Consoles hold back the PC? Think again.

If people honestly wanted to be on the platform with the most sales, they would be on the Wii.

AnnoyedDragon

Actually 3rd party games don't sell too good on the Wii. Wii owners are rather buying 1st party games.

The highlight of console sales are almost always first-person shooters.

Mystic-G

Ironically, the first-person shooter genre was dominated by the PC a few years back and is not a "true console genre".

From what I've red, Reach sold 3 million in the first 24 hours alone, while StarCraft 2 sold 3 million in total untill recently. And StarCraft 2 is considered a success on the PC.

nameless12345

[QUOTE="Mystic-G"]

The highlight of console sales are almost always first-person shooters.

nameless12345

Ironically, the first-person shooter genre was dominated by the PC a few years back and is not a "true console genre".

[QUOTE="nameless12345"]

From what I've red, Reach sold 3 million in the first 24 hours alone, while StarCraft 2 sold 3 million in total untill recently. And StarCraft 2 is considered a success on the PC.

Mystic-G

actually i think speed of sales matters more than total sales.

All those people grabbing 2 year old copies of SC for $10 isnt nearly as good for the publisher as people buying $60 copies on day 1.

Elaborate. All you PC fans know to say is that the "evil" consoles are "bottlenecking" the PC, but when it comes to devs saying that there is too much piracy on the PC and that their games don't sell good enough, you just say they are overblowing it. Isn't that true? :D

nameless12345

That cross platform development is a two way street, completely discredits your argument.

If what you say were true, we would not see console game developers expanding their audience onto PC, as all the piracy would scare them off. Instead we would see all the PC developers expanding into consoles, but not the reverse.

If we look at Gamespot's spreadsheet, you will note that there are significantly more cross platform games on consoles than on PC. Which of course doesn't support your piracy and sales accusations.

Actually 3rd party games don't sell too good on the Wii. Wii owners are rather buying 1st party games.

nameless12345

Ah but the console sold more than 360 and PS3, which SW logic dictates makes it better. Frankly I wouldn't want to touch MW2 with a pole, but because it sold lots; SW logic dictates that the game must be incredible. Spending more of their budget on advertising than the game itself is just a footnote.

[QUOTE="Mystic-G"][QUOTE="nameless12345"]

From what I've red, Reach sold 3 million in the first 24 hours alone, while StarCraft 2 sold 3 million in total untill recently. And StarCraft 2 is considered a success on the PC.

markinthedark

actually i think speed of sales matters more than total sales.

All those people grabbing 2 year old copies of SC for $10 isnt nearly as good for the publisher as people buying $60 copies on day 1.

[QUOTE="nameless12345"]

Elaborate. All you PC fans know to say is that the "evil" consoles are "bottlenecking" the PC, but when it comes to devs saying that there is too much piracy on the PC and that their games don't sell good enough, you just say they are overblowing it. Isn't that true? :D

AnnoyedDragon

Instead we would see all the PC developers expanding into consoles

That's already happening. See how many more former PC exclusive franchises are going multiplatform - Crysis 2, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, ect.

On another note: what about PC users with outdated hardware? Are those not holding back PC gaming too? I remember that Pixel Shaded games were a rarity on the PC a few years back due to many people still having DX7 and even DX6 graphics cards.

[QUOTE="AnnoyedDragon"]

[QUOTE="nameless12345"]

Elaborate. All you PC fans know to say is that the "evil" consoles are "bottlenecking" the PC, but when it comes to devs saying that there is too much piracy on the PC and that their games don't sell good enough, you just say they are overblowing it. Isn't that true? :D

nameless12345

Instead we would see all the PC developers expanding into consoles

That's already happening. See how many more former PC exclusive franchises are going multiplatform - Crysis 2, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, ect.

On another note: what about PC users with outdated hardware? Are those not holding back PC gaming too? I remember that Pixel Shaded games were a rarity on the PC a few years back due to many people still having DX7 and even DX6 graphics cards.

[QUOTE="AnnoyedDragon"]

[QUOTE="nameless12345"]

Elaborate. All you PC fans know to say is that the "evil" consoles are "bottlenecking" the PC, but when it comes to devs saying that there is too much piracy on the PC and that their games don't sell good enough, you just say they are overblowing it. Isn't that true? :D

nameless12345

Instead we would see all the PC developers expanding into consoles

That's already happening. See how many more former PC exclusive franchises are going multiplatform - Crysis 2, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, ect.

On another note: what about PC users with outdated hardware? Are those not holding back PC gaming too? I remember that Pixel Shaded games were a rarity on the PC a few years back due to many people still having DX7 and even DX6 graphics cards.

If by a few years you meant 9...

[QUOTE="Heil68"]The ownage and denial in this thread is funny stuff. nameless12345

Elaborate. All you PC fans know to say is that the "evil" consoles are "bottlenecking" the PC, but when it comes to devs saying that there is too much piracy on the PC and that their games don't sell good enough, you just say they are overblowing it. Isn't that true? :D

That's already happening. See how many more former PC exclusive franchises are going multiplatform - Crysis 2, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, ect.

nameless12345

I just presented you with evidence that more console developers are going cross platform than PC developers, and you say the opposite? Are you even listening to what people are saying to you?

Being able to list PC titles going cross platform doesn't change what I said. Consoles are far more cross platform orientated than PC, something you can check yourself. I'm also pretty sure you are aware that this generation is more cross platform orientated, as a result of development expense. Yet, you are talking like it is only affecting PC...

We are all platform bias here. But there is platform bias; and outright disinformation.

On another note: what about PC users with outdated hardware? Are those not holding back PC gaming too? I remember that Pixel Shaded games were a rarity on the PC a few years back due to many people still having DX7 and even DX6 graphics cards.

nameless12345

DirectX7 and 6, few years back? Please don't talk about things you don't know about, now you're just making it up as you go along.

There is a lot of talk how consoles are the "bottleneck" preventing the PC from excelling. But is that really so?

The truth is that many graphically demanding PC games do not sell as good on the PC as on the consoles.

For example Crysis cost millions to make but sold a lot less than it could if it were multiplatform. On the other hand, Halo 3 on the Xbox 360 sold more than 8 million copies.

Games like Modern Warfare 2 sell excellent on the consoles too, so it's logical that devs of these games focus more on the console versions.

Furthermore, games like Gears of War were said to sell poor on the PC, which may explain why no more Gears of War games for the PC.

Bottom line is: the consoles don't hold back the PC, but there is more profit on the consoles for a lot of action-oriented games so many devs and publishers rather focus on them.

nameless12345

Funny, just yesterday I was thinking about making a thread or blog about this. Well said.

[QUOTE="nameless12345"]

[QUOTE="Heil68"]The ownage and denial in this thread is funny stuff. Heil68

Elaborate. All you PC fans know to say is that the "evil" consoles are "bottlenecking" the PC, but when it comes to devs saying that there is too much piracy on the PC and that their games don't sell good enough, you just say they are overblowing it. Isn't that true? :D

I don't know what the reasons for those games selling bad are, but I do know the publishers will go there where they will sell more. Also different games sell better on different platforms. There is no secret that arcade-style games sell better on consoles while more simulation-style games sell better on the PC.

[QUOTE="nameless12345"]

On another note: what about PC users with outdated hardware? Are those not holding back PC gaming too? I remember that Pixel Shaded games were a rarity on the PC a few years back due to many people still having DX7 and even DX6 graphics cards.

AnnoyedDragon

DirectX7 and 6, few years back? Please don't talk about things you don't know about, now you're just making it up as you go along.

DX7 came out in 1999. That's a few years back for me.

Bottom line is: the consoles don't hold back the PC, but there is more profit on the consoles for a lot of action-oriented games so many devs and publishers rather focus on them.

nameless12345

I don't know if its just me but doesn't your conclusion indirectly states that in fact consoles hold back the PC? But the title gives a different idea. Confused am confirmed :?

DX7 came out in 1999. That's a few years back for me.

nameless12345

A few years back? We are talking the year before the PS2 launched.

PC hardware adoption does take time, but like a lot of what you have been saying; you're exaggerating it. I don't even consider it a bad thing, it gives developers time to refine software as the install base increases for better hardware. Not dumping it on the market and expecting developers to work on it off the bat like consoles do.

[QUOTE="nameless12345"]

Bottom line is: the consoles don't hold back the PC, but there is more profit on the consoles for a lot of action-oriented games so many devs and publishers rather focus on them.

glez13

I don't know if its just me but doesn't your conclusion indirectly states that in fact consoles hold back the PC? But the title gives a different idea. Confused am confirmed :?

I think its the idea that PC gamers are holding themselves back because they dont spend enough on games. Instead they just wanna keep dropping hundreds of dollars on their rigs instead of buying games... then wondering why devs dont want to make games that take advantage of their big expensive rigs :P

But Halo doesn't even look that good... also, how is 5 year old hardware *not* a bottleneck for development?rpgs_shall_rule

I think its the idea that PC gamers are holding themselves back because they dont spend enough on games. Instead they just wanna keep dropping hundreds of dollars on their rigs instead of buying games... then wondering why devs dont want to make games that take advantage of their big expensive rigs :P

markinthedark

If people are going to say that developers "don't want" to take advantage of PC, then they mustn't want to take advantage of the PS3 and 360 either.

In cross platform development you make accommodations, it's called targeting the lowest common denominator specification. It means neither PS3 or 360 are being fully utilized by the game. They do this because targeting the strengths of a given system causes problems and additional labour at a later date, because areas the other system isn't as strong in have to be downgraded. Instead they target the weakest specification of both systems, ensuring that it will run on both with minimal issues and costs. Modern development costs are also playing a role today, as developers are finding themselves hitting cost ceilings before hardware ones.

That or we can go by what you said; and the cross platform developers just don't care about PS3/360 enough to bother fully utilizing.

The problem is not consoles but that pc gamers don't buy enough games. I suspect it is a combination of piracy and MMO addiction. The people I know that are still heavily into pc gaming spend most their time in MMOs and then maybe buy or steal one or two single player games during the year.

Gothic 4 was clearly ruined by trying to attract Fable fans but if Gothic 3 had sold a few million copies they would have at least kept the traditional Gothic gameplay and challenge.

There is a lot of talk how consoles are the "bottleneck" preventing the PC from excelling. But is that really so?

The truth is that many graphically demanding PC games do not sell as good on the PC as on the consoles.

For example Crysis cost millions to make but sold a lot less than it could if it were multiplatform. On the other hand, Halo 3 on the Xbox 360 sold more than 8 million copies.

Games like Modern Warfare 2 sell excellent on the consoles too, so it's logical that devs of these games focus more on the console versions.

Furthermore, games like Gears of War were said to sell poor on the PC, which may explain why no more Gears of War games for the PC.

Bottom line is: the consoles don't hold back the PC, but there is more profit on the consoles for a lot of action-oriented games so many devs and publishers rather focus on them.

nameless12345

Cuz dont you know brah, salez make dah gamez better.

da moar salez the moar fun dat game iz

[QUOTE="markinthedark"]

I think its the idea that PC gamers are holding themselves back because they dont spend enough on games. Instead they just wanna keep dropping hundreds of dollars on their rigs instead of buying games... then wondering why devs dont want to make games that take advantage of their big expensive rigs :P

AnnoyedDragon

If people are going to say that developers "don't want" to take advantage of PC, then they mustn't want to take advantage of the PS3 and 360 either.

In cross platform development you make accommodations, it's called targeting the lowest common denominator specification. It means neither PS3 or 360 are being fully utilized by the game. They do this because targeting the strengths of a given system causes problems and additional labour at a later date, because areas the other system isn't as strong in have to be downgraded. Instead they target the weakest specification of both systems, ensuring that it will run on both with minimal issues and costs. Modern development costs are also playing a role today, as developers are finding themselves hitting cost ceilings before hardware ones.

That or we can go by what you said; and the cross platform developers just don't care about PS3/360 enough to bother fully utilizing.

if thats the case then black ops is gonna suck... since the wii is the lowest common denominator. Looks like we all get a sloppy wii port?

but yea, wii isnt the main development platform... devs follow the money, not the lowest common denominator.

The problem is not consoles but that pc gamers don't buy enough games. I suspect it is a combination of piracy and MMO addiction. The people I know that are still heavily into pc gaming spend most their time in MMOs and then maybe buy or steal one or two single player games during the year.

Gothic 4 was clearly ruined by trying to attract Fable fans but if Gothic 3 had sold a few million copies they would have at least kept the traditional Gothic gameplay and challenge.

dc337

A game selling enough is subjective. A game that cost 1m to make; will clearly have to sell less to break even than a game that cost 20m to make.

The problem is people keep demanding more, more of everything. How do you think we ended up in the mess that is this generation, where the 3rd party are fleeing cross platform to accommodate their higher expenses? I'm of course referring to both PS3/360 and PC here.

But they keep demanding more. More more more, which needs higher sales to compensate for.

At what point will it be enough? When all creativity and originality has been chased out of the market, because games cost $60m a piece to make; and they have to make damn sure they sell enough?

PC doesn't sell enough to accommodate these costs, but neither does PS3 or 360; given that they are getting the same cross platform treatment.

if thats the case then black ops is gonna suck... since the wii is the lowest common denominator. Looks like we all get a sloppy wii port?

but yea, wii isnt the main development platform... devs follow the money, not the lowest common denominator.

markinthedark

You are being silly including the Wii, clearly I was talking PC/360/PS3 cross platform.

[QUOTE="AnnoyedDragon"]

[QUOTE="nameless12345"]

Elaborate. All you PC fans know to say is that the "evil" consoles are "bottlenecking" the PC, but when it comes to devs saying that there is too much piracy on the PC and that their games don't sell good enough, you just say they are overblowing it. Isn't that true? :D

nameless12345

Instead we would see all the PC developers expanding into consoles

That's already happening. See how many more former PC exclusive franchises are going multiplatform - Crysis 2, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, ect.

[QUOTE="nameless12345"]

There is a lot of talk how consoles are the "bottleneck" preventing the PC from excelling. But is that really so?

The truth is that many graphically demanding PC games do not sell as good on the PC as on the consoles.

For example Crysis cost millions to make but sold only about a million and a half, which is nothing compared to Halo 3 sales on the Xbox 360 (more than 8 million copies sold).

Games like Modern Warfare 2 sell excellent on the consoles too, so it's logical that devs of these games focus more on the console versions.

Furthermore, games like Gears of War flopped on the PC sales-wise, which explains why no more Gears of War games for the PC.

Bottom line is: the consoles don't hold back the PC, but there is more profit on the consoles for a lot of action-oriented games so many devs and publishers rather focus on them.

Mystic-G

If it is as good as gears, It could.

[QUOTE="Mystic-G"][QUOTE="nameless12345"]

There is a lot of talk how consoles are the "bottleneck" preventing the PC from excelling. But is that really so?

The truth is that many graphically demanding PC games do not sell as good on the PC as on the consoles.

For example Crysis cost millions to make but sold only about a million and a half, which is nothing compared to Halo 3 sales on the Xbox 360 (more than 8 million copies sold).

Games like Modern Warfare 2 sell excellent on the consoles too, so it's logical that devs of these games focus more on the console versions.

Furthermore, games like Gears of War flopped on the PC sales-wise, which explains why no more Gears of War games for the PC.

Bottom line is: the consoles don't hold back the PC, but there is more profit on the consoles for a lot of action-oriented games so many devs and publishers rather focus on them.

Advid-Gamer

If it is as good as gears, It could.

[QUOTE="dc337"]

The problem is not consoles but that pc gamers don't buy enough games. I suspect it is a combination of piracy and MMO addiction. The people I know that are still heavily into pc gaming spend most their time in MMOs and then maybe buy or steal one or two single player games during the year.

Gothic 4 was clearly ruined by trying to attract Fable fans but if Gothic 3 had sold a few million copies they would have at least kept the traditional Gothic gameplay and challenge.

AnnoyedDragon

A game selling enough is subjective. A game that cost 1m to make; will clearly have to sell less to break even than a game that cost 20m to make.

The problem is people keep demanding more, more of everything. How do you think we ended up in the mess that is this generation, where the 3rd party are fleeing cross platform to accommodate their higher expenses? I'm of course referring to both PS3/360 and PC here.

But they keep demanding more. More more more, which needs higher sales to compensate for.

At what point will it be enough? When all creativity and originality has been chased out of the market, because games cost $60m a piece to make; and they have to make damn sure they sell enough?

PC doesn't sell enough to accommodate these costs, but neither does PS3 or 360; given that they are getting the same cross platform treatment.

if thats the case then black ops is gonna suck... since the wii is the lowest common denominator. Looks like we all get a sloppy wii port?

but yea, wii isnt the main development platform... devs follow the money, not the lowest common denominator.

markinthedark

You are being silly including the Wii, clearly I was talking PC/360/PS3 cross platform.

Why do Hermits care? It's not like everyone that buys a PC is buying it from the same company.

[QUOTE="Advid-Gamer"]

[QUOTE="Mystic-G"] So you're telling me Crysis 2 will sell 8 million copies on the 360? Mystic-G

If it is as good as gears, It could.

The problem is not consoles but that pc gamers don't buy enough games. I suspect it is a combination of piracy and MMO addiction. The people I know that are still heavily into pc gaming spend most their time in MMOs and then maybe buy or steal one or two single player games during the year.

Gothic 4 was clearly ruined by trying to attract Fable fans but if Gothic 3 had sold a few million copies they would have at least kept the traditional Gothic gameplay and challenge.

dc337

Is that why Dragon Age is being dumbed down after selling 6 million or so copies?

Why do Hermits care? It's not like everyone that buys a PC is buying it from the same company.

clr84651

The problem is not consoles but that pc gamers don't buy enough games. I suspect it is a combination of piracy and MMO addiction. The people I know that are still heavily into pc gaming spend most their time in MMOs and then maybe buy or steal one or two single player games during the year.

Gothic 4 was clearly ruined by trying to attract Fable fans but if Gothic 3 had sold a few million copies they would have at least kept the traditional Gothic gameplay and challenge.

dc337

Clearly, you know nothing about Piranha Bytes or the Gothic series. Gothic 4 was developed by another company(Spellbound Studios), while Piranha Bytes, the original makers of Gothic, went onto the Risen series. Risen 2 is currently in the works. Gothic 4 was not ruined to attract Fable fans, it was made by another company, obviously not as seasoned or talented as Piranha Bytes.

You should really start researching stuff before you spout stuff out that is inaccurate and false.

[QUOTE="Advid-Gamer"]

[QUOTE="Mystic-G"] So you're telling me Crysis 2 will sell 8 million copies on the 360? Mystic-G

If it is as good as gears, It could.

For example Crysis cost millions to make but sold a lot less than it could if it were multiplatform. On the other hand, Halo 3 on the Xbox 360 sold more than 8 million copies.

Crysis sold arounod 3mil+ if memory serves right, thats damn good for a franshise that isn't even as established as Halo and considering the steep requirements for its time

Games like Modern Warfare 2 sell excellent on the consoles too, so it's logical that devs of these games focus more on the console versions.

Pssh, MW2 sold well on PC as well, it was on the Steam most popular for quite some time. And IW said themselves they were quite satisfied with the sales

Furthermore, games like Gears of War were said to sell poor on the PC, which may explain why no more Gears of War games for the PC.

Why Gears of War failed:

a. No DD, it wasn't on Steam. Impulse, Direct2Drive or any other DD service (which is quite dominant in the pc market)

b. TPS aren't popular on the PC

c. It got release on the PC around the same time frame as Crysis, The Orange Box and COD4...Alot of strong competition.

Bottom line is: the consoles don't hold back the PC, but there is more profit on the consoles for a lot of action-oriented games so many devs and publishers rather focus on them.

Actually in a sense it does, if consoles had better control schemes and hardware then multiplat games which were originally for the pc wouldn't need a compromise (eg, smaller scale of levels, simplified gameplay etc..).

nameless12345

I know something that is holding back the PC..... It's called Piracy.

I know something that is holding back the PC..... It's called Piracy.

xhawk27

Piracy is an issue, It isn't holding back PC.

[QUOTE="xhawk27"]

I know something that is holding back the PC..... It's called Piracy.

Ikuto_Tsukiyomi

Piracy is an issue, It isn't holding back PC.

It is a problem. How much I don't know but its a problem for devs and for a money issue. Consoles are more profitable in terms of loss of sales due to piracy which is lower on Consoles then PCs.

[QUOTE="Ikuto_Tsukiyomi"]

[QUOTE="xhawk27"]

I know something that is holding back the PC..... It's called Piracy.

xhawk27

Piracy is an issue, It isn't holding back PC.

It is a problem. How much I don't know but its a problem for devs and for a money issue. Consoles are more profitable.

Piracy doesn't have a number, Due to the fact you don't know if the pirater buys the games after, So it isn't holding back PC, also Consoles have piracy too.

[QUOTE="xhawk27"]

[QUOTE="Ikuto_Tsukiyomi"]

Piracy is an issue, It isn't holding back PC.

Ikuto_Tsukiyomi

It is a problem. How much I don't know but its a problem for devs and for a money issue. Consoles are more profitable.

Piracy doesn't have a number, Due to the fact you don't know if the pirater buys the games after, So it isn't holding back PC, also Consoles have piracy too.

The rate of Pircay on Consoles are much lower than on the PC. This is a Fact. Now that MS had new measures to deal with Pirates in the new Dashboard update you see it go much lower on the 360.

[QUOTE="Ikuto_Tsukiyomi"]

[QUOTE="xhawk27"]

It is a problem. How much I don't know but its a problem for devs and for a money issue. Consoles are more profitable.

xhawk27

Piracy doesn't have a number, Due to the fact you don't know if the pirater buys the games after, So it isn't holding back PC, also Consoles have piracy too.

The rate of Pircay on Consoles are much lower than on the PC. This is a Fact. Now that MS had new measures to deal with Pirates in the new Dashboard update you see it go much lower on the 360.

That maybe the case, But till you get some full facted numbers on how much a dev has lost due to piracy it cant be debated. That is fact. and Also there update will do bugger all, Once hackers are in its pretty much over to stop them.

[QUOTE="Ikuto_Tsukiyomi"]

[QUOTE="xhawk27"]

It is a problem. How much I don't know but its a problem for devs and for a money issue. Consoles are more profitable.

Piracy doesn't have a number, Due to the fact you don't know if the pirater buys the games after, So it isn't holding back PC, also Consoles have piracy too.

The rate of Pircay on Consoles are much lower than on the PC. This is a Fact. Now that MS had new measures to deal with Pirates in the new Dashboard update you see it go much lower on the 360.

PC games make plenty of money, otherwise no one would bother making PC games.

Take SCII and Halo:Reach as an example. They sold about the same amount in the first month. But SCII made MORE money for the publisher, since over 50% of the sales were digital. Most PC game sales now a days are digital, which means each copy makes more money for the dev, than a console retail sale.

In fact looking over the sales figures for some of the top publishers, the PC consistently comes in a close second or third, except in Activision, where it's the number one platform by a long shot.

Consoles hold back the PC? Think again.

nameless12345

Thinking...............................................

DONE

Consoles hold back the PC. Oh gee wow some things never change (yes I read your post BUT steam has sweet deals.... cant beat that!)

I think that without consoles, gaming would be dead. There are very few developers that can sustain only making games for PCs when sales are stagnant for genres besides shooters and strategy games. Consoles are the most popular form of gaming (more popular than PC could ever become) and are keeping the industry afloat.

I love that the op say "More people buy games for console" Whop the **** do, thats why < . >

people should demand more especially in a world where they pay more and get less. mw2 had a 60$ price tag and had a terrible, short campaign and crappy multiplayer, halo reach did nothing new and has a bad multiplayer, bfbc2 has a crappy singleplayer and an unbalanced buggy multiplayer (terrible hit detection), rpgs are getting really shallow and just have awful stories (me2), fighting games are becoming ridiculously easy. The only games that really hold their value are racing games imo.

ironman388

And the cause of most of those problems is the art/advertising budget cannibalizing from other areas.

When I say people demand too much, I am referring to technology. A wall used to just be about polygons, textures and lighting. Now you have normal mapping, specular mapping, dynamic shadows and who knows what else. Plus you don't want it to look copy pasta, so you need more walls to add variety. All of this means bigger teams spending more time on each object, expensive.

Look at how we judge value in SW, it's a never ending obsession with graphics, declaring superiority over who has the shiniest visuals. Since when has consoles been about visuals? They are supposed to be affordable, accessible, mainstream gaming solutions. SW treats them like they are supposed to offer enthusiast experiences, often going as far as placing them in comparisons with high end gaming PCs.

This isn't healthy, not for the gaming industry. And its a hard mentality to get out of, because the people in SW aren't about to give respect to games that aren't modern looking.

Every console generation is about who has the better technology, who can push the higher end visuals. Well we've hit the cost ceiling, so where do they go from here? Smaller games with less content and bigger price tags. Spending as much, if not more, on advertising as they do on making the game; in order to break even at today's inflated development budgets.

And that's just today, what will tomorrow bring when costs are considerably higher?

If we want more content and value from our games, the ever inflating graphics budget needs to get under control.

Consoles are the most popular form of gaming (more popular than PC could ever become) and are keeping the industry afloat.

richsena

Killing it more like it. I expect the console business model to die over the next few generations; and be replaced with something else to suit the mainstreams needs.

And for the record, if consoles weren't around; what do you think would happen to the sales on the only surviving gaming platform?

I think that without consoles, gaming would be dead. There are very few developers that can sustain only making games for PCs when sales are stagnant for genres besides shooters and strategy games. Consoles are the most popular form of gaming (more popular than PC could ever become) and are keeping the industry afloat.

richsena

Console gaming more popular than PC Gaming?!? :shock: