Second Take: The PC Gaming Slump - Page 3

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I have to admit this video made me sad inside. I was concerned. I was angered. I felt very territorial. Like dog with a bone. Keep off my PC gaming or lose an ear sort of feeling.

By the responses it seems I'm not alone. I now have hope.

I hope the gaming industry looks to the music industry for a lesson. Change is in the air, thats for sure. We fear change, but every few years it doesn't hurt to tear it all down and rebuild it right. I look to steam to pave the way.

This could be good. A gaming OS for the PC??? Oh yes.

Ok... here is the low down. I bought Crysis and I wish I hadn't. It runs fine on my PC since I have a C2D and 8800GT 512.

Paying $60 to play Crysis on my XBOX360 and HDTV is something I would rather do than play it on my PC for FREE. Your anti-piracy ranting is pretty far off base as far as I'm concerned. I would bet that the vast majority of people playing games for free would not pay for the game on their PC if they couldn't pirate it. They just aren't worth the money in most cases.

Blizzard makes quality PC games. They also manage to thwart piracy by offering battle.net and wow servers that are very impressive. I'm looking forward to Starcraft II!

COD4 and Oblivion are easy examples of games I would much rather pay $60 to play on my 360 instead of pirating for free on my PC. I don't have that choice with Crysis is why I used it as an example.

first, one game that is hardware limited that u can easily tell is cod 2. Not 4. haven't played that yet on the console. But, my friend has a 52 inch lcd. And i played it on his xbox 360, and hooked up my pc up to it too.. And it is horrible compared to the pc version. Graphics wise, there is no comparison. And while I own a xbox 360 controller for the pc, it's just for lazy hands when it comes to a game. Control wise, nothing beats the old keyboard and mouse.

Consoles are for children.

I disagree on the fact that pc gaming isn't going to make a comeback. I think, it is just in a slump, cuz no one really knows what the pc is capable of. I think that the reason people pirate, is cuz off lack of games in the retail stores, too many faulty downloads. Not the other way around like many people believe. I have never ever seen as many pc games as consoles games on shelves. Have u? I think, if they pushed retail pc games truly like they do consoles, and actually made people aware of the real power of the pc. Sales would surpass consoles by far.
Why? Cuz us real hardcore pc gamers/modders- spend hundreds too thousands a year on our pc's. I alone have over 3000 invested in my pc. And I know 2 friends that have almost 8000 invested in theres. It seems like a lot. But too me, I love playing the latest, and staying on the cutting edge. There is a lot u can do with a pc, that consoles just cannot do. That is why I think, that if they started taking us hardcore gamers seriously, the sales would start rising. But it has to start with the advertising. I always see ps3 and xbox on tv commercials- Anyone ever see pc games?


Personally, if I really like a game, I buy it. I think most people who pirate games also go out and buy games too. If I like a game- I want to support the devs. Plus, it's easier to play a game online then a hacked version. Plus, I am proud too own the game. And, it's easy too get the latest patches and support from a retail ver. of the game. I always buy a game that I really like. The last thing I want is pc gaming too die. It never will, but, it has always been in a slump from what i could see. I think, truly support the pc gamers like they do the consoles, and then the pc gamers will support the developers ,software, and hardware manufacurers. I just think, they all need to get together and figure things out. Like how to create a store for pc games only. See my last post.

I wonder what the sales of pc games where compared to the playstation or ps2 when they came out. ??

I have been a die hard PC gamer ever since I first played Doom (the cheesy original DOS version) and Duke Nukem. I prefer using a keyboard and mouse to control my games, because teensy little console controllers are just fine if you have the hands of a 10 year old, but cause repetitive strain injuries if you are an adult. Also, my PC does a whole lot of other things as well as play games. So, over the years I have invested a fortune in upgrading PCs to be able to play the games I like. One of the factors that really hurts PC games is that practically every new PC game is designed to only work properly on a bleeding edge PC. Ooooh, look at the pretty graphics in Doom III. Buy a new graphics card. Get that new processor. Play Doom III and find out that while the graphics are fabulous, after a while you get bored doing the same stuff over and over. Ooooh, look at the pretty graphics in Crysis. Buy a new graphics card. Get that new processor. Upgrade your OS. Spend, spend, spend. Then, after you have upgraded your PC, you find out that the game is really pretty, and quite bloody boring. After you have done this a number of times, you start to get jaded. So, you decide to try a pirated version of the next game, to see if it sucks like the one that made you spend a thousand bucks to be able to play it.

If you have a console, you know that for the next few years, EVERY game that comes out for your console will work on your console. You won’t have to upgrade to Vista. You won’t have to spend three days looking at forums to get Gears of War to work because it is incompatible with your DVD player software. You just shove the damn thing into the drive and play.

Why can’t PC game companies make interesting games that are good enough? Why does everything have to be bleeding edge? Oblivion is my all time favorite game, and I now have a PC that does it justice. Why do I have to continue to upgrade my PC to play the next game? Can you not just make another game that is the same quality as Oblivion? WTF???

Consoles are getting to the point where they are just dedicated computers. You can now get keyboards and mice. You can watch DVDs, surf the net, etc. But the companies that make games for consoles make the game so it works on the console you have, NOT the console you need to buy. You know you have at least 4 to 5 years before you need to buy the new state of the art console, and then it will be half the price of a new computer. So, the problem with PC games is the pinheads that make the games for the PC. Smarten up!

I agree what most of you posted and what Rob Wright said, but there are a lot of other factors game developers and vendors must look at and take into consideration.

The pc gaming age category range widely. There are gamers in mid ages, and young ones entering maturity that buy their own games. So pc games are not only limited to a certain age category.

The pc game hardware specs are getting ridiculously high. A game developer may have high spec to develop their game and can't expect consumers to have the latest hardware every other year. When you look at the boxes of all those descent games mention by Rob which I had considered like Call of Duty, Bioshock etc, the spec asks for CPU speed on average over 2GHz. Some games will ask for 1.8GHz but does not say which generation of CPU so you figure ok, I have a dual core 1.8 and should be faster and better than single core. When you install the game and locks you out cause the game check for clock speed and you pc fail. So thats the money you just spend on the game out the window.

The game developers have to look at the range of pc offerings out there. Notebooks/Laptops are getting more affordable, and many students can afford them for daily use and some gaming. Then you look at the average cpu speed and graphic cards offered and they average out around 1.5 to 1.6 GHz for the cpu and 128mb to 256mb on the graphics side for $600 to $1,000. Now most of these notebooks does not meet the min spec to play any of the new games. So no games sale for notebook owners. The games developer have to take into consideration that if they are to sell their games, its the average consumers and they are not the ones plunking down $2,000 to $3,000 for a gaming notebook. Even the desktops, you look at the average dual core and they barely exceed the min spec. Then what, next year these pc can't play any of the new titles. This is just the cpu end, the graphics end is quite demanding as well, and to upgrade is quite expensive. With the rapid changes in the cpu's, a destop to was purchased last year may not even have a motherboard to upgrade the cpu. This is also only limited to custom built desktop pc's. If you own a retail brand name you are pretty limited. Here is what the devolopers and vendors should consider.

-The game developer should come up with a utility for each title like when Vista came up with a little utility to test and see if you pc meet the specs.
-Develop games that can harness the current pc lineup and not ask for such high demanding specs, should consider the notebook market as well. Even though notebook is not ideal for gaming unless one has a gaming notebook, but look at where the market is going. You buy a gaming console and is good for at least 3 years without upgrading the hardware.
-Consider develop game specs that the end user may have to tweak down the settings to make it run but not as appealing. At least the end user has a choice.

This in my opinion is what is hurting the game sales. The arrogant mentality of pc gaming demanding for high spec pc should be reconsidered. If you want to sell, must consider the market spectrum. You can buy a PS3 for $500 but the investment to upgrade or buy a new mid high power pc is way over this figure.

The gaming publishers should consider if they want to sell volume and at the same time make money cumulatively. Selling volume boost their game title success, isn't it. So a gaming publisher should consider selling game at retail at an attractive price that will not psychologically affect the consumers decision to plunk the cash down for the game. Consider selling future games after taxes under $50 and they can have their volume sales figure. This will in return might change the minds of the downloading of games. I think some of the games downloaded are not all of the blame. Some might download to see if it can even run on their pc before plunking down the cash and find out the disappointment.

Another BS thing is when a new title comes out, make the demo readily available instead of making it only accessible through paid game sites. After a while, the novelty wears out on the consumer and hype to buy has been worn off.

I have a notebook with dual core 1.8 with 256 gforce 7000 with 2gig RAM and in my opinion should be able to play with most titles. In 2007 the game spec has already asked for dual core 2GHz +, what next, Quad Core in 2008 and dual video cards. If this continues, won't be selling to many games except for the fortunate ones that can afford the lastest fastest pc. If the devopers/publishers decide to cut off the pc market, its another mistake, they must consider the population of pc's world wide, how many are there in the 18 to late 30s that own a desktop and notebook pc. Access the market hardware trend, cost for consumers to upgrade to play their $50 game.

Hope they are listening?

I think, they should look at the sales, of the game combined- I mean, if it sold a million on the consoles, and 100,000 on the pc. Thats a 1,100,000. Why separate them? 100,000 sales at $50 a pop is still a lot of money. They should look at it in a positive way instead of a negative. Porting from the pc to the console can't be that hard. (Plus it's better than porting from console to pc). They still make money. So, keep doing it. Besides, pc will
always be around, consoles change. So makes more sense to do it that way, plus everyone benefits.

Why can't they just keep doing it this way, and quit pitting console players against pc players (and vise versa) ? We can have both. And lots of people do. SO.... Don't give up on PC players, just cuz of a lil bump in the road.

Dude, seriously, how can u even comment on this if u only bought 3 games for 2 systems? U have been out of the loop. There have been lots of good games out. I myself bought around 20 just for the pc. Not including the demo's I played. Ps2? U still play ps2? I don't understand ur comment. I think that ur idea of econimics is one reason why big companies keep screwing up. They overlook the loyal customers cuz of temporary sales fluctuations due to indirect marketing ploys. Like microsofts vista and direct X 10. The only reason they didn't put direct X 10 on XP is cuz they wanted to push the new OS to make more money. And the only reason devs keep pushing towards consoles is cuz consoles pay for exclusive rights too some of the best titles. Wich leaves pc gamers out of the loops. If devs would consider actually licensing more games, and stop making exclusive titles they would see many more pc sales. Cuz most people buy consoles cuz they have a lot more games. And, If microsoft, all the hardware makers, and developers get together and focus on the PC as actually being a gaming machine, and actually work together, and come up with a solution to the pc's downfalls, like pirating and hardware conflicts, and finding someway to get the public attention, instead of always focusing on consoles in retail stores and tv commercials. Then I bet pc sales would outsell all the consoles combined anyday. But, hey what do I know.

I think the main problem, starts with the companies underestimating the pc as a serious gaming machine,forgetting all the loyal customers, jumping on the bandwagon, and just taking the easy route with consoles. Pc gamers have been supporting these companies for years and years, it's about time they take a moment and think about how many loyal gamers they are overlooking, Cuz of money. I think, that if they forgo the pc as a gaming machine, and stop making good games, or start porting from the consoles to the pc (instead of vise versa),then they are only hurting themselves in the long run. Cuz all those hackers, are just gonna move to the consoles, and start showing everyone how to pirate games for there friends. It's a harsh cold world, but they need to consider the gamers loyal to the pc, even if we are in a slump. As long as people are still dedicated to the pc. Then they should still make games. There is a market. PC gaming is the foundation for gaming as a whole. This is a typical shift. When new consoles, and new hardware and software, and new games comes out so fast, it's like a shark frenzy, and everyone is confused. Like I said, this is only temporary. And in 2 years, when everyone is back playing PC games, cuz ps3 and xbox 360 are has beens. Then the pc gamers are gonna remember who was loyal too them, and who wasn't.

Its just a temporary slump. Get over it. Quit bashing pc gamers cuz of money. Quit overlooking loyal customers.
Quit blaming it all on piracy, when for years this arguement against pc gamers has been played out and played out. We are still here, and not going anywhere.

I want to know how they came up with those numbers anyways. is it ps1, ps2, ps3, xbox, xbox 360, nintendo, wii, all combined against the PC? If it is, thats not fair. Either way, numbers lie.

If u add in all the hardware, software, isp services, and money people spent on servers, and on private websites too support PC games and gamers. Then im sure the money would be far above what each console is making in profit. The only difference is, no one is putting the numbers together right. And keep overlooking the money factor as a whole. Instead of just current game sales. Like i said, they need to get together. I actually know more people that play on the PC, then I do on any other system. Just, we always get bashed instead of supported. (Excluding crytek, and nvidia or any other company that supports us).

Remember- the pc is where it all starts- games, technologies, gpu's, new hardware, software, most ideas all start on the pc, then shift to the console. Where do u think the ps3 got there gpu, it was taken from a nvidia 7800 pc gpu, and then redesigned for the ps3. Most of it, starts on the pc, then technology migrates to the consoles. U take out the foundation, and the pc gamers who push the edge, and support the companies that design these parts and software, then u r creating a structure that is bound to fail.

Sorry so long.

PC'S 4 LIFE!!!

THANK YOU!! I read ur post and the article, made me feel a lot better about all this. Thanks again.

Most of that money, probably, comes from WoW and freakin Sims.

My favorite part of that article:

"And Microsoft has inaugurated a program aimed at making PC gaming more attractive, incorporating console-like features and easier online play."

right...

Here is what kills PC gaming! Microsoft Live! Games for Windows, what a load of bullcrap!

LOL, what r they gonna design new parts on a console??? Pc gaming won't end. As long as the pc is around, people are gonna make games for it. It's just up and down. If all the companies and devs stop making games for the pc, another company will start up too fill in the gap. Pc gamers are what pushes the bleading edge, cuz the technology improves much quicker on a pc. On a monthly bases. Not every 6 years like the poor ol' consoles. Sorry, but U R crazy man. But, it's cool. I kinda like u anyways. Ur hilarious.

They could, but they'd need sony and M$ to pay out of their azzes in bribes to get them to do it.

See my previous post where I mentioned how the guy with the old PC was doing better than guys with brand new PCs. I'll say it again, system specs don't play a significant role in how competitive you are in a game. I hold LAN parties regularly and have seen this first hand. Games are made to scale well for older systems. The guy who runs his game at 1024x768 on low settings will do just as well as the guy with the new system running at 1920X1080. No, there wouldn't be a disadvantage with my $345 PC.

This. How can we buy games when we spend all our cash on hardware upgrades? Why are devs. making games like crysis and making more money for NVIDIA, ATI, INTEL, AMD, and MICROSOFT, instead of themselves? Where are the good games? Why arent game being opimized for performance instead of just having more hardware thrown at them?

I was expecting to see FPS, RPG, Sim games with insane AI and high replayability by now.

I hope there is a slump, some fat does need to be trimmed.

I dissagree- There are plenty of games out there on the pc that come out and don't push the hardware limits and still have playability. (see www.gamershell.com). Thats the beauty of the PC. On a console, u have to wait 4-6 years for a new platform. Its not an option. And when a new console comes out. All ur old console games and the money invested, might as well go in the trash. Even if u liked the game, odds are, they won't play. On a pc. U have the option. If u like bleeding edge graphics, u can go out and buy a new card, or upgrade. And ur old games still work. If u like playing the most advanced games. Then all u have to do is go out, and buy a few new parts. Yeah, sometimes it's expensive. But, ur old games still work. (99 percent of the time). Besides, lets say u spend 1000 a year on parts like I do when tax time rolls in. that breaks down to about a $83 a month. Thats about 1 1/2 - 2 games. If ur a serious gamer, it's well worth it to save the money u could have spent on games, be a little more selective, and buy better high end games, then it is to waste it on a bunch of ps2, ps3, or xbox 360 games that u won't even play. I buy about 20 games a year. Id rather have 20 really good games, then 40 so so games. But, thats the option. U don't have to spend a grand. U can spend 500, or none. And wait until u find a good game u like, and then upgrade. Or even wait 6 months for prices too drop on hardware, and then get the game u want. Basically, it's ur choice. Ur option. U can do what u want. Instead of being confined to a single console and having too wait 6 years too upgrade.

Also, most of what people say about pc's is only ignorance and not true. Thats why I say they need to educate consumers more about the pc being a viable gaming machine.

common myths-
1. u can't play on a tv - (most cards over the past ten years have been able to hook up to a tv)
2. need high end hardware to play games ( not true, thats why they have settings so u can set it to play smooth
with ur hardware. computers u can choose, uber graphics,and/or framerates. consoles, it's always a trade off [the more they put into a console game, the lower they have to crank down the graphics or vise versa])
3. consoles look better on a television (not true, it used to be true, but not anymore- consoles have lower
resolution, it is the television that is the problem, cuz pc's have much higher resolutions then even a 1080p
television can handle).
4. More games on the console (there are many more games available for the pc, plus mods. just there are more
exsclusive games on the consoles- blame that on money hungry devs, not the hardware. The developers need to
stand there ground, and make there creations available to all the consoles and the pc, cuz it's only the gamers
who suffer.
5. Computers are too big and clunky for use as a gaming console (there are plenty of small form factor cases
designed for toating around, and for use in the living room)
6. Consoles have controllers ( pc's have always had controllers. And while it was a pain to set up, it was possible.
plus u can run multiple controllers at the same time. If u go to superwalmart, they have an adapter to hook up all
the old console controllers, plus, xbox360 conrollers (games for windows- solves the problem- again, games devs
need to get together on this)
7. U have stick in the cd's all the time on the pc (im sorry, i keep hearing this??? I swore that u have to load cd's up
in the consoles too. Am I wrong??) (pc's at least have nocd patch's if only the devs would allow them)
8. consoles have better interfaces (yes, but very limited options- can anyone say "trade off"
9. Price is to expensive for pc's (depends on how u look at it. U can build a decent gaming machine on the cheap if
u know how too shop. Plus- U can actually make money on a pc, and, u only have
to spend what u want, can u do that on a console?)
10. consoles are basically computers too (LOL- yeah, okay, if u completely hack it, and put linux on it, it's close, but
u still have hardware constraints, and u still have limited usability and compatibility issues. If all u want to do is
play games and surf the net, okay. but if u have bussiness needs, are into video editing, cad design, photo
editing, or other needs, then lets see u do that on ur console, the plus's by far out weigh the negatives on a
pc).
11. pc's have too many conflicts, virus's and problems, ( it only takes a couple of hours every 6 months or so to do
a reinstall, but if u have a decent firewall, and do basic maintenence, then it's not a problem- Besides, everyone
knows a geek (yes, i am one) and most will do it for there friends or families for free for fun)

12. pirating is only a problem on the pc (I have seen many modded consoles, and just as many copied games on the
consoles, ur lying if u are a hardcore gamer and haven't seen any, it's just much harder too track on the
console)
13. No one plays on the computer (this is the biggest myth- I have seen some huge lan parties- and it's actually an olympic sport in some countries- it is huge, just, most hardcore pc gamers get addicted to games easier, and stick to that game, cuz, it's such a good game, and so much more playable with keyboard and mouse [battlefield 2- counterstrike- wow- all have huge followings- and, most gamers are modders, just do a google or google image search for pc gamers, lan parties, or pc modders, and u will see,PC GAMERS ARE EVERYWHERE, we just hide in the shadows inside playing most of the time]) Most console players, are just casual gamers, not hardcore. Again, consoles are for children, not serious gamers.


Anyways I'm done ranting and raving, I would rather educate people about it than argue.

I see two main problems:

1. PC game piracy is rampant. You only have to check out the numbers downloading current titles in BitTorrent etc... thousands upon thousands of downloads. Sure many will argue they are only trying the game before buying, find the need for the CD annoying etc, but I suspect the vast majority simply want the game free of charge. If even 10% of these downloaders actually bought the game and rewarded the developers for their efforts, I am sure PC sales figures would rocket.

Regardless of your view, the Warez kids are definitely doing serious damage. It is far easier to pirate PC games than console games and it is massively more widespread... something has got to be done to reduce piracy or at least provide more of an incentive to buy the legal version. Make it much harder to play online with an illegal copy for example or provide decent manuals and other physical items?

2. The complexity of it all. Minimum specs, installations, OS versions etc, drivers, optimising for performance - for the average Joe who wants some casual gaming it's just too much to keep up with. Computing is continually being dumbed down for the masses and the numbers of us willing to invest the time to keep up is falling. Those that don't mind the fiddling and tweaking generally won't have a problem working out to illegally download the game either... (see point 1). The linking of DirectX to the operating system - is there any good reason why DirectX 10 couldn't have worked on XP? - isn't helping the situation at all.

Not sure what can be done with this as it is inherent in the platform. The online system checking and advice tools (Futermark etc) are a step in the right direct...

---

The PC is a great platform and the best choice for the sophisticated gamer in my opinion, but I don't blame any developer for seriously reviewing the cost / reward proposition of developing PC games. I do blame piracy as the main reason personally, as unlike movies or music there is no cinema or live performances that can pull in revenue... but as said in the video, it's the world we live in now.

It would be interesting to see the trend in sales of gaming PC components like graphics cards compared with the trend in games sales figures themselves... might give some insight into the increasing problem of piracy in the industry. If games sales are going down but hardware sales are the same or going up, might be interesting to speculate on why that is... NVIDIA arn't concerned with how many 8800GT's they sold are they?

Oh, i also wanted to point out that i firmly believe that MMO's are going to be the last bastion of PC gaming if developers dont get a hold on piracy.

Notice how nobody pirates WOW? Or look even at other MMO's, it wasnt even mentioned in the video that Vanguard SOH, which was overall considered a bad launch failure, has still sold over 100k copies. What about games like LOTR?

Same thing with steam games, you can't pirate CS:S, or HL2, etc.

I really believe that all game companies are going to need to go with a similar setup in order to acheive success...

No steam is bad, bloatware!

100%. Console games are tailor made for that hardware, and optimised so they work as good as possible in the short time given to develop the game. For PCs, you need to be scalable, and that is a PITA.

I want to chime in on this heated debate.

First off, I have been an AVID PC Gamer for the better part of 20 years. Starting out on Gamestar Baseball back in 1983 on the Commodore 64. I also was a first gen console user of an Atari 2400 back in 81'.

As i see it I have seen many trends and shifting ways in games over the years.. as follows..

Retail Stores: 4 walls, with floating islands for sales.

1985: 3 Walls Commodore // 1 Wall Apple - Island for Atari/Intellivision/Colecovision.

1990: 1 Wall Commodore // 1 Wall IBM (DOS/WIN) // 1/2 - Apple and Nintendo/Sega.

1993: 3 Walls IBM (DOS/WINDOWS) // 1 Wall Consoles // 1 Island Apple (Budget) - COMMODORE GONE

1995: 2 Walls IBM // 1 Wall Nintendo // 1 Wall Sega // Other Consoles (NeoGeo etc) in Kiosks/Displays. APPLE GONE.

This trend contunied to today:

2008: 1 Wall XBOX/360 // 1 Wall PSX/PS2/PS3 // 1 Wall WII/Gamecube // 1 Wall Condole Hardware // 1 Small Island floating WINDOWS/PC.

Its a never ending upgrade cycle. The PC has been fazed out of gaming. But their is more...

1) BLAME THE EXCLUSIVE LICENCES - I blame certain companies for killing the pure backbone of pc gaming. The PC gaming industry was built on SPORTS games, simulatons. Back in the 80's and early 90's there were 8-10 Baseball titles alone PER YEAR coming out. From the early days of the PC, Earl weaver baseball, Tony Larussa's etc were the king of the industry. Each year many many people waiting or the new version and updates and such..

To me, PC SPORTS gaming DIED in 2005.

When EA / Take 2/ 2K Sports signed EXCLUSIVE rights with the respective sports, all parties decided to STOP making PC Sports games, to which WE ALL KNOW were ALWAYS 100% better then the console games.. Create your own player, leagues, teams, etc.. things you just couldnt do on the consoles (some which you still can not do today, which were in PC games as long as 15 years ago!!!).

Do you realize (and i dont mean to make this only about Sports, but it provers my argument) the LAST Baseball game (besides ones like OOTP and text based sims) was MVP Baseball 2005... and SINCE 2005, mvpmods.com and other sites have had to rely on UNGodly talented people to update that game every year to a "modded" MVP 2007? What does that tell you?

The companies just dropped pc gmaing like a bad habit. Too hard to program for, too many configurations..

That brings me to my next point:

2 - BLAME MICROSOFT.

Microsoft has gone out of its way to Promote Windows Vista as its next major gaming platform. Now as i write this I am using Vista Ultimate, on an 8800 Ultra SLI machine that is STATE of the ART... and i'll say this, if i didnt get this machine for under $500, I wouldnt even have it. Gaming on Vista is nice for a beast of a machine like this, but the average person isnt shelling out $3000 on a gaming rig.. Heck, the 8800 SLI cards are a whipping $1400!!!!!

Microsoft is cutting ties slowly with XP and forcing everyone onward, when they also made one of (i think) the biggest blunders in Computer Gaming.

(again with a Sport title)..

3DO was the designer of High Heat Baseball.. The best PC Baseball simulation ever.. When 3DO went under, microsoft bought the gaming rights to it.. Many were excited that Microsoft would take the engine pr parts nad integrate it perhaps with Inside Pitch and create the DEFACTO best baseball game ever made.. the End all..

A pipe dream it was.. http://xbox.ign.com/articles/433/433996p1.html

look at that link.. 2003. 5 YEARS of nothing.. They took a great game, and buried it never to come alive again. A pure shot to the solar plexus of the PC Gaming platform.. If a company with the financial backing of a microsoft could do that to a great title like High heat Baseball... Then the platform has no future.

3) WHAT WERE LEFT WITH.

FPS's have made the jump to consoles, and while they still are superior on the pc because of controls, it is only a matter of time before the console replaces the pc with a mouse (wiimote?) and takes the FPS crown away. Whats left after that? Guess well all be playing Chess...


4) BLAME THE SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS..

EA Sports.. boy where do i start with this one..

How bout a chart:

MVP BASEBALL 2005.. Er... no 06..07..08...09...
NBA LIVE 06... Same game renamed to 07... SAME GAME renamed to 08?!?!
NHL HOCKEY 06... Same game renamed to 07.. SAME GAME RENAMED TO 08 !>?!?! WTF??!?!
MADDEN .. OH dont even go there...

WTF is this?!? EA Sports, the biggest game developer on the planet with its Madden/NHL series selling MILLIONS of console copies.. has put out the SAME GAME (even TOOK SOME FEATURES OUT!!!!) in 07 and 2008 for the PC... Don't believe me? Go read the EA forums at people demanding their money back for NBA Live 08..errr 07.1 Alpha, for the BROKEN, UNFINISHED product.

They have given up developing for US, the PC Gamer.

PC GAMING. RIP. It was a 20 Year ride.

I wonder if my commodore still works...

LOAD"*",8,1
LOADING
READY
RUN

I thought COD6 was coming out in Q2 09.

Of course performance is close, the games are optimised to run on the consoles as good as possiblle. That doesn't happen with PC games.

I still got a joystick for Descent 3.

You kind of proved my point in the video with Bioshock. Didn't Bioshock sell over a million games for the PC? My brother has it for the PC and the console doesn't even compared in graphics. You also mentioned playing it on your computer. Are we talking people that have 10 year old PC's. Any PC in the last three years should be able to play the games. Graphic cards aren't that expensive for the midrange products. I also think that 3 million copies of WOW expansion selling in the first week shows people play the PC. I am not saying that console is bad. I liked Assasin's Creed and Racket and Clank for PS3.

Andrazz90, The old "y u G, yoz, dbw" -- followed shortly by the "Cost is to much". Well tell ya what, I bet the price wouldn't be significant to you IF you spent some more time on your communication skills -- pretty sure you'd find a job that paid better and could afford the retail price.

PC Gaming has declined, and the fact that some big titles hit the PC gaming shelves this Xmas 07 and sales were still FAR below expectations, you can conclude the situation is worse for PC gaming -- it has been a steady decline for many years now, you just have to go to your local software store and count the folks roaming the PC gaming shelves vs. the console games shelves (if there are any shelves left dedicated to PC games).

PC's have the ability to play on really big screens for a long time now?? I run my gaming PC on a 42" Westinghouse HDTV at 1920 x 1080 (aka 1080p) and have also added a PC to the living room that hooks into my 62" HDTV, works fine. HDMI already got that, this is old news. Why can't you put a PC in the living room -- we've had PC cases that look like other stereo components for many years now, where have you been?

Man, you folks are missing the real issues completely.

1. Cost
2. Technical knowledge required to get a PC to work and keep working

As far as pirating, nothing new, this has been going on for years and is also happening on the XBOX360 and PS3, it's not limited to PCs. But it doesn't matter if you pirate a PC title, if you need a $500-$1500 worth of GPU power to get acceptable frame rates then it's pretty meaningless as those who do pirate software probably don't make much money anyway and it's unlikely they have the GPU/CPU power to run these titles in their full glory.

The Feds are currenlty passing tougher piracey laws that target schools and universities (the current big source of pirated software/music/etc.) where they can go after the students in addition to the school admins.

As far as I'm concerned, if you steal software and/or music and/or video, you're a theif and should be prosecuted as such. And the "Robin Hood" mentality just does NOT apply. I find it humerous that people post stuff like "it cost to much so I steal it" -- yeah, I feel the same way about a Ferrari, but I just say, "I'll live without one" rather than stealing one. Oooow, there's a thought, living without game - OMG what would the world be coming to -- I have to live without something!! Just WAY too many people think that they have some "right" to consumer goods even if they don't have the money to pay for them.

People that live and entertain their life in such a way (stealing) NEVER accomplish anything, they just exist like blood suckers on the feet of those of us who contribute time and effort to producing and accomplishing something. Every title I purchase I know some of that cost is to compensate for these losers of life that steal/pirate, it's sorta my contribution to the bums of life so I don't feel so bad when I step over them in the streets (the pirate's ultimate destiny).

Life owes you NOTHING.

As far as improving PC games sale, get Microsoft, nVidia, ATI, Creative Labs, RealTek, etc. etc. to produce a trouble free PC that doesn't NEED constant updates and troubleshooting. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT ONE.