Disclaimer: This article does not reflect any stance or opinion held by MyGaming.
One of the most hotly debated topics in the gaming community revolves around the discussion between PC and console. Fans of each platform have spent countless hours arguing over the merits underlying each option, more specifically the decision on which is best in the long term.
Although there is no concrete method to determine which platform is superior it could be argued that in any market consumers will vote with their wallets. This may not determine which option, between PC and console, is the best choice but it may point towards which is more popular.
Below is a representation of the top ten titles ever sold on PC and console. All figures were taken from VGChartz.com, a popular gaming statistics generator.
*In order to remain relevant the console sales number are based only on Wii, Xbox 360, PS2 and PS3 game sales and do not include hand held consoles or older platforms such as Nintendo 64.
PC
1) The Sims -16.08 million
2) World of Warcraft -11.84 million
3) Starcraft – 11.8 million
4) Myst – 8.03 million
5) Half Life – 7.85 million
6) World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade – 6.42 million
7) RollerCoaster Tycoon – 5.34 million
8) Diablo II – 5.33 million
9) World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King – 5.24 million
10) The Sims 2 – 5.21 million
Console
1) Wii Sports (Wii) – 47.29 million
2) Wii Play (Wii) – 24.07 million
3) Wii Fit (Wii) – 21.70 million
4) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2) – 18.02 million
5) Mario Kart (Wii) – 17.21 million
6) Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec -14.89 million
7) Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2) – 14.2 million
8) Grand Theft Auto III (PS2) – 11.6 million
9) Gran Turismo 4 (PS2) – 10.36 million
10) Halo 3 (Xbox 360) – 10.10 million
It is clear that worldwide console game sales are considerably higher than that of PC. Each of the entries in the console list have sold over 10 million copies while only the first three games in the PC category achieved this number.
This could be for various reasons; platform price may be playing a significant role. It is possible that most consumers find consoles, which are generally cheaper than the average gaming PC, a better investment in the long term.
The Xbox 360 for example, was released in 2005 and will continue to be relevant for a number of years. It is currently available for between R2000 and R3500 locally, depending on the package.
In four years since 2005 the PC has changed significantly. Multi core processors, higher RAM frequencies and DirectX 10 driven graphics cards are now the norm and upgrades such as these can potentially be very expensive.
The legacy of the PS2 may be another reason why some would not agree with this comparison. The console was released in 2000 and has had nine years since to accumulate sales figures. It is also the best selling console to date with 138 million units shipped.
Despite this there are a number of PC titles on the list that were released before the PS2. Starcraft is just one example, but regardless of its 1998 release date it has still sold 5.8 million copies less than Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas which was released six years later.
Some might argue that it is the proliferation of online download systems such as Valve’s Steam service which have affected PC sales figures. While this may be true a similar service was recently launched on Xbox Live and has since failed to take off in the way its developers might have hoped.
The real reason behind the lack of PC games sales is simple, and points to what many consider a more than just a thorn in the side of gaming – piracy.
PC titles are easier to pirate than console games and as a result publishers have sold smaller numbers on this platform.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, a game which most would argue is best experienced on a PC, has sold roughly 13 million copies worldwide. Although official sales figures for PS3 and PC are not available it has been confirmed that over 7.71 million copies have been shipped for the Xbox 360 alone. This means that a game which was arguably developed with PC users in mind has sold far more copies in the console market.
In 2008 developer Infinity Ward’s community manager Robert Bowling acknowledged that Modern Warfare 2 was becoming a target of piracy and added that “The amount of people who pirate PC games is astounding, it blows me away that people are willing to steal games (or anything) simply because it’s not physical or it’s on the safety of the internet to do”
It would appear then that when the gaming community complains that Microsoft will not be porting Gears of War to the PC or that Blizzard will not be featuring LAN capabilities in Starcraft II the blame cannot be placed on the ‘vindictive nature’ of developers and publishers but rather the gamers themselves.
The unfortunate reality is that for those who develop and finance the games we enjoy, PC gaming is simply starting to make less commercial sense.
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