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eg. a "new release" shooter from ebgames (gamestop) $68AU, which is about $70 US.
https://www.ebgames.com.au/pc-150873-Spec-Ops-The-Line-PC

In other news, US companies overcharge foreigners.

Quit your bitchin'

That doesn't strike me as a 'serious gamer'.

mere semantics.

he people I've met that I'd call 'serious gamers' have a number of different consoles and play across a number of different genres.

I'd say that person cant make their mind up.

Nope, serious or dedicated gamers do tend stick to a few genre's. In your definition, someone who spends weeks playing Dominions online is not serious (online games with Dom 3 take weeks to play out, but a player often has several on the go at once) or someone who plays a lot of WOW (I'm also quiet critical of WoWer's but I cant doubt their seriousness). Jumping from genre to genre is more a sign of the causal gamer.

There are really few good games that don't make it to PC. Only PS3 exclusives mainly, anything that is made on the Xbox is relatively easy to port to the PC and game publishers don't want to miss out on the extra dollars (there's a reason no one has actually abandoned the PC, it still makes too much money, even EA has dropped the activation requirement for Mass Defect 2). This is not a two way street however, there are a lot of PC games that just don't make it to consoles.

The PC is hedging your bets for good games, buying a single console restricts your choices a lot more. For the cost of multiple consoles, unless you are tied to a specific console (like so many FF players were stuck to the PS2) why not just get the PC and pay A$20 less for your games. 2 games a month saves a serious gamer $480 a year.

Greedy motherfucking bastards

This is an example of why PC gaming is alive and well. PC games are cheaper then their Xbox and Playstation equivalents. Lets look at modern warfare 2 shall we, from the rip off merchants EB Games it costs A$119.95 on PS3, A$119.95 on Xbox360 and A98.00 on PC. Now if I go down the road to JB HiFi I can shave A$20 of those prices.

At A$21.95 difference if I purchase 1 game a month I save A$263.40 over the course of a year, If I buy 2 games a month that's A$526.80. Now if my gaming PC costs A$1500, holy crap in three years it's paid for itself.

If you're serious about gaming, you have a PC. Not only is it better (graphics, control, sound and so forth) it's cheaper.

Greedy motherfucking bastards

This is an example of why PC gaming is alive and well. PC games are cheaper then their Xbox and Playstation equivalents. Lets look at modern warfare 2 shall we, from the rip off merchants EB Games it costs A$119.95 on PS3, A$119.95 on Xbox360 and A98.00 on PC. Now if I go down the road to JB HiFi I can shave A$20 of those prices.

At A$21.95 difference if I purchase 1 game a month I save A$263.40 over the course of a year, If I buy 2 games a month that's A$526.80. Now if my gaming PC costs A$1500, holy crap in three years it's paid for itself.

If you're serious about gaming, you have a PC. Not only is it better (graphics, control, sound and so forth) it's cheaper.

Greedy motherfucking bastards

This is an example of why PC gaming is alive and well. PC games are cheaper then their Xbox and Playstation equivalents. Lets look at modern warfare 2 shall we, from the rip off merchants EB Games it costs A$119.95 on PS3, A$119.95 on Xbox360 and A98.00 on PC. Now if I go down the road to JB HiFi I can shave A$20 of those prices.

At A$21.95 difference if I purchase 1 game a month I save A$263.40 over the course of a year, If I buy 2 games a month that's A$526.80. Now if my gaming PC costs A$1500, holy crap in three years it's paid for itself.

If you're serious about gaming, you have a PC. Not only is it better (graphics, control, sound and so forth) it's cheaper.

Greedy motherfucking bastards

This is an example of why PC gaming is alive and well. PC games are cheaper then their Xbox and Playstation equivalents. Lets look at modern warfare 2 shall we, from the rip off merchants EB Games it costs A$119.95 on PS3, A$119.95 on Xbox360 and A98.00 on PC. Now if I go down the road to JB HiFi I can shave A$20 of those prices.

At A$21.95 difference if I purchase 1 game a month I save A$263.40 over the course of a year, If I buy 2 games a month that's A$526.80. Now if my gaming PC costs A$1500, holy crap in three years it's paid for itself.

If you're serious about gaming, you have a PC. Not only is it better (graphics, control, sound and so forth) it's cheaper.

What's really happening is that the Xbox and PS3 as they are, are dying.

My first console was an Atari 2600, my first PC was a Commodore 64. I played games on both and the Commodore was always more capable then the Atari, same story with my SNES and 286, N64 and Pentium II. Consoles have always been about casual games, Mario was out on NES when Wolfenstein 3D was out on PC. Consoles were always about accessible casual games, PC's were for dedicated games.

The Xbox and Playstation are anomalies in the gaming world, the consoles who tried to be PC's but never quite made it. Yes there's plenty of "I think I could" but little "I actually did it". The Xbox and Playstation are continually outshone by the PC and the costs for these platforms continues to rise. At their release the Xbox cost A$650 and could not do full HD, the Playstation was A$999. Yes costs have reduced but the same as PC components, console cost reductions took two years where as a PC graphics card takes six months. Also games are cheaper on the PC, take modern warefare 2 for example PS3 - A$119 Xbox360 - A$119 PC - A$99.

Recently, Nintendo swooped in with it's casual console, the Wii and basically proved that a casual console will make money hand over fist. Console gaming isn't dying, it's returning to what it's good at, accessible, fun, casual gaming. This means that the Xbox (as it is) and the Playstation are dying and they deserve to. Microsoft took notice of Nintendo's success so I expect the next Xbox to be a Wii clone, this what Project Natal was about. Sony on the other hand aren't known for admitting mistakes and with the way Sony is losing money at the moment their entertainment division may not exist by the time the next generation of consoles comes around.

The anomaly of the "hardcore" (I loath that word) console is ending as console manufacturers are finding out the money is in casual games and are changing to accommodate this. Dedicated games which have always had a smaller audience then casual games will move back to the PC.

Time now for some disclosure, I'm a PC and Wii gamer, they both play different types of games. This flowchart explains a bit.

What's really happening is that the Xbox and PS3 as they are, are dying.

My first console was an Atari 2600, my first PC was a Commodore 64. I played games on both and the Commodore was always more capable then the Atari, same story with my SNES and 286, N64 and Pentium II. Consoles have always been about casual games, Mario was out on NES when Wolfenstein 3D was out on PC. Consoles were always about accessible casual games, PC's were for dedicated games.

The Xbox and Playstation are anomalies in the gaming world, the consoles who tried to be PC's but never quite made it. Yes there's plenty of "I think I could" but little "I actually did it". The Xbox and Playstation are continually outshone by the PC and the costs for these platforms continues to rise. At their release the Xbox cost A$650 and could not do full HD, the Playstation was A$999. Yes costs have reduced but the same as PC components, console cost reductions took two years where as a PC graphics card takes six months. Also games are cheaper on the PC, take modern warefare 2 for example PS3 - A$119 Xbox360 - A$119 PC - A$99.

Recently, Nintendo swooped in with it's casual console, the Wii and basically proved that a casual console will make money hand over fist. Console gaming isn't dying, it's returning to what it's good at, accessible, fun, casual gaming. This means that the Xbox (as it is) and the Playstation are dying and they deserve to. Microsoft took notice of Nintendo's success so I expect the next Xbox to be a Wii clone, this what Project Natal was about. Sony on the other hand aren't known for admitting mistakes and with the way Sony is losing money at the moment their entertainment division may not exist by the time the next generation of consoles comes around.

The anomaly of the "hardcore" (I loath that word) console is ending as console manufacturers are finding out the money is in casual games and are changing to accommodate this. Dedicated games which have always had a smaller audience then casual games will move back to the PC.

Time now for some disclosure, I'm a PC and Wii gamer, they both play different types of games. This flowchart explains a bit.

What's really happening is that the Xbox and PS3 as they are, are dying.

My first console was an Atari 2600, my first PC was a Commodore 64. I played games on both and the Commodore was always more capable then the Atari, same story with my SNES and 286, N64 and Pentium II. Consoles have always been about casual games, Mario was out on NES when Wolfenstein 3D was out on PC. Consoles were always about accessible casual games, PC's were for dedicated games.

The Xbox and Playstation are anomalies in the gaming world, the consoles who tried to be PC's but never quite made it. Yes there's plenty of "I think I could" but little "I actually did it". The Xbox and Playstation are continually outshone by the PC and the costs for these platforms continues to rise. At their release the Xbox cost A$650 and could not do full HD, the Playstation was A$999. Yes costs have reduced but the same as PC components, console cost reductions took two years where as a PC graphics card takes six months. Also games are cheaper on the PC, take modern warefare 2 for example PS3 - A$119 Xbox360 - A$119 PC - A$99.

Recently, Nintendo swooped in with it's casual console, the Wii and basically proved that a casual console will make money hand over fist. Console gaming isn't dying, it's returning to what it's good at, accessible, fun, casual gaming. This means that the Xbox (as it is) and the Playstation are dying and they deserve to. Microsoft took notice of Nintendo's success so I expect the next Xbox to be a Wii clone, this what Project Natal was about. Sony on the other hand aren't known for admitting mistakes and with the way Sony is losing money at the moment their entertainment division may not exist by the time the next generation of consoles comes around.

The anomaly of the "hardcore" (I loath that word) console is ending as console manufacturers are finding out the money is in casual games and are changing to accommodate this. Dedicated games which have always had a smaller audience then casual games will move back to the PC.

Time now for some disclosure, I'm a PC and Wii gamer, they both play different types of games. This flowchart explains a bit.

As an avid non-gamer, mostly because PC gaming sucks and console gaming is too costly,

This is offset by PC games being cheaper to buy. A$10 cheaper in fact. Lets look at Modern Warfare 2 shall we, Xbox 36 = A$119, PS3 = A$119,PC = A$99. OK that's A$20 dollars cheaper but I'll argue at A$10 because I'm nice.

I buy two games a month, that's A$540 off the cost of my A$2000 gaming rig over two years. So that reduces the cost of the rig to A$1460. The cost of a PS3 is still $600, a new HDTV is A$1000. The price of a PS3 when I built my gaming rig in Feb was A$999. A$2000 is a top of the line gaming rig, Phenom II 955BE with a Geforce 985

This is of course ignoring digital distribution. I can pick up steam and Impulse games for A$50 easily.

Beyond price there's usefulness. After the Xbox 360 is superseded the Xbox 360 is useless, my PC can be re-rolled into a word processing/email machine.

There's also the question of graphics, As FarCry 2 proved the PC is still the superior graphics machine. I also get flash games for free, a superior control system, cheaper add-on packs and strategy games. In fact I just bought the latest add-on for Sins of a Solar Empire for US$10.

PC gaming is only more expensive for those who do not know the real costs.

As an avid non-gamer, mostly because PC gaming sucks and console gaming is too costly,

This is offset by PC games being cheaper to buy. A$10 cheaper in fact. Lets look at Modern Warfare 2 shall we, Xbox 36 = A$119, PS3 = A$119,PC = A$99. OK that's A$20 dollars cheaper but I'll argue at A$10 because I'm nice.

I buy two games a month, that's A$540 off the cost of my A$2000 gaming rig over two years. So that reduces the cost of the rig to A$1460. The cost of a PS3 is still $600, a new HDTV is A$1000. The price of a PS3 when I built my gaming rig in Feb was A$999. A$2000 is a top of the line gaming rig, Phenom II 955BE with a Geforce 985

This is of course ignoring digital distribution. I can pick up steam and Impulse games for A$50 easily.

Beyond price there's usefulness. After the Xbox 360 is superseded the Xbox 360 is useless, my PC can be re-rolled into a word processing/email machine.

There's also the question of graphics, As FarCry 2 proved the PC is still the superior graphics machine. I also get flash games for free, a superior control system, cheaper add-on packs and strategy games. In fact I just bought the latest add-on for Sins of a Solar Empire for US$10.

PC gaming is only more expensive for those who do not know the real costs.

As an avid non-gamer, mostly because PC gaming sucks and console gaming is too costly,

This is offset by PC games being cheaper to buy. A$10 cheaper in fact. Lets look at Modern Warfare 2 shall we, Xbox 36 = A$119, PS3 = A$119,PC = A$99. OK that's A$20 dollars cheaper but I'll argue at A$10 because I'm nice.

I buy two games a month, that's A$540 off the cost of my A$2000 gaming rig over two years. So that reduces the cost of the rig to A$1460. The cost of a PS3 is still $600, a new HDTV is A$1000. The price of a PS3 when I built my gaming rig in Feb was A$999. A$2000 is a top of the line gaming rig, Phenom II 955BE with a Geforce 985

This is of course ignoring digital distribution. I can pick up steam and Impulse games for A$50 easily.

Beyond price there's usefulness. After the Xbox 360 is superseded the Xbox 360 is useless, my PC can be re-rolled into a word processing/email machine.

There's also the question of graphics, As FarCry 2 proved the PC is still the superior graphics machine. I also get flash games for free, a superior control system, cheaper add-on packs and strategy games. In fact I just bought the latest add-on for Sins of a Solar Empire for US$10.

PC gaming is only more expensive for those who do not know the real costs.

Whenever Valve or any other company wants to release DLC on the Xbox 360 or PS3, they have to pay either Microsoft or Sony to certify the content. They charge gamers to make up for the cost of this certification.

Plus license fee's.

Take Fallout 3 for example, on PC its A$99 but on Xbox and PS3 it's A$119.

EB games is a complete rip off, going to JB hifi will knock A$20 of of each of these prices but the difference remains, you pay A$20 less for PC then for console. so for every four console games I could have bought 5 PC games. The good developers like Valve and Stardock will give you free content updates on a PC.

Whenever Valve or any other company wants to release DLC on the Xbox 360 or PS3, they have to pay either Microsoft or Sony to certify the content. They charge gamers to make up for the cost of this certification.

Plus license fee's.

Take Fallout 3 for example, on PC its A$99 but on Xbox and PS3 it's A$119.

EB games is a complete rip off, going to JB hifi will knock A$20 of of each of these prices but the difference remains, you pay A$20 less for PC then for console. so for every four console games I could have bought 5 PC games. The good developers like Valve and Stardock will give you free content updates on a PC.

Whenever Valve or any other company wants to release DLC on the Xbox 360 or PS3, they have to pay either Microsoft or Sony to certify the content. They charge gamers to make up for the cost of this certification.

Plus license fee's.

Take Fallout 3 for example, on PC its A$99 but on Xbox and PS3 it's A$119.

EB games is a complete rip off, going to JB hifi will knock A$20 of of each of these prices but the difference remains, you pay A$20 less for PC then for console. so for every four console games I could have bought 5 PC games. The good developers like Valve and Stardock will give you free content updates on a PC.

Where as a new Xbox/PS is what.. $300 every generation?

Wii A$400
Xbox 360 A$550 for the basic model, A$650 for the elite model.
PS3 A$999 for the basic model.

New HDTV minimum A$800 for a small one.
Total costs:
Xbox: A$1350.
PS3: A$1799.

One can easily get a new gaming rig with 24" monitor, Geforce 275, High end C2D or Phenom 720 for around A$1800. Gaming rigs only get expensive when you insist on the highest of the high end components, my rig (Phenom 955 3.2 Ghz, 4 GB RAM, Geforce 285 GTX, 2 TB HDD, CM Stacker 831 Case) cost me under A$2100 delivered.

Further more, console games cost A$20 extra at retail in Australia, this is Assasins creed black addtion, Xbox360 A$149, PS3 A$149, PC A$129. I need only buy 10 games for the PS3 and it has cost more then the PC, this is assuming I don't buy any accessories for the console (A$70 for a controller) or am paying a monthly fee for Xbox Live. Console gaming is now just as expensive as PC gaming.

Further more, PC's can be re-rolled after their life as a gaming PC has passed on, I gave my old gaming rig (now 5 yrs old) to my house mate (I'm a nice person) so he could play Civ 4, I'm using the gaming rig I just replaced as a media centre. A gaming PC does more then just play games.

but I can't see PC gaming GAINING market share vs the consoles

It doesn't need to, PC Gaming is already a larger market then any individual console, PC games have a much longer sales lifetime (Civilisation 4 has been selling for 4 years and is still going). Not every PC gamer plays Crysis, not every PC game has the requirements of Crysis. I can run like Team Fortress 2 on my laptop (C2D 2.1 GHz, 2 GB Ram, Intel IGM X4500) fine at it's native resolution of 1400x900 and I paid A$1300 for that laptop, a desktop of the same spec would have cost less then a PS3.

I'm not against consoles, I have a Wii and it's great fun but consoles cannot take the place of gaming PC's as much as Sony and Microsoft try. This is why Nintendo ate their lunch while being the least powerful, no High Def, no internal HDD and last to market. Nintendo made a console for console gamers rather then try to be a PC gaming console. Certain games like FPS's and Stratergy games cannot be played with console controls without the computer seriously assisting the player.

Where as a new Xbox/PS is what.. $300 every generation?

Wii A$400
Xbox 360 A$550 for the basic model, A$650 for the elite model.
PS3 A$999 for the basic model.

New HDTV minimum A$800 for a small one.
Total costs:
Xbox: A$1350.
PS3: A$1799.

One can easily get a new gaming rig with 24" monitor, Geforce 275, High end C2D or Phenom 720 for around A$1800. Gaming rigs only get expensive when you insist on the highest of the high end components, my rig (Phenom 955 3.2 Ghz, 4 GB RAM, Geforce 285 GTX, 2 TB HDD, CM Stacker 831 Case) cost me under A$2100 delivered.

Further more, console games cost A$20 extra at retail in Australia, this is Assasins creed black addtion, Xbox360 A$149, PS3 A$149, PC A$129. I need only buy 10 games for the PS3 and it has cost more then the PC, this is assuming I don't buy any accessories for the console (A$70 for a controller) or am paying a monthly fee for Xbox Live. Console gaming is now just as expensive as PC gaming.

Further more, PC's can be re-rolled after their life as a gaming PC has passed on, I gave my old gaming rig (now 5 yrs old) to my house mate (I'm a nice person) so he could play Civ 4, I'm using the gaming rig I just replaced as a media centre. A gaming PC does more then just play games.

but I can't see PC gaming GAINING market share vs the consoles

It doesn't need to, PC Gaming is already a larger market then any individual console, PC games have a much longer sales lifetime (Civilisation 4 has been selling for 4 years and is still going). Not every PC gamer plays Crysis, not every PC game has the requirements of Crysis. I can run like Team Fortress 2 on my laptop (C2D 2.1 GHz, 2 GB Ram, Intel IGM X4500) fine at it's native resolution of 1400x900 and I paid A$1300 for that laptop, a desktop of the same spec would have cost less then a PS3.

I'm not against consoles, I have a Wii and it's great fun but consoles cannot take the place of gaming PC's as much as Sony and Microsoft try. This is why Nintendo ate their lunch while being the least powerful, no High Def, no internal HDD and last to market. Nintendo made a console for console gamers rather then try to be a PC gaming console. Certain games like FPS's and Stratergy games cannot be played with console controls without the computer seriously assisting the player.

Where as a new Xbox/PS is what.. $300 every generation?

Wii A$400
Xbox 360 A$550 for the basic model, A$650 for the elite model.
PS3 A$999 for the basic model.

New HDTV minimum A$800 for a small one.
Total costs:
Xbox: A$1350.
PS3: A$1799.

One can easily get a new gaming rig with 24" monitor, Geforce 275, High end C2D or Phenom 720 for around A$1800. Gaming rigs only get expensive when you insist on the highest of the high end components, my rig (Phenom 955 3.2 Ghz, 4 GB RAM, Geforce 285 GTX, 2 TB HDD, CM Stacker 831 Case) cost me under A$2100 delivered.

Further more, console games cost A$20 extra at retail in Australia, this is Assasins creed black addtion, Xbox360 A$149, PS3 A$149, PC A$129. I need only buy 10 games for the PS3 and it has cost more then the PC, this is assuming I don't buy any accessories for the console (A$70 for a controller) or am paying a monthly fee for Xbox Live. Console gaming is now just as expensive as PC gaming.

Further more, PC's can be re-rolled after their life as a gaming PC has passed on, I gave my old gaming rig (now 5 yrs old) to my house mate (I'm a nice person) so he could play Civ 4, I'm using the gaming rig I just replaced as a media centre. A gaming PC does more then just play games.

but I can't see PC gaming GAINING market share vs the consoles

It doesn't need to, PC Gaming is already a larger market then any individual console, PC games have a much longer sales lifetime (Civilisation 4 has been selling for 4 years and is still going). Not every PC gamer plays Crysis, not every PC game has the requirements of Crysis. I can run like Team Fortress 2 on my laptop (C2D 2.1 GHz, 2 GB Ram, Intel IGM X4500) fine at it's native resolution of 1400x900 and I paid A$1300 for that laptop, a desktop of the same spec would have cost less then a PS3.

I'm not against consoles, I have a Wii and it's great fun but consoles cannot take the place of gaming PC's as much as Sony and Microsoft try. This is why Nintendo ate their lunch while being the least powerful, no High Def, no internal HDD and last to market. Nintendo made a console for console gamers rather then try to be a PC gaming console. Certain games like FPS's and Stratergy games cannot be played with console controls without the computer seriously assisting the player.