The PC's growing popularity isn't surprising. Prices have fallen sharply while the power of the hardware and software has kept increasing. Consumers and businesses everywhere are rushing to get on the Web, and the PC makes that easy. But what really sets the PC apart is the incredible empowerment and flexibility it offers in a single, economical package. Sitting at your PC, you can do your taxes, surf the Web, write letters, e-mail friends, play games, plan a business, buy a car, do your homework... in fact, do whatever you want.
The PC has given the average American the kind of computing power that 10 years ago was found only in large corporations. Yet people now take this for granted -- and want more. They want to do many of the things they can do on their PC regardless of where they are or what device they are using -- whether it's a palm-size computer, a Web-enabled cell phone, an Auto PC or a smart television like WebTV. A combination of sophisticated software, powerful microprocessors, wireless technology and high-bandwidth connectivity is starting to make that a reality.
For most people at home and at work, the PC will remain the primary computing tool; you'll still want a big screen and a keyboard to balance your investment portfolio, write a letter to Aunt Agnes, view complex Web pages, and you'll need plenty of local processing power for graphics, games and so on. But the PC will also work in tandem with other cool devices. You'll be able to share your data -- files, schedule, calendar, e-mail, address book, etc. -- across different machines; you won't have to think about it; it will be automatic. If you want to find the best price for a new car -- and check out your budget to see if you can afford it -- you'll be able to do that at the dealership, on the device you have with you. Wherever you are, whatever you want to do, you'll have all the information you need.
At the same time -- and many who doubt the PC's staying power miss this point -- the PC itself will be getting more powerful, more reliable and simpler to use. Even though the underlying hardware, networks and software will become more complex, that complexity will be hidden from users. There will be a simpler user interface that adapts to your needs, with voice recognition and natural-language processing. There will be "instant-on," so you won't have to wait for your PC to come to life. When the PC is at the center of a home network (probably connected to a broader network that will constantly monitor performance, update software and download device drivers and the like), it will be incredibly easy to administer, automatic in operation and maintenance-free. And the PC will morph into many new forms, such as book-size "tablet PCs." But they'll still be PCs underneath, with all the benefits of the universal PC model.
That model will play a vital role in this new world of any time, anywhere computing. The PC's high-volume, low-cost approach will be adopted by many of the new smart devices, because it offers amazing value to consumers. The cost of innovation is spread widely, so everyone benefits from billions of dollars of R & D. And the PC's broadly accepted technical standards -- and open Internet standards -- mean that when you buy a new device, you'll know it will function with your existing equipment. In this new "PC-plus" era connectivity will be king, and the PC model's common standards will be more important than ever.
PCs gave the world a whole new way to work, play and communicate. The PC-plus era will be just as revolutionary. It will take the PC's power and make it available almost anywhere, on devices that haven't yet been dreamed up
-It's ridiculous and foolish to say that PC gaming [is in decline]. I've seen some of the dumbest quotes out there about the business [falling apart]. It's just not true. The simple truth is the online business is picking up in a huge way. If you're able to add in - and NPD is beginning to track this stuff - the digital sales and regular sales and subscription money and all that stuff, the PC gaming industry is at its strongest point in its history period.
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Lets Play A Game: Compare and Contrast Time!
You might still be thinking that those games are for moms and noobs who don't understand real gaming, but it doesn't have to be that way (in fact, you're wrong- there are lotsofcompanies making casual games and hardcore for you). But that's a design qualm. You just need more developers willing to take the plunge and that fixes that. So what about the platform considerations? Graphics aside, lets take a quick look at what console versus PC gaming offers players:
Console (Wii not Included)
$300-$600 initial entry cost
$50-$70 per game, no trials allowed (barring rentals and Gamefly)
Limited ability to interact/communicate with other players (only voice chat, keyboards are a hassle)
Controllers are foreign to non-gamers
No modding, player-created content/levels, or homebrew games (a tiny bit on Xbox live, requires special components and advanced knowledge)
Pop the disc in and start playing (but cumbersome to switch discs all the time)
PC (Casual games, MMOGs)
No initial cost - everyone has a PC
$10-$60 per game, almost always have free trials
Unlimited ways to communicate and interact with other players (voice chat, message board, IM, chat rooms, e-mail)
Everyone knows how to use a mouse and keyboard
Unlimited potential for modding, homebrew, and player-created content (just a simple download away)
Short install times for most games, but no disc switching (once it's installed, play it whenever)
PC (Hardcore games, FPS's,RTS's Etc..)
- Better Graphics/Visuals
-Better Controls
-Millions of People play online with many older and newer games,name more than a handful of "next gen"console games that have these numbers after 6-12 months after release.
When you stop looking at PCs from the viewpoint of traditional, graphic-intensive videogames, PC starts looking like a ridiculously awesome platform for gaming that blows consoles right out of the water. If you look at the really popular games and the games that are rapidly gaining popularity, it's certainly not the complex, hardcore, hardware-devouring monsters. It's the simple, fun games that are gaining traction.
In Conclusion: Go Buy a PC (Better Yet, Don't- You Already Have One That Works Fine -Upgarde If You Can)
The point I'm trying to make here isn't really that PC is better or consoles are better. They really do cater to different crowds. It just annoys me to see companies declaring that PC gaming is dead or dying, when what they really mean is that "PC gaming is dead to us because it doesn't work with our expensive, outdated business model and game creation ****" You don't need a billion dollars in art assets and 3D world designers to make a fun game. Most of the time, I feel more constrained by 3D environments than I ever did in 2D, honestly. When you let players zoom to every possible angle of the game, you need to fill every possible angle of your game with interesting and well-rendered objects or it looks like crap.
Consoles are nifty, but they're expensive, cumbersome, and when they break (red ring of death anyone?) there's no easy fix. You can't just hop on another Xbox to troubleshoot your first one. They have far less selection than PCs. And you can't do all the other nifty PC stuff while you play games on them (e-mail, web surf, chat with friends). As far as I'm concerned, Tim Sweeney's ridiculous claim that "PCs are good for anything, just not games," is just that- ridiculous, silly, short-sighted, and simply wrong.
-Without PC's Console games cant be made or tested.
-If Pc's arent pushing the boundaries of technology consoles wont have better graphics with every new generation,which by the time a console life span ends Pc's graphics takes leaps and boundies For example DX10 when and if it gets off the ground no console will not be able to touch Pc's. Also Pc game devs will continue creating Pc games because there are things that a console cant handle and when true DX10 becomes mainstream many devs will rise or come back to the light :P because of the potential revenue.
- Controls for certain game types are better for Pc's No If Ands Or But's.
-Total revenue for Pc's+games are more than all the next gen consoles+games combined, And all these reports done on how Pc sales are doing poorly they dont take in digital download and worldwide sales they just focus on the US.
- Like stated above If you bought a descent Pc in the last 2-3 years you can upgrade as little or as much as you want,no need for spending $1000+ as many people would like to say you have to to play high end games. Everyone has or needs a Pc so that shouldnt add to the cost, for Console prices vs Pc's.
-Thats all I have to say about that
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