An Observation Of The PC Game Industry

When I was a kid in the early 90s, EBgames had a TON of pc games.  An entire wall was nothing but pc games.  Rack after rack was filled with pc games.  I'd say that 50% of the store was just pc games.  They even sold video cards and pc accessories.  But as the years ticked by, console games (namely Playstation) slowly took more and more of the shelf space.  Now in most EBGames/Gamestops, there is only a small rack or two for pc games and no accessories.  Probably only 5%-8% of the store is for PCs now.

Back in the early 90s, there were a ton of great game companies making hit after hit.  Descent, Starcraft, Diablo, Duke Nukem 3D, Heretic, Doom, Wolfenstein, Half-Life, Unreal Tournament, Unreal, Lemmings,  Blood, Quake, on and on and on were created in the 90s.  PCs dominated.  But over the past several years, there hasn't been hit after hit.  New IPs tend to be born on consoles.  Even Oblivion is more popular on the 360 than the pc.  WoW is pretty much the only "must have" game for PCs right now, and it isn't a new IP.  I don't have much hope for Crysis.  Even IF it's a great game...the simple fact that it's (so far) only on PC is going to hurt it bad.  Why does only being on a PC hurt?  Because, imo, pc gaming IS dying.  PC gaming has become simply too complex and expensive for more and more people.  It's too bad :(

When I was a kid in the early 90s, EBgames had a TON of pc games. An entire wall was nothing but pc games. Rack after rack was filled with pc games. I'd say that 50% of the store was just pc games. They even sold video cards and pc accessories. But as the years ticked by, console games (namely Playstation) slowly took more and more of the shelf space. Now in most EBGames/Gamestops, there is only a small rack or two for pc games and no accessories. Probably only 5%-8% of the store is for PCs now.

Back in the early 90s, there were a ton of great game companies making hit after hit. Descent, Starcraft, Diablo, Duke Nukem 3D, Heretic, Doom, Wolfenstein, Half-Life, Unreal Tournament, Unreal, Lemmings, Blood, Quake, on and on and on were created in the 90s. PCs dominated. But over the past several years, there hasn't been hit after hit. New IPs tend to be born on consoles. Even Oblivion is more popular on the 360 than the pc. WoW is pretty much the only "must have" game for PCs right now, and it isn't a new IP. I don't have much hope for Crysis. Even IF it's a great game...the simple fact that it's (so far) only on PC is going to hurt it bad. Why does only being on a PC hurt? Because, imo, pc gaming IS dying. PC gaming has become simply too complex and expensive for more and more people. It's too bad :(

NocturnalDemon

And yet PC's still get the most exclusive critically acclaimed titles every year and with Vista system requirements have become a thing of the past.foxhound_fox

You have to buy Vista, it's requirements are from the past to some and still won't make me play those games maxed out. 

Well I'll say this upfront. All games are made on PCs.

The day PC gaming dies is also the day demand for top end hardware dies. The future of consoles seems to be to emulate gaming machines and bring high quality titles to the masses (Something I believe everyone on this board wants). Now...if the gaming computer dies and the demand for the top end hardware ends, what do you think would happen to future consoles?

[QUOTE="NocturnalDemon"]

When I was a kid in the early 90s, EBgames had a TON of pc games. An entire wall was nothing but pc games. Rack after rack was filled with pc games. I'd say that 50% of the store was just pc games. They even sold video cards and pc accessories. But as the years ticked by, console games (namely Playstation) slowly took more and more of the shelf space. Now in most EBGames/Gamestops, there is only a small rack or two for pc games and no accessories. Probably only 5%-8% of the store is for PCs now.

Back in the early 90s, there were a ton of great game companies making hit after hit. Descent, Starcraft, Diablo, Duke Nukem 3D, Heretic, Doom, Wolfenstein, Half-Life, Unreal Tournament, Unreal, Lemmings, Blood, Quake, on and on and on were created in the 90s. PCs dominated. But over the past several years, there hasn't been hit after hit. New IPs tend to be born on consoles. Even Oblivion is more popular on the 360 than the pc. WoW is pretty much the only "must have" game for PCs right now, and it isn't a new IP. I don't have much hope for Crysis. Even IF it's a great game...the simple fact that it's (so far) only on PC is going to hurt it bad. Why does only being on a PC hurt? Because, imo, pc gaming IS dying. PC gaming has become simply too complex and expensive for more and more people. It's too bad :(

RichieRich555

But you're forgetting the fact that most people are retarded.  How else could something like the Macarena ever become popular?

To your other point, PCs arn't expensive, but PC gaming is.  My computer cost a grand total of $300 when I got it.  That was 4 years ago and it runs great.  But for my comp to run anything beyond Starcraft or UT, I'd have to sink $1,500 into a whole new rig.  No, thanks.

[QUOTE="NocturnalDemon"]

When I was a kid in the early 90s, EBgames had a TON of pc games. An entire wall was nothing but pc games. Rack after rack was filled with pc games. I'd say that 50% of the store was just pc games. They even sold video cards and pc accessories. But as the years ticked by, console games (namely Playstation) slowly took more and more of the shelf space. Now in most EBGames/Gamestops, there is only a small rack or two for pc games and no accessories. Probably only 5%-8% of the store is for PCs now.

Back in the early 90s, there were a ton of great game companies making hit after hit. Descent, Starcraft, Diablo, Duke Nukem 3D, Heretic, Doom, Wolfenstein, Half-Life, Unreal Tournament, Unreal, Lemmings, Blood, Quake, on and on and on were created in the 90s. PCs dominated. But over the past several years, there hasn't been hit after hit. New IPs tend to be born on consoles. Even Oblivion is more popular on the 360 than the pc. WoW is pretty much the only "must have" game for PCs right now, and it isn't a new IP. I don't have much hope for Crysis. Even IF it's a great game...the simple fact that it's (so far) only on PC is going to hurt it bad. Why does only being on a PC hurt? Because, imo, pc gaming IS dying. PC gaming has become simply too complex and expensive for more and more people. It's too bad :(

RichieRich555

I still dont' understand where people get the misconception that PC gaming costs thousands. Just because you see Dell overcharging ungodly amounts for their gaming rigs, doesn't mean all gaming machines are expensive.

However, I can see how people would find it much easier to simply buy a 360 or another console than going through the hassle of setting up a computer, especially if you dont' know what the hell you're doing. 

I still dont' understand where people get the misconception that PC gaming costs thousands. Just because you see Dell overcharging ungodly amounts for their gaming rigs, doesn't mean all gaming machines are expensive.

However, I can see how people would find it much easier to simply buy a 360 or another console than going through the hassle of setting up a computer, especially if you dont' know what the hell you're doing.

Peter_Darkstar

I only build my own rigs from parts found online.  Companies like Dell and Gateway rip you off terribly.  Even so, let's do the math:

$350 good video card

$200 Windows Vista or XP

$150 cpu

$150 box with powersupply, motherboard and fans

$150 good ram

$100 decent speakers

$150 large harddrive

$80 good dvd burner 

$50 mouse, keyboard, headset(mic)

That comes to a total of $1,380.  If you get a new monitor, $1,630.  It makes the $600 PS3 (that comes with about everything in one working package) look cheap.

I only build my own rigs from parts found online. Companies like Dell and Gateway rip you off terribly. Even so, let's do the math:

$350 good video card

$200 Windows Vista or XP

$150 cpu

$150 box with powersupply, motherboard and fans

$150 good ram

$100 decent speakers

$150 large harddrive

$80 good dvd burner

$50 mouse, keyboard, headset(mic)

That comes to a total of $1,380. If you get a new monitor, $1,630. It makes the $600 PS3 (that comes with about everything in one working package) look cheap.

NocturnalDemon

[QUOTE="NocturnalDemon"]I only build my own rigs from parts found online. Companies like Dell and Gateway rip you off terribly. Even so, let's do the math:

$350 good video card

$200 Windows Vista or XP

$150 cpu

$150 box with powersupply, motherboard and fans

$150 good ram

$100 decent speakers

$150 large harddrive

$80 good dvd burner

$50 mouse, keyboard, headset(mic)

That comes to a total of $1,380. If you get a new monitor, $1,630. It makes the $600 PS3 (that comes with about everything in one working package) look cheap.

foxhound_fox

devs are scared of their games getting pirated, so its alot safer to port to 360.El_Fanboy

I've been playing PC games for about 10 years or so. The amount of techincal knowledge to pirate games is far beyond the knowledge of your average gamer, regardless of whatever videos you watch on gamespot.  

Agreed, but some of those old games are a b**** to get running on XP SP2 (not sure about vista). I can't get MOH:AA or Freedom Force working on my PC.pundog

[QUOTE="Peter_Darkstar"]

[QUOTE="El_Fanboy"]devs are scared of their games getting pirated, so its alot safer to port to 360.OMGTEHGRUKWTF

I've been playing PC games for about 10 years or so. The amount of techincal knowledge to pirate games is far beyond the knowledge of your average gamer, regardless of whatever videos you watch on gamespot.

Uhh, how so? It's not like you have to be a genius to DL a torrent and overwrite the .exe file...

its not an .exe file.

[QUOTE="pundog"]Agreed, but some of those old games are a b**** to get running on XP SP2 (not sure about vista). I can't get MOH:AA or Freedom Force working on my PC.foxhound_fox

[QUOTE="OMGTEHGRUKWTF"][QUOTE="Peter_Darkstar"]

[QUOTE="El_Fanboy"]devs are scared of their games getting pirated, so its alot safer to port to 360.cobrax75

I've been playing PC games for about 10 years or so. The amount of techincal knowledge to pirate games is far beyond the knowledge of your average gamer, regardless of whatever videos you watch on gamespot.

Uhh, how so? It's not like you have to be a genius to DL a torrent and overwrite the .exe file...

its not an .exe file.

^What are talking about? The crack file is almost always an .exe. You replace the original .exe with the cracked .exe to bypass protection.

[QUOTE="foxhound_fox"][QUOTE="pundog"]Agreed, but some of those old games are a b**** to get running on XP SP2 (not sure about vista). I can't get MOH:AA or Freedom Force working on my PC.pundog

Yea...integrated cards suck. Although most laptops aren't meant to play games anyway, unless of course you buy a gaming laptop (and if you think gaming PCs are expensive...) 

[QUOTE="Peter_Darkstar"]

I still dont' understand where people get the misconception that PC gaming costs thousands. Just because you see Dell overcharging ungodly amounts for their gaming rigs, doesn't mean all gaming machines are expensive.

However, I can see how people would find it much easier to simply buy a 360 or another console than going through the hassle of setting up a computer, especially if you dont' know what the hell you're doing.

NocturnalDemon

I only build my own rigs from parts found online. Companies like Dell and Gateway rip you off terribly. Even so, let's do the math:

$350 good video card

$200 Windows Vista or XP

$150 cpu

$150 box with powersupply, motherboard and fans

$150 good ram

$100 decent speakers

$150 large harddrive

$80 good dvd burner

$50 mouse, keyboard, headset(mic)

That comes to a total of $1,380. If you get a new monitor, $1,630. It makes the $600 PS3 (that comes with about everything in one working package) look cheap.

Your post shows you know nothing about PC's

A good DVD Burner $30

Larger 320gb HDD $70

You can get 2gbs for $90 bucks

Why did you add Speakers into the cost? Console dont come with speakers..

$110 E4300 overclocks past the fastest Dual-Core C2D, easily (3ghz+)

Vista cost less than $200 bucks..lol

The only thing you got right for price was the GPU, you can get a 8800gts 640mb for that price..which can play Crysis on Max and owns console..alot

I can cut over $400 dollars (as you can see by my examples) on the cost of that PC you estimated and include a 22' Moniter and it would be around $1300-1400 dollars

Lemmings/ 

[QUOTE="cobrax75"][QUOTE="OMGTEHGRUKWTF"][QUOTE="Peter_Darkstar"]

[QUOTE="El_Fanboy"]devs are scared of their games getting pirated, so its alot safer to port to 360.OMGTEHGRUKWTF

I've been playing PC games for about 10 years or so. The amount of techincal knowledge to pirate games is far beyond the knowledge of your average gamer, regardless of whatever videos you watch on gamespot.

Uhh, how so? It's not like you have to be a genius to DL a torrent and overwrite the .exe file...

its not an .exe file.

^What are talking about? The crack file is almost always an .exe. You replace the original .exe with the cracked .exe to bypass protection.

And I'm sure your average gamer knows exaclty how to bypass security measures, avoid manditory online game registartions, and simulate a startup/play disc. 

[QUOTE="pundog"][QUOTE="foxhound_fox"][QUOTE="pundog"]Agreed, but some of those old games are a b**** to get running on XP SP2 (not sure about vista). I can't get MOH:AA or Freedom Force working on my PC.Peter_Darkstar

Yea...integrated cards suck. Although most laptops aren't meant to play games anyway, unless of course you buy a gaming laptop (and if you think gaming PCs are expensive...) 

To play consoles at OMG NEXT GEN GRAPHICS you need a $1000 HDTV. Lame.OMGTEHGRUKWTF

Yep. Like I said earlier, no matter what path you choose (Console or PC) you get screwed into spending money anyway. 

[QUOTE="OMGTEHGRUKWTF"][QUOTE="cobrax75"][QUOTE="OMGTEHGRUKWTF"][QUOTE="Peter_Darkstar"]

[QUOTE="El_Fanboy"]devs are scared of their games getting pirated, so its alot safer to port to 360.Peter_Darkstar

I've been playing PC games for about 10 years or so. The amount of techincal knowledge to pirate games is far beyond the knowledge of your average gamer, regardless of whatever videos you watch on gamespot.

Uhh, how so? It's not like you have to be a genius to DL a torrent and overwrite the .exe file...

its not an .exe file.

^What are talking about? The crack file is almost always an .exe. You replace the original .exe with the cracked .exe to bypass protection.

And I'm sure your average gamer knows exaclty how to bypass security measures, avoid manditory online game registartions, and simulate a startup/play disc.

You are obviously a software piracy virgin.

1. The release you download comes with a cracked EXE courtesy of the scene. All you have to do is copy it over the original EXE (takes two seconds).

2. Daemon Tools, and only needed for installation.

[QUOTE="El_Fanboy"]devs are scared of their games getting pirated, so its alot safer to port to 360.Peter_Darkstar

I've been playing PC games for about 10 years or so. The amount of techincal knowledge to pirate games is far beyond the knowledge of your average gamer, regardless of whatever videos you watch on gamespot.

The techinical knowledge to pirate a game is about the same a upgrading a new graphics card :o

Anyway most veteran pc gamer will admit we're not in the golden age of PC gaming. We are paying more, upgrading more, and getting less than we use to. Though some games are popular fewer and fewer pc gamers are playing multiple games and just sticking to 1 or 2 titles which has really hurt the growth of the pc game industry. It saddens me to see fellow hermits sticking there heads in the sand and denying that these are rough times for us.

That doesn't mean it's going to be dark forever, the games for windows initiative seems to be taking some positive steps in the industry, but PC gamers have to stop supporting stupid things like new GPU's every 6 months, and eye candy games that make use of this new software.

Edit: I'd also like to mention that next gen systems can run on PC monitors so the HDTV price arument is just plain ignorance. 

[QUOTE="Peter_Darkstar"]

[QUOTE="El_Fanboy"]devs are scared of their games getting pirated, so its alot safer to port to 360.jrhawk42

I've been playing PC games for about 10 years or so. The amount of techincal knowledge to pirate games is far beyond the knowledge of your average gamer, regardless of whatever videos you watch on gamespot.

The techinical knowledge to pirate a game is about the same a upgrading a new graphics card :o

Anyway most veteran pc gamer will admit we're not in the golden age of PC gaming. We are paying more, upgrading more, and getting less than we use to. Though some games are popular fewer and fewer pc gamers are playing multiple games and just sticking to 1 or 2 titles which has really hurt the growth of the pc game industry. It saddens me to see fellow hermits sticking there heads in the sand and denying that these are rough times for us.

That doesn't mean it's going to be dark forever, the games for windows initiative seems to be taking some positive steps in the industry, but PC gamers have to stop supporting stupid things like new GPU's every 6 months, and eye candy games that make use of this new software.

Edit: I'd also like to mention that next gen systems can run on PC monitors so the HDTV price arument is just plain ignorance.

I'd also like to mention that next gen system look like ass on PC monitors. 

[

I'd also like to mention that next gen system look like ass on PC monitors.

OMGTEHGRUKWTF

Only for the 360 if you don't adjust the monitor settings. Once you adjust them it looks just as good as any pc game at the same resolution.

[QUOTE="Peter_Darkstar"]

[QUOTE="El_Fanboy"]devs are scared of their games getting pirated, so its alot safer to port to 360.jrhawk42

I've been playing PC games for about 10 years or so. The amount of techincal knowledge to pirate games is far beyond the knowledge of your average gamer, regardless of whatever videos you watch on gamespot.

The techinical knowledge to pirate a game is about the same a upgrading a new graphics card :o

Anyway most veteran pc gamer will admit we're not in the golden age of PC gaming. We are paying more, upgrading more, and getting less than we use to. Though some games are popular fewer and fewer pc gamers are playing multiple games and just sticking to 1 or 2 titles which has really hurt the growth of the pc game industry. It saddens me to see fellow hermits sticking there heads in the sand and denying that these are rough times for us.

That doesn't mean it's going to be dark forever, the games for windows initiative seems to be taking some positive steps in the industry, but PC gamers have to stop supporting stupid things like new GPU's every 6 months, and eye candy games that make use of this new software.

Edit: I'd also like to mention that next gen systems can run on PC monitors so the HDTV price arument is just plain ignorance. 

@jrhawk42

Not true.

1. The VGA cable picture is washed out on Xbox 360.

2. The picture it outputs is 16:9. PC monitors either have 5:4 or 16:10, so they end up stretched out or in the case of 5:4, distorted. Some monitors put black bands on the edges, but manufacturers never tell you if your monitor is or is not capable of this.

3. Many games simply don't work right on 5:4.

4. The Xbox 360 will not upscale to PC monitor widescreen resolutions (with the exception of 1080P, but then we are talking about $800 for a monitor)

5. VGA is inferior to DVI, which PC games use.

6. Everything is upscaled from a native 720P.

End result: The picture looks like crap.

@Console fanboy 

Not true.

1. The VGA cable picture is washed out on Xbox 360.

2. The picture it outputs is 16:9. PC monitors either have 5:4 or 16:10, so they end up stretched out or in the case of 5:4, distorted. Some monitors put black bands on the edges, but manufacturers never tell you if your monitor is or is not capable of this.

3. Many games simply don't work right on 5:4.

4. The Xbox 360 will not upscale to PC monitor widescreen resolutions (with the exception of 1080P, but then we are talking about $800 for a monitor)

5. VGA is inferior to DVI, which PC games use.

6. Everything is upscaled from a native 720P.

 

End result: The picture looks like crap.

OMGTEHGRUKWTF

[QUOTE="OMGTEHGRUKWTF"]

@Console fanboy

Not true.

1. The VGA cable picture is washed out on Xbox 360.

2. The picture it outputs is 16:9. PC monitors either have 5:4 or 16:10, so they end up stretched out or in the case of 5:4, distorted. Some monitors put black bands on the edges, but manufacturers never tell you if your monitor is or is not capable of this.

3. Many games simply don't work right on 5:4.

4. The Xbox 360 will not upscale to PC monitor widescreen resolutions (with the exception of 1080P, but then we are talking about $800 for a monitor)

5. VGA is inferior to DVI, which PC games use.

6. Everything is upscaled from a native 720P.

 

End result: The picture looks like crap.

Vandalvideo

Uhh, thank you captain obvious. I was replying to the console fanboy who said that my "HDTV costs $1000 so console gaming isn't any cheaper than PC gaming" argument was flawed because some consoles offer some *VERY LIMITED* support for PC monitors.

[QUOTE="Vandalvideo"][QUOTE="OMGTEHGRUKWTF"]

@Console fanboy

Not true.

1. The VGA cable picture is washed out on Xbox 360.

2. The picture it outputs is 16:9. PC monitors either have 5:4 or 16:10, so they end up stretched out or in the case of 5:4, distorted. Some monitors put black bands on the edges, but manufacturers never tell you if your monitor is or is not capable of this.

3. Many games simply don't work right on 5:4.

4. The Xbox 360 will not upscale to PC monitor widescreen resolutions (with the exception of 1080P, but then we are talking about $800 for a monitor)

5. VGA is inferior to DVI, which PC games use.

6. Everything is upscaled from a native 720P.

 

End result: The picture looks like crap.

OMGTEHGRUKWTF

Uhh, thank you captain obvious. I was replying to the console fanboy who said that you could use a PC monitor with consoles.

[QUOTE="OMGTEHGRUKWTF"][QUOTE="Vandalvideo"][QUOTE="OMGTEHGRUKWTF"]

@Console fanboy

Not true.

1. The VGA cable picture is washed out on Xbox 360.

2. The picture it outputs is 16:9. PC monitors either have 5:4 or 16:10, so they end up stretched out or in the case of 5:4, distorted. Some monitors put black bands on the edges, but manufacturers never tell you if your monitor is or is not capable of this.

3. Many games simply don't work right on 5:4.

4. The Xbox 360 will not upscale to PC monitor widescreen resolutions (with the exception of 1080P, but then we are talking about $800 for a monitor)

5. VGA is inferior to DVI, which PC games use.

6. Everything is upscaled from a native 720P.

 

End result: The picture looks like crap.

Vandalvideo

Uhh, thank you captain obvious. I was replying to the console fanboy who said that you could use a PC monitor with consoles.

Because then you are actually using a component signal? And then you are limited to standard TV resolutions (420p,720p)?

...

[QUOTE="Vandalvideo"][QUOTE="OMGTEHGRUKWTF"][QUOTE="Vandalvideo"][QUOTE="OMGTEHGRUKWTF"]

@Console fanboy

Not true.

1. The VGA cable picture is washed out on Xbox 360.

2. The picture it outputs is 16:9. PC monitors either have 5:4 or 16:10, so they end up stretched out or in the case of 5:4, distorted. Some monitors put black bands on the edges, but manufacturers never tell you if your monitor is or is not capable of this.

3. Many games simply don't work right on 5:4.

4. The Xbox 360 will not upscale to PC monitor widescreen resolutions (with the exception of 1080P, but then we are talking about $800 for a monitor)

5. VGA is inferior to DVI, which PC games use.

6. Everything is upscaled from a native 720P.

 

End result: The picture looks like crap.

OMGTEHGRUKWTF

Uhh, thank you captain obvious. I was replying to the console fanboy who said that you could use a PC monitor with consoles.

Because then you are actually using a component signal? And then you are limited to standard TV resolutions (420p,720p)?

...

[QUOTE="OMGTEHGRUKWTF"][QUOTE="Vandalvideo"][QUOTE="OMGTEHGRUKWTF"][QUOTE="Vandalvideo"][QUOTE="OMGTEHGRUKWTF"]

@Console fanboy

Not true.

1. The VGA cable picture is washed out on Xbox 360.

2. The picture it outputs is 16:9. PC monitors either have 5:4 or 16:10, so they end up stretched out or in the case of 5:4, distorted. Some monitors put black bands on the edges, but manufacturers never tell you if your monitor is or is not capable of this.

3. Many games simply don't work right on 5:4.

4. The Xbox 360 will not upscale to PC monitor widescreen resolutions (with the exception of 1080P, but then we are talking about $800 for a monitor)

5. VGA is inferior to DVI, which PC games use.

6. Everything is upscaled from a native 720P.

 

End result: The picture looks like crap.

Vandalvideo

Uhh, thank you captain obvious. I was replying to the console fanboy who said that you could use a PC monitor with consoles.

Because then you are actually using a component signal? And then you are limited to standard TV resolutions (420p,720p)?

...

Uhhh.. I have no idea what you are rambling about now. Listen, consoles suck on PC monitors and realistically are only good on $1000 HDTVs. Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo put absolutely no effort into supporting monitors.

@jrhawk42

Not true.

1. The VGA cable picture is washed out on Xbox 360.

2. The picture it outputs is 16:9. PC monitors either have 5:4 or 16:10, so they end up stretched out or in the case of 5:4, distorted. Some monitors put black bands on the edges, but manufacturers never tell you if your monitor is or is not capable of this.

3. Many games simply don't work right on 5:4.

4. The Xbox 360 will not upscale to PC monitor widescreen resolutions (with the exception of 1080P, but then we are talking about $800 for a monitor)

5. VGA is inferior to DVI, which PC games use.

6. Everything is upscaled from a native 720P.

 

End result: The picture looks like crap.

OMGTEHGRUKWTF

1. fixing it is as easy as ajusting the brightness/contrast.

2. You know you can ajust the width and height on almost every pc monitor right?  If the picture is stretched it's easy to  adjust it.

3.  Other games simply don't work on 16:9

4. isn't a bit deal, and can be fixed w/ a software update

5. true but the difference is pretty small (most people can't even tell /w the naked eye), alot of pc gamers are still using VGA.

6. it's not as bad as it sounds.

[QUOTE="Peter_Darkstar"]

[QUOTE="El_Fanboy"]devs are scared of their games getting pirated, so its alot safer to port to 360.jrhawk42

I've been playing PC games for about 10 years or so. The amount of techincal knowledge to pirate games is far beyond the knowledge of your average gamer, regardless of whatever videos you watch on gamespot.

The techinical knowledge to pirate a game is about the same a upgrading a new graphics card :o

Anyway most veteran pc gamer will admit we're not in the golden age of PC gaming. We are paying more, upgrading more, and getting less than we use to. Though some games are popular fewer and fewer pc gamers are playing multiple games and just sticking to 1 or 2 titles which has really hurt the growth of the pc game industry. It saddens me to see fellow hermits sticking there heads in the sand and denying that these are rough times for us.

That doesn't mean it's going to be dark forever, the games for windows initiative seems to be taking some positive steps in the industry, but PC gamers have to stop supporting stupid things like new GPU's every 6 months, and eye candy games that make use of this new software.

Edit: I'd also like to mention that next gen systems can run on PC monitors so the HDTV price arument is just plain ignorance. 

Yeah PC gaming has been in decline, but I know more people that play PC games, than console games, but I work with nerds.

[QUOTE="El_Fanboy"]devs are scared of their games getting pirated, so its alot safer to port to 360.Peter_Darkstar

I've been playing PC games for about 10 years or so. The amount of techincal knowledge to pirate games is far beyond the knowledge of your average gamer, regardless of whatever videos you watch on gamespot.

Anyone that is "hardcore" enough to have a high end PC and set it up know how to pirate games.

That's the problem, the "core' PC gamers can pirate games easily and they do. Casual gamers are the main goal of companies these days, they don't know **** about anything, but they do enjoy playing GTA for like 30 mins a week.

And yet PC's still get the most exclusive critically acclaimed titles every year and with Vista system requirements have become a thing of the past.foxhound_fox

When I was a kid in the early 90s, EBgames had a TON of pc games.  An entire wall was nothing but pc games.  Rack after rack was filled with pc games.  I'd say that 50% of the store was just pc games.  They even sold video cards and pc accessories.  But as the years ticked by, console games (namely Playstation) slowly took more and more of the shelf space.  Now in most EBGames/Gamestops, there is only a small rack or two for pc games and no accessories.  Probably only 5%-8% of the store is for PCs now.

Back in the early 90s, there were a ton of great game companies making hit after hit.  Descent, Starcraft, Diablo, Duke Nukem 3D, Heretic, Doom, Wolfenstein, Half-Life, Unreal Tournament, Unreal, Lemmings,  Blood, Quake, on and on and on were created in the 90s.  PCs dominated.  But over the past several years, there hasn't been hit after hit.  New IPs tend to be born on consoles.  Even Oblivion is more popular on the 360 than the pc.  WoW is pretty much the only "must have" game for PCs right now, and it isn't a new IP.  I don't have much hope for Crysis.  Even IF it's a great game...the simple fact that it's (so far) only on PC is going to hurt it bad.  Why does only being on a PC hurt?  Because, imo, pc gaming IS dying.  PC gaming has become simply too complex and expensive for more and more people.  It's too bad :(

NocturnalDemon

you wana know something?  at my local game store the pc section has grown since a few years ago and is many times bigger than xbox and nintendo put together, ps2 is the only platform that has huge shelf space over the others.  its playstation the brough consoles to the mass market.

And yet PC's still get the most exclusive critically acclaimed titles every year and with Vista system requirements have become a thing of the past.foxhound_fox

thats so true with vista yesterday I was in harvey norman and saw that just about every laptop, yes laptop has dedicated graphics procssor, while a year ago you would have sturggled to find one with a decent gpu.  with you buget pc now having intergrated gpus means that just about any pc will run new games.  intel will have to something fast if it wants to hold the gpu market lead, 9/10 laptops had either nvidia or ati while a year ago 8/10 were intel