Nvidia / HP : Consoles are Dying ( 1 gen left )

that's no joke, they really can be hard to use for some people, my wife for example finds it very hard to do anything with a PC outside of facebook, and trust me, she has really tried, i have tried to show her how to many things with a PC but she really struggles with it, not everyone is so technically minded.delta3074

Unless computer manufacturers start building computers similar to consoles in terms of ease of use, i think consoles will stay around.

quaappybla

If anything, consoles are becoming more and more like PCs, albeit much less customizable.

Pretty much every single thing consoles have done or started featuring this gen has been done on the PC before. 3D, more prominent online integration, beta versions of games, "HD" resolutions, installs, DLC, updates/patches, you name it.

I wouldn't be surprised if a Steam equivalent service launches on the next batch of consoles, and digital distribution becomes the norm for consoles as well.

[QUOTE="quaappybla"]

Unless computer manufacturers start building computers similar to consoles in terms of ease of use, i think consoles will stay around.

C_Rule

yea... ive never had to install a specific set of video drivers, search the web for a dll file, or edit an ini file to get a console game working.

You just put the disc in and play...

[QUOTE="delta3074"]that's no joke, they really can be hard to use for some people, my wife for example finds it very hard to do anything with a PC outside of facebook, and trust me, she has really tried, i have tried to show her how to many things with a PC but she really struggles with it, not everyone is so technically minded.clone01

Lol... "real world..." But yeah I have no idea how computers work outside of "push a button and something happpens." Call me stupid but it's the truth.

BTW clone, Eraserhead is the strangest movie I've ever seen. I still don't know whether to love it or hate it, after veiwing it twice.

It still doesn't change the fact that the exclusives people want are on consoles....

[QUOTE="delta3074"]that's no joke, they really can be hard to use for some people, my wife for example finds it very hard to do anything with a PC outside of facebook, and trust me, she has really tried, i have tried to show her how to many things with a PC but she really struggles with it, not everyone is so technically minded.clone01

[QUOTE="C_Rule"][QUOTE="quaappybla"]

Unless computer manufacturers start building computers similar to consoles in terms of ease of use, i think consoles will stay around.

delta3074

Computers aren't "hard" for me at all, but I find it annoying to have to troubleshoot games which happens anywhere from 10-25% of the time. Games are honestly probably the most buggy software you can get because of all the different GPU's and driver numbers. Usually the fix is only a few minutes or having to download an additional file, but I'm sure everyone has experienced an issue that has taken them HOURS (if not a full day) in order to get their game finally running on their machine - I've had it where I had to do a wipe all the drivers and do a fresh O/S install just to get a game running. If I was less persistant I probably would have just said screw it.

For other people I'm sure just knowing the hardware requirements is daunting enough, but when they have the hardware requirements and the game still doesn't run easily, that's pretty much a slap in the face. Considering you can't return opened software either, it's a pretty huge negative.

it depends how much pc technology advances in the next 10 years, it could all change.

because pc is at the front in terms of graphics development so if pcs change consoles will to, whether it will be good or bad for them or not we don't know.

[QUOTE="C_Rule"][QUOTE="quaappybla"]

Unless computer manufacturers start building computers similar to consoles in terms of ease of use, i think consoles will stay around.

delta3074

Is'nt that baffling in and of itself? Personally, I find Facebook to be a confusing waste waste of life and I'm a Hermit through and through. If you're intimate with Facebook, you're equipped to become intimate with PCs...... I don't care how hard anyone's tried, if they do know to use services like that, they have the capacity to understand the basics needed for gaming.

[QUOTE="Inconsistancy"]

Holy mother of all things pineapple, it has a rental service? wat?@!?

ChubbyGuy40

Don't remember if its D2D, but some DD service has a rental type service.

D2D has one, but it's $5 dollars for 5 hours of game time. Doesn't really seem worth it in my book... I'd rather go through Onlive if I was desperate enough to rent PC games.

Excllusives and constant fps rate (for the most part) are what made me buy a console this gen, didn't have one since Saturn.

[QUOTE="delta3074"][QUOTE="C_Rule"] Computers are hard to use? :lol:2Chalupas

Computers aren't "hard" for me at all, but I find it annoying to have to troubleshoot games which happens anywhere from 10-25% of the time. Games are honestly probably the most buggy software you can get because of all the different GPU's and driver numbers. Usually the fix is only a few minutes or having to download an additional file, but I'm sure everyone has experienced an issue that has taken them HOURS (if not a full day) in order to get their game finally running on their machine - I've had it where I had to do a wipe all the drivers and do a fresh O/S install just to get a game running. If I was less persistant I probably would have just said screw it.

For other people I'm sure just knowing the hardware requirements is daunting enough, but when they have the hardware requirements and the game still doesn't run easily, that's pretty much a slap in the face. Considering you can't return opened software either, it's a pretty huge negative.

[QUOTE="2Chalupas"]

[QUOTE="delta3074"]that's no joke, they really can be hard to use for some people, my wife for example finds it very hard to do anything with a PC outside of facebook, and trust me, she has really tried, i have tried to show her how to many things with a PC but she really struggles with it, not everyone is so technically minded.delta3074

Computers aren't "hard" for me at all, but I find it annoying to have to troubleshoot games which happens anywhere from 10-25% of the time. Games are honestly probably the most buggy software you can get because of all the different GPU's and driver numbers. Usually the fix is only a few minutes or having to download an additional file, but I'm sure everyone has experienced an issue that has taken them HOURS (if not a full day) in order to get their game finally running on their machine - I've had it where I had to do a wipe all the drivers and do a fresh O/S install just to get a game running. If I was less persistant I probably would have just said screw it.

For other people I'm sure just knowing the hardware requirements is daunting enough, but when they have the hardware requirements and the game still doesn't run easily, that's pretty much a slap in the face. Considering you can't return opened software either, it's a pretty huge negative.

Here's where they tell you "it's somehow all your fault."

Excllusives and constant fps rate (for the most part) are what made me buy a console this gen, didn't have one since Saturn.

Elitro

Oh dear, you certainly did'nt get what you bargained for then ;)

Sorry, consoles are very more convinient and easy to use. Just like consoles will always be inferior to PC's on the technical level...PC's will always lag way behind in the ease of use department.

testament1

It could be a streaming service similar to OnLive (Which also has rentals.) I'm not 100% on how it works.

And yeah, thats totally preference. I find PC way easier to use and more convienent. Does everything, and does everything the best. Maybe they work best for 5 year olds, but if you can't operate Windows 7 you might not be fit to operate a computer at all. (Expect that to get even easier with Windows 8.)

[QUOTE="delta3074"][QUOTE="C_Rule"] Computers are hard to use? :lol:Filthybastrd

Is'nt that baffling in and of itself? Personally, I find Facebook to be a confusing waste waste of life and I'm a Hermit through and through. If you're intimate with Facebook, you're equipped to become intimate with PCs...... I don't care how hard anyone's tried, if they do know to use services like that, they have the capacity to understand the basics needed for gaming.

[QUOTE="C_Rule"][QUOTE="quaappybla"]

Unless computer manufacturers start building computers similar to consoles in terms of ease of use, i think consoles will stay around.

SoBaus

yea... ive never had to install a specific set of video drivers, search the web for a dll file, or edit an ini file to get a console game working.

You just put the disc in and play...

Well I sure as hell hope they don't. Fact of teh matter is that LAN Parties are nothing compared to sitting on the couch with your buddies playing a round of NHL 12, and because of that, consoles will always be around.

[QUOTE="C_Rule"][QUOTE="quaappybla"]

Unless computer manufacturers start building computers similar to consoles in terms of ease of use, i think consoles will stay around.

delta3074

The newer generation of kids grew up with pcs, i doubt its only 1 gen, i imagine both will move toward eachother.

Consoles will become more like PCs, PCs will be shipped with simpler interface with options to have it like it is now. 1 generation though? I dont think so 2 more at least.

Otherwise technology is moving so fast that consoles become obsolete the day they are shipped now.

[QUOTE="Filthybastrd"]

[QUOTE="delta3074"]that's no joke, they really can be hard to use for some people, my wife for example finds it very hard to do anything with a PC outside of facebook, and trust me, she has really tried, i have tried to show her how to many things with a PC but she really struggles with it, not everyone is so technically minded.delta3074

Is'nt that baffling in and of itself? Personally, I find Facebook to be a confusing waste waste of life and I'm a Hermit through and through. If you're intimate with Facebook, you're equipped to become intimate with PCs...... I don't care how hard anyone's tried, if they do know to use services like that, they have the capacity to understand the basics needed for gaming.

Well, I'd be a liar if I claimed that tweaking individual settings does'nt inhabit the twilight realm of 5 minute guides and year long educations. Crysis, for example took me a very long time to get right and there is still room for improvement to this very day:

Anyway, even PC games with proper gfx options still have presets that work just fine for inexperienced users. Incidently, it's things like GFWL that gives me the most hassle. Right now, I'm unable to play Bioshock 2 because of it for example.

Edit: For a taste of what Crysis, clink any of the images ;) I'm going to expand across the entire game once I get time to play it through once more. Discrepancies are due to me tweaking here and there as I go. And it has the weirdest and most broken V-Sync I've ever seen..... It's not just broken, it locks to 50 fps most of the time, cutscenes jump to 150 and gameplay sometimes exceeds the intended limit of 60 by 10-20 fps......

pc gaming is dying, console gaming is dying, handheld gaming is dying.... yea, been hearing too much of this lately.

Hopefully not. I don't want to play MMOs, RTS, WoW, and Farmville all day.Mr_Cumberdale

i disagree, PC's have always been way ahead in power but that hasn't stopped consoles from selling before, why would it be any different now?delta3074

[QUOTE="quaappybla"]

Unless computer manufacturers start building computers similar to consoles in terms of ease of use, i think consoles will stay around.

ehussein1379

intel and AMD are both working to kill off consoles

so is Valve

google Sandy Bridge and AMD Bulldozer

will they be succesful? yes, Intel and AMD will most likely make a cheap CPU that offers the same power as a console without the need for a GPU or any upgrades

will this kill off consoles for good? no, but it will hurt them

[QUOTE="delta3074"][QUOTE="C_Rule"] Computers are hard to use? :lol:edinsftw

The newer generation of kids grew up with pcs, i doubt its only 1 gen, i imagine both will move toward eachother.

Consoles will become more like PCs, PCs will be shipped with simpler interface with options to have it like it is now. 1 generation though? I dont think so 2 more at least.

Otherwise technology is moving so fast that consoles become obsolete the day they are shipped now.

Xbox and PS3 are allready PC's, just locked down

Consoles are dying... really?

How come we see multiplats that never get a PC version? How come PC exclusives slowly move towards the consoles?

Consoles are dying... really?

How come we see multiplats that never get a PC version? How come PC exclusives slowly move towards the consoles?

flashn00b

HIGHLY doubt it! Consoles are growing!!! Those are companies wanting to sell you a new $600 card every month! There's plenty of room for consoles AND pc, but consoles are actually far more bankable. I'd agree that M$ is done with next gen however. Their lack of exclusives and Kinect fever being the reasons.

HIGHLY doubt it! Consoles are growing!!! Those are companies wanting to sell you a new $600 card every month! There's plenty of room for consoles AND pc, but consoles are actually far more bankable. I'd agree that M$ is done with next gen however. Their lack of exclusives and Kinect fever being the reasons.

flexin007

Except my rig has been more than adequate for 3 years.... In fact, I'm still literally maxing all games at 1920*1080 with high levels of AA. Ubersampling in TW2 is the exception but that's because it's literally SSAA.....

Edit: I realize that 460 is'nt that old but it's actually a little slower than the 285 I had and I'm not really sure my second 460 is really providing me with much but E-peen, all things considered. Well, I have a hard time not experiencing 60 fps now, but that's hardly a good thing ;)

HIGHLY doubt it! Consoles are growing!!! Those are companies wanting to sell you a new $600 card every month! There's plenty of room for consoles AND pc, but consoles are actually far more bankable. I'd agree that M$ is done with next gen however. Their lack of exclusives and Kinect fever being the reasons.

flexin007

Also, it's no where near once a month that they(amd/nvidia) come out with a top of the line 600$ card, they do that once or twice per series, and each of those lasts a yearish.

Consoles will be around for a generation or two more, but I think there are a lot of factors that make it unlikely we will have multiple consoles beyond that point.

The dynamics of the industry are already creating a situation where it would be much more beneficial to have only one platform. Games are becoming more and more expensive to make and massive amounts of resources are being eaten up by the need to make multiple platform versions of each game. This factor alone will heavily push the gaming industry towards a single platform solution.

Also, for videogames to truly mature as an art form and an industry I believe we need to move to a standardised format. Think about the movie industry, we don't have to buy 7 different types of DVD players simply to be able to enjoy all the movies we like.

There are many reasons that the PC is best positioned to be the single gaming platform of the future.

As long as console exclusives still exist, console gaming will not die.DarthBilf

[QUOTE="flexin007"]

HIGHLY doubt it! Consoles are growing!!! Those are companies wanting to sell you a new $600 card every month! There's plenty of room for consoles AND pc, but consoles are actually far more bankable. I'd agree that M$ is done with next gen however. Their lack of exclusives and Kinect fever being the reasons.

Filthybastrd

Except my rig has been more than adequate for 3 years.... In fact, I'm still literally maxing all games at 1920*1080 with high levels of AA. Ubersampling in TW2 is the exception but that's because it's literally SSAA.....

Edit: I realize that 460 is'nt that old but it's actually a little slower than the 285 I had and I'm not really sure my second 460 is really providing me with much but E-peen, all things considered. Well, I have a hard time not experiencing 60 fps now, but that's hardly a good thing ;)

The same could be said of consoles. I know plenty of people who are perfectly happy with the PS3 and 360, which 7 years after the beginning of this gen, still play most games at "more than adequate" settings

[QUOTE="Filthybastrd"]

[QUOTE="flexin007"]

HIGHLY doubt it! Consoles are growing!!! Those are companies wanting to sell you a new $600 card every month! There's plenty of room for consoles AND pc, but consoles are actually far more bankable. I'd agree that M$ is done with next gen however. Their lack of exclusives and Kinect fever being the reasons.

Kickinurass

Except my rig has been more than adequate for 3 years.... In fact, I'm still literally maxing all games at 1920*1080 with high levels of AA. Ubersampling in TW2 is the exception but that's because it's literally SSAA.....

Edit: I realize that 460 is'nt that old but it's actually a little slower than the 285 I had and I'm not really sure my second 460 is really providing me with much but E-peen, all things considered. Well, I have a hard time not experiencing 60 fps now, but that's hardly a good thing ;)

The same could be said of consoles. I know plenty of people who are perfectly happy with the PS3 and 360, which 7 years after the beginning of this gen, still play most games at "more than adequate" settings

Thing is.. I'm playing at twice the resolution and twice the framerate.... What consoles have going for them is that the consumers don't know any better. This is'nt exclusive to SLI rigs like mine either... I'm way overkill for most games apart from the permanent 8xTransparency AA and max gfx quality I have enabled on a driver level.

Edit: That means 1920*1080, V-Sync and significant AA levels.

If you're a PC gamer, you know it's never as simple as "16xAA".....

I give it about two more generations. The fact of the matter is the graphics tehcnology and what is being done in computing will make even budget based PCs way ahead of what console makers can (afford to) put out there.

Everyone needs a PC. Heck, you're posting on this forum from one. In ten years (approx the duration of two gens) a $300 notebook will make your current gen consoles look absolutely pathetic. And, the question begs to be asked, what will console makers be putting on the shelves in ten years for $300? Nothing worth holding on to. We've already seen consoles this gen go to the 4 and 5 hundred dollar range (yes, the 20GB launch PS3 counts, why not)..

Consoles have to get more expensive to warrant the long development cycles that make them relevant to publishers who have to go through the "re-emergence" phase of seeing brand new hardware cycles flourish or flounder. Meanwhile, a PC ten years from now will still be able to play Diablo 2 just fine as well as Diablo 5. PC remains constant while consoles are starting from nothing everytime they launch. What this means is console makers are going deeper and deeper into their pockets (and yours, obviously) just to make something that looks halfway relevant in its sixth or seventh year.

As we have seen with this generation (just look at Battlefield 3 if you want to argue me), bigger and more powerful and mroe expensive consoles still cannot keep up with the technology in PC or even in the same ballpark. Eventually, to have a console worth half a damn they will all need to be $600 or else. At that price, what's the advantage a console has over a PC? It's not like building driver support for a controller is necessarily difficult. The line between the two is going to get blurrier and blurrier until it becomes irrelevant.

---snip---

PC ten years from now will still be able to play Diablo 2 just fine as well as Diablo 5.

----snip---Shewgenja

[QUOTE="Kickinurass"]

[QUOTE="Filthybastrd"]

Except my rig has been more than adequate for 3 years.... In fact, I'm still literally maxing all games at 1920*1080 with high levels of AA. Ubersampling in TW2 is the exception but that's because it's literally SSAA.....

Edit: I realize that 460 is'nt that old but it's actually a little slower than the 285 I had and I'm not really sure my second 460 is really providing me with much but E-peen, all things considered. Well, I have a hard time not experiencing 60 fps now, but that's hardly a good thing ;)

Filthybastrd

The same could be said of consoles. I know plenty of people who are perfectly happy with the PS3 and 360, which 7 years after the beginning of this gen, still play most games at "more than adequate" settings

Thing is.. I'm playing at twice the resolution and twice the framerate.... What consoles have going for them is that the consumers don't know any better. This is'nt exclusive to SLI rigs like mine either... I'm way overkill for most games apart from the permanent 8xTransparency AA and max gfx quality I have enabled on a driver level.

Edit: That means 1920*1080, V-Sync and significant AA levels.

If you're a PC gamer, you know it's never as simple as "16xAA".....

You missed the point. There is a large difference, but it's overall effect is diminished because most console players don't care.

I played Oblivion on the 360, and modded to high hell on the PC. The difference is night and day, but honestly, it's not that important to me. A game is much more than the sum of it's parts, and I feel like the graphical part of many games is significatly overhyped. I'm able to immerse myself in Minecraft far more than I am able to immerse myself in Oblivion and the Witcher, or something like GTA. Amensia absolutely trounces every blockbuster I've played this gen in terms of atmosphere (Will work up the courage to start playing again eventually though :P) and it's really not doing anything fancy on the graphics front.

I move from the PC, to 360, to Wii and DS frequently. And not once have I ever seen graphics as being a major choice in what game I'm going to play. Monster Hunter Tri looks like vaseline, but I find it infinitely more enjoyable than Fable and the first Witcher. I still think AoM is a better RTS than something like King Arthur (Not to diminish King Arthur: The Wargame though. Seriously is an awesome RTS in the vein of the Total War Series, but with magic and roleplaying)

So to reiterate, most people are perfectly happy with their consoles. Which play at "more than adequate" settings; adequate here being a subjective value defined

[QUOTE="Shewgenja"]---snip---

PC ten years from now will still be able to play Diablo 2 just fine as well as Diablo 5.

----snip---Inconsistancy

[QUOTE="Inconsistancy"]

[QUOTE="Shewgenja"]---snip---

PC ten years from now will still be able to play Diablo 2 just fine as well as Diablo 5.

----snip---OICWUTUDIDTHAR

Consoles are indeed on their way out. The upcoming gen is likely the last before they merely synthesize with PCs, which is what they're imitating anyways.

I'd rather consoles not go away, they are a good filter so that the the communities on PC are older, more understanding, and smarter in general.

I'd rather consoles not go away, they are a good filter so that the the communities on PC are older, more understanding, and smarter in general.

BigDaddyPOLO

PC still can't get me splitscreen on a 50" TV. Too bad that's going away on consoles as well. I love not having to lug around another console to a friends house to play. All I have to do is bring my controller, some games that he doesn't have and a USB stick with my profile/XBLA games and I'm good to go. PCs don't have that aspect, something that is a huge factor for me. Playing with my friends on the same couch and same TV is much more fun than playing online and talking through a microphone

However I have no illusion that console gaming will likely die within a couple gens. But the day that happens will be a sad day (I'm sure SW will explode too). I will be mourning the loss of same-couch multiplayer.