Consoles: A Better Market For PC Devs

DualShockers writes,

"PC gaming, at one point in time, pioneered the industry in just about every genre known to the world of gaming. Its threshold was once untouched as its graphical dominance trampled the very grounds that was once entrenched by its graphically inferior console competitors from corporate conglomerates like Nintendo. Games matured graphically almost every year in both visuals and game play as the console market stagnantly etched behind. Once broadband came along, the PC industry, once again, leaped ahead of the console market when it was introduced to Massively Multiplayer Online gaming (MMO)."

[taz8080]

Awesome read, plenty of great points!

[evrfighter]

PC gaming modding communities were left out.

I'd like to know what games Valve has made on a console. Getting EA to port their games to a console is not the same as developing a game on a console.

Piracy is killing pc gaming strawman argument is mentioned. PC gamers don't buy retail anymore. NPD for PC means jack squat when steam/D2D/Impulse don't apply.

EA jumped back on the pc gaming bandwagon after seeing how well they did on steam...

"Coming back to EA, the company decided to focus its efforts on increasing quality, and after seeing that their digital distribution branch [mostly through Steam, EA's own solution is PITA like Games For Windows are] scored a 60% revenue increase. Now, EA's CEO is praising PC as a "gaming platform for the future", while the company's CFO is talking about "The way we look at a lot what's happening in the future is, we've got probably a billion PCs out there in the world. Very rapidly the PC is becoming the largest gaming platform in the world, just not in a packaged-good product."

http://www.brightsideofnews...

This was just a few months ago btw...

Console fanboys writing pc gaming articles makes me lol.

[iiprotocolii]

It's not console fanboys making the argument here - it's gamers. I've been a PC gamer for years. The one thing with ANY fanboy is that they cannot admit when there is a problem with their platform of choice.

Valve didn't have to "make" a game for a console just like Microsoft didn't "have" to make Halo for PC and so forth. The reason why Valve decided to PORT Half-Life 2 was because they saw a potential growth in sales if they were to migrate to consoles - which is gaining much more consumer ground than the PC market.

PCs are WAY too expensive to game on. That is fact. Anyone who argues this is lying to themselves. You can buy the cheapest video card and pump out a decent gameplay on a game that requires a significant amount of resources to run "ok", but, realistically, three years down the road, they will need to upgrade their video cards to play something more graphic extensive. I had a GeForce 8800 GTX Card with 4GB of RAM and STILL couldn't run Crysis maxed out. That says a lot.

[STONEY4]

"I had a GeForce 8800 GTX Card with 4GB of RAM and STILL couldn't run Crysis maxed out. That says a lot."

You do realize that card came out around the launch of Crysis, and Crysis' max settings were meant for future hardware? That's why it wasn't until earlier this year we were able to run Crysis smoothly on max at a high res.

[iiprotocolii]

Did you just confirm my point? Why thank you, good sir. You just proved that PC gaming is indeed expensive.

[Tehdaza]

http://gaming.icrontic.com/...

PCs are cheaper in the long run.

[champ21]

you do realise the tax you pay to microsoft or sony per game more then turns the tide.

a gaming pc will cost you 500usd these days and it will stomp the consoles in every way and it will last this entire generation.. while its games will be cheaper 10-25usd depending on your country.

also the 8800gtx is far superior to any console it can still run most games at true 1080 with hi res textures and good AA(something consoles can only dream off), and remember had you been buying games on the pc you would have saved money over the last 2 years and a 150usd gpu upgrade today would have increased your power quite a bit.

Console gaming cheaper then pc is simply not true. Micro and sony are here to make money of you, its not possible for them to be cheaper then the open platform pc.

[iiprotocolii]

My PS3 plays games, plays Blu-ray and DVD, does htpc, can connect to any HDTV/TV, has a free online subscription, can run Linux natively (which elimintaes any "computing" argument), and has a lifespan of 10 years with a cost of $300 - $400. How is it that PC gaming is cheaper again?

You're solely basing that article's arguments on the Xbox 360 and its subscription services alone. When comparing it to a PS3, there really isn't a contrasting argument. For the money and the features, the PS3 outweighs the PC... again, without the price of upgrades. This is just fact.

@Champ21
It's funny you mention Microsoft. What Operating System are you using to game? Thanks. Any platform is taking your money. PC being open platform is kind of an oxymoron unless, of course, you're just referring to game development on Windows because, as everyone knows, Windows isn't an open OS.

[champ21]

@iiproticolii

i did the example lower against the xbox i will do it against the ps3 :)

reasons why pc gaming is cheaper.

take the example of an ps3:

300usd price for the console
450 usd price difference for games (over a period of 3 yrs if only 15 games are bought a year) this is if you are staying in the usa. If you stayed outside then the difference would be 1125usd for games alone.

cost of playing the ps3 over 3 years 750usd in the usa
out side the usa it would be 1425usd

while paying 750 usd or upto 1425usd you played at lower resolutions lower textures, didnt have kb mouse support, plus there was no mod support.

Cost of playing on pc:

500usd for a gaming pc
150usd gpu upgrade after 3years

The pc cost 100 usd(in the usa) 775usd(if outside the usa) cheaper then the ps3, while it provided you with higher resolutions, overall better experience and you didnt get ripped buy middle men like sony or micro.

Regarding usage of an OS.. thats a one time cost it doesnt involve paying a per game cost to microsoft.

also note the ps3 does 720p at best and once the pc user gets the 150usd upgrade 3 years later his system will again be very capable of handling the latest games... ps3 on the other hand by that time will be doing 480 or for the same game while the pc user will still be at 1080p.

[evrfighter]

"My PS3 plays games, plays Blu-ray and DVD"

so does my pc and it doesn't even have a blu-ray player.

:D

You pay $60 for new games. Most pc games are $39-$49 dollars. In the 3 years You'd have been buying games on your ps3.

I would have the same amount of games as you.
I would have saved enough money from buying pc games to buy a new GPU
I would be able to take the ol lady out for dinner and a movie with the change.

Any AAA multiplats you own, I own. They will also look 10x better on my TV rather than yours.
I have the option of using my wireless 360 controller or my ps3 controller.
Instead of having to use a Sh*tty console browser for the internet. I could minimize whatever game I'm playing on my TV. use my 360 controller to control the mouse and use a REAL browser.
So guess what. All the perks you "thought" you had over pc gamers was always just an illusion. If the pc gamer really cared to begin with. He'd have the same thing. Only better.

LoL chin up. One day you might be able to use your brain and be able to game on a pc rather than just have the ability to turn it on and point and click.

Have fun with your console version of MW2. 720p and hardly any anti-aliasing is going to be the best thing evaR!!!!1

I'll post pics of how it looks like at native 1080p and fully maxed so you're not missing out.

[iiprotocolii]

Dude, you're WAY off.

First off, the amount of money you're paying for games is justified simply because THERE ARE games to play on consoles - hence, why it is a better choice. We're not comparing the price of games between the two. We're comparing the quality of games and, simply put, consoles produce better exclusives which are worth paying for. We're basing hardware costs which the PS3 takes the cake in.

PS3 doesn't support keyboard and mouse? Um.. where have you been since its inception. Since day one the PS3 has supported these peripherals - both USB and bluetooth. Mods? Unreal Tournament 3 supports open mod development from the PS3 community.

And 3 years is the "expected" lifespan of a gpu which, at times, can be far less and still much more expensive that $150 at its release. How is it that you're getting a better experience with a $500 pc when you're not including the cost of a large screen HD monitor and the cost and the cost of a high-def format like Blu-ray? That argument isn't valid at any point.

The PS3 doesn 720p at best? With that argument alone, it clearly shows how limited your knowledge is in the console department. WipEout HD, Blast Factor,, All Pro Football 2K7, MLB the Show, Ninja Gaiden, NBA 2K games, all PixelJunk games, Gran Turismo 5 (which spanks any car simulator game on the PC), Super Stardust HD, I can go on. And they all look sweet on my 52" XBR3.

Where you get your facts from, is beyond me. But you, sir, are very much uninformed. BOTH PS3 and Xbox 360 produce 1080p games. Where you've been for the past 4 years that you're not aware of this is beyond me. I've been playing 1080p since the PS3 first came out. Genji: Days of Blade - crappiest game ever and first released with the PS3 - played on 1080p.

@evr
Multiplat games. <-- Exactly. How many great exclusives will you be entitled to this year and next that will do better than those on consoles? Those very same browsers your talking about there buddy? I can run them on Linux on my PS3 perfectly fine. In fact, they'll probably consume much less resources on my Debian installation. Fail argument. While you're playing MW2 for the next 2 years, I'll be busy rocking EXCLUSIVE titles on both my 360 and PS3. Enjoy ;)

[evrfighter]

edit- Arma 2, Empire Total War are 2 titles I bought this year that put anything the ps3 has done this year to shame. I have kz2 (Yes I own a ps3). textures are horrible, 30fps is horrible, control system is horrible. The only good thing about it is its lighting LOL. All in all it was a waste of money. "Bu Bu Bu we get Tomb Raider 2: Among Thieves this year." ya good luck with that.

"Since day one the PS3 has supported these peripherals - both USB and bluetooth. Mods? Unreal Tournament 3 supports open mod development from the PS3 community."

your using an example as if it's just one of many games the ps3 supporting mouse/keyboard and mods has.

Be truthful. UT3 is the ONLY game the ps3 supports this for. This was probably done to cater to the unreal fanbase...

Care to take a guess as to what platform the unreal fanbase comes from?

[champ21]

I really dont know what you are talking about this year i have had good exclusinves so far Dawn of war 2, Empire total war. All the 3rd party games i have bought on the pc have been cheaper. You know its not hard to buy the 1-2 good exclusives the consoles do get per year, however there is no need to be paying micro or sony taxes for every other 3rd party game. its a known fact every 3rd party game out there runs better on the pc.

I really dont know whre you have been but today a 4890 can be had for about 180usd, gpus are not like consoles now that pricing is low it will always remain low. a 4890 is atleast 300% the power of a ps3 or 360 now imagine how much more displacement you got for the games.

HD monitors are very cheap by the way, much cheaper then HD tvs.

pls check your facts asides a handful of games all the ps3 or 360 titles run at 720p or below even uncharted 2 is 720 with almost no AA. GTA4 was like 640p. search the net you will see most are around these resolutions. Sorry but you havent been doing 720 even.

AT your post below again be honest when you post you talk as if there is a modding community on the ps3 which is not true, the only game which has kb mouse support is unreal 3 also it has the modding support.. can you care to tell us which other game does?

anyways i know you are a sony fanboy and their marketing probably keeps you brainwashed as most of the stuff you say just inst true. Good luck with paying taxes on every game i am sure sony will be proud of you :)

[iiprotocolii]

Your ignorance is mind boggling:

http://www.makeyougohmm.com...

LOL It's funny that you try to argue PS3 1080p games when there's a list of them... some of which I own.

I'm not a fanboy - I'm a gamer that isn't blinded by loyalty like fanatics like you are. I game on every single platform (in fact, one of the games you mentioned, Dawn of War 2, is one of my favs). I just know how to recognize things as opinions and facts where folks like you pour all their resources into an argument they have no basis for. In a world where the developers themselves are saying that consoles are bigger markets than the PC, you still try to argue it. It's pathetic to see you PC fanboys cling on to dear life by bringing up excuse after excuse. Dawn of War 2? Empire Total War? They are great games, but they are nothing in quality compared to what the console industry pushes out.

Fact: Consoles are MADE for gaming; therefore they will evidently produces much more quality titles than the 3 or so titles that PCs produce a year. Do PCs produce better graphics? Of course. That's not even an argument. But to sit there and even try to argue that the PC produces better *quality* games is just ignorant and shows, again, how desperate the PC gaming community is.

http://www.gamesindustry.bi...

Here's another major company who's migrating toward consoles for the very reasons the author of the article mentioned. You, my friend, are making pointless idiotic comments and are making yourself look ridiculous. PS3 doesn't have 1080p games... WOW! lmao

[evrfighter]

good job on completely avoiding everything I mentioned. I guess I shouldn't have expected much tbh.

[champ21]

@iiproticolii

you just proved my point...

that list only shows 24 games on the ps3 which are 1080 compatible most of those games arent even hi end games.. ps3 now has over 300 titles to its name.. by that count only 10% of its games are 1080... rest are at 720p(or worse below that)

i do not argue consoles are pointless i just said you may buy them for their exclusives. however playing 3rd party games on a console it senseless cause you end up paying taxes to the likes of sony and micro.. now if you are happy with that have it your way :) i dont see the point of playing 3rd party games at low res while paying more.

[taz8080]

Consoles 4 life, FTW!

[champ21]

enjoy your taxes to sony and micro :)

while us pc gamers get the games cheaper and with higher resolutions and textures :)

[iiprotocolii]

Good points made by the author. Although he forgot to mention one thing: consoles are easier for portability than PCs.

I agree with a lot of points made. The PC gaming scene was once thriving beyond belief. I'm not in no way saying that PC's are crappy. They do still have their great games; but, realistically, it has come to a point where consoles have received the larger appeal due to its capabilities and price. I once was an avid PC gamer. But, this genereation especially, I've had more reason to game on my PS3 and 360 than I have on my PC. Especially since most of the games have been multiplatform.

Great read!

[iiprotocolii]

Meh. I still game on my PC. Not as much as I used to a couple of years back, but I still use it for genres like RTS and MMO. But, like the author said, a point is coming when developers will be bringing those very same genres to consoles. It's only a matter of time.

[Tomarcus]

I still love PC gaming for online community. That is why I still play WoW.

[Tomarcus]

Another great read. I respect the way you tackle these controversial topics.

[Tehdaza]

Some PC devs, like Valve really dislike working with consoles.

Development is significantly harder due to consoles being a fixed platform. You have extremely tight memory constraints and resources. With the 360, you can't even count on it having a harddrive, and with the PS3, you have a heavily multi-threaded CPU which makes programming for it a nightmare.

[The_Nameless_One]

"What next-gen game will your expensive PC rig be running while I shoot minorities in the face with Nathan Drake?"

This quote made me shoot my drink out of my nose.

[yog-sothot]

Are there still big studios that work only for the PC ? There is Blizzard, of course, but most of the other "AAA studios" I can think about have started (or will start in the near future) working on consoles too (Relic, Crytek, CD projekt...)

[kzl1989]

i love pirating!!!

[Cyb3r]

So basicly what this article is saying is that the PC game industry is dieing? This kinda pisses me off considering I just bought a Radeon 5870