PC Gaming Decline, whats to blame?

[dark_reign]

It's also the ease of use, you put in the game in a console and it just works. No need to mess with any drivers or anything else. People still are buying the PS2, and its over 7 years old. How many people are still gaming on a video card thats 5 years old much less 7. Is it possible to came on a card 5+ years old, sure, you can still game on Radeon 9700 or a Geforce 4 ti-4200. But I doubt that you'll get the same experience out of it.

PS2 still sells because it's cheap as are the games for it. But like with PCs, most gamers have moved on to bigger and better.

As I mentioned, a simple $100-$200 video card upgrade and you're playing current PC games RIGHT NOW with superior graphics. That's the price of 2-4 new console games.

 

[Skirrow]

PS2 still sells because it's cheap as are the games for it. But like with PCs, most gamers have moved on to bigger and better.

As I mentioned, a simple $100-$200 video card upgrade and you're playing current PC games RIGHT NOW with superior graphics. That's the price of 2-4 new console games.

The problem is that with consoles you only have to pay ~$500 once in the average 5 year lifespan of a games system. Yet you have to pay at least twice that for a decent gaming pc, and then as you say $100-200 on a new gfx card every year just to keep up with the latest games.

Thats what i like about games consoles. Gfx get better and better every year and it doesnt cost anything extra.

 

[Aelfgeft]

It's declined because it's gone big business. Piracy hasn't done a damn thing to gaming, in fact it was easier years ago. MMOs and consoles aren't helping, that's for sure. MMOs have been so successful in drawing money out of players monthly, so that they end up spending hundreds of dollars on a title than 20-50 bucks. With that in mind, companies are no longer interested in producing any games that bring in single revenues. They want monthly fees that they can jack up with impunity.

 

[Soberteq]

As I mentioned, a simple $100-$200 video card upgrade and you're playing current PC games RIGHT NOW with superior graphics. That's the price of 2-4 new console games.

That's easy for you to say. But the average Joe don't know what upgrade there is for is video card, since there is 3249 different models available. Some people complain because there are 2-3 different version of X360.. look at video card models, it's ridiculous. X1900, 1900x, X1900GT, X1900XTX etc.. We are not even talking about mobos and procs.

PC is retardingly complicated. Some people don't even know what a driver is, much less that they can update them. Hopefully "Games for Windows" will help this situation by adding more standard.

 

[rahavsmt]

Everyone mentioning price is forgetting PC's can be used for a LOT more then just gaming. To me, that more then justifies the price premium. Ever tried creating a powerpoint presentation for work on your Xbox? How about a simple spreadsheet for your monthly budget? Just a couple examples of why the PC can justify having a price premium. Most aren't just gaming devices. Also, you don't HAVE to have a top end computer to enjoy gaming, just like you don't have to have the latest console.

This about the billionth time I have heard this lame excuse.

How much for a work pc? 400USD? How long does that last?

How much for console? 250-600USD? How long does that last?

How much for gaming pc? 2000USD? How long does that last to play latest and greatest games?

 

[k0n]

quality of games imo.

take a gander at IGN.com's pc reviews, then sort by rating (9.0 and above), notice the majority of the top rated games there were late 90's and very early 2000's.


no game in recent years have REALLY wow'd me. 2004 was the last semi-good year if u ask me.... hopefully this year will change....hopefully.

im constantly trying to find the killer game to justify my purchases in computer parts

 

[J Macker]

I think the biggest hit to PC game sales is probably the advent of the MMO. Many people buy MMOs and play them for long periods of time, sometimes years, and have little to no interest in playing other games. This would significantly impact the sales of new software. Also, sales numbers like those above tend to not include things like monthly fees. I'd suspect that PC gaming is actually more profitable than ever before as a result of the MMO, even if actual software sales have decreased.

Ditto. Add the subscription fees for Everquest and WoW into the numbers and I'll bet you see the numbers increasing over the years.

 

[Denki]

i would imagine sales are also down from the fact that its much more difficult to just churn out games nowadays. Back in the 90s it was much easier/quicker to make games. Development cycles are becoming longer and longer, and that cuts into profits. Developers are now making a game every 3 or 4 years whereas in the past they might have made 1 every 2 years or so (and that used to be a long ass time)...

also, you say it takes a lot of money to get the most out of PC gaming and how consoles are 400 bucks. Let's be honest to really get the MOST out of a console you're gonna spend more than 400 bucks. You want a good HDTV, you want good cables, a good sound system, extra controllers for multiplay, headset for XLive, and the XLive service (talking about 360 as my example here), you're gonna want extra batteries, because no one wants a dead controller mid game. All that stuff adds up to more than 400 bucks. Plus spending 60-70 for each 360 game is gonna add up. You buy 5 360 games and for that cash you can get 6 PC games on average.

Sure you can use that TV for something other than consoles, but hey, you can use the PC for something other than games too. So its sort of a moot point.

 

[wtburnette]

This about the billionth time I have heard this lame excuse.

How much for a work pc? 400USD? How long does that last?

How much for console? 250-600USD? How long does that last?

How much for gaming pc? 2000USD? How long does that last to play latest and greatest games?

You keep hearing it because it's not at all lame. I guess you just don't get it.

Average current console, with extra controllers and all the needed peripherals to enjoy it would be at least $500 or so. Average midrange PC is around $1000. For that price, it doubles as a gaming device, a media center, a work PC and more. Not arguing that a PC costs more, it does. What I am arguing is that it can also do a heck of a lot more then a console. On both sides, they last as long as you can stand the outdated graphics. When better games are out, you have the option of running the game at lower settings, or upgrading the computer. Consoles don't have those options. A video card upgrade that will allow you to play at a reasonable speed with good graphics is usually a couple hundred bucks, less if you buy used.

It can also be argued that certain games play better on certain platforms. I hate playing RPG or FPS games on consoles. On the other hand, driving games and jumping/puzzle games seem to be better on a console. There are exceptions on both sides though. I personally think PC games have a lot more depth to them and if made well have better gameplay, but that's just my opinion. I will say though that I saw a PS/3 playing some game trailers last week and was tempted to buy one on the spot. The graphics looked that good to me (don't remember all the titles, but the one that sticks in my head was LAIR)...

 

[jstnomega]

quality of games imo.

take a gander at IGN.com's pc reviews, then sort by rating (9.0 and above), notice the majority of the top rated games there were late 90's and very early 2000's.


no game in recent years have REALLY wow'd me. 2004 was the last semi-good year if u ask me.... hopefully this year will change....hopefully.

im constantly trying to find the killer game to justify my purchases in computer parts

DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kelbear]

The other things that a gaming PC can do that a console can't becomes a very short list when the buyer already owns a PC and is looking to do some gaming. Also note that everyone on this forum has access to a PC so the additional utility of a gaming PC is probably restricted to just the gaming aspect.



My PC's graphics card burned out back around December and now it's just using an ancient geforce 2 mx until I decide to buy a new PC, and because I bought the xbox360(buying the console was unrelated to the computer problem) I've found that it enables me to do all the gaming I want, and it's very hard to justify a gaming-class PC when my current crippled PC is serving just fine except for the gaming. I can wait perhaps 4 years before I would really need to upgrade my PC if it's not being used for gaming, others can probably wait longer.

I am still set on buying a gaming PC towards the end of this year when DX10 issues have been worked out and a set of graphics card geared towards this has been released. But really, it's just because there are a few games that are still PC exclusive. Preferring to play a game on a PC when it's already available for my console isn't enough. The PC game has to be exclusive for me to want to upgrade the PC to play that game.

So as long as games keep going multiplatform, I'm not going to shell out money to buy a new platform just for preference sake.

 

[psychoace]

World of Warcraft alone gets $1 billion dollars in buisness a year (7 million x $15 x 12 months). So it's WOW's fault and other MMO's that suck our PC gaming money and time

 

[mista ting]

its because the higher requirements / hardware costs just to play newer games is pushing people to migrate to consoles (like i'm doing )

 

[Denki]

World of Warcraft alone gets $1 billion dollars in buisness a year (7 million x $15 x 12 months). So it's WOW's fault and other MMO's that suck our PC gaming money and time

subscriptions costs are not even around the world. you really think those 2.5-3.5 million chinese players are able to afford 15 US a month for a game? no... its much cheaper in other territories. Not to say its not a lot of money that Blizzard is making off WoW. But its certainly not THAT much. Plus you have to consider that a fairly substantial part of that goes to content development, and maintaining and upgrading servers. They also have closer to 8 million subs now than 7 thanks to BC...

 

[psychoace]

subscriptions costs are not even around the world. you really think those 2.5-3.5 million chinese players are able to afford 15 US a month for a game? no... its much cheaper in other territories. Not to say its not a lot of money that Blizzard is making off WoW. But its certainly not THAT much. Plus you have to consider that a fairly substantial part of that goes to content development, and maintaining and upgrading servers. They also have closer to 8 million subs now than 7 thanks to BC...

True never said the billion was pure profit and your right I think I heard Asia pays like $2 a month or something like that.Still lets say there is about 1 million people in America that paid $15 a month that's $15 million a month x 12 that's about $200 million. Then lowball the other 6-7 million to be about another $200 million and boom you found your loss in PC game revenue.

 

[ne0-reloaded]

It doesn't take a $2000 computer to develop a PowerPoint presentation or Excel spreadsheet. You can get a decent desktop or laptop for as little as $500 to do everyday computing tasks.

very true, u dont need dx10 or a quad core cpu to make a spreadsheet. i can do all of that on my 300 laptop that i got on black friday a few years ago. the reason people are upgrading their pcs is to play games. faster cpu, faster gpu, more mem. not to browse the net or fold.

i could never understand that as a reason why pcs are better, especially on this forum. the majority has multiple pcs that have been retired over the years because it wasnt up to par.

and u dont need a surround sound system or hdtv for consoles. theres plenty of people playing gears of war at 480i.

 

[TheToE!]

Consoles.

Other than that, I think PC games have plateaued as far as innovation. They are not doing anything that consoles cannot. Just my opinion..

 

[jmackay]

Multiplayer games. Online multiplayer games. And a decrease in quality for better graphics.

MMOs I'm sure are a huge chunk. People play them for YEARS... hell I've paid for 2-3 accounts at a time. I don't buy new games that often, but I still spend ~$15 a month or more on them.

 

[TheRapture]

I don't think cost is a big deal from PC to console. I spent EASILY 700+ dollars for my xbox 360, extra controllers, 2 games, rechargable batteries, play and charge, mics, microsoft live, monitor HD cable, ect ect.

I spent about 930 total for my PC and that includes the watercooling.

Cost IS a factor, your $930 pc is not going to run the latest and greatest games at high res. Heck, an 8800GTS is more than 1/3 the cost of your whole rig. A GTX is half or better...the $700 console setup will play high detail games, and last ALOT longer before it sufferes in performance than your cheap pc.


My current rig totals around $2500 including my displays, and if I wasn't using it for gaming, I could drop that price in half and still use it for what I need to do with no ill effect.

A GOOD gaming pc for late model games starts at ~1500 and WAY up.....and is basically obsolete for high end stuff in a year.

 

[TheCommander]

Do those numbers include sales from online stores? And what about sales from places that let you download the game directly to your hard drive?

 

[Joga]

I think that PC gaming has declined because as hardware has advanced, the barrier to entry has becomes higher. Notice that PC gaming peaked back when many games were still 2D and able to be run on most consumer PC's. That's no longer the case, as most laptops and desktops sold to average Joe have horrible graphics solutions imlemented in them. In that sense, Intel deserves a large part of the blame, and I believe one developer called them out on it. Also, poor engines that make a mockery of the recommended system requirements just lead to frustration in many cases.

Bingo. Games have higher requirements, but integrated graphics are still just as shitty. Games that can be run (not well, but at least run) on integrated graphics (see: Sims, World of Warcraft) sell a gazillion times more than any other game because they're more accessible. (both gameplay wise and hardware wise)

If you want to play modern PC games, you HAVE to build it yourself (or buy an obscenely overpriced PC from someone like Alienware), and unlike for most of us here, building a PC is a pretty daunting task for most people.

Joe Schmo with his shiny new Dell laptop for college certainly won't be buying Crysis, or UT3, or Bioshock. And as more games become inaccessible to integrated graphics users, game sales will continue to decline.

 

[nobody_here]

It has to be mostly from piracy. Notice how pc games sales peaked in '99 and then spiraled downward. If I recall correctly, '99-'00 was the time when Napster ( and subsequently other file-sharing programs ) first became mainstream.

It was also sometime around '00 or '01 when Microsoft entered the fray by marketing its own consoles, being an extra competitor against pc games sales.

Also, from on the onset of 2000, pc games generally started to skyrocket in terms of system requirements, while the mainstream computers typically sold to the public continued to decrease in price in the expense of performance relative to contemporary software.

no way, back in 1986 or so when i started with PC's, back when i was playing Bouncing Babies on a 640x480 amber monochrome monitor off of a 5.25" floppy running on a 4.7Mhz CPU.....and even back then, before anyone even thought about the piracy thing as an excuse for lost money, people would copy discs left and right and never think twice about it

i vote other, there are many reasons i think this is happening

because in my case, i know i stopped PC gaming because i have a family and alot of responsibilities and a job that keeps me traveling, which describes alot of people like me getting to be 30+ years old, PC gaming if you really spend time doing it takes alot of time, money, and patience in some cases, none of which i have, and with the 360 coming so close to the PC graphically and with major titles being released on it, and owning a large HDTV, there's really no advantage worth mentioning to be stuck behind a PC monitor in a corner somewhere to play games, instead i enjoy games with the family and guests, on the big screen, on the couch, with wireless and all, not too much fun to have guests over and have them huddle around the PC and watch me play, and not fun for them to try to play a game, one at a time, with a mouse and keyboard

people will defend PC gaming to the ends of the earth, but the fact is, the appeal is with the younger crowd for the most part, PC gaming just doesn't fit a 31 yr old married with kids working man's schedule or priorities

 

[BladeVenom]

PC gaming isn't declining it's just gone online. Those numbers don't take into account online sales, and subscription fees. Just add in 8 million WOW subscribers paying $14 a month. That right there is an extra 1.34 Billion dollars that they didn't even count.

 

[pettybone]

There should be "all of the above" as a selection.

 

[saan44]

PC gaming isn't declining it's just gone online. Those numbers don't take into account online sales, and subscription fees. Just add in 8 million WOW subscribers paying $14 a month. That right there is an extra 1.34 Billion dollars that they didn't even count.

Did you even read the rest of the thread?

 

[BladeVenom]

Did you even read the rest of the thread?

No, it's 4 pages long and not that interesting since the same question gets asked every month.

 

[Baker]

Another vote for consoles.

I love my PC gaming, but consoles are getting to the point where they basically are home PC's. But because the hardware is standard and doesnt very from user to user (speaking for those that don't mod their junk) the amount of games coming out month per month is way more than PC has. You have your X360 AAA titles and the PS3 will soon have theirs... I know that I've shifted from pure PC gamer to casual PC gamer and now becoming more of an avid console gamer. I shift to where the gaems are at.

 

[Baker]

You keep hearing it because it's not at all lame. I guess you just don't get it.

Average current console, with extra controllers and all the needed peripherals to enjoy it would be at least $500 or so. Average midrange PC is around $1000. For that price, it doubles as a gaming device, a media center, a work PC and more. Not arguing that a PC costs more, it does. What I am arguing is that it can also do a heck of a lot more then a console. On both sides, they last as long as you can stand the outdated graphics. When better games are out, you have the option of running the game at lower settings, or upgrading the computer. Consoles don't have those options. A video card upgrade that will allow you to play at a reasonable speed with good graphics is usually a couple hundred bucks, less if you buy used.

It can also be argued that certain games play better on certain platforms. I hate playing RPG or FPS games on consoles. On the other hand, driving games and jumping/puzzle games seem to be better on a console. There are exceptions on both sides though. I personally think PC games have a lot more depth to them and if made well have better gameplay, but that's just my opinion. I will say though that I saw a PS/3 playing some game trailers last week and was tempted to buy one on the spot. The graphics looked that good to me (don't remember all the titles, but the one that sticks in my head was LAIR)...

Heres the thing. What most people "claim" the PC can do sooo much more... they arn't wrong, but what they are getting more out of their PC may not be related so much to gaming or entertainment.

Consoles... these days and future days can do a whole lot more than when they first came out.

My PS3.... Plays Games, Blue-Ray Movies, Plays Normal DVD Movies, I can download demos, I can download trailers, I can browse the interenet, I can check e-mail, reply to e-mail, I can install Linux... which with this OS... can do almost most as much as I can do on my PC. I can fold@home on my PS3, I can plug my digital camera to my PS3, download all the pictures off it w/o having to deal with any drivers (like Mac), I can do the same with videos, I can use USB devices (such as flash memory and wireless keyboard and mouse)

Now all that from a console.... for an average joe.... is not to bad. PS3 is supposed to be around till at least 2010 before they probably release the next console. If thats true, look at all the features I get at the cost of 600+tax (if I buy it off craigslist could be cheaper with no tax). Talking for just the PS3 itself, its under 1 grand for 3+ years. Game content, all PS1 + PS2 games + PS3 games. I know the PS3 library is not large YET, but considering you can play a lot of the older games, thats a huge library of games that 1 console can play. Not to mention... I don't have to worry about upgrading the PS3 to be able to play games that come out in 2009.

Other than using my PS3 as a server, thers not a whole lot it can't do. With the ability to update the firmware, if theres a feature that is demanded fromt he public, I'm sure Sony can try to muster something up.

As for the whole "I don't like playing FPS and RPG games on the console because of the controller", .. thats about to change. PS3 soon has a KB/Mouse type device coming out for it that from what I hear... future FPS games will be able to play with it. Like UT2K7.

I would comment on the X360 if I had one, planing on getting the elite. I'm not baised, I just don't have one and can't really comment on it.

Not saying there is anything wrong with PC gaming, I still PC game from time to time. But for those who are "PC ONLY" fan boys.... should open their eyes to other platforms because they are missing out on some fun, enjoyable, timeworthy games.

 

[MetalX]

Why should publishers make quality games when piracy is so easy to do? It's more profitable for them to take that same amount of effort and put it on a console.

Why would any publisher make a PC game in the 80s when they were easily pirated off of BBS systems?

 

[Shinryu]

Well most pc games atm aint worth buying aside from a small amount live elder scrolls, stalker half life etc (arguably half life aint worth it either), so I am guessing those sales are made up of just the big titles, smaller titles wont get much cause they aint worth it lol

 

[koopaGG]

I'm surprised for all the Piracy votes. Surely if you want to play a game multiplayer you MUST pay for it.

 

[brom42]

I voted cost, but I blame something else.

Laptops

Everyone wants a thin, light laptop that has long battery life. The vast majority of those have intel extreme graphics or some other crappy (for gaming) integrated solution.

 

[alan.p]

My PS3.... Plays Games, Blue-Ray Movies, Plays Normal DVD Movies, I can download demos, I can download trailers, I can browse the interenet, I can check e-mail, reply to e-mail, I can install Linux... which with this OS... can do almost most as much as I can do on my PC. I can fold@home on my PS3, I can plug my digital camera to my PS3, download all the pictures off it w/o having to deal with any drivers (like Mac), I can do the same with videos, I can use USB devices (such as flash memory and wireless keyboard and mouse)

Yes, but here in New Zealand a PS3 will set you back $1299 NZD or so. More than a thousand dollars for something to play games.

You can buy a full computer in the same shop for less than that. Granted, it won't be the world's best computer, but still.

Maybe I'm just a tightarse, but I think console prices have become stupidly high. (PC prices have always been high -- I remember paying a hundred bucks for a meg of RAM to play SimCity2. Wound up needing a new (expensive) vidcard too.) The Nintendo Wii will probably do better here -- it's about $500 or so, which is a much more appealing price.

 

[nobody_here]

Why would any publisher make a PC game in the 80s when they were easily pirated off of BBS systems?

thats the time i was referring to in my above post! back before the World Wide Web, before Internet Exploder, when HTML was in it's infancy, we did everything on the BBS, and piracy was as big then as it is now, yet to your point, developers still come out with big budget titles

no, piracy is a very very small part of the problem (if there is a problem, i personally dont see one unless one refuses to adopt consoles)

 

[jmackay]

Also, I bet most people who pirate anything wouldn't have bought it in the first place.

 

[cooter]

I would say that it is because there are more console options now. And consoles are easier.

then there is us true gamers who know that computers are the only way to game.

 

[HRslammR]

console scenario:
salesman: "ohhhh hey check this game out. gears of war is gonna be sweet!!"
consumer: "cool, how do i get to play it?"
salesman: just buy a console for 400 and game and there ya go!"
consumer: *fun*

pc scenario:
salesman: "ohhhh hey check this game out! crysis is gonna be sweet!!"
consumer: "i'll take it! um, is my computer strong enough to play it?"
salesman: "well, you're gonna need a new video card. faster processor, more harddrive space. some new ram since the format changed. and since the new game is using the newest OS you should prolly make sure to buy that, oh and patch it too. now here's all the stuff you need, hopefully you know how to put it all together otherwise our tech team'll charge ya to put it all together. now should you run into any driver issues well, hope you know how to do that too. good luck!"
consumer: fuck thsi i'm gonna buy a console.



saving grace for pcs is gonna be laptops. hopefully they'll just start implementing a dvi out and the ability to have a digital out and laptops will start replacing desktop computers. everybody's gotta remember, we're the hardcore section of the pc world. we're at most 1% of the general population.

 

[Baker]

I would say that it is because there are more console options now. And consoles are easier.

then there is us true gamers who know that computers are the only way to game.

"true gamers" will GAME on ANY platform.

Person 1 > Person 2

Person 1 Plays: PC games, plays in PC leagues, plays in PC tourneys and wins money. Also plays consoles, plays in console tourneys and wins money.

Person 2: "the true gamer who only plays games on the computer cause its the only way to game"

 

[Silus]

I haven't read the whole thread, but I'm guessing some have already mentioned, what I think is killing PC gaming: Consoles.
IMHO, consoles are the cause for the crappy games we, PC gamers, have received lately. What we know as an infamous "console port". Of course this affects the quality of the games, which is one of Poll's options, but only because consoles exist. This, without mentioning the countless titles, that are done for consoles, but will never see the light of day in PCs, or the PC version, will take a long time to come out.

It's sad really, since I always thought both consoles and PCs could co-exist, in what games are concerned, but I guess I was wrong. I'll continue to support those companies that actually put effort into titles for both platforms. All others, like Epic for example, will never see my money spent on their games anymore. At least not full price and according to latest news, they deserve it too.

 

[deadrody]

people will defend PC gaming to the ends of the earth, but the fact is, the appeal is with the younger crowd for the most part, PC gaming just doesn't fit a 31 yr old married with kids working man's schedule or priorities

Speak for yourself. I'm 37, with a career, and a daughter, and I find the time and money for that hobby. If you really want to be accurate, what you mean is:

PC gaming doesn't fit into nobody_here's schedule or priorities.

Do you really entertain guests by playing games ? I don't. Gaming is what I do. I don't do it for anyone, and rarely WITH anyone. Let's not over-generalize, ok ?