Research Paper Suggests 20M PC Gamers Will Switch To Consoles in 3 yrs. I call BS!

Pieter3dnow said:
............ There plenty of people gaming on the PC that use a console controller (JRPG, some ARPG). I have seen some live streams of Forza 4 being played on a controller.

.........
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OK, but is it a chicken before the egg kind of thing? What I am saying is that what I call "console games" are written both specifically to be played with a controller, and are interactively linked to controller play. It's not the same thing as just using a controller instead of a mouse, and mapping some keys by preference.

Awhile back I was looking for a new open world adventure title and people told me how great Witcher 3 is. I bought it, and I hated the control scheme, but it looked beautiful so I bought a steam link and a steam controller and you know what I found out? I still don't like it, and it's not because of the controller. It's because it's expressly written for a controller. The game play is designed around controller play. So I can't deal with games like that, others can. Saying plenty of people play PC games with a controller is no surprise ....... when the games are designed for controller play and the experience is centered around it.
 
HeadRusch said:
Everyone is going to go console except the hard core......why? Nearly the same experience on a huge bigscreen and not a PC monitor at a desk. Surround sound that just works without thinking. Want a game, buy it digitally and it auto downloads...no Steam or Epic or GOG, how do I use this code.
No driver issues, ever. No compatibility issues, ever.

This means something to non-nerds......I'm fine wearing both hats, my son and daughter both roll on PC....so I'm doing my part to keep the flame alive, but most of their friends are on the couch with the gamepad.
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The desk experience is a positive to me. I refuse to ever play any games if I am not at a proper desk, with a proper keyboard and mouse and a proper monitor.
 
Flogger23m said:
This has been a trend at Costco and Best Buy. Gaming desktops were pretty much dead entirely for a while. Now they once again sell some underwhelming gaming desktops, but still it is a bit of a resurgence.

People will leave PC gaming but more people will come to it as well. PC gaming has certainly become a more higher end experience and many people are willing to pay for it even if they're casual gamers. With the average age of gamers ever increasing I expect this trend to continue. $600 is a lot to a high school kid, but for middle income adults it isn't much of a big deal. A $1500 PC with say $200-300 in upgrades every 1.5-2 years is still cheap compared to almost any other hobby.



I think you're right. I think consoles will still exist but it will certainly be an niche for those with poor internet connections. I also think 10 years is a bit optimistic as much of the world won't have decent internet within 10 years but clearly that is the trend.

Just look to Microsoft, Ubisoft and even Nintendo now. Good or not that is what the big players want.
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Yeah, I forgot about people who don't have decent internet.

But they must be a significant minority by now, right? I mean this is primarily a rural issue, right?

And with us urbanization predicted to be at almost 84% in 2020, that leaves only 16% of Americans in rural areas. And not ALL rural areas have bad internet.

I feel like in 2019 the effect of rural problems on market trends is little more than a footnote
 
So why cant I trade my damn spare rig for a PS4 and Vr bundle?!?!

Or even a PS4 Pro?!


All im getting offered is a OG PS4 and one game for straight trade, and I have to drive to them 3 hours away.. :mad:
 
Snappshoota said:
So why cant I trade my damn spare rig for a PS4 and Vr bundle?!?!

Or even a PS4 Pro?!


All im getting offered is a OG PS4 and one game for straight trade, and I have to drive to them 3 hours away.. :mad:
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I can't speak for everyone, but generally I don't trust anyones used custom builds.

I'd imagine many others feel the same.

That doesn't mean they aren't interested in PC's
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
Yeah, I forgot about people who don't have decent internet.

But they must be a significant minority by now, right? I mean this is primarily a rural issue, right?

And with us urbanization predicted to be at almost 84% in 2020, that leaves only 16% of Americans in rural areas. And not ALL rural areas have bad internet.

I feel like in 2019 the effect of rural problems on market trends is little more than a footnote
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The US is without a doubt a huge market, but what about South America, poor parts of Asian ect.? Those are big and growing markets and I can't imagine they're anywhere near South Korean levels of internet development. I think intentionally it isn't viable to fully switch to Streaming anytime soon. Obviously the companies will give incentives in markets where it is viable to go Streaming. I can see them delaying traditional downloads/physical copies by a month or three to push people to opt for streaming services in the US, UK, ect.
 
This guy is right but for the wrong reasons.

Things like this go in cycles and PC gaming is so red hot right now we are going to be due for a cycle shift.

I think it will largely be driven by cheating as millions of console noobs are hitting the PC, they are going to get angry about cheats and we will see a cycle back to consoles.

Also not thos generation but next we will see online streaming of games do major growth and it will hurt consoles way more than PC.
 
Consoles will never take any significant PC market-share. PC game playing is typically at desk with FAR faster hardware (including display) and much better interface devices (mouse/keyboard). Console players sit on the couch with TERRIBLE game-pads using far slower hardware connected to generally much slower TVs.

Really not much overlap.
 
my gripe with consoles 15 years ago was resolution. But now most games are 1080p so that is not a concern anymore. Now it is the frame rate. If we can get most games at a locked 60fps and 1080p or better, I am down for making the switch.
 
Eshelmen said:
A simpler way to game..

Buy, plug in, and play.

People don't care as much about the uberness of what's inside, or what exact horse power it has. They're realizing that it doesn't matter to enjoy a game.

What's the disagreement?
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Strange comments considering the various upgraded versions of the consoles that have been released to support higher resolutions, frame rates, and new features. If people can stomach $500 just to upgrade a console I'd think they're closer to the horrors of PC gaming than they realize, and the next wave of consoles are probably going to be glorified PC hardware-wise anyway.

Anecdotally, my 11-year old nephew has a PS4, Switch, etc...but the last time he saw me playing on my PC he started asking how difficult it was to build one, how expensive, etc. Even my old hardware completely wipes the floor with any of the consoles, and you can get that stuff super duper cheaply if you buy used. The gaming market is bigger than ever and always growing; I don't think there will be any shortage for either consoles or PCs.
 
Ha. While not impossible, the only plausible reason for such a thing would be someone with a lot of pull destroying our hobby. A self-fulfilling prophecy
 
dgz said:
Ha. While not impossible, the only plausible reason for such a thing would be someone with a lot of pull destroying our hobby. A self-fulfilling prophecy
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Good point. So why does John Peddie want to destroy the PC gaming market? No one buying their quarterly GPU reports anymore?
 
I will never be able to drive a console unless they give me a keyboard and mouse. Even then, console games generally aren't geared toward the types of games that I enjoy.
 
Well, the move to $1200 video cards to play games at 4k sure has me rethinking my PC gaming strategy.
 
Aix. said:
Strange comments considering the various upgraded versions of the consoles that have been released to support higher resolutions, frame rates, and new features. If people can stomach $500 just to upgrade a console I'd think they're closer to the horrors of PC gaming than they realize, and the next wave of consoles are probably going to be glorified PC hardware-wise anyway.

Anecdotally, my 11-year old nephew has a PS4, Switch, etc...but the last time he saw me playing on my PC he started asking how difficult it was to build one, how expensive, etc. Even my old hardware completely wipes the floor with any of the consoles, and you can get that stuff super duper cheaply if you buy used. The gaming market is bigger than ever and always growing; I don't think there will be any shortage for either consoles or PCs.
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$500 for the first year or so... The average consumer did not spend $500 for their console unit only upfront.

PS4s are running around $200 for the last few years.
Take a look at upgraded XBOX X and PS4 Pro sales, they're definitely not the in the majority of purchased units for their generations lineup.


Plug and play is much more convenient for the average consumer.

Nothing wrong with one 11 year old asking questions about something he knows nothing about. That doesn't mean the whole world is wondering how to build a PC either.

Plug and Play from the start is key here.
 
Eshelmen said:
$500 for the first year or so... The average consumer did not spend $500 for their console unit only upfront.

PS4s are running around $200 for the last few years.
Take a look at upgraded XBOX X and PS4 Pro sales, they're definitely not the in the majority of purchased units for their generations lineup.


Plug and play is much more convenient for the average consumer.

Nothing wrong with one 11 year old asking questions about something he knows nothing about. That doesn't mean the whole world is wondering how to build a PC either.

Plug and Play from the start is key here.
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PLUG
Boot
Pair controller
Complete first-time setup
Reboot
Download console update
Reboot
Install console update
Reboot
Change additional needed settings
Create account or sign into existing account
Insert game disc
Wait for game to install
Start game
Install game patch
Start game again
PLAY
 
Armenius said:
PLUG
Boot
Pair controller
Complete first-time setup
Reboot
Download console update
Reboot
Install console update
Reboot
Change additional needed settings
Create account or sign into existing account
Insert game disc
Wait for game to install
Start game
Install game patch
Start game again
PLAY
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Takes 10 to 15 minutes at best..

Come on..
 
Eshelmen said:
$500 for the first year or so... The average consumer did not spend $500 for their console unit only upfront.

PS4s are running around $200 for the last few years.
Take a look at upgraded XBOX X and PS4 Pro sales, they're definitely not the in the majority of purchased units for their generations lineup.


Plug and play is much more convenient for the average consumer.

Nothing wrong with one 11 year old asking questions about something he knows nothing about. That doesn't mean the whole world is wondering how to build a PC either.
Plug and Play from the start is key here.
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They wouldn't make them if there wasn't a market for them was the point I was attempting to make, and that means there are people looking at their console experience and wanting more. Then again...

kirbyrj said:
Well, the move to $1200 video cards to play games at 4k sure has me rethinking my PC gaming strategy.
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...I'd be super surprised if someone who had previously been considering a $1200 GPU would be even remotely satisfied dropping down to console-level anything. You ain't crushing 4k with a console either.
 
Darunion said:
Console gamers are like the dvd moms, "this is good enough I don't need blu ray or that 4k hdr stuff and my tv speakers are just fine!".
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Very true. I consider 1080p/60 good enough. Many console games today are 1080p/30 which is mediocre for fast moving games. 144hz is nice but I find it not necessary for anything besides competitive FPS. The jump from 30 to 60 is a lot bigger jump than 60 to 144hz.
 
Armenius said:
PLUG
Boot
Pair controller
Complete first-time setup
Reboot
Download console update
Reboot
Install console update
Reboot
Change additional needed settings
Create account or sign into existing account
Insert game disc
Wait for game to install
Start game
Install game patch
Start game again
PLAY
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Dont forget everytime ya go to play the game like once a week.. guess what ya cant!! Ya gota download a patch! Happens every freaking time. Why does a console game need a patch every other day when it's designed to run one a set set of hardware! It's not a pc with various different parts.. oh yeah that's right.. they rush the release to begin with.

Oh and the menu system! Finding your way around the xbox menu sucks hard!

Atleast one can pause game updates on games ya dont need at the moment to download the one ya need now.. not possible on the ps4. Pause all or download all.

So that crap makes for a causal gamer on a console a super pain.
 
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eclypse said:
Dont forget everytime ya go to play the game like once a week.. guess what ya cant!! Ya gota download a patch! Happens every freaking time. Why does a console game need a patch every other day when it's designed to run one a set set of hardware! It's not a pc with various different parts.. oh yeah that's right.. they rush the release to begin with.

Oh and the menu system! Finding your way around the xbox menu sucks hard!

Atleast one can pause game updates on games ya dont need at the moment to download the one ya need now.. not possible on the ps4. Pause all or download all.

So that crap makes for a causal gamer on a console a super pain.
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I don't think Nintendo generally has this problem. I can't remember too many, if any, patches for my New 2DS Xl, and only a few for my wii u.
 
You know what you can’t do with a console in 2019?

Play 2015’s Witcher 3 with all settings maxed and 3440x1440 resolution at 80FPS.

Sure you can play Witcher 3, at 20-30FPS and 1080p, and medium detail level on your aging console — but that experience is 4 years old — everyone could do that in 2015...(consoles and PC)

Games age better on PC.
 
rudy said:
This guy is right but for the wrong reasons.

Things like this go in cycles and PC gaming is so red hot right now we are going to be due for a cycle shift.
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Only thing this random dude with a dayjob and a random blog is right about is that posting random clickbait statements will generate clicks and traffic, and pointless circular discussions like the thread we're in now.

It's no longer about facts or verifiable stats or getting to any truth - why bother when you achieve same goal doing almost nothing.

Next week another random site posts "research suggests 20M console gamers will switch to PC / mobile / whatever" and it'll be the exact same discussion with people bellying up to keyboards to type words.
 
With the specs of the PS5 I wouldn't be surprised if that were somewhat true because PC hardware is getting expensive again. Remember the Xbox 360/PS3 took down PC gaming during that time period because our PC's couldn't run Crysis. Lets hope that Intel comes into the market with low priced GPU's that can compete.
 
DukenukemX said:
With the specs of the PS5 I wouldn't be surprised if that were somewhat true because PC hardware is getting expensive again. Remember the Xbox 360/PS3 took down PC gaming during that time period because our PC's couldn't run Crysis. Lets hope that Intel comes into the market with low priced GPU's that can compete.
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No, the 360/PS3 did not "take down" PC gaming. PC gaming was in a slump at the time as retail stores were starting to phase out their PC sections as consoles grew more and more popular. This was a trend continuing on from the previous console generation when the PS2 exploded in popularity. It wasn't even necessarily a case of people abandoning the PC either as much as it was more and more new people playing console games and spending a hell of a lot more money on them vs PC. Plus, its not like retail shops like Gamestop could buy and sell used copies so that meant they weren't really turning much of a profit on the games. It was also coupled with a huge rise in piracy as more and more people were getting access to faster internet and the lack of good availability for games (and the incredibly limited and not always great digital options) made more people turn to piracy. Then Steam started selling 3rd party games and the market grew exponentially.
 
Derangel said:
No, the 360/PS3 did not "take down" PC gaming. PC gaming was in a slump at the time as retail stores were starting to phase out their PC sections as consoles grew more and more popular. This was a trend continuing on from the previous console generation when the PS2 exploded in popularity. It wasn't even necessarily a case of people abandoning the PC either as much as it was more and more new people playing console games and spending a hell of a lot more money on them vs PC. Plus, its not like retail shops like Gamestop could buy and sell used copies so that meant they weren't really turning much of a profit on the games. It was also coupled with a huge rise in piracy as more and more people were getting access to faster internet and the lack of good availability for games (and the incredibly limited and not always great digital options) made more people turn to piracy. Then Steam started selling 3rd party games and the market grew exponentially.
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It was much more than just console games. Retail is always about fighting for shelf space, and in stores like Best Buy and Circuit City at the time the PC gaming sections continued to get smaller and smaller as they started chasing the mobile phone and other emerging consumer markets. One of the initial responses from publishers and distributors was to decrease the size of the boxes PC games shipped in, which also unfortunately led to the demise of amazing manuals.

Personally I was growing increasingly frustrated at trying to buy PC games in the 2003-2008 period, so I turned to piracy for a time and eventually gave up altogether to where I was exclusively console gaming from 2008-2012.

Gabe has always said that piracy was a service problem, and Valve stepped up with Steam to solve that problem. The Steam store grew exponentially in the 8 year period between 2006 and 2014. The ease and affordability of acquiring games brought me back to PC as a gaming platform.
 
Armenius said:
It was much more than just console games. Retail is always about fighting for shelf space, and in stores like Best Buy and Circuit City at the time the PC gaming sections continued to get smaller and smaller as they started chasing the mobile phone and other emerging consumer markets. One of the initial responses from publishers and distributors was to decrease the size of the boxes PC games shipped in, which also unfortunately led to the demise of amazing manuals.

Personally I was growing increasingly frustrated at trying to buy PC games in the 2003-2008 period, so I turned to piracy for a time and eventually gave up altogether to where I was exclusively console gaming from 2008-2012.

Gabe has always said that piracy was a service problem, and Valve stepped up with Steam to solve that problem. The Steam store grew exponentially in the 8 year period between 2006 and 2014. The ease and affordability of acquiring games brought me back to PC as a gaming platform.
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I really miss the days of being ignorant to pc games and would go to best buy after i saved up some money and go find a new game to play. The box art was a good chunk of the battle to grab my attention. clicking 'buy' on steam just isn't the same...
 
Darunion said:
I really miss the days of being ignorant to pc games and would go to best buy after i saved up some money and go find a new game to play. The box art was a good chunk of the battle to grab my attention. clicking 'buy' on steam just isn't the same...
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Not to mention that there are a million games that you see every steam sale. Kind of hard to focus on one (at least for me). I feel that a lot of great games also fly under the radar because there are so so many.
 
eclypse said:
Dont forget everytime ya go to play the game like once a week.. guess what ya cant!! Ya gota download a patch! Happens every freaking time. Why does a console game need a patch every other day when it's designed to run one a set set of hardware! It's not a pc with various different parts.. oh yeah that's right.. they rush the release to begin with.

Oh and the menu system! Finding your way around the xbox menu sucks hard!

Atleast one can pause game updates on games ya dont need at the moment to download the one ya need now.. not possible on the ps4. Pause all or download all.

So that crap makes for a causal gamer on a console a super pain.
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Back in the Xbox 360 days updates were annoying because you launch a game and the system would inform you that it had to update (most patches were for dashboard or emulator for backwards compatible games) before you could play. Of course you could play offline if you refused the patch. Also, it had to reboot the system to update anything whether it was the game itself or the system. A lot of this was solved when the Xbox One came out. The system really does not turn off. It suspends the data on the hard drive (that is why you can power down anywhere and pick up at that spot when you turn it on) and goes into a low power state mode. During this sleep state, it downloads, updates and keeps everything up to date. Game patches themselves are not really that common on Xbox because Microsoft charges the developer $40K each patch as a deterrent from releasing buggy game.
I have to sit through updates once in a while (rare) because I elect not to have it auto download gigantic game patches.
 
Console and PC marketshare is being lost to mobile, not each other. That being said, the recent price crypto price gouging, and then the release of the 2080's and ti's and even the radeon 7 at prices that showed no love or respect for pc loyalists, have deeply harmed the pc gaming market imo.
 
What they really mean is in the next 3 years they expect 20M current budget gamers to be unable to afford to replace it with an adequate gaming PC so they will have to switch to console or find a new hobby.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
The desk experience is a positive to me. I refuse to ever play any games if I am not at a proper desk, with a proper keyboard and mouse and a proper monitor.
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Yeah, thought the same before I changed jobs to a management position and now spend all day behind a desk. Now gaming from the couch seems more appealing. Especially if the game gets boring then I can take a nap! :D

--EDIT--
Not meaning I switched to a console. Steam Link works pretty good. ;)
 
Dr. Righteous said:
Yeah, thought the same before I changed jobs to a management position and now spend all day behind a desk. Now gaming from the couch seems more appealing. Especially if the game gets boring then I can take a nap! :D

--EDIT--
Not meaning I switched to a console. Steam Link works pretty good. ;)
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I've always worked behind a desk.

I guess I just like desks :p
 
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