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Is PC gaming going away over time?
pencilrick
Member Posts: 1,550
I know console gaming is on the rise, and when I went to a game store recently, the section for PC games was very small (maybe 8% of the games in the store). Is this a trend or simply a stable market?
I would hate to have gaming all go to XBox and Playstation. That would be limiting, especially for MMORPG's.
Thoughts?
Comments
PC gaming has almost always been a niche thing. Consoles will more than likely trample all over PCs within the next 10-15 years if not sooner. There have been several posts on these forums about people not liking to update their computers to keep up with the updated games and graphics. This is what will end PC gaming when the cost to keep up with the curve becomes too much.
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You wouldn't understand
Most pc games are moving to pay online download etc...
Playing: Everthing
Played: DAoC,AC2,EvE,SWG,WAR,MXO,CoX,EQ2,L2,LOTRO,SB,UO,WoW.
I have played every MMO that has ever come out.
PCs arent going away anytime soon. Therefore gaming is here to stay always. Lots of people work on PCs and can not get rid of it, even if the internet can be reached on other platforms.
Even if large gaming companies forget the PC then it will just open up for independents.
So no - it wont happen any time soon...
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CASUAL CONFESSIONS - Draccan's blog
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PCs arent going away anytime soon. Therefore gaming is here to stay always. Lots of people work on PCs and can not get rid of it, even if the internet can be reached on other platforms.
Even if large gaming companies forget the PC then it will just open up for independents.
So no - it wont happen any time soon...
I agree PCs are going nowhere, but PC gaming will slow to a crawl when consoles are powerful enough to run a high end PC game. The gaming PC install base will slowly dwindle to nothing more than a trickle and this is when developers will move to consoles as there will no longer be money in high end gaming.
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You wouldn't understand
My local gamestop (this to the OP) had gone from a wall of PC software to something smaller than my bookshelf years ago. The vast majority of the store is console related and.. the USED DVD section is bigger than the PC Section.
But to the line I quoted and why I find it funny.
I find it funny because "now" people complain its to expensive to keep up. Everything is so much cheaper than it used to be.. Anyone who has been using a PC since the voodoo 1/2 and GeForce 1 days.. Think back to how much stuff used to cost.
imho what is killing PC gaming is MMO's. After UO and EQ1 came out think of how fast you saw the decline of single player games. How many single player games or even multi do you see a year now?
How many companies have announced they are making or working on an MMO... Most of which will fail and those companies will either go console or leave the gaming market.
That's part of why I hated the PC when it was starting to take over the market (yes I'm that old). Back in the commodore 64 days.. you had multiple great games a MONTH. Now it can be years... especially with the MMO trend.. 3 to 6 years of over hype for something that turns out to be a dog turd and cost $50. My dog can make me the same thing... far cheaper.
I'll honestly finally stop gaming before I ever buy a console and I'm already close to no longer gaming.. because I'm sick of stepping in... poop.
What was the last game you were really happy with on your PC? and what was the last game before that? and how many year period was in between?
That might give you an idea... or hell ask yourself honestly how many PC related titles you really liked.. in the last decade..
even if you take WoW out of the equation, PC gaming revenue has increased every year
The trend in gaming these days is to dumb things down so much that even the lowest of the lowest can press "I WIN". So really, let the consoles take over, there is very little left anyway for real gamers. The good things is that the indie market is strong and theres alot good games comming that way. PC gaming aint dying its just shifting so the nobrain games goes to where it belongs, with the kiddies.
While this is true in a way, if ppl would just stop buying what will get them by. They spend the extra 900 bucks to buy a computer that will last for 3 years and then it would not such an issue. Buying a 1 gig vid card instead of a 512 and get 4 gigs of ram instead of 2 upfront is always much easier then having to upgrade every year. If you don't have the extra 900 bucks then wait a few months till you do.
In the future nither will ultimately win because they are going to merge. Look at the PS3, you can load linux on it, you can surf the web, you can download things, they are basically a limited computer. Soon the computer at the desk will be used for work and the computer hooked up to the tv will play your DVDs, surf the web, all your games, browse your pictures, etc...
Tried: Vanguard, UO, Rappelz, Archlord, RF Online, SWG, WAR, Ryzom, Anarchy Online, AC, APB, STO, Perfect World, Black Prophecy...
Played: EQ,EQII, Lineage, Lineage 2, GW, EVE Online, AoC, DoAC, iRO, AC2, WoW, SWTOR, Runes of Magic, Allods, Rift..
Currently Playing: Tera
This is only because they are releasing more and more crap faster and faster. People keep hoping that one of these games is going to be good but to no avail. The only good games on PC are already established IPs. As someone else had mentioned, how long do PC gamers go between good games? Years most of the time.
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You wouldn't understand
My local gamestop (this to the OP) had gone from a wall of PC software to something smaller than my bookshelf years ago. The vast majority of the store is console related and.. the USED DVD section is bigger than the PC Section.
But to the line I quoted and why I find it funny.
I find it funny because "now" people complain its to expensive to keep up. Everything is so much cheaper than it used to be.. Anyone who has been using a PC since the voodoo 1/2 and GeForce 1 days.. Think back to how much stuff used to cost.
imho what is killing PC gaming is MMO's. After UO and EQ1 came out think of how fast you saw the decline of single player games. How many single player games or even multi do you see a year now?
How many companies have announced they are making or working on an MMO... Most of which will fail and those companies will either go console or leave the gaming market.
That's part of why I hated the PC when it was starting to take over the market (yes I'm that old). Back in the commodore 64 days.. you had multiple great games a MONTH. Now it can be years... especially with the MMO trend.. 3 to 6 years of over hype for something that turns out to be a dog turd and cost $50. My dog can make me the same thing... far cheaper.
I'll honestly finally stop gaming before I ever buy a console and I'm already close to no longer gaming.. because I'm sick of stepping in... poop.
What was the last game you were really happy with on your PC? and what was the last game before that? and how many year period was in between?
That might give you an idea... or hell ask yourself honestly how many PC related titles you really liked.. in the last decade..
That is a really interesting observation about mmos and it definitely makes sense --t hey're timesinks eating into everything else.
console are going to get more an more expensive with every gen
. . .but nowhere near as expensive as new PC components are. Plus consoles have a life cycle of around 5 years.
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|X| \*........*/ |X|
|X|_________|X|
You wouldn't understand
In the future nither will ultimately win because they are going to merge. Look at the PS3, you can load linux on it, you can surf the web, you can download things, they are basically a limited computer. Soon the computer at the desk will be used for work and the computer hooked up to the tv will play your DVDs, surf the web, all your games, browse your pictures, etc...
I have to 100% disagree with that statement. Every Wal-Mart, Best Buy, ect I've ever been to is about 90-95% console, and 5-10% PC games.
. . .but nowhere near as expensive as new PC components are. Plus consoles have a life cycle of around 5 years.
initial cost of whole pc is expensive but keeping updated bit by bit is no more expensive than console
This is only because they are releasing more and more crap faster and faster. People keep hoping that one of these games is going to be good but to no avail. The only good games on PC are already established IPs. As someone else had mentioned, how long do PC gamers go between good games? Years most of the time.
They release a whole lot less crap PC games then they used to...infact most of the crap games go on the console now. I used to work in an gamestore years ago and we carried tons and tons and tons of PC games..75% of them were crap & cheap.I still can't believe Antarious is blaming MMOS for the decline in choices...ever thought the decline in choices is the due to the increase in quality? MMOs if anything are keeping PC gaming alive, giving developers ideas on how to digitally handle their software to try and limit piracy. PC gaming is far younger than consoles...I do think its slowed down but I don't think its dying, its just in the process of a hopefully major shift.
PC gaming will only die if PC's die and I doub tthat'll happen considering how widely used PC's are for everything.
Please Refer to Doom Cat with all conspiracies & evil corporation complaints. He'll give you the simple explination of..WE"RE ALL DOOMED!
PC game sales are rising every year, and those numbers DO NOT include MMO subs. If they were to factor those in (not to mention casual browser games) those numbers would be HUGE. Consoles keep getting more expensive and eventually will rival gaming rigs in price. Having to upgrade a PC is one of the complaints of PC gaming but, at least you can upgrade a PC. I own a XBOX360, but most of my time is spent right here on my PC.
My local gamestop (this to the OP) had gone from a wall of PC software to something smaller than my bookshelf years ago. The vast majority of the store is console related and.. the USED DVD section is bigger than the PC Section.
But to the line I quoted and why I find it funny.
I find it funny because "now" people complain its to expensive to keep up. Everything is so much cheaper than it used to be.. Anyone who has been using a PC since the voodoo 1/2 and GeForce 1 days.. Think back to how much stuff used to cost.
imho what is killing PC gaming is MMO's. After UO and EQ1 came out think of how fast you saw the decline of single player games. How many single player games or even multi do you see a year now? That and the predator companies like EAxis and Microshit that buy up, lay off and/or force out of business anything they see as competition.
How many companies have announced they are making or working on an MMO... Most of which will fail and those companies will either go console or leave the gaming market.
That's part of why I hated the PC when it was starting to take over the market (yes I'm that old). Back in the commodore 64 days.. you had multiple great games a MONTH. Now it can be years... especially with the MMO trend.. 3 to 6 years of over hype for something that turns out to be a dog turd and cost $50. My dog can make me the same thing... far cheaper.
I'll honestly finally stop gaming before I ever buy a console and I'm already close to no longer gaming.. because I'm sick of stepping in... poop.
What was the last game you were really happy with on your PC? Fallout 1 and 2, Planescape: Torment, Baldurs Gate 1 & 2. MOO2, Metal Fatigue, Command and Conquer 1. and what was the last game before that? and how many year period was in between? Uhh,,, 8 or 9 plus?
That might give you an idea... or hell ask yourself honestly how many PC related titles you really liked.. in the last decade..
The only game I've seen in YEARS that I will buy without even trying a demo of is Spore, it's the first truly unique and well thought out game I've seen since Metal Fatigue. Mass Effect looks cool, but since Bioware lost BlackIsle I have no faith in them anymore.
Want a taste of religion? Lick a witch.
Exactly. Digital distribution is sky rocketing.
Until you cancel your subscription, you are only helping to continue the cycle of mediocrity.
I think that what was said earlier about PC gaming going downloadable was dead on. I haven't bought a PC game at a store in a couple of years now. This makes sense for the developers since they don't have to pay for packaging or shelf space at big box stores like Wal-Mart or Best buy.
On the downside, PC gaming is changing drastically. For about a decade, PC gaming was for the hardest of the hardcore. Now, PC gaming is home to casual games like Bejeweled and Puzzle Quest. Nintendo is kind of trying to do the same thing with consoles and it seems to be working so far.
As for price... The 60 gig, backward compatible PS3 costs $700. I could overhaul my computer and play Crysis for that same amount of money. The computer I'm currently using cost me $400 to build and that's about the same as I'd be paying for an Xbox 360 Pro system. On top of that, every time I've talked to an Xbox 360 owner in the past month, they've all told me that their machine just died. and that's with the intercooler thing attached.
I've been planning on buying a 360 but only because I refuse to buy the PS3. I felt insulted that Sony would even attempt to sell a $700 console and I have no intentions of forgiving them for that. But I'm still very worried about the 360's reliability. I like my PC, but it just doesn't have the selection of the 360. It also can't match the performance of the 360 on games like Bioshock, CoD4, Lost Planet, or Assassin's Creed.
I still use the PC for TF2, BF2142, UT3, C&C 3 and Dawn of War. I'm hoping that my rig will run Starcraft 2 when it comes out. Oh yeah... and Street Fighter 4 is going to be released on the PC as well.
Exactly. Digital distribution is sky rocketing.
Yeah and broadband connections are coming down in prices which makes people want to download stuff. There's also the increase in pirating as well
Then add in the fact that some of the big games are out on all systems as well.
Want a taste of religion? Lick a witch.
. . .but nowhere near as expensive as new PC components are. Plus consoles have a life cycle of around 5 years.
Not true at all, PC is about choice do you want a $500 vid card or do you want a $150 vid card that plays everything. The extra money will prob only last you one year longer.
If you look at prices of what you really need instead of what you want pc gaming is cheap.
8800 gt =$160
core 2 duo =$120
motherboard =$80
ram 2 gigs = $40
case + powersuply = $50
hard drive 500 gig = $80
Thats $530 for a pc thats twice as good as mine and i can play everything out. Thats also just random stuff from newegg, so I didnt look for bundle sales or look at ebay for monster deals. Plus you dont need to buy new hard drives or case or power supply most the time when upgrading.
Also I have played two mmos this year that were both released before 2001. That means that my computer that i played the game on seven years ago would still play those games just fine.(10six and endlessages)
Own, Mine, Defend, Attack, 24/7
From my observations it looks more like counsols are becoming more like PC's...i mean really the xbox 360 is just a computer......
The new EQ2, better than ever befor !
don't click this link...
People have been heralding the death knell of PC gaming ever since the first consoles came out over 20 years ago. Its still here and going strong.
As long as consoles remain somewhat limited in their abilities compared to a full blown PC, it will continue to thrive.
The gaps narrowed a lot , but fundamentally games designed to run well with a game controller don't translate to the keyboard. Both controllers have their benefits, and are better suited to certain gaming designs.
I think we'll see PC games continue for a long time to come.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
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Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
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"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Actually, no the console and the PC are not in competition really. And you can't write your school paper on a console. Nor can you really IM. Or design a program. Remember, there's about five or so billion humans that don't have either consoles or PCs, so I expect the market to change radically in favor of PCs and mobile devices (especially mobile devices since their deployment is cheaper) over consoles on a worldwide scale. Consoles are a nice market for the kiddies and people who don't want to program, but they don't make the world go round when it comes to education, IT, AI design and theory, or research of any kind. Consoles are the ones that are niche, not PCs.
-- Brede