The supposed "decline of PC gaming"

[Jabberwocky]

I also wonder if these console exclusives might not also be a good thing in the future for PC gaming.

With these big publishers we love to hate so much for turning out the same unimaginative crap over and over again moving more into the console exclusivity zone... hopefully we might see more experimental and original titles being developed for the PC... where the gap in the market has been left.

I know its wishful thinking, but I can imagine to see the developers with the likes of bullfrog, the old lucasarts, return one day.
Untouched by suits and talking heads in boardrooms who will be too busy ripping console gamers off.
With online distribution, who needs publishers anyway?

[Azimuth]

The author makes some fairly good points. It's probably accurate to say that PC gaming is in a decline - but I don't think it will go away. There will always be a market. There will always be hard-core PC gamers (who will lay the hate on the console players) who will be more than willing to pay the buck to have the latest and greatest rigs.

And let's not forget the mighty power of MMOs. I wouldn't be surprised, however, to find that in a few years, MMOs are pretty much all that's left for PC gamers.

With online distribution, who needs publishers anyway?

Heh, publishers do more than just package the game once it's done. They pay for the development.

[tehNihilist]

And let's not forget the mighty power of MMOs. I wouldn't be surprised, however, to find that in a few years, MMOs are pretty much all that's left for PC gamers.

I am 100% certain that MMOs will move on console sooner than later. It is not like the console does not have access to what is needed to play them. Keyboards, wireless headsets, mouse. It is only a matter of time.

FFXIV Online is coming to PS3, and people are pretty amped about it on MMO sites. I know I am.

[Nictron]

Does the graph include Steam and other Online only sales or is it only retail?

The reason being as how can you compare platforms if you don't include all avenues of distribution?

[Djinn]

I really hope PC gaming does not dissapear. I love tinkering with drivers and graphics cards, it's part of the whole experience but i can see why people would want something that just works.

It's what i grew up on and no matter how hard i try i just cannot enjoy games on a console. Maybe it's the controller, i don't know. Why haven't they made a mouse\KB that will work on consoles?

[Cloudster]

that article was written from a place of pure bias and ignorance.

console games are atleast double the price of PC titles... so when taking sales values into consideration, that must be taken into account. also those are total console sales, all consoles including peripherals for certain games. then you have to consider the fact many people buy their PC games using steam or direct2drive etc. these figures are not included. that is a more accurate representation of where PC gaming is.

when you take the MMORPG market into account you'd realise that not all PC gamers are cheapskates... on that note, i hate the cheapskate c**** who wont buy a single game and pirate everything, you suck and deserve a cruel, slow death you cheap sw!nes.

back on topic... PC gaming is not doing as badly as the console fanboys will lead us to believe. when starcraft 2 comes out and kicks ass the PC will have it's time to shine. not to mention diablo 3... i know it's diablo 3 is probs gonna be multiplatform but you know it'll be 100x better on PC.

i have access to both major gaming consoles and a PC and games on my PC look leagues better than on console... not to mention i get almost double the frame rate.

PC gaming is in a transition period... what it will transcend to i do not know. i know for sure that it's just so much better than any console out there and too good to not survive this.

and to the author, dude seriously... how many PC games are getting nerfed due to console owners not wanting to feel like the PC version totally r4pes theirs? if you were to use cold, hard facts you couldn't deny that PC's are FAR superior

[Vixe]

Agreed with the above post.

The entire article was based on an assumption, with misinterpreted statistics to justify it. The fact of the matter is that the PC is balanced with the console, in terms of success and being future-proof (I hate that term, but for lack of a better word).

[Skurm]

Don't get too used to Blizzard being PC exclusive.

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/12/21/bl...at-some-point/

You can be sure Activision will start exerting some influence sooner or later.
Especially if their next MMO happens to be console (and I strongly suspect it will be, initial rumours regarding it's theme and design paint it as an ideal console mmo).. that'll be the watershed moment. Overnight 12 million 'pc gamers' will become console gamers... Mark my words.

[larch]

that article was written from a place of pure bias and ignorance.

console games are atleast double the price of PC titles... so when taking sales values into consideration, that must be taken into account. also those are total console sales, all consoles including peripherals for certain games. then you have to consider the fact many people buy their PC games using steam or direct2drive etc. these figures are not included. that is a more accurate representation of where PC gaming is.

when you take the MMORPG market into account you'd realise that not all PC gamers are cheapskates... on that note, i hate the cheapskate c**** who wont buy a single game and pirate everything, you suck and deserve a cruel, slow death you cheap sw!nes.

back on topic... PC gaming is not doing as badly as the console fanboys will lead us to believe. when starcraft 2 comes out and kicks ass the PC will have it's time to shine. not to mention diablo 3... i know it's diablo 3 is probs gonna be multiplatform but you know it'll be 100x better on PC.

i have access to both major gaming consoles and a PC and games on my PC look leagues better than on console... not to mention i get almost double the frame rate.

For such a "superior" platform the PC sure is struggling against the vastly "inferior" consoles. And what exclusives are left to attract people to the platform aside from anything Blizzard related? I bought the console solely for the platform exclusives for the Halo's, Gears of War, Fable. Consoles offer the best of both worlds console exclusives and PC titles. My guess is if it wasn't for MMO`s the saving race for PC's it would have been a dead platform. Aside from the MMO`s and Blizzard games what can the PC offer me to entice me back to it as a platform? And a little pro-tip its not about the amount of pixels a platform can push its about accessibility, price, ease of use and longevity.

PC as a platform as been pretty stagnant but the console market is brimming with new ideas and initiatives and inventions. When last did something revolutionary happen on the PC that changed the gaming markets direction? And no another COD game does not count and neither does stereoscopic 3D glasses or being able to run a wide screen setup across 3 monitors.

[Vixe]

I highly doubt that a console MMO will be so ground-breaking that it will compel all PC gamers to buy a console. PC gamers do not simply play MMO's alone, and Cloudster's post clearly marks the advantages of some games on PC over console.