Are Consoles in Direct Competition with the PC?

MS share some of its "Console Exclusives" with the PC and Sony is starting to share a few of their "Console Exclusives" also. So are they really competing with the PC or are they trying to just play nice?

MS share some of its "Console Exclusives" with the PC and Sony is starting to share a few of their "Console Exclusives" also(halo 2 sold badly and sony sharing what?). So are they really competing with the PC or are they trying to just play nice?

Zero_epyon

Name those ps3 and xbox exclusives coming to the pc.

And consoles are no match for the pc.

Consoles are in competition with each other, there is no competition for pc gaming.

Microsoft thinks so, http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/microsoft-game-studios-europe-part-2

"in Germany for example, we want more gamers to buy our Xbox 360. If we launch a game that is on 360 and PC simultaneously, we basically shoot ourselves in the foot by allowing the German market to choose to play the PC version – because they are more likely to buy that than spend their money on the Xbox 360."

[QUOTE="Zero_epyon"]

MS share some of its "Console Exclusives" with the PC and Sony is starting to share a few of their "Console Exclusives" also(halo 2 sold badly and sony sharing what?). So are they really competing with the PC or are they trying to just play nice?

Major_Reeves

Name those ps3 and xbox exclusives coming to the pc.

And consoles are no match for the pc.

until home consoles come standard with mouse and keyboard im gonna say no. while pc gamers and console gamers are both gamers, they're different kinds of gamers and different types of games are released. PC is largely RTS, FPS, MMO and WRPG'S. consoles have a little bit of everything, so while they may not have the graphics you get from a pc you get platformers, action adventure, TPS, JRPG's, music games, strategy games (like disgaea or Valkyrie Chronicles) so basically it boils down like this

with PC you have more of the 4 types of games i listed (not that you don't get others, just not as many as those base 4) the proprietary pc games like crysis tend to look a lot more awesome than their ported console counterparts. NOW, console ports to pc can be kinda rough often making the graphics not look much better and often with poor optimization (ghostbusters im looking at you)

with Consoles you have a wider variety of games for the most part (though all the FPS's this gen want to disprove me) but the graphics aren't quite what they could be on pc, especially with ports. proprietary games, much like the pc generally look really good for the system.

as for me, i have both a ps3 and a good gaming system so i kinda get the best of both worlds. but i wouldn't really say they're in direct competition with each other and i definitely wouldn't say one is more or less hardcore than the other. if you ever played some of these kids online on super sf2 turbo hd or SF4 (or any of the other vs. games) you'd know that these kids are insane frame counting gaming freaks.

Yes, they are in direct competition with consoles. What do you think is going to happen in a couple of years when pcs get even cheaper and consoles want $500 plus? Gonna go with that cheap pc.

I dont really think so., but some Xbox games such as Halo and Gears of War are released on the PC years later, just so people interested in those games will be more motivated to buy the 360.

What PS3 exclusives are coming to the PC?

For PC's, gaming is just a side feature, not a serious application like game consoles. It's like saying cellphone games are competing with home consoles, except with PC's, they are technologically superior to game consoles.Willy105

[QUOTE="Willy105"]For PC's, gaming is just a side feature, not a serious application like game consoles. It's like saying cellphone games are competing with home consoles, except with PC's, they are technologically superior to game consoles.bunchofpixels

[QUOTE="Major_Reeves"]

[QUOTE="Zero_epyon"]

MS share some of its "Console Exclusives" with the PC and Sony is starting to share a few of their "Console Exclusives" also(halo 2 sold badly and sony sharing what?). So are they really competing with the PC or are they trying to just play nice?

chapnzaba

Name those ps3 and xbox exclusives coming to the pc.

And consoles are no match for the pc.

[QUOTE="bunchofpixels"][QUOTE="Willy105"]For PC's, gaming is just a side feature, not a serious application like game consoles. It's like saying cellphone games are competing with home consoles, except with PC's, they are technologically superior to game consoles.Willy105

No because not everybody that buys or uses a pc plays games if youre buying a game console youre buying it to play games.

[QUOTE="bunchofpixels"][QUOTE="Willy105"]For PC's, gaming is just a side feature, not a serious application like game consoles. It's like saying cellphone games are competing with home consoles, except with PC's, they are technologically superior to game consoles.Willy105

Well, look at this way.

Sony and Microsoft both used features that were already on the PC as selling points for the systems.

The 360 and PS3 aspire to be master PCs someday.

Microsoft thinks so, http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/microsoft-game-studios-europe-part-2

"in Germany for example, we want more gamers to buy our Xbox 360. If we launch a game that is on 360 and PC simultaneously, we basically shoot ourselves in the foot by allowing the German market to choose to play the PC version – because they are more likely to buy that than spend their money on the Xbox 360."

naval

Germans aren't as daft as microsoft think they are :D
Do I buy the game for my pc or do I buy an inferior, mid-range pc glued into a plastic case which has been crippled to only play games and buy it for that? Like I say, no competition.
Exclusive titles are being used as honey-traps and some people fall for it. Maybe it's a kind of Darwinian approach to making sure that pc gamers remain the elite :D Hehe, just kidding :D I agree with z4twenny to some extent, I think the market is different, a pc gamer isn't the same as a console gamer. The way things are nowadays I kind of see console gamers as "armchair gamers" and pc gamers as "gaming hobbyists" if that makes sense.

Consoles are for the casual who just want to play while PC gaming is more for the dedicated gamers who wish to tweak and tune their hardware to make their games sing while they play them.

For PC's, gaming is just a side feature, not a serious application like game consoles. It's like saying cellphone games are competing with home consoles, except with PC's, they are technologically superior to game consoles.Willy105

On TV, when they say someone is a "good all-rounder" like Roy Castle, that means that they can act, sing, dance and play the trumpet badly. When you have a good computer, it does everything very well. What you have to realise is that your console can do everything that a pc can do, it's just that microsoft or whoever only wants you to use it for gaming. It has been crippled, locked.

It's like saying "For human beings, dancing is just a side feature, they were mainly designed for procreation, I have designed this dancing coca-cola can that does nothing but dance, look at him dance."

PCs will always be at the cutting edge of gaming, graphics, processing, and innovation. Your argument is baffling.

[QUOTE="Zero_epyon"]

MS share some of its "Console Exclusives" with the PC and Sony is starting to share a few of their "Console Exclusives" also(halo 2 sold badly and sony sharing what?). So are they really competing with the PC or are they trying to just play nice?

Major_Reeves

Name those ps3 and xbox exclusives coming to the pc.

And consoles are no match for the pc.

Poll says 7 yes 24 no, and cows will still hide behind the PC in 360 vs Ps3. I've been saying for a while the PC is its own market, and since everyone here either has PC/360 PC/Ps3 or whatever combination, its clearly an indication its not competing with the consoles. Cows will still act like it negates the existence of 360 games..DeadMagazines

And they'll still compare their games to PC games.

Poll says 7 yes 24 no, and cows will still hide behind the PC in 360 vs Ps3. I've been saying for a while the PC is its own market, and since everyone here either has PC/360 PC/Ps3 or whatever combination, its clearly an indication its not competing with the consoles. Cows will still act like it negates the existence of 360 games..DeadMagazines

PCs aren't designed specifically for gaming, its just a bonus. Console are, but that line is getting blurrier and blurrier every gen.

They are in some competition, but not direct, at least not now. They went against eachother last gen and PC lost, since then PCgaming has settled in it's own comfortable niche, when it's enjoying stable and regular growth. of course MS is still feeling pain because of how good PCgaming is doing (to them every PCgamer is lost potential 360 gamer and every game bought for PC is lost 360 game sale), but as a whole I don't think PCgaming is in direct competition with console gaming anymore

They're not in a competition. People compare the games, but thats all there is to it. Unlike consoles, no one 'owns' the right to sell PCs so there's no conflict of interest commercially in that area.

Consoles are for the casual who just want to play while PC gaming is more for the dedicated gamers who wish to tweak and tune their hardware to make their games sing while they play them.

Hexagon_777

May have been true at one time but not at this day and age. Too many consoles have come and gone and consoles have produced a tremendous amount of good games reaching all the way up to the ps2 that are now all available on the pc. Its only going to get better becuz ps3 and 360 will soon follow suit in the next few years.

And those are just games of the past. The pc will still have the option to play newly released games and it will be cheaper to upgrade your pc or buy a new pc rather than buy a console. There is so much competition out there right now.....I don't know how you could miss it.

Here check this article out about Hp and Compaq coming out with 2 new solid laptops available for $400. And we are talking laptops here what do you think that will do to the desktops? Its gonna make things drop even more.

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/152839

The laptop comes with 512mb graphics card and 2.0 ghz cpu. That is good enough to play todays games on the only question that I have in regards to this laptop is if the graphics card is screwed in or soldered? If the graphics card is screwed in then its a good buying seeing as you can upgrade it and have gaming laptop at a good price. If soldered then I wouldn't buy it seeing as there are not really any external graphics cards out yet or at least they have not reached the main market just yet.

I don't have an Xbox because my PC can game... so in a way, it's a competition. I get my multiplate titles on PC... so again, they're competing.

I don't have an Xbox because my PC can game... so in a way, it's a competition. I get my multiplate titles on PC... so again, they're competing.

Bebi_vegeta

Yup. Concerning gaming they are.

This holiday season I'll either buy a PS3, or upgrade my PC. If buying a new video card and BD-drive keeps me from purchasing a PS3, then it becomes obvious that they're in direct competition.

lol @ poll results.

They are in some competition, but not direct, at least not now. They went against eachother last gen and PC lost, since then PCgaming has settled in it's own comfortable niche, when it's enjoying stable and regular growth. of course MS is still feeling pain because of how good PCgaming is doing (to them every PCgamer is lost potential 360 gamer and every game bought for PC is lost 360 game sale), but as a whole I don't think PCgaming is in direct competition with console gaming anymore

AdrianWerner

It's not a question of yes or no, but how much?

And the answer to that varies widely by market, whether geographic markets or demographic markets.

They share libraries. :|

Of course they compete with each other.

Most people dont have a PC that can compete with the power of a PS3 or 360.bunchofpixels

Sounds like an interesting read, can I have the source?

[QUOTE="bunchofpixels"]Most people dont have a PC that can compete with the power of a PS3 or 360.AnnoyedDragon

Sounds like an interesting read, can I have the source?

He's talking about how most pcs are sold with a gpu that isn't designed for gaming.

dc337

Not all PCs sold are intended for gaming, so why count every single one of them?

It is a rather petty argument to abuse PCs multifunctional nature like that, obviously PCs sold with integrated graphics or discrete cards only powerful enough to run Aero Glass aren't intended for gaming. When you pay for a console you are getting it for gaming, someone who wants to play games on a PC will pay for what they need to do that. There is no reasonable argument as to why you should count what is sat in an office block.

A PC is customized for purpose, that is common knowledge, someone making this sort of argument is rather pathetic.