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PC Games going Bye Bye

A

altcon

Guest
I have been to 7 different Game Stores(EB Games, Game Stop, Best Buy...) in the last ten days in Seattle, Portland and Boston.
There are less PC games in Shops then ever, when I asked employees some said it was less profitable to sell PC Games (really?!?), some said they recieve shipments of 1 or 2 of each title, some said everyone rips em offf the net and some just didn't know why.
I'm a bit afraid for the Future of PC games, it seems that Consoles will inherit the earth.
This is the point I ask myself, is buying a new gaming PC what I should really do?
Or maybe it's time to consider a console? :(
What do you think?
 
I suppose that the selection of PC games in stores is dwindling, but when compared to console games I can play a PC game for years (Unreal Tournament) while a console game will last me one or two weeks tops. Its just different gaming on each end, and the market is in a period where it is shifting toward more of a console dominant world... but why? These consoles are becoming more and more like PCs every generation... its very confusing.
 
BAH! listening to those monkeys in those stores is not the norm. baised anyone?! :rolleyes: the trend may be seen as using (<<< key word) the software via the net, and why not. fuck the middle man and leaving this seat!

as to "legitimizing" software. we know most do it, we just don't talk about it. single player games not needing the internet for play are prey to this, always have and will be
 
every time a new console comes out, for year or two everyone sais that pc gaming is dying. its not. ebgames, gamestop, and all the other video games stores have never really had PC games in them.
 
Frankly, I think retail PC games are dying off because of the publishers, not the consumers. Lower costs of development and support along with less piracy and a larger potential market mean higher profit margins. That sounds pretty damned bleak for PCs, but it isn't. What I see the future bringing is more independent and semi-independent developers affiliated with various digital distribution systems (Steam, Stardock, etc).
 
Digital Distribution is definitely the future, and I welcome it. No more worrying about cd-keys, or even CDs for that matter, you just have a central account and all your games are where ever you need them.
 
altcon said:
have been to 7 different Game Stores(EB Games, Game Stop
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tskiller said:
ebgames, gamestop, and all the other video games stores have never really had PC games in them.
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eb games and game stop never really sold PC games

but best buy, circuit city and frys have a good selection of PC games

i'm kind of lucky since LA and the OC have those 3 stores within a few miles of each other, so if one doesn't have the game, i'm sure the other one will
 
Those are console game stores, try frys microcenter circuit city, best buy, and walmart to name a few.
 
There are 2 reasons it seems like PC games are going away.

1) Stores like Gamestop/EB make all of their money off of the used games/console business. Compare the new console game section to their PC games section. They are not that different in size.

2) How all the consoles are pitted against PCs. Compare the game section of 1 console to the PC section. They are pretty close in size. There are tons of games are released on all the consoles, which means there are 3 versions of the same game sitting in the console section for the 1 version in the PC section.

Neither consoles nor PCs are going away.
 
altcon said:
I have been to 7 different Game Stores(EB Games, Game Stop, Best Buy...) in the last ten days in Seattle, Portland and Boston.
There are less PC games in Shops then ever, when I asked employees some said it was less profitable to sell PC Games (really?!?), some said they recieve shipments of 1 or 2 of each title, some said everyone rips em offf the net and some just didn't know why.
I'm a bit afraid for the Future of PC games, it seems that Consoles will inherit the earth.
This is the point I ask myself, is buying a new gaming PC what I should really do?
Or maybe it's time to consider a console? :(
What do you think?
Click to expand...

Come OOOOOn people. This happens every five years when a new console comes out. PC gaming will NEVER die. This is such a pointless debate. Computer games are what started gaming, how will it ever end? We will always need computers, and computer games are always a step ahead of console games as far as graphics, and ease of playability (mouse and keyboard), go.
 
xerus` said:
when compared to console games I can play a PC game for years (Unreal Tournament) while a console game will last me one or two weeks tops.
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Don't wonder why the PC gaming market is in decline.
 
tickle_me_emo said:
eb games and game stop never really sold PC games
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Sure they did. And not that many years ago the PS games sections were pretty darn big in these stores. Heres a factor you aren't even considering: these places used to buy used PC games. They don't anymore. All in all, a very revealing tidbit.
 
altcon said:
.
There are less PC games in Shops then ever, when I asked employees some said it was less profitable to sell PC Games (really?!?),
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PC gaming dying again!? It's like a zombie! Just wont stay down!


It's less profitable to them because they can't buy back cheap and sell used at such high prices :rolleyes:
Publishers get no benefit out of Gamestop with those procedures. It actually annoys them alot since it's lost revenue
 
Netrat33 said:
PC gaming dying again!? It's like a zombie! Just wont stay down!


It's less profitable to them because they can't buy back cheap and sell used at such high prices :rolleyes:
Publishers get no benefit out of Gamestop with those procedures. It actually annoys them alot since it's lost revenue
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And yet they used to do it and no longer do. They no longer do because PC games weren't selling. PC gaming at these stores have been steadily decling for years. Eventually they will be removed, and the stores will be console only. Don't say it can't happen, these same stores used to sell PC Productivity.
 
Ethug said:
And yet they used to do it and no longer do. They no longer do because PC games weren't selling. PC gaming at these stores have been steadily decling for years. Eventually they will be removed, and the stores will be console only. Don't say it can't happen, these same stores used to sell PC Productivity.
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No the problem with PC gaming is the fact there are keys with online capabilities and easier for "Joe" to pirate it. Basically reselling opened software is a headache for gamestop.

Edit: I see a billion copies of EA *sports title here* those don't sell that great apparently, don't see any restrictions on those now do we.
 
Netrat33 said:
No the problem with PC gaming is the fact there are keys with online capabilities and easier for "Joe" to pirate it. Basically reselling opened software is a headache for gamestop.

Edit: I see a billion copies of EA *sports title here* those don't sell that great apparently, don't see any restrictions on those now do we.
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Keyed online software resales were generally a very limited portion of the spectrum before they got rid of used pc games anyway. Sure its a larger part of the market now, but theres still plenty of stuff that doesn't go online.

the EA "sports title here" stuff is bought from the customer at exceedingly low prices after a very short window after release. Its economy of scale. You pay someone a dollar for it, you can almost always get rid of national stock at enough return that not selling a good portion doesn't matter. You've still made a profit.
 
PC games these days are all keyed and all about the online play. Add in digital distribution , and the fact that EB/Gamestop/Gamecrazy make all of their money on used sales nowadays, and its no surprise those stores don't sell a lot of pc games anymore. When I want a pc game, I don't even think about going to a place like that though. I've been a pc gamer for years, and always bought my games at the walmarts, frys, CC, Best Buys of the world. EB and the like are console stores pure and simple, that stock a few popular pc games.

Every time I go to best buy, I'm amazed at how many PC games there are that I've never heard of...they have a ginormous section, and they wouldn't stock so many if they didn't sell any for all these years.

The point is, pointing to Gamestop's lack of a PC games section as evidence that pc gaming is dying is just dumb.
 
I don't think companies like Nvidia and ATI would be pumping out $600+ video cards every couple of months if PC gaming was dying.
 
with companies adopting steam like distribution models no wonder pc games don't sell in stores. Why go to a store when I can get my game instantly and speed up the activation and installation process.
 
If you buy your PC Games from Best Buy or Gamestop, it's really no surprise that you think PC gaming is dieing.

The only time I buy from there is when it's a new release game on the day of release. Otherwise, you can download it online or get it cheaper on a site such as gogamer.com (Unreal Anthology - $20, Far Cry - $10, both great games).
 
So it's Gamestop's apparent transition to not carrying PC games vs. Microsoft's new "Games for Windows" marketing scheme. Somehow, I don't think Gamestop, who would only have to have been responsible for -at most- maybe 5% of all PC game sales, is going to negate Microsoft's marketing department.
 
xerus` said:
I suppose that the selection of PC games in stores is dwindling, but when compared to console games I can play a PC game for years (Unreal Tournament) while a console game will last me one or two weeks tops. Its just different gaming on each end, and the market is in a period where it is shifting toward more of a console dominant world... but why? These consoles are becoming more and more like PCs every generation... its very confusing.
Click to expand...

I would agree with you if this were a few years ago.

Xbox Live adds massively to the replay value of the games, 1-2 weeks on the console has turned into 1-2 months for me, and even more.

I believe PC gaming will slowly fade away. It's only a matter of time before a console has the same capabilities that a PC does. A PC will always be slightly ahead because of upgrading and this is true, but there will come a point when the cost of upgrading to stay ahead just will not be worth it anymore. I'm thinking MS will add some kind of functional OS on their next console.
 
After reading articles in game informer and PCGamer, I think PC gaming is anything but dying. I mean look at all the new games coming out this year. So our market isn't as refreshed as much as console but that doesn't mean it's dead. I can't play a console game for more than a week and I get board with it, and I'm willing to bet thats why it refreshed so much, to keep peoples interest.
 
PC gaming isn't dying so much as it is changing. PC gaming is no longer about the stand alone boxed copy of a single player game. It's all moved online. Whether you're downloading something from a service like Steam or Stardock, playing a browser based game, downloading a client to run a game (eg Eve or Second Life), or even just buying that boxed copy from an online retailer like Amazon, PC gaming is more and more about the Internet and less and less about brick and mortar stores.
 
My views on it are: (some mentioned earlier)

1. Intel, Nvidia ,AMD and numerous motherboard and memory manufacturers would not let this happen because The power demands of these games are what drives their market.

2. The small places like Gamestop and EB are all rather small shops and it would be in there best interest to stock the products on highest demand which is split up among Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony. The individual consoles are also easier to stock instead of bulkier pre-built system and/or individual parts for custome builds.

3. Larger stores like Wal-Mart, Best-Buy and Curcuit City, have more space to sell these products, both the software and the PCs and/or parts that are needed to run them.

4. PC games tend to have a longer life expectancy than consoles. New consoles keep coming out every few years and the games for the old die with the old. PC games have levels of compatibility which still allow the playing of them even if the technology level they were originally made for is obsolete and if it is too obsolete, thats why there are programs like DOSBox that allow you to make a virtual environment to make the even older games playable.
 
Someone posted the sales figures in one of these threads a while back. They are slowly going down and it takes longer and longer to see the next big FPS for example. Look how long just HL2 took. Look at how long Quake Wars is taking.

Not a huge deal as long as quality is still there and players are to be found. So what if it turns into a little boutique of fanatical gamers.
 
Itchyeyes said:
PC gaming isn't dying so much as it is changing. PC gaming is no longer about the stand alone boxed copy of a single player game. It's all moved online. Whether you're downloading something from a service like Steam or Stardock, playing a browser based game, downloading a client to run a game (eg Eve or Second Life), or even just buying that boxed copy from an online retailer like Amazon, PC gaming is more and more about the Internet and less and less about brick and mortar stores.
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This sounds like the most likely scenario. Not just digital distribution, but people are playing their MMOs. Not a lot of sales happening there, but a huge amount of revenue pulsing through fewer hands. This doesn't mean PC gaming is dead, it's just different. I can easily envision PC gaming splitting off into two groups. A large general population of average-specced PCs who play a lot of MMOs, and slightly older games since recently released software will be tough to run.. As well as "hardcore" high-specced PC gamers who play the MMOs, and the flashy new stuff, and even the older games as well, but this will be a small group.

PCs are an open platform. Consoles are a standardized platform. There is no perjorative connotation here. Both concepts offer advantages and disadvantages. The hardware involved is secondary since the hardware can always change. Ditto on the software. Basically, consoles hit specific demographics, and PCs will always be there to fill in the gaps. People will have PCs, even if it's not for gaming. Whenever a console fails to satisfy somewhere, the PC market is right there to provide a venue for it.

For example, I'm fairly sure that Rockstar is looking at how much work it'll take to port Manhunt 2 to PC(and still needing to find a means of distribution, possibly needing digital distro), vs. changing the game to warrant an M rating instead. But the PC platform is there to offer the means getting an AO-rated Manhunt 2 out there because it's not a closed platform like the consoles. That's the real difference between PCs and consoles. PCs can offer what consoles don't(because the consoles choose not to offer it, not because they can't).

Another example is kb/m. MS didn't want to allow Xbox360 games to be split between controller or kb/m interfaces. This may result in people only buying the kb/m-designed stuff or only the controller designed stuff. Split user base for development, yadda, yadda. I'm not saying I agree, this is just their reasoning. It's not on the console because it's a standardized and closed system. PC's are open, so we can have our kb/m and our controllers. PS3 decided to go in-between with PS3-brand peripherals, as well as open connection for kb/m mouse(remember, it's when the consoles choose not to offer it, not because they can't.) The consoles make choices and present them with easy access at a refined price. The PC allows the consumer to make their own choices, but there may be a premium associated with it.

PC gaming can definitely shrink, but it's much more likely that it will just change or become a niche market. Very little chance of it actually dying out.
 
I pawnd my xbox and went and got drunk with the money.

what about DX 10? I dont think even the mighty PS3 could take down ( atleast ) a 8800 GTS or even a 8800GTX in DX 10. Im not going to say anything about the next gen vid cards after the 8800's.

And dont forget how bad that they dumbed down like shadowrun controls effecting PC users because they didnt want a bunch of crying F'in babies getting owned online by key/mouse.

To the op go play your console, and dont cry when games like bioshock and spore ect.

Will look a 100% better running in DX 10 mode

BTW here in houston game stop sells a ton of PC games.

PS Gears of War sucked my big hairy toe. :D
 
It's not just PC games. The reason video game shops exist at all anymore I think is just because of the sheer number of console games that are released. My local best buy doesn't even carry console games that are more than a couple of months old. The EB at the mall or whatever has more used console games than they have new ones. I don't even bother buying games at the shop anymore but prefer to buy them online.
 
jaguax said:
I don't think companies like Nvidia and ATI would be pumping out $600+ video cards every couple of months if PC gaming was dying.
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meaningless. those cards are a micro-fraction of the market.
Most of you dont remember what Gamestop/EB stores looked like 6 or 8 years ago. I do, I ran one. The PC section was huge. Its simply pathetic now. Gamestop/EB balances their numbers very carefully. There is a very real reason the PC section has shrunk to nothingness.
 
So lets say that the PS3 has a lifespan of 10 years or whatever Sony says, the 360 does the same. By then, arent PCs once again going to be miles ahead of consoles?
 
Ethug said:
meaningless. those cards are a micro-fraction of the market.
Most of you dont remember what Gamestop/EB stores looked like 6 or 8 years ago. I do, I ran one. The PC section was huge. Its simply pathetic now. Gamestop/EB balances their numbers very carefully. There is a very real reason the PC section has shrunk to nothingness.
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If it were PC games that changed, and not EB/Gamestop, you might have a point, but if what you are attempting to prove were true, it would be in effect among all retailers. EB/Gamestop has undergone a very comprehensive corporate change in how they operate, what they sell, and so forth, and you completely ignore the change in pc gaming that people have very ably pointed out.

Sorry, but "I worked in an EB 7 years ago" isn't relevant at all to today's conversation.
 
Technoob said:
If it were PC games that changed, and not EB/Gamestop, you might have a point, but if what you are attempting to prove were true, it would be in effect among all retailers. EB/Gamestop has undergone a very comprehensive corporate change in how they operate, what they sell, and so forth, and you completely ignore the change in pc gaming that people have very ably pointed out.

Sorry, but "I worked in an EB 7 years ago" isn't relevant at all to today's conversation.
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Sure its relevant, as I understand whats happening in the marketplace and you appearing to be missing it. You know those "piles of games people have never heard of" at Best Buy? Guess how much Best Buy is paying for those? Very little. Heres the kicker: BB is paying next to nothing and selling high enough to make "used" game style profit on this shovelware. They undoubtably have agreements with the companies involved to return unsold product at regular intervals for full or partial company refund.

I know its hard to visualize how this works if you've never had such a job, but thats it.

The PC market is a handful of top tier games per year, followed by an army of meaningless drivel. There is still money to be made from the meaningless drivel, and plenty of it because most people have e-machines, and arent planning to play Crysis, believe it or not. In short, the system works.

But, it does not work for Gamestop/EB, as that company doesn't have the retail leverage or money to make it happen, so you see them catering to what makes them more money, more easily: video games.

Class dismissed.
 
yes, their business model makes them unable to profit on pc games. That does not mean pc games aren't viable, exactly my point.
 
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