PC gaming Alliance unite!

great news Microsoft, Intel, and nVidia have formed an alliance to push PC gaming forward!

the news are here:

http://www.gamesradar.com/pc/pc/news/microsoft-intel-and-nvidia-form-the-pc-gaming-alliance/a-20080213142128735046/g-2006032219817514003

Perhaps you didn't notice, but that article is dated mid February. The PC gaming alliance came, saw and did **** all.mfsa

They haven't really started yet, and the type of things they are doing (pushing dell etc) aren't going to be beneficial until further down the track.

[QUOTE="mfsa"]Perhaps you didn't notice, but that article is dated mid February. The PC gaming alliance came, saw and did **** all.nutcrackr

They haven't really started yet, and the type of things they are doing (pushing dell etc) aren't going to be beneficial until further down the track.

I doubt it's ever going to beneficial to us. They are trying to turn the PC into a standardized platform.

[QUOTE="nutcrackr"]

They haven't really started yet, and the type of things they are doing (pushing dell etc) aren't going to be beneficial until further down the track.

_Pedro_

I doubt it's ever going to beneficial to us. They are trying to turn the PC into a standardized platform.

Where did you read that, everything I've read about the platform suggests they are trying to

1)promote PC gaming as a viable solution to developers/publishers by providing some hard facts and numbers for them (dispelling NPD)

2)Set bottom scales for minimum specs, this I see as a guideline in order for teams to maximize sales but not sacrifice graphics quality and also keep it relatively consistent across the board

3)Push companies like DELL to creat PCs with better graphics chips than currently in place, for very small or no extra cost to them, which then sets a higher bottom standard so more people can play games if they want, on board chips now are just not cutting it.

Those are the three main things I got out of it. None of those will be really visible to anybody for months.

Where did you read that, everything I've read about the platform suggests they are trying to

1)promote PC gaming as a viable solution to developers/publishers by providing some hard facts and numbers for them (dispelling NPD)

2)Set bottom scales for minimum specs, this I see as a guideline in order for teams to maximize sales but not sacrifice graphics quality and also keep it relatively consistent across the board

3)Push companies like DELL to creat PCs with better graphics chips than currently in place, for very small or no extra cost to them, which then sets a higher bottom standard so more people can play games if they want, on board chips now are just not cutting it.

Those are the three main things I got out of it. None of those will be really visible to anybody for months.

nutcrackr

Do you think points 2 and 3 will not lead to lower graphical quality and lower hardware standards? Also Laptops are the way of the future and if you increase the bottom standard they will only become more expensive. Budget laptops range from 400~600 euros, while laptops with a decent GPU range from 1000~1200 euro's. Why would anyone force such a thing on their consumer?

Personally I think this pc gaming alliance is all a load of bollocks. If Indie devs manage to create great and entertaining games which run even on the lowest specs pc, why can't the big name devs do it? Well it's simple they don't want to sacrifice console quality graphics in order to make a great PC game, which means that the only thing these companies are supporting is to make the PC more like a console. With very little difference in hardware between them. Which I'm very much against.

Sure I'm currently just speculating, but the absence of major PC gaming companies and the many different hardware manufactures I can only see this costing more for the consumer for less quality. It almost looks like cartel forming.

I don't think the changes they make will be that huge. If they are promoting PC gaming to devs behind the scenes and get one of two more PC games made, or co-developed with their console breathren then surely thats an improvement in PC gaming right there? More choice at the least.

Whether or not 2 and 3 do those things depends on how much they change the situation, if they are just advising people on a slightly lower end spec to greatly increase sales then I see it changing little to the game quality, possibly extending dev times and gaining more sales.

Yes I'll agree that it could be all huff and puff, like the GFW hype that led to basically nothing when it could have been so much more. I think though there is more than one party involved here and they all have gains to be made in somewhat different facets of the industry. Even if they only successfully do #1 I see it helping the situation. I choose to remain positive about this, more so than GFW because they seemt to be a bit more specific about the direction but I won't be surprised should it go the way of the dodo.

I don't think the changes they make will be that huge. If they are promoting PC gaming to devs behind the scenes and get one of two more PC games made, or co-developed with their console breathren then surely thats an improvement in PC gaming right there? More choice at the least.

Whether or not 2 and 3 do those things depends on how much they change the situation, if they are just advising people on a slightly lower end spec to greatly increase sales then I see it changing little to the game quality, possibly extending dev times and gaining more sales.

Yes I'll agree that it could be all huff and puff, like the GFW hype that led to basically nothing when it could have been so much more. I think though there is more than one party involved here and they all have gains to be made in somewhat different facets of the industry. Even if they only successfully do #1 I see it helping the situation. I choose to remain positive about this, more so than GFW because they seemt to be a bit more specific about the direction but I won't be surprised should it go the way of the dodo.

nutcrackr

yeah it's true that I'm probably being a bit to negative. The line between good and bad is pretty narrow, if it's to advise people that would mean a good thing. Currently there are many people who buy a laptop which isn't even capable of playing a DVD nicely and that is something which could be prevented if companies like dell were to stop taking advantage of them.

The same could be said for the low specs and console specs standard. It could mean that more games follow the same line as Valve or Blizzard by releasing games which play on a wide range of pc's instead of going down the same road as crysis(irony), but still offering the higher specs enough to warrant an upgrade.

I'll remain to be sceptical, but if this allaince does nothing but good. I will be the first one to admit it.