The PC as a Gaming Platform

[Angelspit]

In an editorial at <a href="/http://www.playfuls.com/news_05311_Anal ... uls.com</a>, Dan Nicolae Alexa wonders how grim is the future of the PC as a gaming platform. He points out that the major titles launched during the Fall (Gothic 3, Splinter Cell Double Agent and our own <i>Dark Messiah of Might and Magic</i>) didn't get the publicity they deserved possibly because of the arrival of two major consoles. The author also lists prices (the new nVidia 8800 GTS alone costs twice as much as a PS2 with a collection of games), software piracy, patches and the fact that Microsoft is behind both a major console and that popular operating system as critical factors for the future of PC gaming.



We rarely talk about console here, so why not discuss the issue a little? What is your favorite gaming platform and what do you plan to do in the near future?

If you would like to take a look at the original page visit this link:
https://www.celestialheavens.com/1164551228

[Campaigner]

He points out that the major titles launched during the Fall (Gothic 3, Splinter Cell Double Agent and our own <i>Dark Messiah of Might and Magic</i>) didn't get the publicity they deserved possibly because of the arrival of two major consoles.

Isn't it exspected? Dual console launches will ofcourse take up much more media space than a few new games since much more people want to read about the new consoles.

The author also lists prices (the new nVidia 8800 GTS alone costs twice as much as a PS2 with a collection of games)

Invalid argument. The best bang for the buck is given by the second best stuff in the PC industry and brand new stuff is always outrageously expensive. When the 8800 Ultra comes along it's valid to compare the 8800 GTS with PS2 and a collection of games.

Software piracy, patches and the fact that Microsoft is behind both a major console and that popular operating system as critical factors for the future of PC gaming.

Yeah, the future of PC gaming looks a little grim. And I think that Windows Vista was partially made so the porting of titles between Xbox 360 and PC will go smoother. (read: More successful Xbox 360).

We rarely talk about console here, so why not discuss the issue a little? What is your favorite gaming platform and what do you plan to do in the near future?

PC Best controls and free games is a great argument.

Mod Note: crack discussions are not allowed here.

[LordErtz]

PC games are on a downhill path. Consoles are updated each release with the newest and most innovative technology. And you only have to buy the console and a game, not a video card, the game, it's expansions, a usb controller. Also, multiplayer on consoles is now infinitely better. You can connect for FREE and play online games over PS3 and Wii with NO NETWORKING PROBLEMS and there's ALWAYS people who will play.



Now don't get me wrong, there are some gems when it comes to computer games. But....eventually these games won't run on computers (see DOS games) or on the other side of the spectrum, what about the newest games on the market? Take HOMM V for example. I have a pretty up to date computer, but HOMM V runs like a 3 legged dog on my computer and the gameplay just sucks and it crashes occasionally. How many times has a console game crashed on you vs the amount of times a PC game has crashed on you?



It'd cost you about $400 to buy the necessary video card, memory, joystick, and games to play the newest game "flawlessly." All the work is done for you with a console. Everybody runs at the same speed and quality. The only difference is how big your TV is.



PC games are plagued with piracy. Yes, most people love free games, but there are some who buy games because they support the industry. While this is noble on paper, it cannot contend with the amount of people who pirate pc games only because they are afraid the game won't run on their computer, or it costs too much, or the game just flat out isn't good enough to buy.



I, for one, will not buy HOF for the simple fact that I am not even close to satisfied with the original. Heck, it crashes when I try to trade between heroes. Would that happen on a console game? I do not have HOF, but theoretically if I was going to get it, I wouldn't put more $ into their franchise.



The quality may be lower on PC for now due to the concentration of developers to push quality console games. What can you expect, the new consoles ARE PCS!!!! And with rampant piracy, there's not as much money in PC games anymore...oh well, they tried.


I admit that I mostly play games on PC, but only because I use my PC for other important things like communication, work, and such. I won't buy a new age console right now at it's peak because I have no time to play it (I am a medical student). The more advanced PC games are, the more you have to pay to keep up.

[myythryyn]

im a dinasour of gaming. the first game i played on was my cousins C64, ultima III, and my first comuter was an amiga. which i played wizardy V and SSI games on. ill always prefer the PC. so age could be one of the factors and what you are used to. also genre of games. the only reason i ever played on a console was to play the RPG titles. Since i dont think games like HOMM could ever translate well on a console, ill always prefer PC. now if a game like HOMM V could be made exactly as it is on PC on a console, then i might change over. ive never been good/interested at action/shooting games which is what is the genre of all console games is lately. plus i have no interest in waving my hands around or flapping my arms with that new WII controller...

with piracy, its sad, but i dont think much can be done. i buy my games, and i told a friend who always downloads cracked games, arnt you worried that if no one gets paid they wont be able to make good games anymore?

his reply was that the money only goes to the publishers, the developer hardly gets any of it anyways, so who cares.

if people have that attitude, then i can see how it is affecting the industry. peope dont seem to care that in order to make a game, someone needs to get paid, if no one gets paid, no game.

[DaemianLucifer]

Soon the consoles will feel the wrath of patching eternal and that will be their downfall As for PC,it still reigns supreme because internet offers the thing people want the most:Pron,and tons of it

[Razeriel]

PC forever!

[ThunderTitan]

Pls, ppl have been predicting the death of PC games ever since the PS1 came out.

[HodgePodge]

For me, the PC gaming platform is the best. I just can't get into console games like I do with my favorite PC games.

Long Live the PC Gaming Platform!!

[Ryder]

I loved my last console machine I owned. Got years upon years of enjoyment out of it.



Long live the Atari 2600!!!



What a game H.E.R.O. was.

[soupnazii]

most of the people here cant really argue well because i have a feeling that you only play pc, and dont really know about console games (even if you did play a few times). i own a PS2 and i can tell you that consoles and PC both have a unique feel that cannot be achieved on the other of the two. it all depends on what kind of gaming experience youre looking for.a game like heroes just wouldnt be fun of a PS2, but i cant imagine someone getting the most out of Gran Turismo 4 on a PC.

[arturchix]

Also I think that PC gaming might just die one day. IMO right now it's close to impossible to develop a PC game that has no bugs and works perfectly on all hundreds of PC combinations out there. Since games are growing larger and larger by size, one day most of the developers might just switch to develop console games since it will be a lot easier. Maybe it will be for better, or we will have to accept to buy games in early beta stage and be forced to beta test the game until the game is patched within one year. Which is basically already happening right now.

[DaemianLucifer]

but i cant imagine someone getting the most out of Gran Turismo 4 on a PC.

Why not?Because of the pads?There are joypads for PCs you know.Nothing you can get with a console is unique and not portable to a PC.Plus,you need to hook your console to a TV,while your PC has a monitore with a far more supperior picture(unless you have an HDTV,that is).

[magerette]

Everyone always says console gaming costs less than PC--but every three or four years there's that "new generation " thing and the cost of a console -I heard $600.00 U.S. for the new PS3-is now as much as a cheap desktop. You don't think they're going to cost more every time a new one comes out? Yes, you have to update your PC, but I am playing all the new games and most of the old ones on the same machine, and you can get DOS box for the really really old ones--dunno, console just doesn't seem cheaper to me. And I prefer the keyboard and all the other things my computer can do, from photos to Internet. Compared to PC, consoles are a one-trick pony.

[ThunderTitan]

Consoles were cheaper when they were pretty much crap compared to a PC. Atm the ones that can compare to a PC are being sold at a loss. The advantage consoles have is that they are more mainstream. Some owners never even had a PC.

[vhilhu]

ironic, isnt it.

PC games might disappear because of the main reason why i like them: piracy&abandonware.

i have never owned a single console, only tried some at friends place like 7 years ago, but imo both desktop-PC and consoles will go down. mobile phones and laptops will rise. techonology gets cheaper as time goes on(imagine 30 years ago used computers - a whole room full of one single crappy machine, that must have costed a fortune because of its size). did you people know phones already for some time now have simplified AoE2 and Anno1503 and whatnot? imo in 30 years, only phones and servers to support them will remain. laptops too are so big and heavy.

[ThunderTitan]

Well if PC games dissapear then consoles will get all the piracy. And instead of being free it will bring pirates money.

And it will be more of a merging of consoles, mobile phones, desktops and laptops that will prob replace them all. But we're quite a while away from that.

[DaemianLucifer]

Lets here it for the allmighty portable VR system

[Gaping_MAW]

All the problems that plague PC games will start to plague the console games too (i.e. bugs on release to be patched, security issues/hacks/cheating) - because the line between the two is blurring. The new consoles are really just specialised PCs... but there still remains key differences:



1. Keyboard mouse combo on PC - means RTS and FPS games are much better to play. FPS games on the consoles are gimped somewhat to allow for the controller limitations.



2. Action/Driving games are better on the console - once again it comes down to the controllers... most people are not going to bother getting a specialised controller just for a particular game so the consoles win here.



3. Mods and free user made content - PC community wins hands down, but I expect consoles to close the gap (well, P3 community might since it is less controlled than the XBOX Live system).



4. You can work and play on a PC, which means many people have a pc anyway.



So I guess, as soon as consoles bring out decent mouse/keyboard controllers to go with great strategy titles and FPS games, I'm in.... but don't expect a trouble free road ahead for consoles as they head online and developers realise they can patch post release

[DaemianLucifer]

2. Action/Driving games are better on the console - once again it comes down to the controllers... most people are not going to bother getting a specialised controller just for a particular game so the consoles win here.

Actually thats not true because PCs have both wheels and pads,so PCs are better here as well.The only thing consoles have better is easier optimisation,thus its easier to make a game for a console,and thats why developers prefer them.

[ThunderTitan]

You mean this one: http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2006/1 ... 68x335.jpg