Why PC Gaming is Gonna DIE

EDIT: Since a bunch of people have decided to make comments about my post without actually reading past the title of my post, please read what I have to say before you put out your opinion. Otherwise please do not bother at all.

OK I’m no expert in the area of pc gaming, or even PC’s, or even games at all. I’ve never programmed a computer game and probably never will. I’ve never put together a computer before (I buy laptops remember?) Yet I think the people who design computer games are retarded.

Let’s take an example. I go out and buy this massive $15000 gaming rig with its 30” Dell widescreen and GeForce 8800GTX and all that jazz and I call up my friend and say, dude I got this awesome new computer, wanna come over and try out some of these newfangled games? So he comes over and we’re thinking, so what should we play first. Except of course we can’t actually play against each other because apparently he has to bring over his whole damm computer and his monitor and his keyboard and mouse and everything he owns if he actually wants to play against me. Huh?

C’mon guys this is 2006. We have 30” widescreens, gigantic power-drinking 1000W beasts that can beat Gary Kasparov at chess in between cycles devoted to searching for extraterrestrial intelligence, wireless everything, and yet for some reason I still can’t play a game on the same system against my friend even though Nintendo has been doing it since the 80’s (unless it’s Worms…great game by the way.) What is the barrier here? It’s not a lack of power, it’s not that monitors are too small, it’s not that you don’t have enough USB ports, it’s not that there isn’t enough space in your room for another wireless controller or mouse/keyboard. I tell you, it’s stupidity, or just a total lack of creativity, since apparently all creative thought has been funnelled into developing DirectX 10 through 40, making games look more real than real life, the megahertz race, the core race, the watt race, you name it they are having a race about it.

Is there anyone out there who has said to themself, man, the best time I ever had gaming was when I smashed 5 other civilizations in Civ 4 playing all alone in my room at 3am. No, it’s more like, the best time I ever had was when I owned 5 of my friends with headshots in one round in CS and then went 42:3. Or when me and my friends had a 5hr battle in Starcraft with 3 bajillion hydralisks, tanks, and dragoons and I won by mind controlling everything on the map. Or when me and my friends had a gigantic destructoderby in carmageddon and smashed each others faces in and nobody made it to the finish line. Notice a pattern?

And you wonder why pc gamers are antisocial, we aren’t allowed to socialize, we are prohibited from socializing. If you want to socialize and play games against your friends you either have to drop a bunch of cash in a cybercafe or everyone has to lug their 40lb rigs to one person’s house and somehow find enough space, outlets, and wattage for all those behemoth pc systems. You think gamers are strong? If they were fit they wouldn’t be sitting inside playing games like ubergeeks, they would be outside playing football and getting chicks. And yet you expect them to somehow carry their massive desktops around town, up stairs, and around houses? (I exaggerate of course, not all gamers are total losers, just all of them except me.... )

If PC gaming was Smart like console gaming, we wouldn’t have LAN parties. In fact, there would be no name for it at all, and if there was, it would be something like “dude-you-guys-wanna-head-to-ryans-place-and-get-high-drink-some-beers-and-play-GTA-on-his-computer.” As it stands, playing computer games in person with other people takes far too much effort.

…

I’m not finished yet.

Another reason why pc gaming is stupid: why do you need a degree in computerology to figure out what computer you need to buy to play any given game. With a console, it’s so simple your Grandma can understand it. You buy a console. You buy a game. You put the game in the console and then you play the game. Whoaaaaaaaaaa that is so f'ing brilliant it blows my mind.

Yet apparently pc gamers like to make things more complicated. Like they think they’re smarter than everyone else or something. So with pc games you need to figure out what the difference is between Core Duo and Athlon, the difference between ATI and Nvidia, the difference between an X1400 and Go 7600, the difference between shader model 2.0 and 3.0, the difference between a R520 core at 400 Mhz with 600 Mhz memory and a R600 core at 550 Mhz with 400 Mhz memory, and so on and so forth. Why does it have to be so freakin complicated?

I propose a solution. Microsoft will put its hegemonic world-dominating monopoly to good use for once and develop a game scoring system. Let’s call it Game Score. This would be a standardized test similar to 3DMark but actually applicable to gaming. The test would be updated every year, so we would have Game Score 05, Game Score 06, and so on. Every game would be given a score between 1 and 10. You would run the test on your computer and it would give you a score between 1 and 10 depending on how well your computer completed the test. So, for example, your computer has a Game Score of 4.8 but you want to play Crysis which needs a Game Score of at least 7.2. Your computer can’t play the game, but Game Score will tell you that you need to spend $150 to upgrade your graphics card to at least a Nvidia 7800GT, and it will provide the links to a list of retailers like newegg which will ship the card right to your house.

Or say your computer’s Game Score is 5.2 but Half-Life 2 requires 5.0. Game Score will tell you you can play the game but only at XGA resolution and no shadows. Essentially it would be like Vista Score but applied to games. So simple. Why can’t it be that f’ing simple? Why hasn’t somebody thought of this yet?? (or probably a better question, I’m sure someone has thought of it, why hasn’t anyone done anything about it?)

There are so many more things I could whine about here but I’ve wasted enough of your and my time. Anyways, until the people in charge of making PC games decide to stop lining their wallets with the same old hacked games in the same old genres and spewing out mindless expansion after expansion, pc gaming will just continue losing market share, and game developers will just keep on migrating over to consoles until one day, there just won’t be anyone playing pc games anymore.

 

Erm about you saying tis complicated i disagree its not complicated at all you can find out if you google the game what it needs if your pc has it you can play it yes it maybe low could be high depends on your machine and your wallet.

I agree with the hall your pc around when m frieind comes round he does sometime have to bring his PC, But then agai if he cba or if cant program called Teamspeak can chat and play online or via direct ip connect even thought very few games support it now.

Gamescore great idea you have found but i doubt it will happe, yes consol gaming is easier and it always will be because you cant upgrade them but imo their is better games on them anyway but i wouldnt say PC games are dieing just on a downhil at the moment as not every one can afford an 300-400 pounds graphics card e.g. 8800GTS/GTX to run all at full whack.

 

What the heck?? I am not even going to comment on that quote.

I didn't care to read to read your whole rant. I will tell you why. Computer technology rapidly outpaces console technology due to easy upgrades. This means that developers will produce better games (graphically) for computers. Second, everyone owns computers. It's easier to access games on computers. Many people cannot or will not afford consoles.

Therefore I would say, safely, that computer gaming will NEVER die.

 

That is pretty funny. I won't read anything you have to say past the first line but then I will make assumptions about your argument and then draw conclusions which never took into account anything you wrote in the first place. I have only one question: why did you bother to post at all?

 

I`ve been reading announcments of PC gamings imminent decease for as long as I`ve been gaming.

Which is from 1990 or so.

 

Mark1989 I'm struggling to translate your post into English but then again you are probably having the same problem with my post. Cheers.

BTW about googling hardware requirements, that entails you know what the hardware requirements mean once you actually find them out. The point of what I was saying was that it can be simplified a lot more than that so that anyone can understand. It is very easy to understand why 8 is bigger than 6, not so easy to understand why a 3 Ghz Pentium D is slower than a 2Ghz Core 2 Duo.

 

So you're saying that you, the "only non-loser gamer in the world", lack a degree in "computerology", so you're too stupid to figure out how to install a game on a PC , hence you get your equally stupid grandma to buy you consoles.

And then you said that console gaming is "smart". I think you're just confused.

You criticize the fact that it is difficult to move PCs to LAN parties, but you forget that first, we're on a laptop forum, and second, consoles require TVs, and TVs are rather large.

You criticize the fact that PCs cost a lot of money, and that once you buy a nice one, only one person can use it at a time. However, if you want to play a four way splitscreen game on a console, you'd have to get a very large and expensive TV for $3000. PC game can be played over the internet for free once you make the initial purchase. Consoles rip you off because you have to pay for the online service, which charges a monthly fee.

Finally, you say that if PC gamers were strong, they'd be "carrying their rigs around town, outside, and around the house"; and that they'd be playing football and getting chicks. I don't know about you, but I've never seen anyone walking around town with a PlayStation under their arm (with a TV under the other arm, ofcourse). I've also never seen a person bring a console to a football game.

I'm not necessarily saying that PCs are better - I have an Xbox and I used to play it a lot back in highschool - I'm just saying that the grape is sour, and the only reason you're wasting your precious football cheerleader wooing time is that you can't get chicks no matter which type of games you play.

 

No the cost of PC's was one thing I actually didn't complain about.

I think you may have missed the point. The point is that you don't need to drag around your console and TV to play together with your friends because you can already share the same system. Unlike with computers.

 

Edited by moderator

 

I read your post and I agree with many points. However, I don't think i PC gaming will end. Here are my two reasons:
1). Some games work better on the PC. I have yet to see a RTS that does well on a console. RTS games are just awkward with the simple controls of a controller and a mouse/keyboard combo works way better. MMORPGs also are good for PCs. Whereas consoles have three different online services (Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo), the internet is nearly available to everyone and thus attracts more MMORPG players.

2). More importantly, I completely agree consoles are better game systems. After all, that is what they are designed to do. But what about the Ipod? It's a much better music player than the computer. If I wanted to carry my tunes with me I'd definitely choose to bring that over a laptop/desktop. Yet, will computers stop having audio players? No. I'm sure people would enjoy listening to music from a computer as they are typing or doing some other work. Similarly, as long as computers exist, with people who are willing to procrastinate and open a game once in a while, PC gaming will not decline.

 

edited by moderator

 

Evil_sheep, arguements aside, you can write.

Your suggestion (gamescore), it's out there. Check this out, it's even better than what you have in mind. I think PC gaming is still out there because of a few factors that aren't available or new to consoles. Like online gaming, downloadable games and so on. I personally prefer FPS games on a keyboard and mouse. With consoles to keep up to date, you need to buy a newer console (PS1, PS2, PS3). With desktops, all you need is to upgrade a part at a time. It's not possible with a laptop but you would then have portability.

I play pro evolution soccer and need for speed with a friend of mine with joysticks and one screen (PS2 style). If PC gaming dies, I think laptops might survive. You can carry a PSP in your pocket, but without a laptop you can't enjoy more demanding games on a plain or a train.

 

Would you? Mull over that for a little while. Laptop vs Xbox. Difference in functionality? Hmm...

However, let's just have it your way, and assume that everyone in the world is a retard, and that they buy computers just for gaming - I think computers would still win as far as gaming capabilities are concerned. To put it bluntly, console games are really just dumbed-down versions of PC games that use less keys that you can play sitting on a couch. That, and the fact that you can further reduce your screen real estate by a factor of four in the name of "having a life". Honestly though, a gaming life is an oxymoron, no matter which type of game.

"Star Gazing from the Steps of the Temple of Solomon". Good thesis? It's a real one someone actually did. You know a person is good when they can BS their way out of mishmash like that.

What's stopping you is the slowly aging yet un-upgradeable hardware on your consoles. That, and the fact that a 64 player game on a console would be completely unmanageable. Maybe if they started making keyboards for consoles, but that would just make it a PC with a TV for a monitor...

 

Yeah, that's brilliant, exactly the kind of thing I had in mind. But now it has to become mainstream, which means some big company like Microsoft or Google has to make it a standard. It's not like there is no precedent, there just has to be willpower. Sometimes I get the feeling that the big game companies have mostly already given up on PC gaming, seeing how lucrative console gaming is (and how much better they can control it.)

As long as PC gaming remains too complicated it will just remain inaccessible, not because people CAN'T figure out all the numbers and specs but because they won't want to bother when they can just pick up a console and go game.

 

As far as I can tell laptops are becoming more powerful and more game oriented all the time. Ok they're more expensive than desktops but they are the portable gaming solution.

As for putting the games in and just playing them that's what consoles are for! If that's what you want, buy a console. If you wanna play games, write DVDs, surf the web, type documents listen to music and watch tv all on the same rig, buy a pc.

I get your argument about playing games on the same rig but I fail to see how that would be practical. You'd need 2 keyboards and mice on a lot of say fps games or two gamepads or something which I suppose could work with the right coding but who wants to play on a tiny split screen anyway? Only massochists and Goldeneye addicts.

The last part about gamescore is a good idea but that would involve companies becoming integrated and working together which will frankly never happen. I think with PC games a tad of knowlege will always be required to check compatability in games. If you don't know whether your game works on your machine or not you don't deserve to play the game. I'll bet a load of people know what features their mobile phone or their tv have but ask them what cpu their laptop has and they'll be like 'oh its a centrino duo'. No, that's not a cpu. What cpu does it have? 'Erm...' People expect to own and use such complicated devices without knowing jack about them. These are the people whose system is clogged up with 300 running processes and they complain when it's slow.

If you want the quick and easy buy an xbox 360. If you can be bothered to make the effort a gaming laptop is a great purchase. Otherwise accept things as they are and look for the way forward rather than condemning things for not being your ideal.

 

SORRY FOR THIS LONG POST

what a stupid post this is... don't worry, i'm not mad at you wasting my time reading this but the things you just said are a bit one sided... so im gonna say my side. this is awful!

why do pc gamers like to make things so complicated? because we don't want to lie around and wait for the next PS3 and drool over its specs not knowing what the hell does GHz and the numbers do. being complicated results into things being more simple. others think of complicated things so that others can benefit from it in a simple way. i hope you bust out your console so that you'll know why is it important to know your system... be it a pc, a laptop, or a console...

and i also think that your idea is good about having a unified scoring system... but you do not have the EXPERIENCE as other people have. why propose a grading system for gaming-systems if you even do not know the aspects behind it. you can't brag about your idea. say it to them and i hope someone will slap you with a thick paper and say "study first, little one"

why will pc game die, just by saying you are in the console-side? i think pc gaming also has to do with the COMPUTERS having the ability to process data into useful information (documents,music,photos, etc). why create pc games? because the computer can play games. it has the ability to beat kasparov on chess, like you say, or help create useful documents...

think of this... you picture a very creative and genius professional wanting to have a rest by playing a GAME... will he switch off his 40-pound-workstation-gaming-rig and turn to his HDTV and play an XBOX? or if he does not have an xbox, what would he do?! will he just burn himself because of that? no... the computer-PC-game is the option for that.

why buy yourself a laptop (or ask someone else)? because you (or the others) want the power to do anything (almost, PLAY GAMES, create documents, play pong, listen to some music, watch and download porn, etc).

why buy a PC? because you don't have to brag about your system and want to let it sit in the comfort of your home... by the way, forums are created so that WE computer-illiterate people can learn with the halp of others by giving opinions to help others DECIDE with their money they are going to spend.

why buy a console? because you want to trick your grandma into buying you one? what the... yes you do not need to upgrade it and plain simple... huh?! did i say its gonna die in the next few years ("you do not need to upgrade it") after 'new' (no such thing as 'newer') consoles with ten equivalent ps3 chips?

BECAUSE WE WANT TO... and PC gaming won't die out. as long as there are people who strive to take the bore out of looking into a PC after their work and the one's who don't like to game on their TV because they have the laptop to chew on... PC games wont die out.

gonna edit this one... am feeling sleepy and iritated. sorry

 

Also an important point is that a lot of people are getting games illegal. It could be a reason that the pc is going to die (if it does, which i don't believe yet).

 

Don't worry, I'm only posting AFTER I read everything.

I wouldn't exactly call them retarded, remember they are making some of the most complex software ever.

If you can afford all that, you could afford a headset and a fast internet connection. Playing online with TeamSpeak is almost as good. Remember those 30" screens are never marketed as portable.

My best memories of PC gaming was the 60 player OFP game with no respawn. That was awesome, especially when we sabotaged our Company Commander.

I'm not anti-social. As a first year uni student, my life is pretty much all about social. I have a steady relationship, I party a fair bit, but don't drink excessively. I'm not what you would call "strong" (I barely passed the armed forces fitness requirements, ****ed pushups) but I don't care, I'm cool the way I am. I play video games because I enjoy it. The same way I play Cricket and Baseball, because I enjoy it.

That's merely because you can't organise the logistics. I get a call from my mate:
MATE: "Hey, wanna come round and play some Dawn of War?"
ME: "Sure, who else is coming?"
MATE: "Dunno, but I'll pick you up in ten minutes."
ME: "Just let me shower first."

Ten minutes later, he pulls up in the drive way, and I jump in with my PC, mouse, speakers, mic, headset and game case. It's not that hard. It's why I bought myself a notebook.

On this 30 minute notice, we usually get four or five guys from around the shire to jump in. It's awesome.

Do your research and you'll have a much better gaming experience, console or PC. Research is the difference between Company of Heroes and Barbie Horse Adventures for you next purchase.

Actually, it may be the other way around. With consoles becoming more and more like PC's by the generation. Soon they'll just be a well marketed PC model.

Console gaming is just as complicated as PC gaming. With a PC, every game will run on it (if your PC is good enough). With a console, if I buy a PS3, and then fall in love with Halo 3, well, I'm just SOL aren't I? There are advantages and disadvantages to each camp, but you didn't really make any valid points.

 

If you think pc gaming is going to die youre just not old enough.

PC gaming was much larger than it is now in the orignal days.

And then it completely died. Nintendo and sega took over

And then it revived with the fallout type era.

So in general it goes through cycles. It could even completely die and come back.
I do think this year will be a bad year to make pc games, with the new consoles.

 

edited by moderator

 

Interesting. I like most pc gamers am used to the mouse/keyboard setup for pretty much everything apart from driving games which really need a gamepad or a wheel in my view. Personally, rather than get used to 5 different types of controller I'd rather keep the same ones - mouse/keyboard and my ps2 style rumble gamepad for driving games. Yet another reason to choose a pc over a console.

 

I think the OP is the epitomisation of internet troll - don't worry, that's me posting after I stopped reading the post at "I think PC game designers are retards" Can't argue with that reasoning

FPS, RPGs and strategy will keep the format alive. Not to mention Microsoft are pushing 'Games for Windows'

 

I strongly disagree... your view only serves for people that want to socialize in person....

I play games with a very good friend everyday at night using skype to comunicate. It's very good and we talk about everything during the game.

 

****, was writing a long reply to each of your points, but then the browser decided to delete it.

Here goes the short version.
Your first point:
BS.
It's not innovative to do what Nintendo, by your own words, have done since the 80's. And while consoles let 2-4 people play together, many PC games let you play together with 32 or 3000 others.
And it's quite possible for you and a friend to enjoy a singleplayer game together as well. And when almost everyone are using notebooks, it's not that hard to bring your PC in any case.

All the games you mention as "best times gaming" are PC games that do not require you to drag your PC anywhere because they can be played online. (And Civ4 has quite good multiplayer, incidentally, and can be played on one computer)

On a PC I can talk on forums, chat on IRC and talk on skype even while playing a game. Can you do that on consoles?
PC gaming doesn't seem antisocial to me.

And your wild exaggeration doesn't help. We don't have *that* powerful computers. Most consoles struggle when doing splitscreen multiplayer games and the framerate dips drastically, sometimes into the unplayable. And that could be one reason why it isn't done so much on PC's.

A PC doesn't cost $15000. You can get a quite decent gaming PC for the same price as a PS3.

About your second point, it's a bit more complicated.
First, you're right, PC gaming can be complicated. But you're wrong, some kind of "game score" wouldn't make any difference.
The problem is that performance isn't easy to measure. Intel tried it with the Pentium 4, I think we all know how that went. Vista tries it with that score of theirs as well.

But on a heterogeneous platform like the PC, there are several different components acting together to determine performance. You might upgrade one piece of hardware, and it won't make a scrap of difference in the games you want to play.
You might buy a new graphics card which gives you 20% better performance in one game, but performs 5% slower in another.
And most obviously, games require different things. Some require a fast CPU, some benefit from multicore CPU's while others don't. Some require a GPU with fast vertex shader capability, others rely more on pixel shaders. Some require a ton of RAM. And some require a fast internet connection.
When you have a too low game score, how do you or the computer know which particular component is the problem for this particular game?

(And let's not even get into the issue of objectivity. Should a 7800 be recommended over a x1800? Should NewEgg be promoted over other retailers?)

Because consoles don't suffer from the same, you mean? On consoles, no sequels exist. Nintendo did not just release a new Zelda, and Microsoft certainly isn't working on Halo 3. And Sony hasn't released a Final Fantasy game in the last 8 years.

 

For me it's as simple as I can't remember the last time a PC game was FUN. Wow isn't fun. Everquest isn't fun. FPS are long past their prime on the PC.

Only thing left is spore.

 

Remember: FFXI came out for the PS2 BEFORE it came out for the PC in Japan. I used to play FFXI -- and then got my then-girlfriend to play with me once it was released for the PS2 in the states.

In the end, I agree with whoever said that the idea that PC games are disappearing is an old one -- PC games are a niche market. I, personally, play both console games and PC games -- some of my best gaming memories can be assigned to both realms (playing Guitar Hero with my brother? Awesome! Crawling through my first WoW dungeon with long-time MMO friends? Awesome!).

There are immediate pros and cons for both console and PC-based gaming. I like both, and continue to buy both.. for no good reason in particular. I'd much rather play HL2 on my PC --- same with MMOs, when I dip into them. Some games, to me, just feel like they were meant to be played at a desk, in a chair --- while other games feel at home on a couch, where I can physically shove my little brother when he misses a cord.

But maybe I'm just antiquated! Oh noes!


EDIT: someone else brought up the point that the difference between PCs and consoles is, in fact, getting narrower and narrower. I was excited that my Wii was going to have an internet browser in it ("was" b/c my Wii was stolen, along with all my other console stuff. boo. Maybe it's notable that the thieves *didn't* steal my PC? ).

Anyway, I thought it was a good point, and food for thought.

 

I haven't read anything after half of the first post. But I'm just going to throw something out there.

Most of the arguments in the first post were centered around friends playing games with friends on their computers. All the while overlooking the fact that there are people who play games not because of their friends. RPGs, for example, are immensely popular and not ALL of them are multiplayer.

Second of all, technology is the future, games don't require personal contact anymore. I've made plenty of friends ONLINE and never played with them in person yet we play all the time.

Third of all, the argument about computers being bulky and thus a hindrance to the PC gaming community doesn't mean it will KILL PC Gaming. Really, all it means is that big gatherings (i.e. LAN Parties) will just not be commonplace which is actually a good thing for PC gaming because that way there can be extremely hyped up LAN parties. In fact, I would contend that LAN Parties will never.

Fourth, the argument about the complexity of video games is also faulty. People are smart, just because INSTALLING a video game is more complex then sticking a game into a console doesn't mean it's going to kill PC Gaming. Moreover, I would contend PC Gaming is actually more convenient after you get past the installing part because starting a game only requires clicking on a shortcut.

Moreover, pertaining to this forum itself, in recent years PC gaming has skyrocketed EVERYTHING ELECTRONIC. You cannot deny the fact that PC gaming has created new sound card, new video cards, new desktops, new laptops, even new companies. If PC gaming has the power to create an entirely new industry now and affect almost all the industries around it, the possibility of it dying in the future is practically null.

 

Im sorry, could you please re-read that and tell me it is not hilarious.

And yes I read the whole thing.

You do have a point about the requirements of games being a little complicated but only for someone with very little or no computer knoledge at all meaning they probably wouldnt want to buy a pc game anway. Any game that is purchased by someone with no computer gaming knoledge wll probably run on most computers anyway e.g sims 2 unless they were switching from console to pc.

Also keep in mind that consoles also use basically the same technology as pcs do for games, its just that they design the games so that they will definately work. Bu if someone has a pc with a better graphics card in than someone elses then why not let that personbuy better games even if it means having to check reuirements.

 

Quote by Sylvia: Actually, it may be the other way around. With consoles becoming more and more like PC's by the generation. Soon they'll just be a well marketed PC model.

Altough I'm not a big gamer console or PC, I've to agree with this.

 

Games may not 'require' personal contact anymore, but I sure enjoy playing with a bunch mates beside me rather than some person somewhere in the world. Some of the best times I've had gaming were playing Timesplitters 2 on the ps2 and Halo 2 on xbox. I really do wonder why it's so hard/neglected by PC game developers to have multiplayer on one machine.
They seem to forget the social interaction that occcurs when you're head-shotting your mates and pulling out their controllers . In this regard, PC's will always be second fiddle to consoles.

 

man now thats a nice post one of the best on this site

 

WHAT?

how can you say that sa ill? the first post is subjective and is one sided

horrible

no counter argument or anything, just his POV

oh yea, best foot forward, how would you make it so you can multi play one 1 computer? plug in another keyboard and mouse? split screen on a 19 inch monitor (assuming most people even have 19 inch)?

its not possible or rather not practical to have multiplay on 1 computer thus we have such a thing called LAN or online play

untill we all have projetion/50+ inch tv and using BT stuff, i don't see multiplay on 1 comp happening soon. Also, i do not find no multiplay on 1 computer a fault with the computer, merely a limitation.

one must remember a computer is a PC, personal computer, not a "everyone computer" or "two people at once computer" . a PC is a computer that is designed for 1 person to use at a time

 

I'm also not sure anyone will want to play real-time strategy titles like starcraft/warcraft or similar with a controller.

And how many ways can you divide a 40" HDTV before there are simply too many splits and you cant make out your own box?

 

$15000 huh?

Considering the cost of a PS3 and a good hdtv, the PS3 is probably MORE then the cost of a normal gaming pc.

BTW, it's simple to have multiplayer on a pc. Get a game controller. Then you gotta find a game that SUPPORTS two 'controllers', like co-op serious sam games.

Why isn't this troll topic locked yet?

 

I wouldn't necessarily call this a troll topic, but the topic creator should have known that posting this topic on a gaming sub section of a computer forum would result in the backlash of many that visit these forums who are pc gamers.

Here's my point of view:

PC Gaming is more, I guess you could say, "Hardcore" because it requires a great deal of knowledge to be able to do a bit of research to figure out what computer you need to get in order to play the game you want, and then to install the game. Seriously, it doesn't take much to go onto a forum or a place like system requirements lab to find out what the difference between an nVidia 6150 and a 7900 is. It is simply more, for ignorant people around the world, intimidating.

But console gaming is becoming more and more mainstream because electronics are becoming more and more of an influence in children's lives. With gaming systems like the DS and the Wii, it is becoming easier and relatively cheaper to find games to play for your son/daughter. You can't really just walk into Best Buy, grab a gaming pc and a few games and leave. That's too daunting, you wouldn't know what you got unless you researched, or .. PFF.. asked their knowledgeable... pfff.. staff. And the people who just go out and buy a computer and think it can game are usually disappointed after they realize they were being ignorant. You can, however, just walk into Best Buy, grab a 360, a few games, and get out for under $500.

Yet with Microsoft's new marketing for pc gaming, I think that the industry will thrive and grow larger and larger. And with online companies like Dell, they make it easier and easier for people to get them the right pc for them, like a gaming pc or a multi-media pc. People are seeing those dell commercials with the guy calling dell and it seems sooo easy to get a computer just for you, and it is getting much easier.

PC Gaming, as others have said, will not die because it is too annoying to hook up a mouse and keyboard to a 360 (to play RTS and other mouse and keyboard games), and if you do, guess what, YOU HAVE A COMPUTER. With the PS3, you now have a system that can have linux on it, except with less functionality than a normal pc. More functionality then older consoles? Yes. More than a pc? No. The head ps3 guy said "I wouldn't call it a gaming system, its more of a computer". True, but would you really want to use that to write your college thesis? NO!

And the games, you can play almost all types of games on a PC because most computers come with a mouse and keyboard, and if you need a gaming pad you can get one for cheap. But as I said before, if you get a mouse and keyboard for the ps3 to play RTS, not only is that annoying for the average console buying person, but it also defeats the purpose of getting a console; ease of use for gaming.

The Wii has many things right. It knows its place in the world, a gaming machine. IT is also priced like one. Yet the PS3 does not, it thinks its a computer, and it is priced like one, except it doesn't have the functionality nor will people actually try to make it into one, Because PEOPLE ALREADY HAVE COMPUTERS! So what is the point of getting a PS3?

 

Totally OT, but I went in to Best Buy to get a wedding gift for a friend of mine, and was looking at some of the Ultra-Micro PC's, specifically this one. The salesdweeb wandered over, and said to me "Pretty neat, eh? It's really cool! It's got a 40GB hard drive, and a gig of RAM, and I think it even has a Pentium 4 in it."

Don't EVER trust the salesdweeb's advice. Do your research online to make sure you know what it is and does, then buy there if it's convenient.

 

Playing devil's advocate aren't we, Evil?

Well you do elaborate your points quite well and point out some truths about PC gaming. But hey man, I'm a PC gamer all the way. I think of my Xbox (which is now broken by the way) as a relaxation tool, whereas my PC is my gateway into the world of "pwnage". In fact, it looks like the console market---with the debatable exception of the Wii---is becoming more and more PC like all the time. They're all just dedicated gaming PC's, sold at cost to promote software sales.

 

you have some good points. however i love gaming on pcs way more than on consoles as well as lans are just every one dragging their pcs over its a big event its social and its full of gaming.

lans are for hanging out with friends showing off your rig and getting some frags.

getting a good pc is simple if you just look on line for maybe a day and see what games you like and buying something better than the recommended so that your pc will last a while.

pc games are also better because most times playing on line is free. unlike the xbox where you have to pay per month to play a game you already payed to play and pay for intenet connection to use your xbox life.

pcs are for hardcore gamers wether your good or not at gaming doesnt mean that your hardcore or casual. its how much you play and how much your into it. if you only play games on occasion or with groups of friends at random then yea consoles are better. the whole ease of moving a console around is the reason that i got a laptop its just as easy and you dont have to find t.v's to hook up to so that you can play all you need is 1 outlet. dont get me wrong i know its a pain to move over your huge gameing rig and mess with updates and all that but after a lan or 2 its pretty simple to do.

one more thing... you dont need some huge 30 inch wide screen lcd monitor... i use a little 15 inch lcd and it works fine.

 

Conclusions usually don't bring up new information...Titles usually should relate to the article and be backed up with relevant facts...Rants shouldn't be allowed in forums cause they are just unproductive.

(I read the entire thing btw, it was just so senseless that I couldn't even counter with an argument [because seriously i tried to] ).

Good day sir.

 

I'm not even sure how to reply to this post.

There are so many poor arguments in your post...
So your friend comes over to play a PC game, but can't because he didn't bring his own. I mean, wow... thats like crying about how the two of you can't play Halo multiplayer because you both can't play with one controller.

Consoles and PC have always had 2 different niche markets. And now I dare say Nintendo added a 3rd with the Wii.

Cost? Are you joking? Lets see, if you want to play games that look as good on a console as a pc this is what you will need:
A Xbox 360 or PS3 = $400 or $600
1080i HDTV = $1500+
Extra controller = $50

Wow, thats more than a gaming PC that you can buy direct from Dell. And as much, or more than a good gaming laptop.

So say, me and 15 of my friends want to get together to have a good face to face lan party with Halo 2. We need to make sure we have 4 Xbox's and 16 controllers as well as 4 tvs (we used projectors in our labs at the university).
Is that harder than everyone bringing their own laptop or pc? I really don't think it's much more convinient to bring over 3 more TV's and make sure everyone has a controller and we have all 4 xboxs.

Game developers have nothing really to do with the development of DX10. I'd say only half the games on PC use DX. And how is developing an API that allows better graphics show a lack of creativity in game developers?

Yeah, sure some of my best times gaming have been with 12-16 other people playing Halo 1/2 at a lan party. Then again, that requires having the TVs and such. But you know what? I do have a blast sitting in my room at night playing WoW with thousands of other people. Or playing with other people or bots in UT2k4, Civ4, and numerous other games. Funny enough, your comments on that paragraph support PC gaming, no console gaming.

I remember when Oblivion came out, and I was playing it, and I had some crazy stuff happening. I went out on the deck for a smoke break with my roommates who were also playing it. We had a blast talking about the differences in what has happened to each of our characters and our different approaches to obstacles. It was cooll, because it's probably the first game that has brought up that level of unique gameplay.
And yes, I'm away that it's available on the 360, it's just not as pretty
We btw, had it on our pcs and the 360 (running at 1080i).

How can you say PC gamers are anti social? Sure, it's a bit harder to have the interaction of a console. I mean, the Wii pretty much owns in interactivity right now, and is the epicenter of any fun loving drunk group. When you get to college, you'll understand this a bit better. When we all got back from a night from drinking, did we fire up the PS1 (ps2 wasn't out yet)? No...
We fired up Half-life and played some CTF and other mods for it. It was very social. As is playing WoW. How many console games allow you to interact and talk with as many people as you can in WoW?

LAN parties have nothing to do with being console or PC. You cannot have a lan party with a single console or single pc.
LAN = Local Area Network.
A single console doesn't require a network, thus cannot be part of a LAN party.

Really, the only part of your post that I can agree with is that PC gaming is more complicated. But then again, talk to a parent who was shoping for a console for their kids. Consoles are NOT as simple as you think. The parent has to know what kind of games their kids want to play, and which console would suit their kids better.

**edit**
I also wanted to say that I've been gaming for a long time, starting on the Vic20 to a c64 to Nes, etc. I've owned almost every console out there (excluding neo-geo, turbografix 16, and a few of the other ones like CDO). I plan on buying a Wii in January and a 360 when I buy an HDTV (and possibly a PS3 when it comes down in price). I am not in the PC camp nor am I in the console camp. I enjoy both types of gaming.

 

BTW, to anyone reading this post: There's nothing wrong with playing with your friends. Theirs also nothing wrong with being simple minded, theirs still gotta be some left in the world, obviously. But their is something about speaking out against things you don't understand and refuse to understand, while being an assimilation of the things I mentioned.

 

First of all, thanks for all your comments, yes even the multitude of pithy snide remarks. I’m literally overwhelmed by the response. I’ll try to address as many points as possible.

You’re smack on the money bud, that’s what I do

You’re right, and a few people have made similar comments to that effect: consoles are becoming more like computers, now they can play DVD’s, surf the net, play online. In other words, consoles are adopting all the strong points of PC’s while PC gaming has not been adapting and adopting the strong points of consoles.

This has been a bit of a red herring. I never meant to imply that PC gaming is expensive. The point I was making with the $15000 PC is that, no matter how much money you spend on your PC, you still can’t do some simple things, like split-screen, that a console can do.

I’ve used a lot of hyperbole to underscore my points, and I know that has offended people but you know what? Kiss my ass, you think I care?

I hardly think so. I really do think there is a market for playing splitscreen on a PC…PC monitors are getting bigger and bigger these days, most of them sold today are 19 or 20” and right up to 30”. I don’t think it’s a ridiculous idea at all to play split screen on one. Not to mention you can also plug your TV into your computer pretty easily and more and more people are doing so.

Yes there are social aspects to playing online multiplayer with other people, but it just isn’t the same as playing in the same room with other people. I’m sorry it just isn’t.

It is not as social, just like flirting on MSN is not the same thing as flirting in real life. I’m sorry it just isn’t and never will be. With consoles, there are no barriers to playing with your buds in the same room. All you need is another controller. But with PC’s, yes it can be done, but it takes a lot more effort. It should be just as effortless as with consoles, there is no good reason why it can’t be done period.

You and I are on the exact same wavelength.

Computers are complicated. They probably will always be complicated to operate because of their inherent nature but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be trying to make them as simple and accessible to everyone as possible. The less time wasted figuring out how to use a computer the better.

It’s like saying, why don’t we go back to DOS; people are too stupid if they can’t figure out how to type in codes and command lines to run programs.

That’s great, there’s a good reason you don’t manage a computer product because thinking like that will mean you will go bankrupt. You see there’s something out there called a “market.” You may have heard of this term, it means the other 95% of the population who buys computer products. Yes many of these people are completely ignorant of computer products but you know what? They are the ones who spend the money and pay your bills. And right now they are the ones who are buying PS3’s, buying XBOX’s, buying Nintendo Wii’s and not buying PC games because even a well-trained monkey could figure out how to use one. Unless PC gaming learns this lesson it may eventually be shut out of the market.

Why thank you I take that as a great compliment coming from you.

Are you saying this problem is too complicated to solve? A simple Game Score system? Maybe the real problem here is a lack of imagination and a world full of whiners who complain "it can't be done, it's too hard, you'll never succeed."

By the way that's what they said about Google and ad-based revenue, not to mention half-a-million other innovations out there.

Not to mention there are already precedents, such as Vista Score, or this http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/ as Bobdare pointed out.

 

"You know what, this is the biggest problem facing PC gamers. ARROGANCE."

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but all thru this post, you've done nothing but breed arrogance and ignorance.

I can see how sometimes people need to know the truth about themselves, but if some people act a certain way to you, for the life of me I cannot see how it helps for you to act the same way.

 

I'm really disappointed in this thread and a lot of the remarks that are flying around here.

Evil_Sheep is trolling, don't mistake it for anything else, and just because there might be a legitimate point here and there, a lot of what he says collapses under scrutiny.

That, and he explicitly states in a post that his thread headline was supposed to be an attention grabber and that he doesn't think PC gaming will die. We have a case of someone who really did come in here largely to stir up trouble.

That said, while some of the posters can be relied upon to turn this charade into something at least moderately intelligent (Jalf, Sylvain), most of you are just spewing flames back and forth, and I can't imagine why a mod hasn't come in here and locked this up yet. This is a thread that wasn't ever worth starting to begin with and the reason is this:

PCs and consoles are two separate things. I didn't buy my desktop to game, I bought my 7600GT to game. I bought my desktop to be a COMPUTER, a multi-purpose appliance that can be used for all kinds of crazy things, including but hardly limited to gaming.

Games exist for the PC.
Consoles exist for the games.

Know the difference.

Someone lock this thread.

 

This thread is closed. It has gotten out of hand since I last logged on.