[SoccerDude28]

With the advent of the Next-generation, it seems like the gap between PC's and other consoles in terms of processing power is abrdiged. And seeing how much it costs to upgrade our PC's, what will be the future of PC gaming?

Are you implying that console gaming is putting the PC gaming industry in a bad situation?

[SoccerDude28]

Originally Posted by SamNMax

Are you implying that console gaming is putting the PC gaming industry in a bad situation?

I think so.

Really?

[mag]

Originally Posted by SoccerDude28

And seeing how much it costs to upgrade our PC's, what will be the future of PC gaming?

I would say that having to buy a brand new console every five years is more costly than upgrading your graphics card. Especially since each new console seems to be getting more and more expensive.

mag

Saying that PC gaming will dissapear(though I know no one said that) is an outragous claim to say the least. Even if new consoles come out, it does little to effect PC gaming.

[SoccerDude28]

Originally Posted by SamNMax

Even if new consoles come out, it does little to effect PC gaming.

That is not true. Since the last generation started, PC games sales has declined from 2 billion in sales to 1.1. Wheras console games went up to a whooping 5 something billion. So there is definitely a relationship between the 2.

[SoccerDude28]

Originally Posted by mag

I would say that having to buy a brand new console every five years is more costly than upgrading your graphics card. Especially since each new console seems to be getting more and more expensive.

mag

a console costs 300 dollars. A new graphics card that plays the latest games cost 500. Not forgetting that in 5 years you also need a new CPU, and memory etc..

Originally Posted by SoccerDude28

That is not true. Since the last generation started, PC games sales has declined from 2 billion in sales to 1.1. Wheras console games went up to a whooping 5 something billion. So there is definitely a relationship between the 2.

Yes, yes. But there is really no way that console gaming will completly whipe out PC gaming. Companys will always be porting console games to PC and vise versa.

[SoccerDude28]

Originally Posted by SamNMax

Yes, yes. But there is really no way that console gaming will completly whipe out PC gaming. Companys will always be porting console games to PC and vise versa.

Definitely. I chose the second choice I think it will affect the sales because PC gamers will need to upgrade to match the power of the next XBOX, and I don't know how many are willing to do that.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

It really depends on what you want as an individual gamer, what's available out there for you. If you don't care to game on your PC, especially if you like having friends over for an evening of gaming, then the console is perfect for that. PCs will always be the Swiss Army Knife of tasks, online research, and mulitmedia entertainment. However, the console, especially the next generation of them, INVITES AND ENCOURAGES a much greater social interaction simply by the fact that you can position it across the room from your most comfy sofa and gather your friends and family. The experience is quite different.

But now that consoles are becoming just as powerful as PCs, and with the added edge that they are dedicated to gaming and other multimedia recreational pursuits, many game designers will be drawn to that and it will inform how games will be designed and experienced. For example, you can't play Dance Dance Revolution on the PC with the requisite mat with your friends; you can't lean back on the sofa and relax with a glass of wine watching your partner playing Splinter Cell. Things like that, the dialogue of experience is different.

[Ninja Dodo]

PC games are the home of independent development. Anyone can make a PC game. For consoles you need a dev kit and approval from the manufacturer before you can even start making anything...

That in itself is plenty of reason for PC gaming to continue. It also offers a very different style of gaming generally.

Plus first person shooters just don't really work on consoles like they do on a PC with mouselook... and no, I don't think Goldeneye in any way disproves that.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Originally Posted by Ninja Dodo

Plus first person shooters just don't really work on consoles like they do on a PC with mouselook... and no, I don't think Goldeneye in any way disproves that.

But millions of Halo and Halo 2 hardcore gamers can disprove that.

[SoccerDude28]

I personally cannot play FPS'es on a console. The PC controls for First person shooters are much more intuative. If you think about it, FPS'es need very fast and accurate controls, and the gamepad, since its analog, does not provide that. So you have to get around that with lock on or something similar. It takes away from the fun.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

I personally don't like playing FPSs on consoles myself.

But hey, ask the Halo fans and they'll tell you that it's awesome. It's challenging in a different way from playing on the PC. They have mastered it.

[Glenn Epic]

I love console FPSers

[Aj_]

That is not true. Since the last generation started, PC games sales has declined from 2 billion in sales to 1.1. Wheras console games went up to a whooping 5 something billion. So there is definitely a relationship between the 2.

Do those stats include console hardware sales for PC, because they probably do for consoles? A dip of 1.9billion might seem a lot, but over something like 5 years it is a blip. Also you are trying to say that the rise in console gaming is related as fact, when infact they correlate but you haven't given your theories or any evidence as to why they relate. Do the stats count games like HL2, Doom 3, etc.. coming out?

a console costs 300 dollars. A new graphics card that plays the latest games cost 500. Not forgetting that in 5 years you also need a new CPU, and memory etc..

Not true, $300 might get you the lower end of the best graphics cards but $200 will let you play all the latest games. Also what does a new console cost? $400. A mid range PC that can paly the latest games? $700, and a PC can do a hell of a lot more.

But millions of Halo and Halo 2 hardcore gamers can disprove that.

I would say they change the gameplay so that they aren't anywhere near the same game. Halo PC plays a lot differently, FPS that are more suited to consoles like Doom 3 or Raven Shield will do better with their ports than PC versions, a lot slower and simpler.


The poll options suggest that PC gaming is ill, but that doesn't hold true, with great that were released christmas last year, and lots of promise at E3, I can see the stats going up.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Originally Posted by Aj_

I would say they change the gameplay so that they aren't anywhere near the same game. Halo PC plays a lot differently, FPS that are more suited to consoles like Doom 3 or Raven Shield will do better with their ports than PC versions, a lot slower and simpler.

You overlooked my next post after that:

Originally Posted by Trep

It's challenging in a different way from playing on the PC. They have mastered it.

[SoccerDude28]

Originally Posted by Aj_

Not true, $300 might get you the lower end of the best graphics cards but $200 will let you play all the latest games. Also what does a new console cost? $400. A mid range PC that can paly the latest games? $700, and a PC can do a hell of a lot more.

When was the last time you bought a graphics card? When NVIDIA 6800 came out the ultra version was selling for $550 and the GT one that I bought was selling for $450. And if the console costs 400 (which they haven't said it will), it is still cheaper than the price of a new high end graphics card ALONE. And you know, this BS you are saying about the PC doing a hell lot more. Yes it can do, but am I paying 1000 dollars in upgrades because it can do a hell lot more, or just to play games. Microsoft Office, and windows do not need an NVIDIA or ATI card and 1 gig of ram to run.

Originally Posted by Aj_

Do those stats include console hardware sales for PC, because they probably do for consoles? A dip of 1.9billion might seem a lot, but over something like 5 years it is a blip

No it's only games we are talking here, and it's a dip of 0.9 billion, which is in no way a blip. That's about 50 % loss of sales, whereas console sales are only going up.

[Aj_]

When was the last time you bought a graphics card? When NVIDIA 6800 came out the ultra version was selling for $550 and the GT one that I bought was selling for $450.

And those are the only cards that run the latest games?

And you know, this BS you are saying about the PC doing a hell lot more. Yes it can do, but am I paying 1000 dollars in upgrades because it can do a hell lot more, or just to play games. Microsoft Office, and windows do not need an NVIDIA or ATI card and 1 gig of ram to run.

Funny, I do more on my PC than use word.

No it's only games we are talking here, and it's a dip of 0.9 billion, which is in no way a blip. That's about 50 % loss of sales, whereas console sales are only going up.

and yet only down 2% from 2003. The stats copany you got those figurse from used to (i think until 2003) only give hardware and sotware sales for consoles.