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PCs Losing Out as a Gaming Platform?
Snibor Eoj writes "The Boston Globe Online has an article by Hiawatha Bray discussing the state of gaming on PCs and consoles. He points out that PC users now suffer the same fate as Mac users have for years, that of waiting for a great game that's already out on another platform. Consoles continue to gain market share, and software companies are noticing that and writing more and earlier for consoles than for PCs."
Despite claims by PC fans of what their $400 accelerator cards can do, most console games look much better than PC games for the simple reason that the console hardware is a known quantity and can therefore be optimized for.
You also don't have to deal with installation issues, device driver conflicts, patches, replacing your $100 soundcard because it causes Neverwinter Nights to crash for no apparent reason, and so forth. Plus all modern consoles have great controllers, whereas PC games can't assume they have access to anything but a keyboard and mouse.
Seriously, what was anyone expecting?
ZFS: because love is never having to say fsck
Personally I can't stand console gaming. First of all my hands can't take the strain of using the game controllers (and force feedback has no appeal to me). Second of all the games seem more geared to fast-twitch gaming and memorizing arcane sequences of triangle left right up square circle down (no karma points for pointing out what this move does, which i just made up), which doesn't interest me. Finally console gaming lacks a device equivalent to the mouse, for superior aiming and looking around.
I'll wait for games to come on PC, like GTA 3 which I just bought. Somehow I doubt I'm alone. I expect many others are in the same boat. In any case, I think this article overstates the case.
"Luck is the residue of design" -- Branch Rickey
Somewhere along the way, the number of triangles and polygons determined what kind of game you were going to make. PCs have been gaming lackeys since. Too bad. I really think a creative, resourceful effort could make a buck or two producing games for mid to low end PCs, but then again I'm a hopeless idealist.
For the most part I'm content to use my PC as my major gaming device, either with native games or through emulation. However... there are occasions when a developer releases a console game that just absolutely blows me away.
Recently this happened with Rez, the immersive musical shooter from Sega. Every gamer should own a PS2 and a copy of Rez. Rez is very hard to describe, but it is a beautiful, enchanting experience, one you will never forget. It is a fundamentally different game from what we're used to seeing, especially on the PS2, whose largest genres are extreme sports games, Bandicoot/Jak & Daxter style platformers, big-boobs-and-guns games (think Tomb Raider or Resident Evil), and Square-style RPG's.
It's things like that that make console gaming a worthwhile endeavor. Not to denigrate the PC, which was host to Doom, the first game to ever truly send chills up my spine. But... innovative gaming comes from unexpected places.
N4st0r, trixx0r h0bb1tz0rz! Th3y st0l3 0ur pr3c10uzz!
I'm told that South Korea is almost all PC-based gaming, because of both the institution of PC cafes that act as a nexus of social life (in fact, I think I read that on /.) as well the fact that consoles are associated with the hated Japan.
Higher resolutions won't compensate for the lack of control you have with the game pads.
There's never enough when you have too little
If the consoles take over the game market from Windows, then there will be no real reason for new users to use Windows over Linux.
Of course there will be. Joe Consumer buys a Playstation instead of a PC because it's less work to configure and because there's more software available for it -- the exact same reason why he'll buy a Windows OS instead of Linux.
Linux would already have a stronghold in the market if all anyone wanted to do with a PC was surf the 'Net, rip MP3s and send e-mail. But eventually, sooner or later, everyone wants to install Quicken or Deer Hunter, or buy a webcam which says right on the box that WinXP drivers are included.
Mod me as a troll, but it's still true. The very things that are moving game developers from PCs to consoles have always kept software and hardware developers from focusing on the Linux market.
The quality of console games will always surpass the quality of PC games as long as PC gamers don't demand anything more than WarCraft, Everquest, and Quake.
And don't talk to me about graphics...you aren't going to be playing Doom 3 in 2 years. But you are gonna be hocking the $400 waffle iron you bought to play it on eBay (you'll be lucky if you get $30.)
I laugh when I think about people who line up to be raped by Carmack's excellent Wallet-Draining adventure. Don't you realize a 2-year-old video card won't work with it? Carmack's such an inept programmer that he can't get anywhere near the graphical prowess of a Mario Sunshine-and why should he even try? You'll pay to play the same old shit, again and again.
Meanwhile, in the console world, people are playing their Mario Sunshine and Grand Theft Auto 3 without worrying about driver conflicts, cheating, etc. Professional programmers actually care about optimizing for the hardware, instead of dumping anybody who got a video card earlier than last month. Truly innovative games like Rez and Frequency are rewarded with high sales, and piracy is much lower (so gaming companies are more inclined to take chances.)
Then again, I hear FreeCell XP is pretty damn good...
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(-1, Raw and Uncut is the only way to read)
Of course there are more games on consoles than on PCs: the market for console games is much bigger, it's easier to target a game for a console and there's a less piracy going on.
However it doesn't make sense to say that because there are more games being done for consoles therefore the PC as a gaming platform is obsolete.
Console games are more action driven and can be consumed in short sessions: such as racing, fighting, or platform games.
PC games are geared towards longer sessions and complex interaction: such as simulation, strategy or online games.
It's apples and oranges really...
It's going to be interesting to see how consoles perform online, but my guess is that to significantly take online gaming out of the hands of the PC, consoles will have to absorb some of the PC attributes. They've already started with the network adapter and the HD but eventually they'll have to go all the way to the keyboard. Unless some kind of revolutionnary input method comes along first but I don't think that's going to happen.
Anyway, PC games will be there as long as the PC itself.
Let's not forget that from a developper standpoint, the console is to the PC what proprietary software is to Free Software...
But in the end, there's no reason why both plateform couldn't co-exist peacefully.
And you know what? That's exactly what's going to happen...
No kidding. With quotes like this, too: "'There's still plenty of good revenue and good growth in PCs. If anybody wants to quit making PC games, Electronic Arts is more than happy to take the business from them.' So says Jeff Brown, spokesman for Electronic Arts, the world's largest maker of computer games."
/. plummets to the insightfulness of your
And now we get a bunch of fucking posts about how PC gaming isn't dying, the article is all wrong. No, it is dying, and here's why, I can get a console for $200, video cards are $200, console games are better, PC games suck, Donkey Kong sucks, you suck!
I know, I know. I should just pretend this story doesn't exist, and not read any of the horribly inane comments. But it's like watching a fucking train wreck. Come witness, as the level of discourse on
While true, how many games out right now take advantage of the GeForce4? Whereas every XBOX game can assume that the player has a set bit of hardware (roughly equiv. to a GF3), virtually all PC games out now only assume the player has at least a TNT2. A couple throw in some extra shader goodies if DO have a better card, but mostly this is just simple superficial effects. On the other hand, a year from now when GF4s are the low end and people are playing Doom3, PCs will have the obvious graphical advantage until the next batch of consoles come out..It goes like that in cycles.
However, given time most gaming will probably be on consoles. It just makes sense to most people. I just hope there will be mods available.
:) And at that point, why not going with the added power and total flexibility of the PC? The cost difference is minimal once you take into account your buying four controllers at $35, a keyboard, mouse, $200 for the system, $40 for the network card, $10 a month for online access to your favorite game, etc...
I dont see it that way at all... Console makers have to be careful not to make their equipment and software too "complicated" or they risk losing simplicity - the console's main advantage over the PC.
Its a slippery slope... They are already making keyboards for their consoles - a desired move since now players are chatting online via their latest game... But where does it stop? Soon they will have a mouse because more and more first-person-shooters are going on the console, or because its a lot easier to use the level-editor to make a mod. Mods, of course, will require hard-drives - which, as we all know, die out not all that infreqently. Hell, while we are at it, lets allow you to ftp into the machine and upload mp3 files which you can play while you game.
Before too long, you have a full-blown PC gaming experience.
I personally think the two gaming "worlds" should stay seperate... Consoles are perfect for the "in the living room," simple, social gaming experience, and I hope they stay more or less that way in the future.
my religion lies somewhere between buddhism and super monkey ball - pamphlet?
I currently own 4 Nintendo systems (NES, 64, GBA, Cube), 2 PCs and a Mac. I play almost all my games on the NES, GBA, Cube and Mac.
For consoles, nothing beats sitting on my couch, playing Tetris, Metroid, Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Sunshine, Eternal Darkness, Rouge Leader and the others on a nice TV with full surround (ok, so I'm just doubling the L/R channels on the rears for the older games). It completely blows away the PC gaming experience. The new games especially are just beautiful. The UI designers (for the most part) actually put some effort into making sure the game is playable within the constraints of the controller.
Most importantly, I can sit down after a day at work, fire up a console and not have to wait minutes for it to boot up and worry about it crashing or not refreshing fast enough for my hardware: everything just works (which is also why I gave up PCs in favor of Macs).
PC games became pretty dull after the advent of the FPS and RTS genres. For the most part, every new game is a variation on those themes. As far as gameplay is concerned, networked Doom was the peak for FPS and Unreal brought the genere up to 'current' graphic standards (until DNF is released, of course). On the RTS side, my favorite has always been Total Annihilation. Both Unreal and TA are available on the Mac now, which is where I play them.
Two comments on the last platform I play daily: the GBA. First, the platform has forced designers back to simpler games that must be compelling to get played. Gameplay is important and flashy graphics are not. Second, Advance Wars (probably one of the top 5 video games ever developed) has made travelling a very pleasant experience. 12 hours to Sydney, 5 nice battles, didn't even notice the time go by.
Given my experience with games, I'm not at all suprised that platforms are more important than PCs. They offer just more convenience and creative features than a PC can for the casual gamer.
And a quick comment on the costs of a console system compared to a PC: Sony Wega HD $1400-2000, + Game Cube $150, + Sony Surround in a Box (not the best, but gets you started) $300, + Lazy Boy $400: ~$2500. There's no way to get a PC setup that comfortable for that price.
-Chris
I don't see why it has to be one or the other? There are console type games and PC type games. For example, Mario, Street Fighter, Zelda are console type games that don't play well on a PC. FPS and RTS are generally better on PC. Personally, I like sitting on my couch playing a console game with a TV that is twice the size of my monitor and speakers many times larger and not wondering if I got the latest patch for the game because my hardware isn't the same as the stuff they tested it on. The argument of consoles being behind a PC is stupid. How much did you pay for the PC and how much is a console? A video card can cost 50% more than a console by itself! Use a console for what it does best and a PC for what it does best. It's like arguing that a dish washer is better than a clothes washer.
Remember: if the overriding issue were merely having to debug one hardware configuration, I wouldn't have my old PC next to my dual G4 so I could still play System Shock 2 and Half Life. *sigh*
The primary issue is that consoles represent a larger market than anything else out there. There may be more PCs in the aggregate, but each console represents a games purchaser -- more, a *repeat* games purchaser. This not only means that more games developers are attracted to that market, but that larger investments by larger companies (a la Kingdom Hearts) are justfied, and that iconoclastic works are more likely to find a profitable following in the larger audience. This, in turn, creates a feedback loop; the most breathtaking *and* most interesting works eventually show up on consoles, spurring more console sales, increasing the incentives for developers.
Of course, to a certain degree, the converse applies. For example, Bungie went from a basement operation in Chicago to the Redmond campus because the intense loyalty of the Mac audience allowed it to achieve an extremely high degree of market penetration. Ambrosia is doing quite well with its recent EV Nova release; user response was so high that it all but literally swamped their office with license key requests. However, such successes are exceptions, not rules.
- Babbler
The 80's the golden age, HAH! The wow factor was there because noone had seen anything like that before. (At one time black & white tv and red LED digital watches were pretty cool too.) Go back now and look at those games , and you'll think, oh my god, did I actually think this game was cool, what was I thinking.
You haven't been paying attention lately. More and more PC-game manufactures are including robust and fully supported editing and modification tools with their games. How many times have you wished that an indea or concept was included in a game, but know one ever seems to get it. You say the golden age of PC-gaming is past, I say it is yet to come. When the average gamer can re-invent a popular game into something new and then you'll be seeing the WOW!! factor more and more often.
Secondly, even with Direct this and that, the PC platform is a diverse and difficult platform for that stuff to be developed on. As a consumer I hate checking labels to see if I have this quarter's Nvidia chip so I can play some new game, only to buy it all and then need to upgrade a bunch of crap on the systme before windows will play it. Essentially, I've built 2 woprkstation machines, my work machine and then my game machine because I can't afford to break compilers and such by upgrading something just to play a game. Essentially you're just building a really expensive console.
I'm a geek with a bunch of computers around the house and I've been driven from the gaming market almost, I don't have the time to keep on top of it all, so I bought a PS2 about 18 months ago and I've had a blast. Nothing quite like going to the game store picking out any game that interests you and knowing that it will work without downloading new drivers or buying a new video chip or anything. They're generally good games too, I wish I had a mouse and a keyboard but those problems will be solved. No worries, just buy it and play it. The next round will have digital TV support and then the issue will be even less.
Do consoles crash?
Do consoles need you to know you computers inside out?
Do console games need constant updating/patching?
Can you rent PC games?
Does a PC that can run Halo beautifully cost $199?
Does MS own all of the console world?
Do cosoles require you do know/be a computer nerd?
Do consoles require maintance?
Thats why consoles are popular.
-Eric
That reminds me of a couple very valid gripes about consoles:
gripe1:
no fan mods to console games (quake would have been nowhere NOWHERE near as impressive if people couldn't make their own levels)
gripe2:
GTA3 (for example) was a great game! it's made an insane amount of money, so they're coming out with "GTA: Vice City", set in the '80's. Neat, right? Yeah. But get this: if it had been a PC game Vice City would be a $20 expansion pack, not a $59.99 (presumably) full-fledged game that is nothing but the exact same game but with new missions and new textures.
John Carmack has been quoted to say he has Doom 3 RUNNING on an Xbox
Actually, the XBox CAN output all the way up to 1080i, and gets 480p for essentially free. And you don't need an HDTV tuner to see it, you just need a TV with display and input support. The Sony XBRs are sufficient. I know a lot of people that have those.
The real problem the Xbox has is memory - since it has only 64 megs of unified memory, it generally does not have enough to go any more than 480p without the rest of the game suffering (in most games, anyway). I imagine in the next round of consoles, they'll have enough memory to push the display. The graphics power is already there.
I don't know anything about the gaming scene so feel free to edit me as nescessary. But I think they make more money selling to the console market first then the PC market. Everyone knows that PC games are way better than console games so why not release a great game to the console and make a killing off it. Then announce that you're going to release it to the PC platform and then make another killing off it because that great game you've been playing on the console is surely to be better on the PC.