Was PC Huge During the N64/PS1 Era?

Since I wasn't much of a gamer during that era, I have no idea on how things were during the N64/PS1 era. My qeustions are the following:

1. Was PC huge in NA and Europe? I mostly mean if it was popular compared to N64/Ps1

2. Were the sales of PC games good during that era? Did it compare to N64/PS1 or were the sales too low to compare?

3. In terms of graphics was the PC able to produce graphics better than N64/PS1 or were the graphics the same?

I'm also looking for some examples like games or links showing sales.

Thanks.

1. Of course, some of the best PC games came out at this time.

2. PC has always been popular. It just wasn't until Xbox that the two markets collided so much.

3.  .... of course PC graphics were better after the consoles had been out a little bit.

Wow. Half Life, Diablo, and System Shock. I don't know how I forgot these games.

It seems to me that PC was huge, but I have another question. In that era was building a PC to play those games expensive or kind of cheap compared to N64/PS1? Was there a huge difference between the price?  

1993 to 2000 saw the release of:

doom, doom 2, final doom, quake, quake 2, quake 3, half life, system shock, system shock 2, thief, thief 2

fallout, fallout 2, baldur's gate, planescape torment, diablo, diablo 2

command and conquer, red alert, tiberian sun, shogun: total war

this is just a small selection off the top of my head - these are some of the very best games the pc has produced, and they were all hugely popular - for quality of visuals, check out quake, quake 2 and quake 3 screenshots 

Well, I guess console and PC was still pretty seperated at that point.
But most great games hail from the 1995-2000~ period. Mostly because most of us are too young to remember anything older. (I know I am.)

Anyways, thing have really gone down hill, IMO.

Blame the money. 

1993 to 2000 saw the release of:

doom, doom 2, final doom, quake, quake 2, quake 3, half life, system shock, system shock 2, thief, thief 2

fallout, fallout 2, baldur's gate, planescape torment, diablo, diablo 2

command and conquer, red alert, tiberian sun, shogun: total war

this is just a small selection off the top of my head - these are some of the very best games the pc has produced, and they were all hugely popular - for quality of visuals, check out quake, quake 2 and quake 3 screenshots

 

A-S_FM

Those were the Golden Years. I would like to add the Wing Commander series, Strike Commander series, Crusader Series, X-Wing Series, Tie-Fighte. So many great titles.

yes, it was, 1996-2000 was the golden age of PC Gaming IMO.

In fact, I just finished a session with 1997's Fallout, one of the great classics from that period I hadn't played.

Wow. Half Life, Diablo, and System Shock. I don't know how I forgot these games.

It seems to me that PC was huge, but I have another question. In that era was building a PC to play those games expensive or kind of cheap compared to N64/PS1? Was there a huge difference between the price?  

phatkav

I never considered the PC as a serious gaming platform. I have one and so does almost everyone and i play games on it on sometimes but I still can't consider it a serious gaming platform.Deihmos

I never considered the PC as a serious gaming platform. I have one and so does almost everyone and i play games on it on sometimes but I still can't consider it a serious gaming platform.Deihmos

Back when Comps first come on the market for consumers (yes I am that old lol) they were quite expensive. My first comp (if I can remember correctly) was a 33mhz ahbram w/turbo which meant if I turned on the turbo, it was 66mhz. A 200 or 300mb HD. It had a 13inch 4 color monitor. I payed around $2200 for it.

I think later on I upgraded to a 4mb video card. That was high dollar too. I thought I was in tall cotton LMAO!! Talk about LOOOOOOOOOONG loading times to play a game on the 5 1/4 Floppy after you typed in the DOS commands.

When the first Super VGA 256 color monitors come out ...... WOW!!!! I was really loving it then.

PC gaming has come a long way since then. I could have a top of the line SLI ALIENWARE PC now for the price I payed for that thing back then. PC gaming is an expensive hobby but I truely enjoy it. Its just ashame that there are so many prepube morons that infect online play.

C&C, Red Alert & Aftermath was what got me really loving RTS games. Also Total Annhilation was great too.

I never considered the PC as a serious gaming platform. I have one and so does almost everyone and i play games on it on sometimes but I still can't consider it a serious gaming platform.Deihmos

tell that to South Korea or people who play at WCG or CPL.  

Consoles have always been more mainstream platforms, while PC gaming has always been more niche and attractive to hardcore gamers.

PSX was far more popular then any of the current consoles or even any of the consoles from last gen.

However....remember.....Popularity doesnt equal Quality....and that era proved that more then anything since many of the best games on any platform during that era were PC exclusives or games that were only available on PC for quite awhile.

In fact, the mid-late 90's are often looked upon as the Golden Age of PC gaming where you literally had classic after classic coming out every year that pretty much defined their genres for years to come.....in the mid-late 90's you had PC games like Half Life, Baldur's Gate, Fallout, Grim Fandango, Planescape Torment, System Shock 2, Rainbow Six, Thief, Starcraft, Diablo, Unreal, Quake series, Unreal Tournament, Counterstrike, etc.....the list just goes on....in fact, I would say that even though PC gaming wasnt as popular as console gaming in the PSX/N64 era, the games released on PC during that time had a greater effect on the type of games and gameplay we saw later in the future.

In terms of graphics...during the PSX/N64 era PC gaming visuals were way ahead of consoles, in fact, during that era many 3D effects were only possible on PC.

1. Of course, some of the best PC games came out at this time.

2. PC has always been popular. It just wasn't until Xbox that the two markets collided so much.

3. .... of course PC graphics were better after the consoles had been out a little bit.

ChrisJ2004

Actually consoles in their first year or two of some consoles (n64, SNES, NES) were better graphically than PCs. 

In terms of popularity....No

Consoles have always been more mainstream platforms, while PC gaming has always been more niche and attractive to hardcore gamers.

PSX was far more popular then any of the current consoles or even any of the consoles from last gen.

However....remember.....Popularity doesnt equal Quality....and that era proved that more then anything since many of the best games on any platform during that era were PC exclusives or games that were only available on PC for quite awhile.

In fact, the mid-late 90's are often looked upon as the Golden Age of PC gaming where you literally had classic after classic coming out every year that pretty much defined their genres for years to come.....in the mid-late 90's you had PC games like Half Life, Baldur's Gate, Fallout, Grim Fandango, Planescape Torment, Rainbow Six, Thief, Starcraft, Diablo, Unreal, Quake series, Unreal Tournament, Counterstrike, etc.....the list just goes on....in fact, I would say that even though PC gaming wasnt as popular as console gaming in the PSX/N64 era, the games released on PC during that time had a greater effect on the type of games and gameplay we saw later in the future.

In terms of graphics...during the PSX/N64 era PC gaming visuals were way ahead of consoles, in fact, during that era many 3D effects were only possible on PC.

Robnyc22

[QUOTE="Robnyc22"]In terms of popularity....No

Consoles have always been more mainstream platforms, while PC gaming has always been more niche and attractive to hardcore gamers.

PSX was far more popular then any of the current consoles or even any of the consoles from last gen.

However....remember.....Popularity doesnt equal Quality....and that era proved that more then anything since many of the best games on any platform during that era were PC exclusives or games that were only available on PC for quite awhile.

In fact, the mid-late 90's are often looked upon as the Golden Age of PC gaming where you literally had classic after classic coming out every year that pretty much defined their genres for years to come.....in the mid-late 90's you had PC games like Half Life, Baldur's Gate, Fallout, Grim Fandango, Planescape Torment, Rainbow Six, Thief, Starcraft, Diablo, Unreal, Quake series, Unreal Tournament, Counterstrike, etc.....the list just goes on....in fact, I would say that even though PC gaming wasnt as popular as console gaming in the PSX/N64 era, the games released on PC during that time had a greater effect on the type of games and gameplay we saw later in the future.

In terms of graphics...during the PSX/N64 era PC gaming visuals were way ahead of consoles, in fact, during that era many 3D effects were only possible on PC.

visceron

The N64 kept up with PC graphics and had them surpassed for the first year / year and a half it was out. But PC hardware was booming so it was surpassed.  

Personally I think 1990-1995 were had some of the best years.... Hell, games like X-Com UFO Defense (still the best game ever made) came out well before '95. SuperBeast

I see 1990 - 1995 mostly as the dawn of PC Gaming, though some games like Civilization, X-Com: UFO Defense, DOOM II, and Duke Nukem are certifiable classics.

To me, the real greats rose just after (1996-2000), once PCs reached 100Mhz, Windows '95 was released, CD-Roms were mainstream, and the start of the rise of videocards like those made by 3dfx.

Thats when you got games like:

• Quake 1 and 2
• Fallout 1 and 2
• Baldurs Gate 1 and 2
• Diablo 1 and 2
• Civilization II
• Grim Fandango
• Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2
• System Shock 2
• the original Tomb Raider
• Half-Life
• Unreal and Unreal Tournament
• Grim Fandango
• Planescape: Torment
• Heroes of Might and Magic II and III
• Starcraft/Brood War
• Dungeon Keeper
• Homeworld
• Sacrifice
• C&C: Red Alert 1 and 2
• Longbow II (now here's a sim that could show off those 3dfx graphics, probably the best helicopter sim ever)
• Panzer General II
• Myth: The Fallen Lords & Myth 2: Soulblighter (Bungie at their best ;))

Basically, thats a who's-who of All-Star PC games, and theres more than that.

2001 was a crappy year for PC games, as developers started to concentrate on consoles. Many great games since then, but to me, 1996-2000 was the peak years.

The N64 kept up with PC graphics and had them surpassed for the first year / year and a half it was out. But PC hardware was booming so it was surpassed.

way2funny

I was referring years like 1998 and 1999, also known the 3dfx era, where shader effects started to play an important role in visuals.  

PC gaming started to pickup after HL tbh but not really until 2001ish did it bwecome very popular, however it's on the decline again because of Piracy and developers picking Consoles as a result.

I never considered the PC as a serious gaming platform. I have one and so does almost everyone and i play games on it on sometimes but I still can't consider it a serious gaming platform.Deihmos

I'd like to know what exactly makes a "serious" gaming platform.....I was under the impression that was a large library of excellent enjoyable games praised by both professional critics and gamers as well as a platform that has had numerous innovations and advancements both in technology and software that advance gaming as a whole......I guess I was wrong if PC doesnt count.

I'd also like to know what platform fits into the definition of a "serious" gaming platform where PC does not.

PC gaming started to pickup after HL tbh but not really until 2001ish did it bwecome very popular, however it's on the decline again because of Piracy and developers picking Consoles as a result.

 

Terrorantula

Didn't the decline stop in 2006? If I'm correct the profit increased in terms of software sales.

Anyway after hearing all of these classic games, I wonder why wasn't I a PC gamer back then. Damn you Sega Genesis.  

[QUOTE="Terrorantula"]

PC gaming started to pickup after HL tbh but not really until 2001ish did it bwecome very popular, however it's on the decline again because of Piracy and developers picking Consoles as a result.

phatkav

Didn't the decline stop in 2006? If I'm correct the profit increased in terms of software sales.

Anyway after hearing all of these classic games, I wonder why wasn't I a PC gamer back then. Damn you Sega Genesis.

1. It was big(in US maybe even bigger than it is now), but still much less popular than console gaming

2.Retail was better in NA than it's now(in Europe it was worse than now), on the other hand online distribution and MMos were almost non-factor.(in 1999 they were below 100mln$/year, now they're above 2billion$/year
And no...sales were nowhere near console ones

3.PS1 had huge graphical advantage over PCs when it launched in 1994, much much bigger than anything any console after it acomplished. PCs started to slowly surpass PSX in 1996, but only when Voodoo becamed standart in 1997 did the PC really gained substantial edge. N64 didn't have any advantage

Overall...compared to PSX days Pcgaming is more popular than ever before and we can see growth of online(it's already eclipsing retail worldwide), heavy marginalization of US market and shift towards Europe. But it's not as big as console gaming, it wasn't 10 years ago and it isn't now. 

1998 in particular, Half-Life, Myth 2, Grim Fandango, Starcraft, Thief. rpg9000owner

No! 1997 for life! Fallout, Blade Runner, Riven, Total Anihilation, Little Big Adventure 2, Curse of Monkey Island, Myth, Panzer General 2, Jedi Knight :)