Why are consoles trying so hard to emulate the PC?

[QUOTE="John_Read"][QUOTE="1080pOnly"]

Yeah but why do the consumers accept it? Why pay for features that the PC gives you for free, especially when they work better in most cases. Why pay for a closed environment that is starting to go against the reasons it was created in the first place?

1080pOnly

Steam can be played in offline mode. DRM is appearing in console games ala needing to go online on day one to download content that is already on your disk using a code in your manual....

It doesn't matter what way you look at it, as some people have pointed out, consoles are STILL far easier to use.

I'm not saying that using a PC is difficult. On the contrary, I know much more about the PC than the majority of my brainless peers, but that still doesn't make it as hassle-free as a console.

They are not trying to emulate PC, just add functinality and ease of use to PC like functions, rigth in your living room and a few clicks away, without any need for a huge cumbersome PC

What they are trying to do is replace PC for common functions that could be done easilly with a pad and in your living room

The goal of consoles as I see it, is to have everything that's good about PC gaming, isolate it away from what sucks about PC gaming, and charge an entrance fee. There's nothing difficult about getting into PC gaming, but there's alot that's annoying that alot of people would rather not deal with in their off hours. If you're paying $60/hr, I have no problem diagnosing driver issues for you, or tweaking your system, or figuring out what's causing your program to crash. When I come home, that's the last thing I want to do for free. The last straw for me was having Red Alert 3 constantly crash on the 4th mission. Every single time I ran the program, it would get to a certain scripted point, and crash. At that point I was beyond trying to figure out if it was the driver, the card, DirectX, some program in the background, or something else. I just wanted to play the damn game and I was livid. Another time I bought Splinter Cell : Double Agent on Direct2Drive, and it was running at like 1 frame-per-second on my new video card. I spent every free moment for the next 3 days updating drivers, even FDISK everything and reinstall Windows, and still couldn't get the game to work properly. Add to this frustration, malware such as "Always On DRM" and "SecuRom" and I'm simply not paying for that, categorically, I refuse. Like how some people refuse to pay for Xbox Live? I totally understand that and feel the same way, but I feel even stronger about DRM. Piracy is not my fault. I didn't do it. I am not going to pay any developer to make their protection my burden. From what I hear these days, PC gaming is even worse. Driver SF will have Always-On, Diablo 3 gonna have a RL cash marketplace, and now there's multiple "services" you have to login to in order to play games. Multiple places where a CC is stored, multiple registrations, multiple accounts and passwords. No thanks. These days, when I schedule 2 hours to play a game, I get on my recliner, and spend 2 hours playing a game. Not 2 hours tweaking settings. Not 2 hours loading drivers. Not 2 hours with tech support trying to figure out why I'm crashing in mission 4. But 2 hours chatting with friends on XboxLive, having fun GAMING. That's why next gen I'll still be on console. And next gen you'll still be hollering to me about graphics and "Why didn't I get the superior PC version." I still use a PC to play some games, but after Dragon Age II went Origin-only, I really have no desire. To me Steam was bad enough, I don't believe in Digital Distribution. The more I think about it, the more I would accurately describe myself as a Linux gamer. "Console" is a disposable box that I use to game, to avoid having to touch Windows, to avoid Steam, to avoid digital, and to avoid DRM.ZombieKiller7

Brilliant post, exactly what i feel about console gaming, i want to game than care for viruses, upgrades, crashes, incompatibilities, keyboard/mouse controls etc on PC

Plus every game i wanted from PC is now on my 360 (Witcher 2, Diablo 3 etc)

Consoles exist so companies can create closed systems and force the consumer to do their bidding on it. Nintendo has their world, Sony has theirs, and MS has their own too. On PC nobody owns it, and nobody ever will, it's an open world where the consumer has the choice.

Consoles exist so companies can create closed systems and force the consumer to do their bidding on it. Nintendo has their world, Sony has theirs, and MS has their own too. On PC nobody owns it, and nobody ever will, it's an open world where the consumer has the choice.

wis3boi

Brilliant post, exactly what i feel about console gaming, i want to game than care for viruses, upgrades, crashes, incompatibilities, keyboard/mouse controls etc on PC

Plus every game i wanted from PC is now on my 360 (Witcher 2, Diablo 3 etc)

loosingENDS

I don't understand what that has to do with gaming on the consoles over the pc?

There's a huge market that wants high end gaming and have PC features, but don't want to bother with a PC or laptop. Tablets are becoming more and more attractive for those people though, console manufacturers are just trying to own people's entertainment needs.tomarlyn

Why do we live in a world where people want everything done for them or assume technology to do it themselves.

Yeah I game primarily on a PC and this is why I prefer my 360 over my PS3, because it acts more like a console should and not like a gimped PC.

[QUOTE="tomarlyn"]There's a huge market that wants high end gaming and have PC features, but don't want to bother with a PC or laptop. Tablets are becoming more and more attractive for those people though, console manufacturers are just trying to own people's entertainment needs.NoodleFighter

Why do we live in a world where people want everything done for them or assume technology to do it themselves.

[QUOTE="NoodleFighter"]

[QUOTE="tomarlyn"]There's a huge market that wants high end gaming and have PC features, but don't want to bother with a PC or laptop. Tablets are becoming more and more attractive for those people though, console manufacturers are just trying to own people's entertainment needs.tomarlyn

Why do we live in a world where people want everything done for them or assume technology to do it themselves.

But seriously I think it's gets ridiculous when it get's to the point people are too lazy to do something so simple.

I don't think they're completely trying to emulate. 1. You still don't need online to play any of these games. And a Large portion doesn't have online (though a far larger portion does). 2. You can't upgrade. One of my big issues with PC gaming is the need to upgrade. If I had to upgrade my Consoles I would stop gaming altogether. 3. The Consoles are still plug and play. :)

I don't think they're completely trying to emulate. 1. You still don't need online to play any of these games. And a Large portion doesn't have online (though a far larger portion does). 2. You can't upgrade. One of my big issues with PC gaming is the need to upgrade. If I had to upgrade my Consoles I would stop gaming altogether. 3. The Consoles are still plug and play. :)

Puckhog04

No, consoles are no longer just plug and play. A game developer bought a game for his PS3. Once he put the disk in the drive, it started automatically installing to the HD. Then once it finished installing, the game wouldn't start until it downloaded a patch and installed it. The patch was corrupted and had to be redownloaded. Finally, after 42 minutes, he was able to play said game. While that may not happen with every game, it sure does not sound as if it is plug and play anymore,. After that experience, the developer stated that console gaming is no different than PC gaming now.

Actually I see everything is trying to become a PC. Probably it's just simple technological advancement, smartphones, gaming consoles, they all do a certain range of stuff that a few years ago was only possible with PC's, and even these have passed from a desktop to laptops and now to more handheld form formats like Pads/Palm/Tablet types. To think it all started with those huge mainframes.

[QUOTE="wis3boi"]

Consoles exist so companies can create closed systems and force the consumer to do their bidding on it. Nintendo has their world, Sony has theirs, and MS has their own too. On PC nobody owns it, and nobody ever will, it's an open world where the consumer has the choice.

John_Read

Televisions that run internet and Netflix straight out of the box are a much greater threat to PC's.

[QUOTE="tomarlyn"][QUOTE="NoodleFighter"]

Why do we live in a world where people want everything done for them or assume technology to do it themselves.

NoodleFighter

But seriously I think it's gets ridiculous when it get's to the point people are too lazy to do something so simple.

If anything the PC needs to emulate consoles more. Bleeding edge technology is nice and all, but PC gaming lacks the first party support to truly take advantage of it. Though, I guess that's just one of the many things that differentiate the platforms.

[QUOTE="John_Read"][QUOTE="wis3boi"]

Consoles exist so companies can create closed systems and force the consumer to do their bidding on it. Nintendo has their world, Sony has theirs, and MS has their own too. On PC nobody owns it, and nobody ever will, it's an open world where the consumer has the choice.

wis3boi

[QUOTE="NoodleFighter"]

[QUOTE="tomarlyn"] Thats the whole concept of technology.tomarlyn

But seriously I think it's gets ridiculous when it get's to the point people are too lazy to do something so simple.

Consoles are all about the 'streamlined' experience. Just popping in a disc and playing is what I hear console players want. Consoles are better than PC's because of this, or so I am told by the faithful.

Isn't it a strange thing then that console manufacturers seem to be moving towards more 'PC centric' platforms with software updates and patches, driver updates, hardware ugrades and more integrated network functionality. All of which just gets in the way of the pop n play.

I switched on my PC the other day and launched my favourite game. I didn't pop in a disk, I declined to update my system and was playing with my MS wireless controller in seconds. This seemed to be what the consoles were trying to achieve.

So I wondered to myself why you would choose a console over a PC except for exclusives? And why MS, Sony and Nintendo don't just forget about greedily trying to create a market they can directly control ,losing money in the process by making old, expensive and unreliable hardware, and concentrate on making a fortune out of producing PC software instead.

Then we can all move to PC's and experience the joy of freedom of choice whilst maintaining the consoles core values of ease of play.

1080pOnly

There are really no benefits to having a console version of any game if you have a decent computer. If you can't afford to have a decent computer at the time, then and only then does a cheaper console have benefit. You of course will have to sacrifice graphics and a few other things to stay on par with PC though.

I would say they are emulating PC because they can't keep up otherwise.

Yeah but why do the consumers accept it? Why pay for features that the PC gives you for free, especially when they work better in most cases. Why pay for a closed environment that is starting to go against the reasons it was created in the first place?

1080pOnly

Well your statement is flawed. Consumers accept what they want, thats just how it goes. Why would someone buy a car thats 100k+? OR buy a car that goes over 80mph when most speeds are under 80? Why buy 500$ shoes when you can buy 20$ shoes? Its all in how we feel we should spend our money.

NOW as far as pc making things work "better" in most cases...Ive never played a game on pc that makes anything easy. Configuring your keys may be somewhat easy, but its time consuming and MOST people that just want to play a game dont care to do it OR know how. MOST people want to just jump in a game and GO. Ive never played a pc game thats just "jump in and GO"..ever. AND the one thing that is a PLUS for pc is also its downfall...BEING OPEN...this means there are lots of options,lots of bugs,viruses, lots of everything at times..

Im going to get a lot of replies about how computer illiterate I am. Thats ok, happens every time I say something about PC gaming or pcs in general. Dont care really as I know im right and others out there do as well. I would be ok with gaming on pc 100% and probably give up keeping up with new consoles IF the pc was that easy to manage..Believe me.

Why are PC trying so hard emulate consoles? Was at friend house and he played Wii on PC with terrible frame rate and terrible controls...

aroxx_ab

XenoBlade runs fine for my friend at 1080P 4xaa 16 quality with never a drop in framerate.

It also controlls wonderfully on his Xbox 360 controller.

You friend's PC is just too weak to handle the game.

So the PC plays Wii games better than the actually Wii.

There are many reasons people choose consoles over PC's. People who aren't hardcore gamers, and even some hardcore gamers are not aware that the PC is actually capable of more than the consoles. Many people just think of Facebook games and World of Warcraft when they think of PC gaming.

PC gaming is also very expensive if you are not willing to build your own, and many people just don't have enough self confidence to think that they could do that. Most people fit into this category, believe it or not.

The people who are either unaware of PC gaming or incapable of PC gaming create a huge market for consoles. Most people want to game with their friends, so many people will also buy consoles, even if they would rather game on the PC.

Then there are the games. I typically prefer the gameplay in Japanese games to western games, so up until this gen, I have preferred console gaming to PC gaming (I have always liked PC gaming, too, though). This gen, The Xbox 360 and PS3 have libraries with almost nothing but western games, and the Japanese games they do get usually aren't that good. Nintendo has made some real gems, but their console has next to no 3rd party support, so those gems are few and far between. This is the first gen when I could honestly say that I would rank the PC as clearly superior to the consoles in just about every way.

[QUOTE="aroxx_ab"]

Why are PC trying so hard emulate consoles? Was at friend house and he played Wii on PC with terrible frame rate and terrible controls...

RyviusARC

XenoBlade runs fine for my friend at 1080P 4xaa 16 quality with never a drop in framerate.

It also controlls wonderfully on his Xbox 360 controller.

You friend's PC is just too weak to handle the game.

So the PC plays Wii games better than the actually Wii.

So you are condoning pirating NIN games to use on your PC? This is pretty much what pc gamers brag about daily. The PC is nothing more than a hackbox thats it..thats one reason its finally dying off. Developers dont like putting their time and money into something people are hacking and stealing on every day. Not trying to start a huge argument, but its pretty true..

[QUOTE="RyviusARC"]

[QUOTE="aroxx_ab"]

Why are PC trying so hard emulate consoles? Was at friend house and he played Wii on PC with terrible frame rate and terrible controls...

VanDammFan

XenoBlade runs fine for my friend at 1080P 4xaa 16 quality with never a drop in framerate.

It also controlls wonderfully on his Xbox 360 controller.

You friend's PC is just too weak to handle the game.

So the PC plays Wii games better than the actually Wii.

So you are condoning pirating NIN games to use on your PC? This is pretty much what pc gamers brag about daily. The PC is nothing more than a hackbox thats it..thats one reason its finally dying off. Developers dont like putting their time and money into something people are hacking and stealing on every day. Not trying to start a huge argument, but its pretty true..