My PC is 4 years old, I play everything on high to max... no need to buy a PC last year or whenever it was they calculated this. But I bet you that Steam/PC game sales are doing great!
OH BTW i been building my own PCs for 10+ years. So do all my friends, and many family members. Its not a tiny "hardcore gamers only" market that builds PC nowadays.
i will probably upgrade later this year but 0 rush to do it , i can play any games nowdays w/o issues , yeah i cant use max textures anymore , but i can live with that....and of course i will build a custom pc...
Most people don't need PCs. Anything they needed a PC for in the past they now can do with their iPhone (Ie., email, online chat, photo albums, google search, browse, etc). Most large business use PCs to simply complete paper work (MS Word) that used to require the simple use of a typewriter. Only difference is that now they can save and organize all of their documents and send them in email. New computers aren't needed to fulfill that purpose. It is simply a matter of a one or two time purchase for many people and organizations. Most people don't play video games, and many more play them but not on computers. The slow down in PC sales should come as a surprise to no one.
Guys it's the PREBUILT PC market they are talking about you know that overpriced bloatware invested shit from discounters no one really needs and such not the hardware market.
I made a graph. Probably like 90% of gamers use prebuilt PC.
And of PC users, probably over 99% use prebuilt PC.
I make my own PC, but most gamers don't.
One thing is for sure, I still miss the days of sitting around eating pizza and playing PacMan.
All of my posts are either intelligent, thought provoking, funny, satirical, sarcastic or intentionally disrespectful. Take your pick.
I get banned in the forums for games I love, so lets see if I do better in the forums for games I hate.
I enjoy the serenity of not caring what your opinion is.
And I'm guessing everyone is surprised? Games are crappier year after year, so why waste your money on a "top of the line" rig, when you'll be having more fun with a hula hoop? I got a 1800$ rig that runs Skyrim on full blast without breaking a sweat, but I'm playing more SNES / PSX emulators than anything else on it. And don't even get me started on MMO's released since 2007, especially the past 4 years. Intel and AMD, along with Nvidia need to be involved in the development of new game titles, because the heavy dose of "suckness" that we keep getting year after year has gone beyond out of control. MMO or not, almost everything sucks! The number of DLC's on new games is also destroying the gaming market, which in turn destroys the hardware market, since people are fed up having to ditch 60$ on a new title, but only to find out that it's 50% complete and a DLC releasing in a pretext of being an "expansion" for another 40-50$ is driving people mad.
Let's face it, the less people game, the less money Intel, AMD, Nvidia makes. Because like I typed at the beginning, what's the point of upgrading your rig when there's nothing no play? More and more people are playing on their smartphones. So there you go, don't expect the PC gaming world to get any better anytime soon.
And I'm guessing everyone is surprised? Games are crappier year after year, so why waste your money on a "top of the line" rig, when you'll be having more fun with a hula hoop? I got a 1800$ rig that runs Skyrim on full blast without breaking a sweat, but I'm playing more SNES / PSX emulators than anything else on it. And don't even get me started on MMO's released since 2007, especially the past 4 years. Intel and AMD, along with Nvidia need to be involved in the development of new game titles, because the heavy dose of "suckness" that we keep getting year after year has gone beyond out of control. MMO or not, almost everything sucks! The number of DLC's on new games is also destroying the gaming market, which in turn destroys the hardware market, since people are fed up having to ditch 60$ on a new title, but only to find out that it's 50% complete and a DLC releasing in a pretext of being an "expansion" for another 40-50$ is driving people mad.
Let's face it, the less people game, the less money Intel, AMD, Nvidia makes. Because like I typed at the beginning, what's the point of upgrading your rig when there's nothing no play? More and more people are playing on their smartphones. So there you go, don't expect the PC gaming world to get any better anytime soon.
Horrible analogy. I'm not going to elaborate on why this type of thinking doesn't work because a more sound reason has already been discuss in this thread.
Gamers are a tiny segment of the market and they've never really driven computer sales. They're catered to because they're high value customers. Meanwhile the vast majority of consumers and businesses have reached the point that a wally world $300 computer will so anything they want and more. You might shave off few milliseconds here and there but more expensive performance upgrades are just wasted money.
A three year old $400 PC from Best Buy lets me play pretty much every MMO at max graphics.
Guys it's the PREBUILT PC market they are talking about you know that overpriced bloatware invested shit from discounters no one really needs and such not the hardware market.
I made a graph. Probably like 90% of gamers use prebuilt PC.
And of PC users, probably over 99% use prebuilt PC.
I make my own PC, but most gamers don't.
I don't know about that, I wouldn't consider myself a hardcore PC enthusiast, but I built mine. Think as the guy you quoted said a lot more PC gamers are building their own, why? Its cheaper and 100 times easier to do now than it was in the past. Like 5 - 10 years ago I would agree with that chart, but now PC are so much popular and people are always advised by youtubers, twitch players and friends to custom build.
Guys it's the PREBUILT PC market they are talking about you know that overpriced bloatware invested shit from discounters no one really needs and such not the hardware market.
I made a graph. Probably like 90% of gamers use prebuilt PC.
And of PC users, probably over 99% use prebuilt PC.
I make my own PC, but most gamers don't.
I don't know about that, I wouldn't consider myself a hardcore PC enthusiast, but I built mine. Think as the guy you quoted said a lot more PC gamers are building their own, why? Its cheaper and 100 times easier to do now than it was in the past. Like 5 - 10 years ago I would agree with that chart, but now PC are so much popular and people are always advised by youtubers, twitch players and friends to custom build.
/shrug
Even when buying a new PC, a gamer will more often than not end up having to replace certain generic components for gaming (Ie., video card) which in turn necessitate the replacement of other components due to bottle-necking thereby rendering other components non-effective/efficient.
Building your own PC is the better way to go now days. Its fairly simple to do and much cheaper in the long run.
Even when buying a new PC, a gamer will more often than not end up having to replace certain generic components for gaming (Ie., video card) which in turn necessitate the replacement of other components due to bottle-necking thereby rendering other components non-effective/efficient.
Building your own PC is the better way to go now days. Its fairly simple to do and much cheaper in the long run.
just for the record I estimate over my life I have had about 10 PCs and I built only one of them. which by chance is also one of 2 that I have had the died pre-maturely. I could have been by chance I dont know.
I usually buy pre-builts for smaller companies like Micro Center.
Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.
There is no reason to get a new computer, the games are made today with a low standard in mind, that standard is tablet gaming. So your computer from 5 years ago is 3 generations ahead of the current generation of tablet.
The azure cloud could be a game changer too for tablets and pc's.
The games all suck today, one really only needs to have a pc good enough for League of Legends or World of Warcraft
PC is still the best gaming device and work productivity machine. People already own "good enough" pc's though.
High resolutions , 3d gaming, VR, yadda yadda yadda will all fall off in a poor economy , if you thought 2015 was bad, wait till 2016 is over and 2017.
MMORPGs used to be coded to the next generation of hardware, but since WOW / Vanguard that's changed and the games are being coded to the last generation which the masses all own.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"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
Not really worth being concerned over. It's not like the pc market is dying or anything.
I actually think it's pretty funny. Anytime a number drops somewhere there is always someone using it as evidence that something is dying or coming to an end.
To me it's common sense that them market would take a bit of a hit now and then, especially after mobile devices have become the thing to use for casuals. To not expect a drop is just silly. But again, it doesn't mean anything really. Things will still continue.
Now for those saying pc's have gotten to a point where you really don't need to upgrade. That is silly. I really hope you don't actually mean that. Sure, you may not need to upgrade right now at this moment, but I can assure you ... in the future you will. What is enough for today, will likely not be enough for tomorrow.
It's like that one quote bill gates said "you will never need more than 64k memory" Except he never actually said that lol. Someone asked him what he meant by that and this is what he said "I've said some stupid things and some wrong things, but not that. No one involved in computers would ever say that a certain amount of memory is enough for all time."
Point is, there likely will never be a point in time when the power and resources your computer has will be enough. There will always come new technology that requires more.
Its not just PC game sales that are down. All sales are down. We are heading into recession in 2016, the writing is on the wall in BOLD type. Also you have to remember, for the majority of office work a good PC is not necessary. Heck right now you can get a Lumia 950 and have your worker do everything they possibly need to do on it including having a phone. It was already known PCs would also have a lull in 2015. There was not a significant increase in performance in this time period, and the need for higher end equipment became evident with VR. 2016 will see a dramatic increase in performance for most PC components as AMD and GPUs transition to a smaller process node.
-diminishing returns in daily use, I don't need 10Gbit/s internet, I don't need 16 cores, I don't need 4k...we are at a point where PC are great...the way they are...sure I like advancements...but I'm not running out to buy a 4k monitor that looks like a 1080p one with some minor minor difference
Kinda in this segment myself... I upgraded from GTX660 half a year ago to a GTX970. Now I'm in doubt if I should upgrade my Phenom 1090T for a FX8350/FX8370. My PC runs fine, games perform well but at times I do see that my CPU is a bit slow compared to the GPU. As exampl:, I get 'only' 40FPS in BDO CBT1 while ppl with latest i5/i7 had 75+FPS on a GTX970...
Honestly, you probably wouldn't notice much of a difference moving to another AMD CPU.
One of the reasons I still haven't upgraded the CPU. Only reason to upgrade is that my son can get my old Phenom in his PC
Its not just PC game sales that are down. All sales are down. We are heading into recession in 2016, the writing is on the wall in BOLD type.
Actually, consumer sentiment is several points higher than anticipated. More USA jobs have been created in the last 12 months than any point in the last 8 years. At the moment, people, surprisingly particularly millenials, are bolstering retirement accounts and personal assets. This is a really, really good sign. It means more people have money and they're looking for smart ways to spend it.
All systems are go for a prolific bull market lasting well into the summer. Any talk of a "2016 recession" is nonsense.
AMD is gearing up to battle with Nvidia in 2016 to tap the growing gaming market. AMD has separated its GPU business from its CPU (central processing unit) business by creating the RTG (Radeon Technologies Group). The RTG will introduce products that compete with Nvidia’s GeForce.
According to media reports, AMD plans to launch a whole new line of GPUs code-named Arctic Islands in the summer of 2016. It’s expected to build these GPUs using the 14nm node at Samsung’s (SSNLF) and GlobalFoundries’ plant. The line would house a flagship GPU, code-named Greenland, with up to 18B transistors.
On the other hand, Nvidia plans to launch its Pascal GPU architecture in 2016. The company is expected to build GPUs using the 16nm node at TSMC’s (TSM) plant. The architecture would support Nvidia’s NVLink interconnect. Both the products would support HBM2 (second-generation high bandwidth memory).
Nvidia is locking its systems in order to create an ecosystem like Apple’s or Microsoft’s. In mid-December 2015, Nvidia locked all of its game-ready drivers behind the GFE (GeForce Experience) software. For instance, Nvidia’s GeForce NOW only works with Nvidia Shield devices.
NVidia is up for a rough ride, as its more and more evident that new consumer GPUs will be just maxwells on a smaller process as everything about pascal is compute/supercomputer oriented (NVLink/HBM), one thing they removed from maxwell)
They still havent shown or said anything about new consumer line. In fact they havent shown Pascal with whole "heres newest pascal thingy....with 2 maxwell chips" debacle.
CPUs are in a rough ride because they are large overkill today, 8 core CPU for 100$ and looking better and better with every new game released....and intel only released fluff in past 5 years for large price.
Software is slow to catch on to even todays CPUs. So theres little point of building "bigger better faster" than already TOO big and TOO fast.
Consoles are getting obsolete faster than anticipated and theres already notions that PC entertainment will surpas consoles in 2016. In fact thats one of the reasons consoles failed first time around, they just cant stay relevant for long enough.
Software is slow to catch on to even todays CPUs. So theres little point of building "bigger better faster" than already TOO big and TOO fast.
CPU and generally computing is too fast for current consmer needs but not fast enough to create new type of needs.
That is the whole bad point of current tech.
Additional 20% or even 100% more compute in his PC won't change anything fundamentally for average Joe and definately not for software companies.
Now if humanity would figure out how to i.e. replace silicon for other material with much superior characteristics cheaply and would be able to provide CPUs/GPUs that are 100x faster to average JoE for similar price that current silicon is being offered then current then software would go into high gear and then PC market would soar new hights.
Gradual uppgrades won't do s&%# anymore for PC market and generally home computing. In order to keep expanding we simply need major breakthroughs and it seems industry&science are not able to bring it atm.
Comments
OH BTW i been building my own PCs for 10+ years. So do all my friends, and many family members. Its not a tiny "hardcore gamers only" market that builds PC nowadays.
GAME TIL YOU DIE!!!!
Most people don't need PCs. Anything they needed a PC for in the past they now can do with their iPhone (Ie., email, online chat, photo albums, google search, browse, etc). Most large business use PCs to simply complete paper work (MS Word) that used to require the simple use of a typewriter. Only difference is that now they can save and organize all of their documents and send them in email. New computers aren't needed to fulfill that purpose. It is simply a matter of a one or two time purchase for many people and organizations. Most people don't play video games, and many more play them but not on computers. The slow down in PC sales should come as a surprise to no one.
All of my posts are either intelligent, thought provoking, funny, satirical, sarcastic or intentionally disrespectful. Take your pick.
I get banned in the forums for games I love, so lets see if I do better in the forums for games I hate.
I enjoy the serenity of not caring what your opinion is.
I don't hate much, but I hate Apple© with a passion. If Steve Jobs was alive, I would punch him in the face.
Let's face it, the less people game, the less money Intel, AMD, Nvidia makes. Because like I typed at the beginning, what's the point of upgrading your rig when there's nothing no play? More and more people are playing on their smartphones. So there you go, don't expect the PC gaming world to get any better anytime soon.
/shrug
Even when buying a new PC, a gamer will more often than not end up having to replace certain generic components for gaming (Ie., video card) which in turn necessitate the replacement of other components due to bottle-necking thereby rendering other components non-effective/efficient.
Building your own PC is the better way to go now days. Its fairly simple to do and much cheaper in the long run.
I need to upgrade soon.
Somehow, I have a feeling I shouldn't really get my hopes up too much. The cost of relative performance has been pretty constant over the years.
I usually buy pre-builts for smaller companies like Micro Center.
Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.
Please do not respond to me
The azure cloud could be a game changer too for tablets and pc's.
The games all suck today, one really only needs to have a pc good enough for League of Legends or World of Warcraft
PC is still the best gaming device and work productivity machine. People already own "good enough" pc's though.
High resolutions , 3d gaming, VR, yadda yadda yadda will all fall off in a poor economy , if you thought 2015 was bad, wait till 2016 is over and 2017.
Not surprising PC sales are down.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"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
I actually think it's pretty funny. Anytime a number drops somewhere there is always someone using it as evidence that something is dying or coming to an end.
To me it's common sense that them market would take a bit of a hit now and then, especially after mobile devices have become the thing to use for casuals. To not expect a drop is just silly. But again, it doesn't mean anything really. Things will still continue.
Now for those saying pc's have gotten to a point where you really don't need to upgrade. That is silly. I really hope you don't actually mean that. Sure, you may not need to upgrade right now at this moment, but I can assure you ... in the future you will. What is enough for today, will likely not be enough for tomorrow.
It's like that one quote bill gates said "you will never need more than 64k memory"
Except he never actually said that lol. Someone asked him what he meant by that and this is what he said "I've said some stupid things and some wrong things, but not that. No one involved in computers would ever say that a certain amount of memory is enough for all time."
Point is, there likely will never be a point in time when the power and resources your computer has will be enough. There will always come new technology that requires more.
Also you have to remember, for the majority of office work a good PC is not necessary. Heck right now you can get a Lumia 950 and have your worker do everything they possibly need to do on it including having a phone.
It was already known PCs would also have a lull in 2015. There was not a significant increase in performance in this time period, and the need for higher end equipment became evident with VR. 2016 will see a dramatic increase in performance for most PC components as AMD and GPUs transition to a smaller process node.
All systems are go for a prolific bull market lasting well into the summer. Any talk of a "2016 recession" is nonsense.
AMD is gearing up to battle with Nvidia in 2016 to tap the growing gaming market. AMD has separated its GPU business from its CPU (central processing unit) business by creating the RTG (Radeon Technologies Group). The RTG will introduce products that compete with Nvidia’s GeForce.
According to media reports, AMD plans to launch a whole new line of GPUs code-named Arctic Islands in the summer of 2016. It’s expected to build these GPUs using the 14nm node at Samsung’s (SSNLF) and GlobalFoundries’ plant. The line would house a flagship GPU, code-named Greenland, with up to 18B transistors.
On the other hand, Nvidia plans to launch its Pascal GPU architecture in 2016. The company is expected to build GPUs using the 16nm node at TSMC’s (TSM) plant. The architecture would support Nvidia’s NVLink interconnect. Both the products would support HBM2 (second-generation high bandwidth memory).
Nvidia is locking its systems in order to create an ecosystem like Apple’s or Microsoft’s. In mid-December 2015, Nvidia locked all of its game-ready drivers behind the GFE (GeForce Experience) software. For instance, Nvidia’s GeForce NOW only works with Nvidia Shield devices.
https://beta.finance.yahoo.com/news/nvidia-prepares-dominate-desktop-gpu-160544974.html
They still havent shown or said anything about new consumer line. In fact they havent shown Pascal with whole "heres newest pascal thingy....with 2 maxwell chips" debacle.
CPUs are in a rough ride because they are large overkill today, 8 core CPU for 100$ and looking better and better with every new game released....and intel only released fluff in past 5 years for large price.
Software is slow to catch on to even todays CPUs. So theres little point of building "bigger better faster" than already TOO big and TOO fast.
Consoles are getting obsolete faster than anticipated and theres already notions that PC entertainment will surpas consoles in 2016. In fact thats one of the reasons consoles failed first time around, they just cant stay relevant for long enough.
That is the whole bad point of current tech.
Additional 20% or even 100% more compute in his PC won't change anything fundamentally for average Joe and definately not for software companies.
Now if humanity would figure out how to i.e. replace silicon for other material with much superior characteristics cheaply and would be able to provide CPUs/GPUs that are 100x faster to average JoE for similar price that current silicon is being offered then current then software would go into high gear and then PC market would soar new hights.
Gradual uppgrades won't do s&%# anymore for PC market and generally home computing. In order to keep expanding we simply need major breakthroughs and it seems industry&science are not able to bring it atm.
http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/16/10780876/microsoft-windows-support-policy-new-processors-skylake