Microsoft: More Must Be Done With PC Gaming

Prove to me that you care by putting out that Halo 1-4 collection on Steam.

The Halo franchise on the PC, with new titles launched simultaneously with the Xbox, might be the single most interesting thing Microsoft could do for PC gaming.
 

Where are your links and facts to back up pc gaming is dying. In fact there was a resurgence in pc gaming this past year. Again, instead of smart ass one liners try and read a few articles on it to gain a little knowledge. Don't feel like spoon feeding it to you.
 
Microsoft could not care less about PC gaming. No PC gamer would pay for live like the console kiddies do and they can't have 100% control of the marketplace like they can with Live on the console. The fact that they keep getting games to only be on the consoles and not go to PC says everything. For those asking for cross platform between a PC and a console you are dreaming. Microsoft and some other companies did testing and found that PC gamers destroyed console gamers. So allowing cross platform gaming would hurt their xbox numbers where they control the marketplace.

What really surprises me is that they care enough to even blow smoke up our asses. So I guess my original sentence is wrong maybe they could care less just not much less.
 
Many people said it and I will repeat it MS is full of shit and this is nothing more than lip service. If MS cares about PC gaming then do what any honest person would do and remove the conflict of interest. In this case it's called xbox. Release Kinect for PC at the same price as it is for xbox. Can anyone explain why Kinect for PC cost almost as much as the whole damn console that comes with a Kinect? How about why it shows up half a year or more late? Why is it that cross platform games do not allow cross platform play? Nothing not one thing at all MS has done in the past from the realease of xbox 360 to this day has ever been in favor of PC gaming.
 
Where are your links and facts to back up pc gaming is dying. In fact there was a resurgence in pc gaming this past year. Again, instead of smart ass one liners try and read a few articles on it to gain a little knowledge. Don't feel like spoon feeding it to you.

why are you wasting your time, pcj. posters like him (and oftentimes, me) are why god invented mouse scroll wheels.
 
How about they just release some decent PC games, without something stupid like GFWL... look at the crap Watch Dogs has in it (DRM etc)
 
Doing things for PC gaming, eh? Are they going to buy out another PC developer like Ensemble Studios and run them into the ground again?

Given Microsoft's ideas for how to 'help' PC gaming, I'd rather they just continue to do nothing as that at least doesn't actively work against PC gaming.
 
I'm not sure why they would do more when desktop sales are declining every year, and there is no expectation that would change.
Desktop sales have been declining, but gaming systems (ones with dedicated videocards) have been rising actually. The decline in desktop PCs is affecting people who can watch cat videos on their tablets, not gamers.
 
meh, they probably want more Popcap games on their app store.
 
- shutdown Ensemble Studios
- shutdown ACES Studios
- shutdown FASA Studios
- shutdown Digital Anvil
- converted all their other PC gaming studios into Xbox only studios
- bought other gaming gaming studios, and converted them to Xbox only studios
- buy the rights to games, and pay developers to not make a PC version
- shutdown MS Gaming Zone
- Games for Windows Live

If you're a PC gamer, Microsoft is worse than EA Games.
 
Rumor has it that Fallout 4 is Xbox One exclusive. Yea, Microsoft is helping alright. With people like Microsoft who needs enemies?
 
Windows Live was absolute trash. Intrusive and irritating. I think Steam has the right idea as for me they feel extremely low profile. I rarely have a glitch with any game, and when there are issues they move swiftly. Gabe Newell has always respected the client/customer/user and not grown a large head as so many others have. It's a service to emulate, and Windows Live dying is not at all bad. Origin can go too.
 
Rumor has it that Fallout 4 is Xbox One exclusive. Yea, Microsoft is helping alright. With people like Microsoft who needs enemies?
Cuts two ways how many Playstation exclusives are there? Reality all your comment says is consoles hurt PC games. Well boo fucking hoo at that point.
 
Dear Microsoft,

Shut the Hell up.

Sincerely,

A PC Gamer Who is Tired of Your Repeated Bullshit
 
Rumor has it that Fallout 4 is Xbox One exclusive. Yea, Microsoft is helping alright. With people like Microsoft who needs enemies?

LOL, Bethesda isn't suicidal. Microsoft can try to moneyhat them all they want, but Bethesda wouldn't forfeit millions upon millions in lost sales by making it exclusive to the platform that has the smallest install base of all 5 major platforms (PC/PS3/PS4/XBONE/360).
 
- shutdown Ensemble Studios
- shutdown ACES Studios
- shutdown FASA Studios
- shutdown Digital Anvil
- converted all their other PC gaming studios into Xbox only studios
- bought other gaming gaming studios, and converted them to Xbox only studios
- buy the rights to games, and pay developers to not make a PC version
- shutdown MS Gaming Zone
- Games for Windows Live

If you're a PC gamer, Microsoft is worse than EA Games.

And you forgot:

- hold back graphics by placing successive DirectX versions behind the windows upgrade paywall, forcing all but the biggest developers to code for the lowest common denominator version of DX to reach the biggest buying base.
 
Dear Microsoft...
Fix DirectX to be faster and lower level and NOT a total pain in the ass to code for.
Problem solved.
 
Dear Microsoft...
Fix DirectX to be faster and lower level and NOT a total pain in the ass to code for.
Problem solved.

I'll laugh my ass off if they maintain status quo and make DirectX12 exclusive to Windows 9. It will only help OpenGL on SteamOS etc
 
And you forgot:

- hold back graphics by placing successive DirectX versions behind the windows upgrade paywall, forcing all but the biggest developers to code for the lowest common denominator version of DX to reach the biggest buying base.

I always find it interesting when this subject comes up some seem to forget that you still need new hardware for new generations of DX. Simply backporting a new version of DX for older versions of Windows doesn't really help in raising the denominator without hardware.
 
Windows 9 might be a step in the right direction since 8 was a tablet OS forced onto a desktop.
Let's just hope they can figure it out.
Releasing DirectX for all 64 bit platforms would be a nice step though.
 
Rumor has it that Fallout 4 is Xbox One exclusive. Yea, Microsoft is helping alright. With people like Microsoft who needs enemies?

There is almost no credibility to that. Bethesda does incredibly well releasing multi platform, Skyrim alone has sold over 20 million copies. I don't think Microsoft would be willing to cough up the kind of money it would take for them to cut 2/3 of their potential install base out of their next major release.
 
There is almost no credibility to that. Bethesda does incredibly well releasing multi platform, Skyrim alone has sold over 20 million copies. I don't think Microsoft would be willing to cough up the kind of money it would take for them to cut 2/3 of their potential install base out of their next major release.

It's a rumor so take it for what it's worth. Honestly, it's something Microsoft might just do, given how desperate they are to save Xbox One.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJwu4b80EDI&feature=share&list=UU__Oy3QdB3d9_FHO_XG1PZg
 
It's a rumor so take it for what it's worth. Honestly, it's something Microsoft might just do, given how desperate they are to save Xbox One.

And I heard a rumor that Nintendo's whole catalog would also be Xbone exclusive. In other words, meaningless. Again, its really not up to Microsoft. They'd have to moneyhat Bethesda literally hundreds of millions to make it Xbone exclusive. And if Titanfall taught them anything, its that one game can't save the platform. They're desperate for another Halo type console seller but those days are long gone.
 
Too understand the PC games vs console games issue players need to go no further than to play Game Dev Story on their favorite (albeit non-console) device.
 
Upping their game means introducing proprietary standards to lock out those that would take control of PC game away from them. Case in point Mantle and SteamOS. It also means opening their wallet up to pay off game makers to stay away from Mantle, OpenGL & SteamOS.
 
Not so micro conflict of interest.

What they really meant, is that they created the problem in the first place, they waited as long as they could for the situation to sort itself out, harming pc gaming in the process, but consoles never did advance quite as fast as their seers had prophesied.

Fuck you very much, Microsl$t.
 
Again, instead of smart ass one liners try and read a few articles on it to gain a little knowledge. Don't feel like spoon feeding it to you.
I have read hundreds of articles and they all support me 1000%. I don't feel like spoon feeding you though.
 
The only way Microsoft can make PC gaming profitable is to have a subscription based service. The only way to make that work is to integrate this service into the core of the platform. Some sort of Win9/DX12/Live Frankenstein creation that does not follow the dismal path of GFWL, but is seamlessly blended in the OS and that leads to a closed platform in some respects. Valve has made subtle hints to this. Steam has made any other attempt at a subscription service impossible and while I hated steam at first, I have realized over the years since that it has been the savior of our beloved PC platform.
 
I have read hundreds of articles and they all support me 1000%. I don't feel like spoon feeding you though.

Googled "how many pc gamers" for you, some results:

https://software.intel.com/en-us/blogs/2009/03/03/just-how-many-pc-gamers-are-there

Matt Ployhar (Intel):

"From a sheer hardware perspective PC Gaming is pretty large. I can’t pin exact figures but consider this. In 2008 well over 120 million discrete video cards sold thru last year. By comparison there were about ~45 million total consoles sold (Includes: PS2/3, 360, Wii) in that same period"

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/jpr-pc-gamers-numbers-pc-gaming-dead,15530.html

"With all the buzz that tablets are taking over the gaming world as well as new game consoles from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony appearing on the horizon, you'd almost (almost) be forgiven for thinking PC gaming was dead. However, today brings news that there are still 54 million gamers that market research firm Jon Peddie Research categorizes as performance and enthusiast class gamers. Additionally, the firm says PC gaming will drive hardware sales of $23.6 billion this year and about $32 billion by 2015"

Different estimates, but all show the same thing: there's just no comparison, the PC gaming market is enormous however you cut it.
 
Googled "how many pc gamers" for you, some results:

https://software.intel.com/en-us/blogs/2009/03/03/just-how-many-pc-gamers-are-there



http://www.tomshardware.com/news/jpr-pc-gamers-numbers-pc-gaming-dead,15530.html
"With all the buzz that tablets are taking over the gaming world as well as new game consoles from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony appearing on the horizon, you'd almost (almost) be forgiven for thinking PC gaming was dead. However, today brings news that there are still 54 million gamers that market research firm Jon Peddie Research categorizes as performance and enthusiast class gamers. Additionally, the firm says PC gaming will drive hardware sales of $23.6 billion this year and about $32 billion by 2015"
Different estimates, but all show the same thing: there's just no comparison, the PC gaming market is enormous however you cut it.
That JPR number is interesting because I have never seen any researchers break down the PC gaming market like that. I would like to know more details of how they classified "performance" and "enthusiast" gamers, though. Anyone have $15k to buy the complete data set :p?
 
I worked for amd/ati for several years doing circuit design for many of the GPUs and APUs. The internal projections done there were that the market was flat and expected to shrink. My friends at nvidia told similar stories.

All the links provided are qualified with statements like "can’t pin exact figures" and then go on to quote orthogonal statistics, which is to say it's not particularly useful data. I get it, there is a relatively small group of people who will continue to play games on their huge LED glowing desktops, but it's an increasingly shrinking market and not a particularly attractive one for large investors.
 
Xbox live is around 50 million, and gold subs are over 11 million.

forgot to add: @ $50 per year thats roughly $550,000,000 a year. So im sure that MS would love to tap into Steams 75 million subs. I can see this by offering exclusive titles and other content.
 
I worked for amd/ati for several years doing circuit design for many of the GPUs and APUs. The internal projections done there were that the market was flat and expected to shrink. My friends at nvidia told similar stories.

Do you think thats one of the reason why AMD came out with "Mantle", to help create a console like platform for game devs? Basically to help keep their PC hardware market alive.
 
I don't want MS touching PC gaming. That didn't work out well for us last time they decided to try and fuck with it.
 
I worked for amd/ati for several years doing circuit design for many of the GPUs and APUs. The internal projections done there were that the market was flat and expected to shrink. My friends at nvidia told similar stories.

All the links provided are qualified with statements like "can’t pin exact figures" and then go on to quote orthogonal statistics, which is to say it's not particularly useful data. I get it, there is a relatively small group of people who will continue to play games on their huge LED glowing desktops, but it's an increasingly shrinking market and not a particularly attractive one for large investors.
The market for AMD discrete GPU was flat and expected to shrink, or the market for gamers as a whole was flat and expected to shrink? Intel has been chipping away from the bottom of AMD's discrete lineup and steadily gaining share with the integrated graphics...so wouldn't be suprising if the outlook for AMD graphics was not expanding.
 
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