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

Can consoles play a game and let me watch the Office on a second monitor? PS4 only has one output, so nope. PC gaming > console gaming.
 
I just passed 40. Make sure shy of 6 digits in South Florida. I can buy or build basically anything I want.

The only thing that keeps a gaming PC in my office is a mouse. That's it. Everything else is just more polished overall on a console but the fact is I really dig FPS games.

Give me real mouse support on a console and I'm done with PC gaming.

Mods. Fallout 3, FO:NV, and Oblivion all get better with Mods, these are just some that I played modded in the last year.
 
Not sure why you guys are going all Drama Queen like around here. From what I can see, there could very well be millions more players that have never gamed before and they may very well choose a console for their first outing. The real issue is that most think it is either or and that one is always better than the other.

Guess what? People will game on whatever they want, that is that.
 
I just passed 40. Make sure shy of 6 digits in South Florida. I can buy or build basically anything I want.

The only thing that keeps a gaming PC in my office is a mouse. That's it. Everything else is just more polished overall on a console but the fact is I really dig FPS games.

Give me real mouse support on a console and I'm done with PC gaming.

From my perspective, that means to me that you are not an enthusiast for the PC at all. Of course, you do not have to be but, I think you limit yourself by only choosing one platform or the other.
 
There has been rumblings about the next console generation for a few months now so we're due for another rash of "PC gaming is dying, consoles are the future" articles trying to hype them up. Of course all the actual sales data I've seen for the last decade or so shows PC gaming gaining market share over consoles not losing it.

The one trend I have noticed is more people gaming on both and often having little or no preference. I see a lot more people asking whether they should get a game on PC or console and while the answer still usually comes down to what sort of PC they have it shows a willingness to go either way.

I think a big part of that is how much easier PC gaming has become. Long gone are the days of manually editing you autoexec.bat and config.sys files to ration your memory for a game or the instability of Win9X drivers. Instead we have windows automatically installing graphics drivers that are at least usable for most games and games that download and install with the click of a button. There can still be issues but they're less common and generally easier to fix, game bugs are more of an issue these days and that's usually a cross platform issue.
 
Quotes from this paper was circulating on many sites last week and the overall response was the same as most called pure b.s. on it. A few sites elaborated on the effect of Moore's law and the effect as it pushes PC gaming to online game streaming. Here's one from, cough, cough, Tom's. The author(Lucian Armisu) for that one is surprisingly the guy who usually comes up with some great security stuff but here he write's a short summary of all this that's actually poignant. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/pc-gamers-shift-console-gaming,39182.html

Not even remotely into it but it got me wondering how any company is going to provide improved performance when they have to use the same graphics solutions we do. If GPU evolution is the major hold back then how is either console or streaming going to be an answer as we all hit the same wall? The demands of 4k/8k/VR are not going to diminish. Once a different architecture is committed to for GPU's we're all going to jump on it to get beyond the limits we're all facing already.
 
What's funny to me is that as devices get cheaper and more common, I bet less people are "switching" to one or the other as simply doing whatever they like. I'm an example in that I just bought me first console/handheld since the SNES: A Nintendo Switch. I've long been a PC gamer, and a PC gamer I remain, but I wanted a Switch as well. Turns out, I can have both and can game on both. Things are affordable enough these days that having more than one device isn't a big issue. So I'm not "switching" to consoles, I'm just getting one as well, because a Switch is easier to game with in an airplane/car/bus/etc than my laptop.

I think a big part of that is how much easier PC gaming has become.

Also how much cheaper and more common PCs are. Back in Ye Olde days, computers were fucking expensive. Like in the 386 days it was about $2k minimum to get a system and $5k was not unreasonable for something with good specs and accessories. That is like $4k-10k in today's money. Not a ton of people could afford that which kept the amount of PC gamers down, and you just didn't need a computer for daily life. Now PCs are cheap, I mean $2k is quite a high end system and a $500 system can easily play many games (integrated graphics are not bad these days). Plus you almost certainly have a PC anyhow, since the modern world is much easier if you do. Hence many people can become "PC gamers" simply by deciding there's a game they want to play on the computer they already own.
 
I caved last week and got a console........much to my shame
And I have to say I am loving it.
Starfox is as much fun as I remember
Not sure what 4K games the SNES Mini Classic can play though...I heard you can mod it a bit

:D
 
The only thing that might make this true is if game developers keep making games for the lowest performers (usually consoles). If the power is there, someone will figure out how to exploit it, but it would mean forgoing console sale.
 
Only way I'll switch to console is when mouse/kb is 100% supported on all games. I'd then honestly be happy to switch. As much as I wish I could, I no longer get to keep up with the latest and greatest GPU/CPU, etc, so having everything in a nice little package would be great. I game with multiple monitors anyways.. I'll just now have two keyboards / mice for the other monitor so I can use discord, browse, netflix, whatever while I game on the console.

But outside of driving games / platformers or dark souls types.. which are probably 10% of my game time, I hate controllers with a passion.
 
Yes yes. We've heard this song and dance every generation for nearly thirty bloody years. New consoles come out and everyone cries doom and gloom for the PC industry only for the industry to get even bigger as time goes on. Let's be realistic here, last generation GPUs are perfectly fine for 99% of PC gamers. AMD's upcoming Navi, even if its only mid-range, will be perfectly fine for the vast majority of PC gamers.

897.gif
 
It's anecdotal, but I get the exact opposite vibe from my console friends. I blame the (relatively) minor upgrade that the Xbox One and PS4 brought. Back in the 360/PS3 days, you could see a PC running your games and still shrug it off. It was better, but not exactly night and day. These days it's like a totally different game.
I have at least 3 lifelong console friends looking to put together gaming PC's if the PS5 and new Xbox don't "wow" them. 10 years ago there's no way that would even be a consideration. The real catch is that you have to be exposed to it.
 
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.
 
well...bye

The infestation of the console gaming has led to so called:

DLC (this is a "new" term for what used to be called expansion packs, some charged but many free, and only existed if the game did well. Not scheduled before the idea of the original game was established)
monetizing assets normally included on initial release
unoriginal, vapid, forgettable, assembly line AAA studio releases
Locked down game engines with no modding
Reduction in multiplayer experience with no stand alone server release
Dumbing down of gameplay with catering to ADD mindset. Auto heal, checkpoints, smaller maps to funnel instant action.

There has been zero benefit to pc gaming from the infusion of the console universe. So it goes back to being a niche market? I am ready. Give me the days of the inspired true indie developers who created counter-strike, desert combat and minecraft any day over FIFA may 2019 and FIFA june 2019.
 
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.
Nearly the same experience on a huge bigscreen and not a PC monitor at a desk
I must be imagining playing PC games on my 55" OLED in my recliner, then.

Surround sound that just works without thinking
Last I checked, you still have to manually pick your speaker setup on console, unless you're fine with stereo PCM.

Want a game, buy it digitally and it auto downloads...no Steam or Epic or GOG, how do I use this code.
Same on PC, except on PC they have the courtesy to ask first. You still have to open a storefront to purchase games on console, and they are a lot slower and laggier than on PC on every console. Have you tried using the PSN store recently? It literally crashes every 5-8 minutes for seemingly no reason.

No driver issues, ever.
But a bad firmware update can literally brick your console, which has happened several times in the past on Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo consoles.

No compatibility issues, ever.
Except when games can't even launch the first day. And sometimes when they do they can frequently crash and possibly damage storage drives. If you're lucky enough to avoid that you get games that run at 12 FPS.
 
Consoles will replace gaming when they are modular and can be upgraded as I see fit... but of course that's called a PC.

Consoles do have their place in he market. But for adults.. PC gaming is still the goal in gaming.

IF you're not a gamer... then consoles are perfectly fine. I know that sounds conceited and in some ways it is I suppose.
 
Nearly the same experience on a huge bigscreen and not a PC monitor at a desk
I must be imagining playing PC games on my 55" OLED in my recliner, then.

Surround sound that just works without thinking
Last I checked, you still have to manually pick your speaker setup on console, unless you're fine with stereo PCM.

Want a game, buy it digitally and it auto downloads...no Steam or Epic or GOG, how do I use this code.
Same on PC, except on PC they have the courtesy to ask first. You still have to open a storefront to purchase games on console, and they are a lot slower and laggier than on PC on every console. Have you tried using the PSN store recently? It literally crashes every 5-8 minutes for seemingly no reason.

No driver issues, ever.
But a bad firmware update can literally brick your console, which has happened several times in the past on Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo consoles.

No compatibility issues, ever.
Except when games can't even launch the first day. And sometimes when they do they can frequently crash and possibly damage storage drives. If you're lucky enough to avoid that you get games that run at 12 FPS.

Agreed 100%. A lot of the "consoles are plug & play and easy" went away with the Xbox 360 and PS4. Especially with varying resolutions, sound setups, HDR, refresh rates, online setups, etc.
They're easier than a PC, but it's not like the days of popping in a disk or cartridge in the 90's.
 
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?
 
I've managed to convince a few of my friends to go PC. Granted, I enticed them with Family Share and access to 1500+ Steam games from my account. Still...I'm making converts.
 
I got around to reading the summary. Seems like they're basing this research solely on the number of products sold. I think this is disingenuous because much like the TV market, people are keeping their computers for a longer period of time. If you're current hardware still allows you to play the games you want to play, what is the point in upgrading? Not everyone goes that [H]. A common theme I see around here is people simply upgrading their video card every 2 generations while running the same CPU. You further your reading to normies on Steam and you see most of the verbal people there are running whole PCs with 8-10 year old hardware. And what about the people buying used hardware? Is that figured into their research?
 
I got around to reading the summary. Seems like they're basing this research solely on the number of products sold. I think this is disingenuous because much like the TV market, people are keeping their computers for a longer period of time. If you're current hardware still allows you to play the games you want to play, what is the point in upgrading? Not everyone goes that [H]. A common theme I see around here is people simply upgrading their video card every 2 generations while running the same CPU. You further your reading to normies on Steam and you see most of the verbal people there are running whole PCs with 8-10 year old hardware. And what about the people buying used hardware? Is that figured into their research?

Makes sense. I'm still running a haswell generation CPU and only done modular upgrades since then (gpu etc..). I'm likely to run this PC for a while longer as it still runs all my games just fine.
 
If it were that easy but the console market gets worse. Need your online play subscription active, whatever game you want to play has 20 nag screens to have an account for that. Have to manage disk space and updates.

Console has become as complicated as pc to a degree now. And with multiple versions out there now some features are only for the ps4 pro or xbox one x etc. And god was it such a pain getting my ps4pro to work with my 4k tv.

Pc i just plugged it in and it worked lol. I feel like overall I have to google less things to make something work for pc than I do console. both my ps4 and xbox will lock up from time to time as well.

And I feel like i just fail at finding anything on my xbox menu system anymore.
 
In a given 6 year period I spend more on computer hardware/upgrades/OS than I do on purely gaming related things. Keeping up with the trends and new technology at the enthusiast level I have found informs me more for next gen server hardware coming.

HOW IS THIS? you might say. The newest CPU's are all server hardware first.

Yes that is correct for the most part but many other aspects come to workstation hardware level systems before they are embraced by the enterprise.

NVME? Yea I run NVME, but my storage solution for enterprise is just now turning to pure flash and that isn't even NVME. Perahps it's because a 2 Tb flash drive for enterprise costs upwards of 6 thousand dollars before discounts? Who knows... <-- Sarcasm

So for me tinkering with my gaming/home rig informs my thoughts and ideas about the next generation of server hardware coming to our enterprise.

Not even to mention GPU acceleration for user experience and application specific performance boosts. Now speaking the video card lingo is becoming more and more important for next gen Hypervisors.
 
Another 3 years and 20M console gamers will switch to PC! hah!

I'm not sure what he's smoking but I've seen a renaissance of gaming desktops through my shop. People like gaming PCs. And streaming. And esports.

Take Rocket League players for example. They don't switch to console, they all let their friends know when they finally upgrade to a gaming PC to play on and get OFF of console.
 
as consoles get more and more powerful I can definitely see more players shifting to consoles...with the next gen consoles supporting ray-tracing etc it looks like a decent setup...PC will always be more powerful but you also need developers willing to make PC a priority...unfortunately that isn't happening

What do the VR guys think about this cause I don't see a VR capable console coming any time soon do you?

Unless of course. I've been asleep and someone snuck one by me.
 
Guys this has nothing to do with financial forecasting.
When you have a low budget gaming PC the option is clear.

You can not spend $500 on a PC with the performance of 2160p at 60fps in 2020.

Many will do the console thing that it is not likely to hit the [H] demographic is pretty trivial.

Consoles will fill that gap easily when you have to be "rich" to get a gpu these days what other option is there (2020).
It is bound to cause more then a slight ripple effect...


Sorry, I'm throwing out the card. Ask anyone here, back in the day a CPU was just as expensive and people were still spending big bucks on gaming rigs. Over the decades CPUs have gotten a little cheaper, RAM and Hard Drives too, much cheaper. Video cards are sucking up the difference that's all. A Gaming rig for awhile was cheaper, but all things change and the pendulum will do what the pendulum does, swings one way, and back the other.

The difference between consoles and PCs has never been about differences in hardware. The analysts don't get this, even some gamers don't get this. It's about the difference in the gaming experience.

I'm not a PC Gamer because of the PC. I'm a PC Gamer because I can't stand pressing the A+B Key while holding X exactly within a .5 second window ........
 
What do the VR guys think about this cause I don't see a VR capable console coming any time soon do you?

Unless of course. I've been asleep and someone snuck one by me.
The VR ecosystem on PS4 is actually quite good. Seems like the games being released for it have at least as much variety as on PC. I believe I also read in the PS5 reveal that the hardware will be more integrated (i.e. no external box needed, etc.). In addition to the more powerful hardware I think that VR certainly has a future on the PlayStation console. I've certainly enjoyed all the games I've played with it so far.
Sorry, I'm throwing out the card. Ask anyone here, back in the day a CPU was just as expensive and people were still spending big bucks on gaming rigs. Over the decades CPUs have gotten a little cheaper, RAM and Hard Drives too, much cheaper. Video cards are sucking up the difference that's all. A Gaming rig for awhile was cheaper, but all things change and the pendulum will do what the pendulum does, swings one way, and back the other.

The difference between consoles and PCs has never been about differences in hardware. The analysts don't get this, even some gamers don't get this. It's about the difference in the gaming experience.

I'm not a PC Gamer because of the PC. I'm a PC Gamer because I can't stand pressing the A+B Key while holding X exactly within a .5 second window ........
I agree. That has been a falacious argument in my opinion as it's ignoring every other differences in the platform. PC is my preferred gaming platform because of the large ecosystem and supportive community, along with the huge library of games I will continue to have access to now and in the future. Having the optimal experience due to the stronger hardware available is just a small part of that.
 
The sheer number of games available on PC, both past and present, will forever keep me going on PC. Having access to a few decades worth of games on a single platform is handy. For consoles I need to keep a few decades worth of consoles lying around (which I also do, lol).
Shortly before gog.com released Diablo 1, I reinstalled both Diablo 1 and 2 and played modded versions of them that felt true to the original game but modernized them just right. For games even older than that I can run them in Dos box. Or I can play new games maxed out, the choices are endless.
 
Sorry, I'm throwing out the card. Ask anyone here, back in the day a CPU was just as expensive and people were still spending big bucks on gaming rigs. Over the decades CPUs have gotten a little cheaper, RAM and Hard Drives too, much cheaper. Video cards are sucking up the difference that's all. A Gaming rig for awhile was cheaper, but all things change and the pendulum will do what the pendulum does, swings one way, and back the other.

The difference between consoles and PCs has never been about differences in hardware. The analysts don't get this, even some gamers don't get this. It's about the difference in the gaming experience.

I'm not a PC Gamer because of the PC. I'm a PC Gamer because I can't stand pressing the A+B Key while holding X exactly within a .5 second window ........

Well the difference is that it holds value longer. With the PC you can keep spending money on hardware with the console you are done.

On the promised features the platform is attractive: 2160p at 60 fps.
The difference is where you can spend your money only once. $500 for a console that does 2160p you can not get this on the PC for that money.

And their estimate might sound odd but why would budget gamers on the PC not would want such an experience at 4k?
That this does not hit the [H] demographic is due to what people are visiting the website, nearly all enthusiast.

From the time that consoles are here I can state that the content is most important. 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.

There is nothing but for first person shooters which is clearly the only genre which you would want to experience on the PC with mouse and keyboard. Not that you can't do it with the controller but it is rather weird.
 
Ironically threads like this one: https://hardforum.com/threads/sony-would-someone-please-think-of-the-children.1980583/

posted on Hardforum are a perfect reason why I won't ever consider a console gaming machine. Sorry, I'm not interested in letting some third party dictate what type of content I'm allowed to have. If it ever comes down to that, I'll just stop participating in the market entirely.
Not to burst your bubble, but Epic and Steam are doing this, too. But to be fair, a lot of these games can be purchased elsewhere on PC.
 
There is nothing but for first person shooters which is clearly the only genre which you would want to experience on the PC with mouse and keyboard. Not that you can't do it with the controller but it is rather weird.

MMORPG's, Tabletop Simulators, Flight Simulators (of any sort), Anything with six degrees of movement, Anything benefiting from multiple displays, and really the list go's on.

I would say that where a console leads are on fighting games and JRPG's designed with the console controller in mind. but even them some of those still look better on better hardware and have a more modern play experience even if the control mechanism is the same.
 
One of the best things about the PC is that you can use controllers of all sorts. In some instances, you can change on the fly or even use several at once.
Pads might not be the best solution for everything (or maybe even anything), but they're really versatile.
 
I think they got it completely wrong.

Streaming services will be king within the next 5 years IMHO.

The ease of which anyone will be able to open an app on their smart TV, and for a monthly fee access games will make it a very attractive platform.

I don't think PC gaming will be hit too hard though. If you are used to high framerate gaming on a PC with a mouse and keyboard, there is no way one of these services will feel responsive enough. Heck, even Steam's in-house streaming feels too laggy, and that doesn't even go out over the external network.

No, the streaming services will appeal to casual console gamers. Those used to gaming with a controller on a TV at low console framerates will not notice the difference as easily as someone on a PC with a mouse and keyboard.

I feel like a large majority of console gamers will simply stop buying consoles due tot he up front expense, and instead just buy a bluetooth controller and pair it with their TV and use streaming services.

This will leave the console market severely diminished. Remember, one of the large reasons consoles are so popular is because all of your friends are on the system, and if you want to play with them, you have to be on the system too. This will in turn split the remaining console game base with those who care about a higher end game experience going to PC, and those who don't migrating to streaming as well.

10 years from now I doubt standalone consoles will be thing at all anymore.
 
Another 3 years and 20M console gamers will switch to PC! hah!

I'm not sure what he's smoking but I've seen a renaissance of gaming desktops through my shop. People like gaming PCs. And streaming. And esports.

Take Rocket League players for example. They don't switch to console, they all let their friends know when they finally upgrade to a gaming PC to play on and get OFF of console.

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 they got it completely wrong.

Streaming services will be king within the next 5 years IMHO.

The ease of which anyone will be able to open an app on their smart TV, and for a monthly fee access games will make it a very attractive platform.

I don't think PC gaming will be hit too hard though. If you are used to high framerate gaming on a PC with a mouse and keyboard, there is no way one of these services will feel responsive enough. Heck, even Steam's in-house streaming feels too laggy, and that doesn't even go out over the external network.

No, the streaming services will appeal to casual console gamers. Those used to gaming with a controller on a TV at low console framerates will not notice the difference as easily as someone on a PC with a mouse and keyboard.

I feel like a large majority of console gamers will simply stop buying consoles due tot he up front expense, and instead just buy a bluetooth controller and pair it with their TV and use streaming services.

This will leave the console market severely diminished. Remember, one of the large reasons consoles are so popular is because all of your friends are on the system, and if you want to play with them, you have to be on the system too. This will in turn split the remaining console game base with those who care about a higher end game experience going to PC, and those who don't migrating to streaming as well.

10 years from now I doubt standalone consoles will be thing at all anymore.

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.
 
Back
Top