Anyone noticed that the PC gaming industry has been going down hill lately? With the upcoming release of the next-gen console systems I have noticed that it gets harder and harder to find the PC games you want in stores. Anyone know where there are some better selections? Or are the PC gamers gone for good?
A dying breed
- Thread starter djshirtis
- Start date
There are plenty of PC gamers out there. They will never go away, but for reasons I am not too sure about the ammunt of PC games have been dwendling.
PC gamers in terms of community is stronger than console, mainly since PC gamers have been using the internet years before consoles even thoght about the internet. So most people I know who plays PC games do not stop.
I am guessing PC games are droping cause there are limited genres that translate good on PC. pretty much FPS, RTS, and MMORPG are the only games that play good on PC which leaves about 3 or 4 more genres untouched by pc gamers. And now consoles are starting to make good Ports of FPS and very soon MMOs, Devolopers probally figure they can make a better game and sell better if they do it on console.
But do not count PC gamers out yet cause all it will take is one real good game to boost PC games back up again.
PC gamers in terms of community is stronger than console, mainly since PC gamers have been using the internet years before consoles even thoght about the internet. So most people I know who plays PC games do not stop.
I am guessing PC games are droping cause there are limited genres that translate good on PC. pretty much FPS, RTS, and MMORPG are the only games that play good on PC which leaves about 3 or 4 more genres untouched by pc gamers. And now consoles are starting to make good Ports of FPS and very soon MMOs, Devolopers probally figure they can make a better game and sell better if they do it on console.
But do not count PC gamers out yet cause all it will take is one real good game to boost PC games back up again.
Mainly it's because people don't want to pay 600 dollars every month for the latest Radeon. Consoles are becoming just as good as computers, and you don't have to constantly poor money into them to keep them up to date.
Plus, more and more the top drawer PC games just end up on Xbox. Look at Doom and Half Life, not only are they on Xbox (which you DON'T need to upgrade), but they have more content. Why buy the PC version?
Plus, more and more the top drawer PC games just end up on Xbox. Look at Doom and Half Life, not only are they on Xbox (which you DON'T need to upgrade), but they have more content. Why buy the PC version?
pc gaming is pretty much for the hardcore enthusiast. it is sad how much upkeep a pc needs to stay at the top. it's a lot of money. i'd love to be able to go out and get an alienware and have the best pc on the block...but then in 8 months it would just be a B+ computer. now normally that wouldnt matter but the requirements for games just keep getting steeper and steeper.
i think, though, that when the surge of new video cards dies down a little bit, pc gaming might creep back up in sales.
i mean, we don't HAVE to spend the 600 bucks. the best thing to do would be to wait till the card that just came out is 8 months old and is worth less than half of it's original asking price. there's nothing wrong with being a B+ computer gamer. on the other hand...that's still gonna be over a hundred bucks you drop on hardware per year - yes, more than a console.
sigh...
i think, though, that when the surge of new video cards dies down a little bit, pc gaming might creep back up in sales.
i mean, we don't HAVE to spend the 600 bucks. the best thing to do would be to wait till the card that just came out is 8 months old and is worth less than half of it's original asking price. there's nothing wrong with being a B+ computer gamer. on the other hand...that's still gonna be over a hundred bucks you drop on hardware per year - yes, more than a console.
sigh...
It sounds like these comments are being made by people who really don't do PC gaming.
Yeah, the latest and greatest video cards cost $500 or $600. But that's not necessary for gaming. To begin with, the average $700 PC you're going to buy for college or whatever will play games for a long time to come -- if you don't mind playing at lower detail levels (which still look as good or better than most console games).
Decent video cards can be had for $100. $200 will basically get you something you don't need to upgrade for the next three years. Look at it this way; I spent $500 building my computer two years ago. At the time I put in a crappy $40 video card, which could still handle some decent games (I played a ton of America's Army when I got it). About a year ago I bought a Radeon 9600 for $110, and I can still play anything that comes out -- not at the highest detail settings, but I can play them. Plus I have a cheap but good computer to do everything else I need to do. Soon I'm going to have to upgrade the processor, but that'll only be another $80 or so. So, $700 for a machine that has alreayd lasted me two years and will probably last at least two more.
There's no need to always have the newest hardware. That's what the manufacturers want you to believe -- that's why they also want these new, high demand games to come out. But you can play Doom 3 on a 2 GHz machine with a Radeon 9600. There's no need to spend $3000 on a machine to play games.
Yeah, the latest and greatest video cards cost $500 or $600. But that's not necessary for gaming. To begin with, the average $700 PC you're going to buy for college or whatever will play games for a long time to come -- if you don't mind playing at lower detail levels (which still look as good or better than most console games).
Decent video cards can be had for $100. $200 will basically get you something you don't need to upgrade for the next three years. Look at it this way; I spent $500 building my computer two years ago. At the time I put in a crappy $40 video card, which could still handle some decent games (I played a ton of America's Army when I got it). About a year ago I bought a Radeon 9600 for $110, and I can still play anything that comes out -- not at the highest detail settings, but I can play them. Plus I have a cheap but good computer to do everything else I need to do. Soon I'm going to have to upgrade the processor, but that'll only be another $80 or so. So, $700 for a machine that has alreayd lasted me two years and will probably last at least two more.
There's no need to always have the newest hardware. That's what the manufacturers want you to believe -- that's why they also want these new, high demand games to come out. But you can play Doom 3 on a 2 GHz machine with a Radeon 9600. There's no need to spend $3000 on a machine to play games.
I will have to agree with BCambell on this one. Its really just a myth for people haveing to have the latest hardware to play PC games. Which I used to believe, and which back in the day used to be true. PC games have the feature of changing your graphics settings so if you can't play a game at the highest possiable graphics you can still enjoy it at a slightly lower setting. I have seen Half Life 2 ran on a 1 ghz computer and a Geforce 2 card (which the Geforce 2 came out near 7 years ago). and it plays with enjoyable graphics. I spent 700 dollars on building my computer and I can play any game outthere on highest Graphics, and my comp won't be completly obsolete for another 4 or 5 years. Which by then you would buy 2 consoles, so it really evens out. But also how many gamers just buy one console? So bout time they spend on getting every console out there they can just buy a really good PC and not have to worry about it too much for 5+ years. If you spend big on a PC at first, you won't have to buy too much to upgrade it. And it even cheaper if you learn to build your own computer.
i have a pc and maintain it with moderately fair equipment too. back in the day though, i was one of the fools who went out and bought the 400 dollar video cards.
i'm just saying, there is a drive to have the best, cause for some people...it sucks to think that the game you bought could look better, more realistic than it does presently. people dont necessarily want to deal with that, so they will settle for the xbox 2 or whatever, which will delivery very realistic looking graphics and everyone else's will look the same. nobody likes to feel like their system can't measure up. i will stand by my pc till someone rips it from my hands, and i upgrade mine myself too. however, i am one of the people who likes to have a B+ machine and usually spend the extra dollars to make sure it is.
i'm just saying, there is a drive to have the best, cause for some people...it sucks to think that the game you bought could look better, more realistic than it does presently. people dont necessarily want to deal with that, so they will settle for the xbox 2 or whatever, which will delivery very realistic looking graphics and everyone else's will look the same. nobody likes to feel like their system can't measure up. i will stand by my pc till someone rips it from my hands, and i upgrade mine myself too. however, i am one of the people who likes to have a B+ machine and usually spend the extra dollars to make sure it is.
...
I live for the PC. As a kid, my parents never bought us consoles, and we didn't own one until I was a senior in high school and my brother bought an N64. We did, however, have my fathers PC, which he brought home from work, complete with DOOM, and even that LOTR game back from God knows when. I was hooked. What else can you take apart and turn it from a business machine into a gaming god. PC Gamers are a dying breed, especially in a Marine Corps barracks. I'm the only one there with a wall locker full of games, stripped PC's and random parts under my rack, and CS blowing through my 7.1 at 3 in the morning. I've tried consoles, but to me, a few buttons on a game pad don't compare to customizable keyboard settings, screenshots of EQ2, or my own mp3 soundtrack when I'm playing Superpower. This is who we are man...
I live for the PC. As a kid, my parents never bought us consoles, and we didn't own one until I was a senior in high school and my brother bought an N64. We did, however, have my fathers PC, which he brought home from work, complete with DOOM, and even that LOTR game back from God knows when. I was hooked. What else can you take apart and turn it from a business machine into a gaming god. PC Gamers are a dying breed, especially in a Marine Corps barracks. I'm the only one there with a wall locker full of games, stripped PC's and random parts under my rack, and CS blowing through my 7.1 at 3 in the morning. I've tried consoles, but to me, a few buttons on a game pad don't compare to customizable keyboard settings, screenshots of EQ2, or my own mp3 soundtrack when I'm playing Superpower. This is who we are man...
one thing is for sure. nothing else comes close to mimicing the movements of the head and torso like the mouse does. until a console has a solution for that, i dont want to play FPS on consoles. takes too long to turn around.
I do not think PC gamers are dying. I do believe though that we are not bringin in any new members. But the people that do play PC games they do not stop playing, at least not for a console game. I had this disscussion with people about the Xbox 360 and the PS3 is going to wipe out the PC games market. Its not going to happen. PC gameing has never been popular, not back in the NES days and not now, its a cult following for the most hardcore of gamers and computer geeks. Notice that PC games are rarely ever advertised its all by word of mouth and PC games still sell. As long as there are PC there will be PC games and PC gamers. At least enough to keep PC gaming alive.
GhostToast said:
Yeah, pretty much same thing here. FPS on consoles suck. Sometimes its just fun to play games on your computer. I dunno, I don't ever think I am going to give up my PC.
Don't start carving PC Gaming's head-stone yet. I personally think that PC gaming has benefits that consoles cannot currently touch, nor will touch with the next-gen crop. We'll see if I end up being wrong, but this is no different than the buzz about the "death of the PC" that I heard over and over and over when the PS2/XBOX/GC were being released a few years ago, or when the PSX/Nintendo64/Dreamcast were hot before THAT.
Unfortunately, if you upgrade your graphics card to a modern one, or with two or three cheaper ones, you've already payed more than it would cost for a new console.
Also, the only real advantage PC games have over console games is the quickness of the mouse. But that is only useful in RTSs, and debatably in FPSs (though, I never liked the mouse setup).
But really, the main thing is the price. If you game on ANY budget, you won't be able to afford the bombardments of upgrades required.
Also, the only real advantage PC games have over console games is the quickness of the mouse. But that is only useful in RTSs, and debatably in FPSs (though, I never liked the mouse setup).
But really, the main thing is the price. If you game on ANY budget, you won't be able to afford the bombardments of upgrades required.
There are no "bombardments of upgrades". Most people have a computer for other reasons, so they're going to buy one anyway. It only costs a $200-$300 premium above the normal cost to be able to play new games -- and be able to do so for several years. $150 on a video card will last two or three years, at least, and longer if you don't mind playing at lower quality settings.
It's this perception that one must constantly upgrade that keeps lots of people away from PC games. The truth is that major upgrades are only absolutely required when new standards develop. When PICexpress becomes the standard, I won't be able to find many good cheap video cards for my current computer, and that's the only time I'll really have to start over. Anyone who has bought a PC in the last three years or so, especially if they bought it with upgrades in mind, can still use it with minor upgrades. All you need right now is a 2+GHz processor, 512 MB RAM, and about $120 in a video card. That will play any game out there, and most of them at respectable quality levels. For another $150 or so, you cna play practically anything at high levels, and it'll last for years.
It's this perception that one must constantly upgrade that keeps lots of people away from PC games. The truth is that major upgrades are only absolutely required when new standards develop. When PICexpress becomes the standard, I won't be able to find many good cheap video cards for my current computer, and that's the only time I'll really have to start over. Anyone who has bought a PC in the last three years or so, especially if they bought it with upgrades in mind, can still use it with minor upgrades. All you need right now is a 2+GHz processor, 512 MB RAM, and about $120 in a video card. That will play any game out there, and most of them at respectable quality levels. For another $150 or so, you cna play practically anything at high levels, and it'll last for years.
BCampbell said:
And like I said, if you have to buy two graphics cards at $150 each every 2 or 3 years, that would mean you'd spend about $300 in graphics cards over the lifespan of a console (roughly 4-6 years). Now add RAM, maybe a new Processor (depending on just how old your computer is), among others, the cost goes well over the cost of a console. Or maybe you just want to shill out the $2000-$5000 for an Alienware? Well, you could have just bought 2-5 of every console, new, and then bought a cheesier computer for your Emai and Word processing needs.
ya but the customizable nature of pc games is untouchable as of now. you can import your own images (dont say eyetoy or i'll kill you) from more than photographs...you have much more control options at your disposal - albeit with a slightly higher learning curve as keyboard mapping can take some getting used to -, and like bc is trying to say --- you don't HAVE to even buy a new video card. the graphics are tolerable for years.
the ability to have an easy way to find, get in touch with and keep track of friends/fellow gamers is easiest on the computer. multiple programs can be run on the computer which all aid in the gaming experience (for example, xfire or voice chat software). usermade data is much more widely available for pc games as well, and in fact is something that has almost become a standard for developers to include in pc games: the ability to edit the game to some extent.
i'm not saying that consoles suck, but just saying pcs have enough unique and adaptive capabilities to make them a standing force in the gaming market.
the ability to have an easy way to find, get in touch with and keep track of friends/fellow gamers is easiest on the computer. multiple programs can be run on the computer which all aid in the gaming experience (for example, xfire or voice chat software). usermade data is much more widely available for pc games as well, and in fact is something that has almost become a standard for developers to include in pc games: the ability to edit the game to some extent.
i'm not saying that consoles suck, but just saying pcs have enough unique and adaptive capabilities to make them a standing force in the gaming market.
You can also recoup a lot of the costs of hardware. When I bought my 9600, I sold the crappy GeForce 2 I was replacing for exactly as much as I bought it. So you can either look at it as I didn't really "pay" for the old card or I got a $40 break on the new one. You can usually get at least 50% of the cost back from hardware, whcih is practically impossible witha console - plus sellinga console means not playing games on it, whereas you can always play all of your PC games every time you upgrade.
And even if you have to spend $200 (tops) every three years, that's about the same as buying one console every cycle. Console cycles are becoming much less than 6 years. Now, granted it may be a bit more expensive in the long run than a console, but it's not that much more expensive; we're talking maybe one or two hundred dollars, not one or two thousand like most people assume. And that's to really stay at the top of the heap, which is only necessary for huge titles. One can easily budget less than the typical console and still play most PC games, ignoring hugely demaning titles like Doom 3, Morrowind, Far Cry, etc.
And even if you have to spend $200 (tops) every three years, that's about the same as buying one console every cycle. Console cycles are becoming much less than 6 years. Now, granted it may be a bit more expensive in the long run than a console, but it's not that much more expensive; we're talking maybe one or two hundred dollars, not one or two thousand like most people assume. And that's to really stay at the top of the heap, which is only necessary for huge titles. One can easily budget less than the typical console and still play most PC games, ignoring hugely demaning titles like Doom 3, Morrowind, Far Cry, etc.
BCampbell said:
Which brings me back to my original point - why game on a PC, when there are pretty much no big games any more that aren't on the consoles, and spend the extra $400? While, on top of it, consoles flat out have more, and more various games?
Benifits From PC gaming:
1. Mouse is the best controler you can ever have. Espically with RTS and FPS.
2. While we are on RTS and FPS, PC versions are better than their console counterparts.
3. While we are on PC versions, almost every game looks, runs, and plays better on PC.
4. The online community with PC games are 10 times more advance than Console.
When I think of some more reason I will continue..but right now Im at work..so IM OFFFF>>
1. Mouse is the best controler you can ever have. Espically with RTS and FPS.
2. While we are on RTS and FPS, PC versions are better than their console counterparts.
3. While we are on PC versions, almost every game looks, runs, and plays better on PC.
4. The online community with PC games are 10 times more advance than Console.
When I think of some more reason I will continue..but right now Im at work..so IM OFFFF>>