12 Ways Consoles Are Hurting PC Gaming

[leafs43]

The biggest problem is the gaming industry is consolidating.

It used to be you produced games for PC or console, but not both. Now with EA, Bioware and Microsoft having such huge stakes on both sides of the fence, they put out the same games for both segments.

And because console development requires less time, and console gamers not expecting a certain quality, the gaming industry poops out games for PC that have been "consolized".

There is a bit of blowback from this however. Some in the gaming industry have recognized that PC gamers expect certain things, like tool sets, modding kits, etc... some developers are going out of their way to develop for the PC first then consolize the game. Battlefield 3 being an excellent example. Battlefield 3 is being developed for PC first and console second.

[trentntb]

lettuce be reality, if you are into better graphics, more potential, better controls, better pretty much everything you are probably a PC gamer. Consoles, they ARE the **** when they first come out, but the thing is, they are old as **** now, time to move on ( PC Gaming is doing this).

Console gamers look at their new games and really believe the graphics are good, but when I see them I cringe, its hilarious at what you guys think is good.

PC Hardware is actually being under utilized because directx cant keep up.

[Max~Power]

PC guys, you seem mad. Touchy subject?

[gswarrior510]

Consoles are more convenient, although you could just buy a prebuilt gaming rig and install Steam then buy whatever games you want which is equally convenient. You don't need more space...you can play on your PC with a wireless controller if you choose.

Lol'd at minimal increase in graphics, consoletards are so unaware.

ok whatever, you are hopeless, enjoy your forever alone goals of 2011

[-=Zeus=-!]

I really hate when piracy is brought into the discussion of PC "dying". Piracy is really only in 3rd world countries (ie China/Eastern Europe)

The new xbox isnt going to be out until 2015, what does that say? I could buy a 100 dollar videocard that would put the graphics of 360/ps3 to shame. They are cheap (not everyone can afford a good gaming rig PC), have at least mediocre graphics capabilities and are user-friendly. The average person out there who wants to play some video games doesn't want to deal with configuration issues, buying/matching up hardware, drivers, etc. etc. etc. in order to game, so they go buy the little black box, plug it in, and they're done. The average user doesn't know what they are missing in terms of the graphics and power of a properly built gaming rig.

Both Hardware and Software companies are at fault here. Hardware companies marketing their low-end non-gaming cards as gaming cards to unknowledgeable customers. I have been called by friends to take a look at their machines because they said it runs as a slideshow. Why? Because they bought a "gaming computer" with the ATi/Nvidia graphics cards and the sales guys told them it was a gaming computer.

Computer gamers are constantly being bombarded with "the next new thing". One for every budget, bigger, flashier, ect and the common consumer has NO idea what the hell these numbers mean. The marketing is driving many consumers away to just pick the easy decision of consoles. Honestly go to a Best Buy and look at what people are buying. They are buying Laptops/netbooks. Dual core + integrated graphics will not cut it in gaming. Getting rid of piracy isn't going to change the fact that these people simply can't run the game. A console+a crappy pc cost more then a gaming laptop.

Now onto the Developers of the software: Devs only care about rushing out a game for a quick buck(lots of it actually, see the recent CoD games). Who knows how much programming game devs would need to do if they could truly exploit current GPU's power. Companies like Valve and Blizzard do very well because they turn down the graphics a bit so that its more mainstream and still damn fun.

In closing I think every PC gamer should buy BF3 to show support developers that if a PC game is made from the ground up there are huge profits to be made.

bump.

[209vaughn]

Let me drop some facts on your ignorant ass.

1) Console gaming is not cheaper.
2) They aren't even close to what PC users get.
3) Lolwut?
4) This also proves to me that you are an idiot. PC gamers - when was the last time you fretted over system reqs? Never.
5) False.

I asked not to be flamed for my personal observations of consoles vs. PCs. Obviously you cant help yourself can you?

Starcraft 2 and WoW are the only orginal PC game that anybody cares about... Everybody else in the world plays consoles.

I like PC gaming... But 90% of my gaming time is on consoles... Easier, faster, cleaner, xbox live. PC gaming is a sad shadow of its former self. It serves only the strategy and MMORPG games.

[gswarrior510]

"Companies like Valve and Blizzard do very well because they turn down the graphics a bit so that its more mainstream and still damn fun."

" I could buy a 100 dollar videocard that would put the graphics of 360/ps3 to shame."

...so, why?

and yes, you can get a $100 videocard, but then you need $600+ in other parts to smoothly run Uncharted 2 at 60 fps. Good luck with your computer assembling goals of 2011

[Madevilz]

iaintevenmad.jpg

I play both on my PS3 and my PC.

[Vagitarian]

PC guys, you seem mad. Touchy subject?

It's like when atheists encounter vocal religious people. It's hard not to get annoyed and attack them for their sheer stupidity.

I asked not to be flamed for my personal observations of consoles vs. PCs. Obviously you cant help yourself can you?

Starcraft 2 and WoW are the only orginal PC game that anybody cares about... Everybody else in the world plays consoles.

I like PC gaming... But 90% of my gaming time is on consoles... Easier, faster, cleaner, xbox live. PC gaming is a sad shadow of its former self. It serves only the strategy and MMORPG games.

lol i was like lol

"Companies like Valve and Blizzard do very well because they turn down the graphics a bit so that its more mainstream and still damn fun."

" I could buy a 100 dollar videocard that would put the graphics of 360/ps3 to shame."

...so, why?

and yes, you can get a $100 videocard, but then you need $600+ in other parts to smoothly run Uncharted 2 at 60 fps. Good luck with your computer assembling goals of 2011

brb speaking from ignorance

[C411911]

Epic Games even said that consoles are holding back the potential of their new Unreal Engine and are pushing for a new generation of consoles.

I was reading about this

apparently their new engine is phukn insane

[EnergyTurtle]

Who gives a flying fuk about graphics? I couldn't care less about them being dumbed down, I'm concerned about story and gameplay being dumbed down to appeal to a wider, younger, and yes, more console oriented audience.

Don't get me wrong. I own consoles and I play games on them. My main concern is that video gaming went "mainstream" on the backs of consoles. When it comes to an industry looking to appeal to a wider audience they usually dumb down their product to fit with the least common denominator.

[Vagitarian]

Who gives a flying fuk about graphics? I couldn't care less about them being dumbed down, I'm concerned about story and gameplay being dumbed down to appeal to a wider, younger, and yes, more console oriented audience.

Don't get me wrong. I own consoles and I play games on them. My main concern is that video gaming went "mainstream" on the backs of consoles. When it comes to an industry looking to appeal to a wider audience they usually dumb down their product to fit with the least common denominator.

I agree...and it is a ****ing shame. I love good graphics, but gameplay is obviously the most important aspect.

[InvidGurab]

Well in my opinion it's not that consoles are hurting PCs per se but rather currently we are in a different gaming paradigm than say just five years ago. As recently as 2009 at the Gaming Developers Conference (GDC) the PC Gaming Alliance stated that the industry made ~11 billion dollars overall that year. They also stated that there were roughly 1 billion personal computers worldwide and that approximately 250 million of those setups were gaming rigs. Now I don't have current numbers and I really need to renew my credentials to attend the GDC but it doesn't appear as if PC gaming is dead nor suffering the catastrophic losses that people tend to casually say.

That leads me to the paradigm shift that, in my opinion, the industry has moved into. Consoles are as stated in previous replies a turn-key operation. You buy the device, you simply hook it up and you're ready to go with little or no technical experience. Thriving online communities exist, are healthy, well established and have copious amounts of titles respectively so there really are no negatives for these enthusiasts. Regardless of whether people choose to not build a gaming rig due to lack of knowledge, time or money it still stands that consoles are a valid option for modern gamers and are doing extremely well.

I've been a console player since 1980 when I got my first Atari 2600. Subsequently I moved on to the NES, Sega Genesis, Super NES, Nintendo 64, PlayStation 2 and now PS3. Like I said in my initial post if a game is good despite it's platform roots then it's still a good game. I feel you should play on whatever your desires, time or budget allows. Personally I play on my PC but do play games on my PS3 as well and without any disdain.

What I don't like is the trend of hardware developers creating PC video cards that can literally melt from heat because they're so powerful yet not have the library of games to bring those cards to their limits. What's the point? Have we reached a zenith in what developers are willing to give us based on deadlines, ease of development or even financial backing? I feel developers can give the best of both worlds to all platforms if they wanted to by creating higher resolution texture packs and DX API's for later PC release. Alas though that takes time, effort and monetary support that developer may not have.

So the bottom line is why is there such animosity from one side towards the other and why do people feel that consoles are actually hurting PC gaming? I mean Crysis without DX11 and Homefront are the two hottest debates going on right now but if you look at the larger picture it really falls in the laps of the game developers as to what and how much their releases give each platform. I mean as long as devs give people SDK's then the PC mod community is allowed to create and expand on an initial thought. The modding community has proven itself as a valid post release option for expansion and improvements but once again it lay in the laps PC developers to release such content or tools.

[James086]

I don't believe a game is bad just because it is on a console, however there are very few games I think are better on a console. For example Forza 3 is only available on 360, that doesn't mean it's a bad game.

The way I see it, if consoles were updated every few years (like they used to be, Nintendo had a 5 year cycle down to a month almost) then we would see updates in technology. Games would continue to advance in terms of graphics and physics. The console manufacturers are still selling plenty of the consoles so there isn't the need to update.

As for the gameplay side of things it isn't the consoles directly but they have made gaming more popular to the everyday person. Halo was a hugely successful title and it made regenerating health popular (via the shield over the top of your health bar), it had a good control scheme (dual sticks for moving and aiming) and the movement was much more realistic than the high speed gliding of something like Quake. The most important feature it brought to the table however was how easy it was. Halo could be played on normal difficulty by anyone, most games before that were pretty hard on the normal difficulty and damn near impossible on anything harder. Halo made games easy which is instant gratification. I'd guess that most people prefer the instant gratification as they want to sit down on the couch for an hour and not be stuck repeating the same bit of a level again and again. Call of Duty is also ridiculously successful and it has a constant string of awards telling you how good that kill/grenade throw/jump was.

I'm sure a lot of other game developers paid attention and now every shooter has regenerating health and those on consoles all use the same move/aim control for the thumbsticks. The ease also was translated to other games. The most recent game I remember where I struggled was Ninja Gaiden. I used to get stuck all the time in games but now I play through games on their hardest difficulty first time. Granted I often die/lose/fail but I never get stuck like I used to. Games are no longer a real challenge.

[Layziebones]

I wouldn't be surprised if outside of strategy games, PC gaming was completely non-existent within 10 years. Games will be evolving so fast, no one will even bother upgrading their PC every six months. The real nail in the coffin for PC gaming is pirating. Damn near every single one of you PC gamers are basically stealing the game and eliminating all profits for the company. So while they complain PC gaming is declining, they are the direct reason why.

[lucky_l3fty]

I wouldn't be surprised if outside of strategy games, PC gaming was completely non-existent within 10 years. Games will be evolving so fast, no one will even bother upgrading their PC every six months. The real nail in the coffin for PC gaming is pirating. Damn near every single one of you PC gamers are basically stealing the game and eliminating all profits for the company. So while they complain PC gaming is declining, they are the direct reason why.

lmao. you are an idiot.

Games that evolve are started on PC sorry. PC's push the boundaries of everything technology wise and innovation wise. Also we don't upgrade every 6 months.

We don't all pirate. Just like all console gamers don't pirate.

[James086]

Games will be evolving so fast, no one will even bother upgrading their PC every six months.

One of the main complaints is that games are no longer evolving so we don't need to upgrade our computers every 6 months, or even every 2 years. What are you even talking about?

[Vagitarian]

lmao. you are an idiot.

Games that evolve are started on PC sorry. PC's push the boundaries of everything technology wise and innovation wise. Also we don't upgrade every 6 months.

We don't all pirate. Just like all console gamers don't pirate.

Lol...damn consolites are ****ing stupid.

[Jazz_01]

first time i had ever seen a pc game recently was when i build my pc which was crysis 2 demo....compared to the next best shooter on the ps3...crysis blows the graphics out the water by miles, the resolution and framerate is so much better...

lettuce be reality, the ps3 was great years ago, its still good now, but its still essentially a purpose built gaming pc, which is a console, like all technology, they get outdated, pc components can be replaced, you cant customize a ps3....

a ps3 is essentially a budget pc that is fitted with gaming specs to last a few years...its nothing mindblowing when you think about it...

and the whole pcs cost twice as much etc, i thought this was the case also but its not, points to look out for:

-pcs to consoles, your obviously getting everything you would get from a pc in terms of non gaming which holds massive value

-pcs components are way ahead of the consoles

-prices for pc components always reduce due to the advancement in tech so you can easily create a pc matching ps3 or xbox specs for maybe 30% more then what it would cost for the console BUT i say again you are buying a pc which of course does many other things then gaming

-lifespans of consoles are probably 5 or so years, life spans of pc gaming rigs are way longer, the only reason people say this isnt the case is because you cant run at ultra high settings 5 years in a row, but you could still go from ultra high settings, and drop of till you get to low settings for 5 years atleast.

-components can be replaced...all a pc really needs is a graphics card, the rest doesnt need to be upgraded as you should already have a minimum of 3ghz of speed and 4gb ram, so a 200 dollar or 150 pound ish graphic card will put you back on the ultra high settings of a game...

[milkman04]

No hate but I never had the desire to play any game on a keyboard and mouse. Been playing consoles since NES, not changing now.

Oh, and PS3 graphics>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>PC

u mad?

[-=Zeus=-!]

Oh, and PS3 graphics>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>PC

u mad?

know how I know you're trolling?

[trentntb]

No hate but I never had the desire to play any game on a keyboard and mouse. Been playing consoles since NES, not changing now.

Oh, and PS3 graphics>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>PC

u mad?

brb trying to argue old technology is better than newer