Gaming:Is the PC Dead ?

[Louis Dias]

PC games sales rise as consoles end their life cycle and dip as new consoles are released.  History repeats itself.

Nintendo's Revolution controller could eliminate the PC mouse advantage on FPS and RTS games.  To bad it may be limited to 720x480 progressive scan unlike the other 2.

Nintendo knows how to make money, release a quality product that doesn't break ... and stay profitable.

[Cyberus]

Of course PC games will not die - here's why

A PC can be used for other things - internet, WP, music, video

Consoles have still failed to make omnipresent internet/online use a reality.

Mice are better for so many types of games - I know this might seem like an academic point, but silly points like this always make the difference from a marketing point of view.

Look at the popularity of online games like World of Warcraft, HL2, Dawn of War, etc etc etc. Games that have communities, i.e. forums and chat - try doing that on a console (again, the fact that you CAN get a kb for most consoles is academic)

Its easier to pirate games on a PC - this was (an unintended) selling point for the Amiga supposedly...

Consoles life cycles are long, PCs can be upgraded much more regularly.

Console games are expensive, and development can be limited to a few software houses.

The list goes on....

[Magic-Merl]

People tend to play PC games because they can, not because they have bought the latest gaming machine.

Simple fact is if they want a gaming machine then they will buy a console.  A PC (or any other computer) is an all round machine capable of just about anything, playing games is just one of those things.

Just because a new console comes out does not mean the end of the machine in nigh.

[c64_d0c]

@logicalheart

I don't ever plan to buy a gaming console because I have personal computers to use for games.

that was what i was thinking before also, but if you have played a fps or rts you have played them all... online rpg games is pretty much where all the fun in pc game is. some of the online games you must pay a few to play, but thats where the pc gaming is going in the future "pay to play"...

Microsoft has a reputation of unethical activity with the companies it does business with. Stealing technology, backing out of contracts, and much more.

yes thats why you get a used cheap moded xbox now your not supporting mickysoft...

I would have an old computer instead of a game console because the educational value is much greater.

everyone have an old computer somewhere for that use allready. kids want to play the games their friends play. if their friends have a xbox they want one to, if their friends have a heavy duty pc they want one... its just the way it is..

The X-Box games cost way too much and a higher percentage of them have vulgar or violent themes..

as i said before you get a modded xbox, then you can download all the games. you dont have to spent any money on games, thats what smart people do now days... as a grown up you can find info on the games if they have vulgar or violent themes, google is your friend there...
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Coach Purses

[c64_d0c]

Sony is showing of their ps3..

The booth of joint Cell developers, Sony, Toshiba and IBM featured a real-time ?digital mirror? simulator powered by the cell processor. A model was seated in front of the simulator that was then able to display a 3D model of the person that matched the movements and facial expressions (!) of the person in real-time.

Read more HERE.

remember to look at the amazing video, that you can dl on the site!! this just show where consoles are today
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Vapormatic vaporizer

[Crumb]

As long as consoles can't do 1024x768@85hz screens on VGA monitors I don't think so.

[Legerdemain]

Week 39: 11 out of the 20 best selling games in Sweden are PC games, and 6 of them in top 10 position.

Considering that there are many other consoles, XBox, Gamecube, Playstation 2, Gameboy Advance, Nintendo DS and Playstation Portable battling for that same multiformat list one could say that PC games sells outragelously well here in Sweden.

[c64_d0c]

@Crumb

have you heard about hdtv and 100hz??? thats whats xbox support if its 1024x768 dosent matter... and if you connect your consol to a vga monitor you can do that also.... its not super nintendo days anymore you know
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Ipad Guide

[KThunder]

so:
buy a console, buy a monitor for use with said console, buy speakers
or:
buy console, and tie up your hdtv with games(for a family man this isnt the best option for me)
or:
buy a pc that you can use for tons of stuff.

btw most people dont buy every new grafx card that comes out. you can skip a few and still be perfectly capable of playing all the games out there. my older brother buys used to buy every card that came out and new mobos etc regularly i alway bought used stuff and skipped new and we always played the same games. a frame rate over 30 is a waste as long as control stays the same, a game running at 200fps looks identical to one at 50fps if screen options are all the same.

[SHADES]

In response to the toipc,

I don't really think so.

Although the next gen consols are very powerful, they are not really that upgradeable or expandable.
You can chuck 4,5 graphics cards in a PC run a wall of screens etc.. I have seen it done. Somone posted a link just recelty.
ATI themselves have a dual radion design which combines two graphics cards to work together in displaying information from games and other applications.

You can upgrade a PC CPU to a faster one, and expand it's connectivity by adding in cards to do so, eg, SCSI/RAID multi CPU, firewire, and CD/DVD drive combo and multiples TV cards, you name it.

I personally think that until consoles become more expandable and PC like in nature, they won't really compete.

But yes, the next gen consoles do seem quite powerful. I'm sure the next gen PCs will be too

[coldfish]

Commercially, asking if the (gaming) PC is dead is a valid question.  Given that a B-grade PS2 games reportedly sell more units than A-grade PC titles, its not hard to start wondering if the PC games scene is on the decline.

Unlike consoles, the PC isnt a one trick horse, its primary functions are practical, day to day functions.  Id compare it to a family car whereas a console is more like a motorcycle.

Another thing the PC has going for it is market entrenchment, they're almost ubiquitous.  Console makers can only dream about PC-like market values.  This situation isnt going to change overnight nor is it going to lose significant momentum any time soon.

It's human nature to make the most of an expensive device.  I think the majority of PC games are bought by people who own a PC for practical purposes and just buy the odd game to play on the thing as well.  There will always be people willing to tap this market.  Additionally, the niche that do buy PCs for games, arent suddenly going to defect to what has always been seen as inferior technology.

Technically, if the specs of the next gen consoles are anyting to go by, there's not too much for the PC to get worried about.  Dual GPU's, multicored 64bit CPU's and RAM measured in gigabytes are already here.  Dedicated Physics Processors and fibre-optic interconects are just around the corner.