How Next-Gen Consoles Could Lose Ground to PCs

"This topic is a bit of an odd one, because really, PCs are losing a lot of the marketshare that they used to have a stranglehold on for years. When you think about it, what else would you use to browse the internet, check your bank account, read your email and check your Facebook on? " | Explosion.com

[Merrill]

Never going to happen. You can't play Playstaion exclusives on a PC.

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

PC has so great exclusives also like rome 2. But I agree sony exclusives are awsome AAA quality!

[jacksheen0000]

Agreed, Never going to happen.

To add to that, Dev would make a lot more money off a single games that is spread across many platforms(consoles).

Perhaps that is probably the reason Steam is releasing a console to give PC market the same treatment.

[kevnb]

steam isnt releasing a console though, just an htpc similar to what some other retailers already have on the market.

[Jobesy]

Also no local mp on pc. Never happening, consoles will always rule the living room.

[kevnb]

there isnt much local multiplayer anywhere anymore sadly.

[Rivitur]

It's called LAN and some games have split-screen play that is activated through console.

[TreeFiddy]

Never heard of Sony's Gaikai have you? Very well could be playing Playstation exclusives on PC in the future or any device with an internet connection practically for that matter.

[dvewlsh]

Both Microsoft and Sony have their own exclusives that are pretty awesome.

I can see myself wanting both consoles at some point, much like I did with this current generation. Just not sure at launch unless they have some crazy offering to pump out.

[soultecc]

the only reason i keep my xbox is for fighting games

[djeronimo]

Why?

[LOL_WUT]

Maybe because thats all they buy him?

Home consoles are always going to be around no matter how much the PC crowd hates on them.

[soultecc]

because i love playing fighting games like ssf4, blazblue, umvc 3, mortal kombat and so on. most of them i cant get on pc but i use my pc for all other games

[jmc8888]

PC has tons of good exclusives. Unless you own everything; Nintendo, Sony, MS, PC...then you are going to miss out on many good games. PC has more exclusives then all the others combined.

Steam allows you to buy games for dirt cheap. Steam's big picture mode is ok, though I still find it more convenient just to have my PC hooked up to an HDTV normally.

Mid range PC's for the last year or two have already been more powerful than a PS4/720. Won't be long before once again PC's are heads and tails above PS4/720 like now they are versus 360/PS3, yet those systems will have to stick around for another 5 or so years. Could be that way by 2015-2016.

As if facebook is going to be big by the end of this generation. At facebook YOU are the product, you don't own squat, and that info is available to any company or gov't organization that wants to pay them or asks for it.

If someone said check something when 360 launched they would be saying Myspace. So yeah. Worthless facebook.

[Psychotica]

It already has at my house. My wife, son and I all play PC games more than console games even though we have all the consoles. I have traded in almost all of my console games for Steam vouchers at Gamestop. The only thing I plan to buy on the consoles are the sports games I can't get on the PC. I have no interest in buying the next consoles which will already be inferior to the hardware I have in my PC.

[Qrphe]

They won a lot of ground this gen already mainly thanks to Steam (so much for piracy). Only ways I could think of this happening is DRM on both Orbis and Durango but I doubt it.

[_LarZen_]

Most people don't care much for PC, its not as easy and comfortable as picking up the controller for your console and just start playing.

You could almost do the same with a PC in the living room with Big Picture mode on Steam.

But they don't and they wont in the future either I think. With the new consoles announcement just around the corner people are going to go crazy and the word PC gaming will just fade away like it has for years.

[papashango]

going into next gen steam will have its 50 million and counting user base. Consoles will have to start over. Pretty sure that's going to be on the mind of developers and publishers.

There's also no word on backwards compatibility yet. If M$ or Sony won't do it then PC looks even more lucrative for hardcore gamers with steambox around the corner.

[Bar_Brothers]

Pc is an awesome platform
But Console Gamers will Remain Console Games regardless...

Xbox 3 and Ps4 Will Sell shitloads amounts and these people or people that have 360/Ps3 now wont give 2 fucks about pc.

they never did, they never will.

[hazardman]

honestly i would like to build a very good pc BUT...
You spend a lot of money on parts then something else better comes out months later. I don't have the $$$ to keep up with PC upgrades. I'm on the fence tho because I am looking to replace my desktop.

[Teajae]

Just buy the best parts you can buy with your budget and never look back. New hardware costs more and doesnt really offer the performance increase to make previous hardware obsolete or you could wait until they come out then build. As for me, I buy last years best parts when this years new ones come out, so I could get good discounts and get similar performance.

[peowpeow]

You don't need to upgrade for 3-6 years depending on what GPU you buy (I also buy last year parts as they drop in price with new gen, whilst keeping up performance)

[13ulost]

You don't see E-Sports, on the level that a StarCraft or DOTA is at, running on a console.

Money rules the gaming industry and obviously there is no ESports for The Adventures of Link. So PC wins I think.

[pandehz]

I dont know what will happen but this is my situation.

This was the total count in hrs of entertainment last year:

PS3(friends ps3 in my place for a while): Roughly 3 hrs with Journey thats all. Not kidding I have only tried some like Dragons dogma, ascension of the metatron etc but every other multiplat was on pc for me. So yea sum total 3hrs.

PC: Well this is gonna be hard to calculate. Lets just say BF3 (200+hrs) + SWTOR (300+hrs) + GW2 (didnt play too much but roughly 70+hrs) + ME3 (60+hrs with mp) + Diablo 3 (110 hrs or so) + every other multiplat campaign+some indies on steam

So yea thats about it. Now whos winning or whatever is happening out there I dont really know but my story is like this.

To me it was not about a one time single player campaign that lasts for few hrs and bam done. Also there are only a few exclusives that seem attractive on other platforms. What matters to me is what am I actually playing throughout the year and whats giving me the most joy.

Most of the games I played looked good, played perfectly and required a mouse/kb. To me pc gaming is about having a few solid games to stick with and evolve with and also play all the decent multiplats story and then back to my usuals.

Whats interesting is console players also kinda have the same behaviour but miss out on the best. My friends play fifa everyday and once in a while when they have a new exclusive they play the capaign and go back to fifa. another one plays cod and exclusives and then back to cod on xbox. Whats interesting is both of them are avaliable on pc and I prefer shooters on pc. My friends on colose dont stand a chance in BF3 if they ere to play against me, not kidding.

It all comes down to whos got more initial money to invest in a pc and who has the brains to figure it out. 3 of my friends have transformed to pc gaming this year. Well I didnt even try and convince them,this is the conversation that made me realise the truth about the awesomeness of pc:

My friend just got up from his room playing skyrim for 4 hrs and enters my room

My friend: What game is that? Looks badass

Me: Umm dude thats Skyrim

My friend: Ah yea yea, at first I couldnt tell.

Yup :D

[darx]

Steambox for me! I may eventually get around to the next Gen consoles once the prices start to drop.

[kwyjibo]

If next-gen consoles lock out 2nd hand titles (like Steam), but don't drop their prices to compensate - then PC is going to dominate.

[BitbyDeath]

And pirates would probably dominate to get away from PC doing the same thing.

[RuperttheBear]

'And pirates would probably dominate to get away from PC doing the same thing. '

*scratches head*

Let me read that again....

'And pirates would probably dominate to get away from PC doing the same thing. '

Hmm.

Nope, I can't figure it out. What does that actually mean?

[BitbyDeath]

Means if all games went this way, more pirates would come out cause pirated games don't have to go through the same hoops. Just install and play.

[Luke_fon_Fabre]

TBH, as long as the good exclusives stick on consoles, I'm going with consoles.

[Kevlar009]

The one thing PC's will never be able to do is replace family/playroom entertainment, it will always be that hobby you play in the corner or in a separate room. Also PC's are mostly a single-person affair, yes there are plenty of people online to play with, but it will almost always be a one person to one screen ratio

[pennywhyz]

At least you have the option of putting certain parts in your pc regardless the budget.On console your playing on the same hardware every1 else is.thats like ordering from a preset menu.