Is PC gaming dead?

[Peench]

I know there are a huge amount of us here who used to be PC gamers. We would upgrade to the latest and greatest hardware, make sure we didn't have IRQ or port conflicts, have the latest drivers on tap and tweak our systems to the hilt. Then when a new game came out we'd do it all over again.

I grew tired of the rat-race and switched to console gaming. The last 2 generations it was pretty simple. Buy a console and play games. While that has changed somewhat recently with the crazy amount of different options and models to choose from, overall it is a pretty painless experience of just popping in a game and playing.

I guess PC gamers forget their roots as I understand that they are all pissed off about having to upgrade their systems to support DirectX 10. Didn't we always have to do this when new standards or games came out? Maybe I'm forgetting, but that's the nature of PC gaming unfortunately.

I think this anger, however, is having an effect. Not as many people are gaming on PC's anymore. In fact, Epic is apparently shifting it's focus away from PC gaming and more towards console gaming. How many more developers will follow suit? I don't know, but I do know that Cliffy's comments are probably felt by loads of them even if they aren't saying it. The PC gaming scene is in disarray and console gaming systems are mopping up.

So is this the beginning of the end? Will PC games be relegated to WoW and casual games like minesweeper and solitaire?

[Epyon MX]

My reply:

Starcraft 2

I'm buying a new Mac just for that. You won't be able to find me anywhere near a console for months afterward.

[Peench]

Good point. But what about Starcraft: Ghost for the Xbox?

Dammit Ep, way to go possibly dragging me back to PC gaming!!!

[D_Litch]

Even Starcraft 2 can't save PC Gaming. Valve will still give it the time of day, but other big-name devs know it's dead.

[lovekeiiy]

PC gaming is not. It may not bring in the big numbers it use to, but I highly doubt it's going to disappear. I believe, the hardcorest of gamers will be on the PC. There are a few reasons, one of which if you want to have the best of graphics, you're going to have to be on the PC. No one can say that a console can keep up with a PC during that console's life time.

What does hurt the PC gaming market is that getting games to work, at least it use to, could be very time consuming and require a fair bit of PC knowledge with all the conflicts and problems that could arise. Not exactly a friendliest situation for mom and pop general public. The fact that PC gaming, overall, may be geared to hardcore isn't exactly image friendly either.

There are a lot things that the PC gamers helped bring to consoles were some genres, online gaming, better graphics.

Personally, I prefer console gaming because it has genres I prefer, games work as they're designed (unless EA made it). The only thing I don't like is that most games cost $20 more than the PC counter part. It doesn't irk me, but some don't like that XBL cost money to use the online gaming where that are plenty of free PC services to do the same.

[namehater]

pc gaming is far from dead, there has never been much publicity towards pc gaming, nothing has changed really. comments about pc gaming being dead have been scattered around the web for over 5 years, its not even close to a reality

[supafreak]

I don't think it will ever be completely dead. However, I think that they are having a very sharp decline in sales and interest due to consoles. Besides WoW, are there any other games that are selling that well on pc?

[namehater]

there are always hot titles for the pc, same as with consoles. cod4, crysis, hellgate, the witcher, gears of war are all new games that are HUGE on the pc. the reason that pc gaming will never die is because pc's will always be around, they function WAY more than a 'gaming' only machine.

[supafreak]

If you compare the pc sales of COD4 and Gears of War to the console sales, I don't think they are really huge. Just my opinion. Crysis had a weak intial month of sales, but I think I read it is picking up now.

[namehater]

oh no, the game sales probably dont come close to comparison, but a huge factor in pc gaming being around is home pcs being around. pcs make a lot of money off of other programs, im sure that games is the least of its worries, but as long as people need a home pc, there will be games made for it. i dont know all the techno aspect about designing a game for pc, but im sure theres not as many hurdles in compared to designing one to work on the xbox and work with xbox live, its a lot more work im sure. im sure game developers will continue to pump out pc games just for the quick buck, regardless of where they want to put their focus

[Desi Cuse]

I don't think its dead. Strategy games on the pc are amazing compared to any strategy game on a console. I play on the pc almost as much as I play on the xbox.

[Epyon MX]

I've been listening to the 1Up Yours podcast for the past month and they have talked a little about this issue. Specifically, they've been talking about Valve using Steam as a platform and making a lot of the tools (voice chat, friends lists, delivery method, etc...) available to other developers for free. That's what Microsoft was trying to do, but they were charging for it. So Valve might very well end up the savior of PC Gaming.

[AlphaQ GehaD]

PC GAMING DEAD - NO

PC GAMING LOOSING - YES

more people are hoping on to consoles now-a-days it seems, they are quicker to just turn on hop online and play, Lag/ping is actually LESS of an issue on a console too.

I know its not dead because the games play better than ever on PC's, Whenever im at my cuzins house (which is 4 times a week after work) I play his COD4 on the PC and its amazing! Im #1 hardcore noob with no l33t skills on the console version, but give me a bolt action or just any sniper on the PC version and ill get as many kills and 5 deaths as the top rankers in all the matchs. Im just so fast at aiming with a mouse and i know how to move around people extremely well with my "ASDFW" skills (prolly from the 8 years of Counter-Strike)

So the funtimes are still there on the CPU and most of the hardcore PC gamers have strong bonds to PC's for obvious reasons. But Consoles are luring those who dont know how to keep up with new Graphics cards, Ram, Motherboards, etc... I mean in the next 5 years am I gonna have to add a new video/graphics card to my 360 to play the new games without lag, choppiness and all that junk...nope, maybe just a bigger HDD but thats it. The PC needs a whole lot of maintenance, so as of now, my PC is used for MUSIC, WORK, & KEEPING IN CONTACT WITH FRIENDS @ PGL.COM

[namehater]

asdfw... what are you using F for? lol. ive been using wasd since before it was mainstream, thats one of the main reasons i consider myself hardcore/ oldschool. something else that will help, not save, but help for sure are the hobbyist. people that insist on having a top of the line pc.

[Gordon]

Well with the install times on the PS3, it seems that the PC has just become a PS3.

[Calypsi]

Not even close to dead. Some games are just better on the PC. FPS are and always will be easier to play on the PC, so are RTS, so are MMORPG type games. Some games are just way better with a mouse and keyboard. I took back my CoD4 for the 360 to get he PC version cause its just a nicer experience on the PC.

Really consoles shine with platformers, fighting games, adventure games (3rd person), racing games, and normal rpgs.

[Epyon MX]

PC is the bastion of realism as well. Racing sims are only found on the PC (Gran Turismo and Forza are arcade games, not sims). Many games console gamers now love have been bastardized and/or lobotomized when they left PC, like Rainbow Six (not saying R6 is bad, but it ain't what it was).

So I doubt PC gaming is really dead or going to die. But I don't see it as dominating anytime soon.