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Ya know, I am mostly a PC gamer, so I am prolly biased. For years and years we hear this talk that consoles are going to crush the PC. Why exactly I never really found logical. Either way, my insights tell me rather the other way around. First, what we see is that atm the two big consoles, PS and XBox are kinda stuck. Sales are mediocre and none of it really has made THE huge market control once expected. Wii, while funny, remains more a niche market for the very casual gamer.
And most important: what we see is that with every new generation consoles become more like a PC! So it is more like consoles, while still existing, become assimilated to PCs and only remain to be consoles by name at some point in the future.
Right now consoles have more and more of the problems of the PC, but mostly NONE of the strenghts. Recent example caused much suffering to PS3 gamers these past days and to this very day. You know, when I bought by first PS1 I thought, COOL, finally no installing, no waiting for patches (since no internet!), a game you just buy and off to the fun you go. Not so today? With harddiscs, installation and internet came the same things which plague PC for years. This evening I finally wanted to continue by "Marvel Ultimate Alliance" and when started it said "re-installing trophies", stuck at 10%. Forever. Well, WTF I thought, and saw, hey my date is resent to year 2000. THEN I realized my internet connection of PS3 was goners, and after much research I saw PS3 users ALL of the world have issues like this since a week ago Sony PSN began some maintenance. Maintenance your ASS! And as a result of their network going haywire the gamers even of SINGLE PLAYER gamers can't play their games. End of story.
Ya know I passionately, vividly HATE this damn trend of games, be it PC or console, to every time connect to the damn internet. Bioware's games, my PC version of Batman Arkham Asylum, the list gets longer every year and FUCK IT I just wanted to play some damn single player game, have my own game world and for ONCE I DONT want to care what anybody else in the WWW is doing! But noooo, nothing without internet today. Gone are the days where console games were great and you just entered the disc and off to fun.
I am just pissed about all this. Why can't they just save MY trophies on MY console and I dont care rats ass what trophies others have, as much as I hate all those new online verifications for single player games. Or the damn endless stream of mini DLC. Get the new kick ass companion HERE, or the new super trendy costume THERE. I just want my single player games single, no internet, no updates, no online community coordination as in the good olde days of modems. When I want to play my single player games, I want to stay AWAY from all the internet this internet that. But they don't let me!
What this has to do with consoles VS PC? Well, consoles are getting the same negatives as PC, but so far NONE of the advantages, like having a machine which can do your work or text or lets you draw or whatever else you hobbies may be. Not to forget that a PC game is €40 for 50 hours while a PS3/XboX360 game is €70 for 12 hours of fun. Which is not REALLY kid/teen friendly for their main target group either. So in my book consoles are a failed concept and will in the long term half vanish, half become a PC.
Link to news:
playstationlifestyle.net/2010/02/28/playstation-network-goes-down-ps3-titles-not-working/
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
Comments
yeah I dont like consoles (anymore) and will only buy a PS3 when Team ICO releases their next game, which I believe it will be called The Last Guardian.
If you stand VERY still, and close your eyes, after a minute you can actually FEEL the universe revolving around PvP.
So long as resellers like Gamestop can deal in used Console games, consoles will be dominant.
Sadly, it has nothing to do with game ability, but profit margin. Perhaps if digital downloads supercede purchased discs, this could change. But until then, PC games will continue to be a single display rack in teh corner in a store of 90% console games :-(
Frank 'Spankybus' Mignone
www.spankybus.com
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Anyway, I don't think consoles are going anywhere, but I think console companies are starting to see the similarities to PC as well, which is why we have the Wii. Consoles are now banking on Gimmicks to lure customers in, while traditional consoles are nothing more than a shiny/white/silver box that can play DVD/Blu-ray.
~Miles "Tails" Prower out! Catch me if you can!
Come Join us at www.globalequestria.com - Meet other fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic!
LOl ... i think you need a doze of reality. Console has ALREADY crushed PC in terms of the gaming market.
http://www.pcvsconsole.com/news.php?nid=3403
PC gaming software market in 2009: $538M
Console + handheld software market in 2009: $10.5B .. that is 20x bigger.
I played games both on PCs & xbox 360. Aside from MMORPGs, I prefer to play SP games on my 360 just because it is much more comfortable (couch versus desk) and much easier (no installation, no set up, no checking if my hardware is good enough ... just pop a disk in and play).
Graphics are comparable. Everything works and none of these video card not compatible shit.
I highly doubt pc gaming is going to "crush" consoles any time soon.
If you cut the handheld sales out you would probably see much more even numbers =P. You know how Japan loves their Pokémon and Dragon Quest!
~Miles "Tails" Prower out! Catch me if you can!
Come Join us at www.globalequestria.com - Meet other fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic!
This title made me laugh in real life.
--------
"Chemistry: 'We do stuff in lab that would be a felony in your garage.'"
The most awesomest after school special T-shirt:
Front: UNO Chemistry Club
Back: /\OH --> Bad Decisions
I belive the PC / Mac will "winn" because of its versatility as an online platform. More and more stuff are going online, and I think thats the direction of games too, and i am not just thinking MMORPG or online games. But how games are distributed and handeled by hardware. Just like music and popular services like Spotify and how it streams music, movies and games will also be streamed so your pc or mac will be the multimedia centre.
So you will eventually not need that console box for gaming. You will access everything from your pc. The great thing with this type of streaming is that you can play at maximum quality without having much of a pc.
Console can obviously go online too and already are, but every home has a pc. PC has a keyboard and runs everything from word, to facebook to email, so its just the natural centre.
I been reading many articles about this and it seems like sony, microsoft etc are well aware of this and are preparing for the future market changes.
And OP are right.. concoles like X-box is basically a pc.
I am talking about the future, and also how consoles BECOME PCs. They still may name themselves console, but basically they will be just another sort of PC just WITHOUT most of the strengths of a PC. So essentially people buying consoles are the ones who lack vision of reality!
Handheld is an extra market. Those are not even real games as I define it. Same to facebooks "games". Yes they are also market, but that really is a different category since no one will ever consider "will I buy this game on PC or mobile phone" or "will I play TF2 as PC version or as facebook application". These are not competition markets for gamers.
Oh and graphics are FAR from comparable in almost every game and PC is WAY superior and expands its technology while the tech of your Xbox and my PS3 will stay the same until PS4 and Xbox 3 someday come.
So, NO NO and NO.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
I am talking about the future, and also how consoles BECOME PCs. They still may name themselves console, but basically they will be just another sort of PC just WITHOUT most of the strengths of a PC. So essentially people buying consoles are the ones who lack vision of reality!
Handheld is an extra market. Those are not even real games as I define it. Same to facebooks "games". Yes they are also market, but that really is a different category since no one will ever consider "will I buy this game on PC or mobile phone" or "will I play TF2 as PC version or as facebook application". These are not competition markets for gamers.
Oh and graphics are FAR from comparable in almost every game and PC is WAY superior and expands its technology while the tech of your Xbox and my PS3 will stay the same until PS4 and Xbox 3 someday come.
So, NO NO and NO.
I agree about the handheld comment; which is why I made the statement "Remove the handheld sales and you'll see much more even numbers" in an earlier post =P
~Miles "Tails" Prower out! Catch me if you can!
Come Join us at www.globalequestria.com - Meet other fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic!
I am talking about the future, and also how consoles BECOME PCs. They still may name themselves console, but basically they will be just another sort of PC just WITHOUT most of the strengths of a PC. So essentially people buying consoles are the ones who lack vision of reality!
Handheld is an extra market. Those are not even real games as I define it. Same to facebooks "games". Yes they are also market, but that really is a different category since no one will ever consider "will I buy this game on PC or mobile phone" or "will I play TF2 as PC version or as facebook application". These are not competition markets for gamers.
Oh and graphics are FAR from comparable in almost every game and PC is WAY superior and expands its technology while the tech of your Xbox and my PS3 will stay the same until PS4 and Xbox 3 someday come.
So, NO NO and NO.
Your definitions are not the same as my definition and I'm sure the PSP and DS crowd will think you are high on something too. Consoles have the advantage of not having to upgrade all the time to maintain your "WAY superior" graphics. I doubt the PC will only crush the console in yours and some other households, but not the market.
--------
"Chemistry: 'We do stuff in lab that would be a felony in your garage.'"
The most awesomest after school special T-shirt:
Front: UNO Chemistry Club
Back: /\OH --> Bad Decisions
PC graphics is considerably advanced, and these are the GOOD titles! Some console version looks WAY uglier than the PC version.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
I havn't owned a console system since super nintendo lol but I certainly dont think console gaming or PC gaming is going anywhere
I watched a snail crawl along the edge of a straight razor. That's my dream; that's my nightmare. Crawling, slithering, along the edge of a straight razor... and surviving.
This is why console will die:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7962180.stm
+ this
http://www.edge-online.com/news/yoichi-wada-sony-and-microsoft-ready-for-the-death-of-consoles
Your "Evidence" isn't even close to the whole picture.
First: That was RETAIL SALES. This, of course, does not include online distribution, which is fast becoming the norm, if it isn't already. These sales are much harder to track, and I believe, there are a lot more of them. So, the majority of MMO sales probably are not counted. Many of the small, indie games are not counted. And lets not forget games with diffrent payment models. People may not like them, but Microtransaction games and facebook "Games" make a ton of money, which would bring the PC gaming revenue earned up 10 fold.
Secondly: In that same article is says that the video game sales where actually declining compared to 2008... and the only growth in the sector was in Handheld gaming. There are a number of reasons this could be and plenty of theories, but simply put: Consoles are not the wave of the future.
On top of that, Handhelds made a huge chunk of the console sales, so knock them down even further.
People who keep saying consoles will rule all gaming and that PC gaming is dying are just wrong, sorry man.
Plus, you can play many games on your PC with a controller. I enjoy my mouse and keyboard for most games, but there are some I play with my controller. You can also hook up your PC to your computer or projector and play on the couch. You get all the benifits of the PC with the benifits of a console. Much better, you should try it out.
That is the most epic thing to ever grace my eyeballs... well, except my Tornado..
~Miles "Tails" Prower out! Catch me if you can!
Come Join us at www.globalequestria.com - Meet other fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic!
PC gameing will Win Because of Mods. Its Why I got Fallout 3 and the like on PC and not Console.
If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude; greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.
Samuel Adams
I don't think either will win. In 25 years time we'll just connect our blueberries and Ipads to our 60" Ultra-HD TV screens via wireless redfang technology and play whatever serverside games we happen to have licenses for over our 100GB vastband internet connections. Or something like that.
Consoles aren't going anywhere anytime soon. They wil be changing though. Here's what I see happening in the near future:
1) All PC based game will be on the web. You will no longer purchase games. You will no longer download games. You will go a game's web site where it will be available through a current web player (Shockwave, Unity or Vision Engine 8) and you will just play it. Games will be supported by ads, subscriptions, item malls or a combination of those three.
2) Consoles will go download only for a time before being integrated into cable boxes. Right now, the console market is trying like hell to sink the second hand game market. The only way they're going to be able to do that is if they switch to an all DLC model. This will probably get rid of the second hand market, but it won't do anything to avert piracy. Eventually, cable companies will step in and lease the chipsets for most major consoles to be included in their set top boxes and full access to the entire game library will just be added to your cable bill.
3) Console clones will gain in popularity as the patents run out on older systems. The natural backlash against these tactics will be the emergence of ultra-cheap console clones that run the actual cartrides and disks of old systems. With the reduced price and ginormous library of older games, most gamers will just go for the cheapest, and more permanent option. Why be gouged with subs and price shops or cut off from your favorite game because your local cable company no longer carries it? People like to actually own things.
So the next ten years are going to be really, really interesting.... If we don't have a major market crash soon....
Well in the end it comes down to piracy I believe. Currently PC copy protection is a laugh and easy for many to nullify. Consoles has to be changed physically (usually atleast) Which put many people of.
I don´t think we can look at it as who is going to win since PC´s and Console are slowly being merged together into an entertainment machine instead.
All statements I make is from my point of view unless stated otherwise.
Yeah, these seem like vastly more accurate predictions than the OP.
Although I'm not sure to what extent I agree with #2. It's true that these systems are going to spread out to try to provide the breadth of features consumers want. But does that mean merging with a cable box? Well it probably means merging with whatever else you're running for fixed in-home video/audio entertainment, but attaching themselves to a cable box seems a bit off to me.
"What is truly revealing is his implication that believing something to be true is the same as it being true. [continue]" -John Oliver
I don't need to read this to know that you are wrong.
If you think consoles are going away, you need to look at how the market feels about your hypothesis.
Console games have grown more and more over time and have passed the PC. Its really just what you prefer neither really are better. From what I've seen PC games are much easier to cheat in
Oh boy, this isn't true...
PCs have MANY more gamers then Consoles, they are just casual. If you want to say Consoles have more "Hard-core" gamers, there is an argument there. But even on consoles, the Casuals are taking over as there are more of them then us. Hardcore gaming is dying off, it's true. There is a reason why the Wii and the DS continually out-preform the 360 and PS3.
It may be easier to cheat in PC games, but it is also MUCH MUCH MUCH easier to get rid of them. If you get a hacker in MW2 on 360, good luck getting rid of him unless a microsoft mod in on
PCs aren't crushing consoles at all. It's the other way around. PC gamers have to constantly upgrade their parts, or even the whole computer. Most people don't want to worry about that, so the console is a much more logical choice. Also, all games made for the console are made for the same hardware specs. There are no variations, unlike PCs, which makes games run smoothly for everyone. Also, most people prefer to play on the couch, not at their desk.
Most people I know that play games have consoles. They have PCs too, but they won't be playing any new games with them, since the ones they buy are built for basic things like word or surfing the web.