PC is going to die since the first consoles appeared.. Its still here and going strong.. Tablets will not kill off the PC market either..
http://www.statista.com/statistics/263393/global-pc-shipments-since-1st-quarter-2009-by-vendor/
That's a great looking PC!
You are probably right, about having half a brain and you could build that. In my case, my half a brain said I did not want to bother learning, or take the risk of possibly screwing it up. So I just paid someone else. Embarrassing, I know.
Its a great hobby that you have. And I bet that once you finish building one you are already thinking of what you might want to build next.
But that is different from the guy who just wants to play games. To that person, building their own PC doesn't matter. All that matters is getting a good gaming experience. And good is relative. Do they need the most recent bleeding edge technology? Or are they happy to have what everyone else has and be on an even footing, with ease of use?
Again society will dictate what comes out ahead or if there is room for both.
Edit: Damn , I guess I should have said modular desktop PC!
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
Hehe, I will do your stereo, if you do my desktop.
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
The PC as we know it *will* die, but not in something as little as 5 years, and i don't think tablets are the way to go.
Instead, we will see a rise to the smart home, where your house is completely networked and you can control everything via a tablet or smartphone. With so much space available, there is nearly unlimited processing power, even more than a PC can offer given it's still relatively small form factor. All you need is a monitor you connect ot a outlet or even per wi-fi or something, or a smart wallpaper, made of OLED.
If all rooms have OLED wallpapers etc., you could game everywhere in your house, without having to move anything or reconnect etc. You would either just punch some buttons on the wall itself or use your tablet/phone to set it a wall to gaming mode.
Heck, it is already possible to use voice recognition to do that. "Computer, set east wall to gaming mode".
No matter how much power you manage to cram into a tablet, you can always simply use more space to achieve more power, so a tablet will always be inferior to something bigger, unless something fundamental changes. We would need something where processing power does not scale with size. Which is nigh impossible, as we invented parallel computing long ago. Even if you have something like quantum computing, there are limits. Very high limits, literally impossible to imagine, but there are limits. The moment we hit that limit, we simply make it bigger or use two CPUs etc. Unless the very nature of quantum computing (or whatever we will use) makes both things impossible, we will always use something bigger for the more complex tasks.
I'll wait to the day's end when the moon is high
And then I'll rise with the tide with a lust for life, I'll
Amass an army, and we'll harness a horde
And then we'll limp across the land until we stand at the shore
Yea I agree, the possibilities are staggering.
I think the point here is : If you think that desktop PC's like the one pictured above will remain relevant for a long time to come, then you may be mistaken.
And how long, could be sooner than you think. That's just my guess, it will probably be somewhere in the middle, when the diehards that cling to desktops die off, and the new generations say, "What were they thinking??"
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
In the 8 person team I work in I am the only gamer. I am the only person who owns a desktop PC. The others own laptops but rarely use them. They do everything on their tablets (android or ipad). I should add that this is in a home setting, at work we all use laptops.
So yes, in a mainstream setting it is quite possible that the PC will go the way of the Dodo. It will continue to be niche for gamers and as long as the manufacturers make money they will offer the product but I can see it disappearing for most mainstream home users, tablets are more convenient and getting more powerful.
Before any technology is going to be minimized and condensed for a tablet its always going to be developed on a pc first.
Cutting edge technology will always be big before it's small, end of story.