Microsoft and Nvidia exit PC Gaming Alliance

Current PC Gaming Alliance head Matt Ployhar has confirmed rumours that founding members Microsoft and NVIDIA have left the platform advocacy industry collective.

The two gaming tech giants' logos were discovered as having disappeared from the PCGA's site last week, with Ployhar eventually addressing the speculation to Big Download.

While the site indirectly quotes Ployhar as claiming the two heavy-hitters' departure would not affect the not-for-profit group, he would not give reasons for their exit - maintaining that should be done by Microsoft and NVIDIA themselves.

Activision Blizzard, another of the group's founders, departed the PCGA in 2009. Another major member, AMD has apparently now downscaled its status with the group from 'Promoter' to 'Contributor.' Still remaining as Promoters are Dell, Intel, Epic Games, Capcom, Razer and Sony DADC.

In a recent blog post, Ployhar set out his plans for the PCGA and defended its purpose and achievements to date. "A large majority of our members want to continue moving towards exploring ways to provide better leadership to the PC Gaming Ecosystem at large and use the data we've accumulated to make informed decisions to help ship better games."

While he claimed it would be "premature to speculate" on the group's next objectives, he suggested areas of focus should be streamlining gaming hardware requirements, tackling piracy and attitudes towards DRM, and ease of use issues.

In terms of the PCGA's ultimate agenda, he claimed that "We simply want to ship better games, which are more fun, more profitable to the ISVs so they can hopefully keep feeding us more games, but also providing more value back to the consumers."GamesIndustry

The above is the full article. Here's the source.

Is PC gaming dead...again...for good...this time? :o

i'm not sure what this all means, but it sounds a bit bad... both DirectX and NVIDIA cards are important to PC gaming. it's hard to believe that we would lose them, but why would they leave PCGA then?

PCGA is a joke and always has been, MS and Nvidia leaving means nothing really.ManicAce

never heard of PCGA myself, but being a non-profit organization, why would they leave it if it's supposed to promote PC gaming, wich both MS and NVIDIA profit from? i would just like to hear some reasons, since it can't mean they would leave PC gaming altogether.

[QUOTE="GamesIndustry"]Current PC Gaming Alliance head Matt Ployhar has confirmed rumours that founding members Microsoft and NVIDIA have left the platform advocacy industry collective.

The two gaming tech giants' logos were discovered as having disappeared from the PCGA's site last week, with Ployhar eventually addressing the speculation to Big Download.

While the site indirectly quotes Ployhar as claiming the two heavy-hitters' departure would not affect the not-for-profit group, he would not give reasons for their exit - maintaining that should be done by Microsoft and NVIDIA themselves.

Activision Blizzard, another of the group's founders, departed the PCGA in 2009. Another major member, AMD has apparently now downscaled its status with the group from 'Promoter' to 'Contributor.' Still remaining as Promoters are Dell, Intel, Epic Games, Capcom, Razer and Sony DADC.

In a recent blog post, Ployhar set out his plans for the PCGA and defended its purpose and achievements to date. "A large majority of our members want to continue moving towards exploring ways to provide better leadership to the PC Gaming Ecosystem at large and use the data we've accumulated to make informed decisions to help ship better games."

While he claimed it would be "premature to speculate" on the group's next objectives, he suggested areas of focus should be streamlining gaming hardware requirements, tackling piracy and attitudes towards DRM, and ease of use issues.

In terms of the PCGA's ultimate agenda, he claimed that "We simply want to ship better games, which are more fun, more profitable to the ISVs so they can hopefully keep feeding us more games, but also providing more value back to the consumers."Hexagon_777

The above is the full article. Here's the source.

Is PC gaming dead...again...for good...this time? :o

There's very little need for PCGA with good 3rd party stats.

For example,

On the long term, NVIDIA is in anti-PC camp i.e.

1.Intel already destroyed NVIDIA's fleet IGP PC sales with the incoming Intel Sandybridge.

2. NVIDIA's desktop ARM push version 4.0 i.e. version 1.0 was with Acorn Archimedes push, version2.0 was RISC PCpush, version 2.0 was RISC PC 2 push. Like Chrome OS, Acorn (ARM) already used unix like OS targeted for SOHO markets.

PS; AMD already has 5 watts 1.0Ghz Out-of-Order X86 dual core (Bobcat) CPUs with 80 SPU(VLIW5)DX11/full OpenGL 4/OpenCL1.1GPU and southbridge.

The target goal for AMD is NVIDIA Terga 2's just under 2 watts which can be done with AMD's 40 SPU DX11 GPU design + dual core (Bobcat) CPUs.

Against NVIDIA Terga 3(quad-core ARM A15 + 12 core**GPU), AMD has it's own quad-core Bobcat based APU.

**In the past, NV names CUDA stream processors as "cores" e.g. Geforce 9400 IGP has 16 cores = 16 CUDA SPs.

[QUOTE="ManicAce"]PCGA is a joke and always has been, MS and Nvidia leaving means nothing really.groowagon

never heard of PCGA myself, but being a non-profit organization, why would they leave it if it's supposed to promote PC gaming, wich both MS and NVIDIA profit from? i would just like to hear some reasons, since it can't mean they would leave PC gaming altogether.

While I've been aware of the PCGA for a while, I've never really heard of them doing anything. For an organisation that's supposed to promote PC gaming...that's not that good.

I expect it will mean nothing in the end - Nvidia is still going to be selling graphics cards and MS is still going to be providing tool for gaming on Windows (DirectX etc.). Unless it means MS will finally get rid of GFWL!

While I've been aware of the PCGA for a while, I've never really heard of them doing anything. For an organisation that's supposed to promote PC gaming...that's not that good.

I expect it will mean nothing in the end - Nvidia is still going to be selling graphics cards and MS is still going to be providing tool for gaming on Windows (DirectX etc.). Unless it means MS will finally get rid of GFWL!

We simply want to ship better games

Hexagon_777

That's the reason why Microsoft left, better games is not their interest. Kinect is incompatible with better games.

They both have their own businesses to run, so it makes sense to pull out of something outside of their respective companies to save money.

Direct-X and GeForce cards are so lucrative that they will stay on the market.

Microsoft would choose to stop making a console before giving up Direct-X, because that's what allows games to make Windows calls.

LOL,

That was quick. We should honour these last moments in which we can thank Microsoft for all the wonderful games they ported for the PC. Thank you for Fable 3, oh almighty Microsoft, thank you for founding a useless partnership from which you have now pulled out. Thank you for Alan Wake, we knew you cared about our humble PC. Your contribution and support for our cause was most excellent.

Thank you PC gaming alliance, most gracious saviour of the PC. What would we have done without thee?

They didn't leave because of PC, they left because the PCGA is a pointless revenue sink. Anyone should be able to see this.

Seriously, Microsoft giving up on PC gaming when that's one of the major reasons people buy new Windows? LOL.

[QUOTE="Hexagon_777"]

We simply want to ship better games

kuraimen

That's the reason why Microsoft left, better games is not their interest. Kinect is incompatible with better games.

Nooooo.... not the PCGA!!! That's the life and blood of PC gaming.

We're DooooOOOOOoooMMEEDDD!!!!!!!!

[spoiler] [/spoiler]

i'm not sure what this all means, but it sounds a bit bad... both DirectX and NVIDIA cards are important to PC gaming. it's hard to believe that we would lose them, but why would they leave PCGA then?

groowagon

Is anybody really worried? The PCGA charge for members to join and to remain members. To them, it likely wasn't necessary to continue the membership.

The PCGA has been around since 2008 and they have yet to do anything besides come up with statistical reports and have PC gaming booths at certain game conferences. They've done nothing creative.

Nvidia leaving only confirms that the PCGA was a complete joke. Because let's be real, Nvidia's profits continually go up and up. They are not turning their back on PC gaming unless they would want to stop manufacturing video cards and motherboards, essentially bankrupting the company.

Not surprising really. I think everyone should leave PCGA and save some money. What have they done besides statistics?

i'm not sure what this all means, but it sounds a bit bad... both DirectX and NVIDIA cards are important to PC gaming. it's hard to believe that we would lose them, but why would they leave PCGA then?

groowagon

Good riddence? :P

To be fair I think open source Linux gaming with the OpenGL would be a lot cooler than Windows DirectX gaming. People underestimate OpenGL and Linux :)

They didn't leave because of PC, they left because the PCGA is a pointless revenue sink. Anyone should be able to see this. Seriously, Microsoft giving up on PC gaming when that's one of the major reasons people buy new Windows? LOL.DeckardLee2010

The PCGA is less useful than the Sony Defense Force. The SDF at least makes us laugh.

Good riddence? :P

To be fair I think open source Linux gaming with the OpenGL would be a lot cooler than Windows DirectX gaming. People underestimate OpenGL and Linux :)

nameless12345

What exactly has PC Gaming Alliance done? RK-Mara

[QUOTE="RK-Mara"]What exactly has PC Gaming Alliance done? Hexagon_777

I don't know why Nvidia would even consider pulling out...but it's clear M$ is just done with gaming. :)

Good riddence? :P

To be fair I think open source Linux gaming with the OpenGL would be a lot cooler than Windows DirectX gaming. People underestimate OpenGL and Linux :)

[QUOTE="kuraimen"][QUOTE="nameless12345"]Good riddence? :PTo be fair I think open source Linux gaming with the OpenGL would be a lot cooler than Windows DirectX gaming. People underestimate OpenGL and Linux :)1q3er5

[QUOTE="1q3er5"][QUOTE="kuraimen"] Amen to that borther, amen to that. It will happen just be patient, we just need to get rid of Microsoft :)Hexagon_777

I believe he is. The problem with it though, is that it will all from the cloud. Here's what it is so far. Demo from Attack of the Show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSjNJC5Gox4&playnext=1&list=PL3DA369BBE34A2521