PC gaming on its last leg

[Ant10708]

So I have been reading alot recently about the end to PC gaming. It seems that there just aren't enough people playing(my guess is buying with all the pirates i see just on this site alone) pc games for the developers to turn a profit. Another issue is obviously console gaming(before 360 errors anyways) just makes it easier to pop in a game and start playing without having to install or upgrade or the various other things I needed to do to make sure my pc games ran smoothly. What do you guys think? I havn't really played pc games in many years since my hs days of diablo 2 and counter-strike. downloadable content being charged to 360 users and given free to pc gamers is making me consider getting left 4 dead on the PC.

[Dimnos]

PC gaming has supposedly been on its last leg for years now. While it doesnt turn the profit console gaming does I dont think its going anywhere anytime soon. I bet we see a lot less PC only titles though. :\

[Zomboid]

PC gaming has the potential to be really cool, but it just don't compare anymore. It's so easy to go and pick a game off of my self and put it into the various consoles. I'd be playing within a minute. With computer gaming, downloading patches, upgrading hardware, etc is always a problem.

Also, I like playing video games with friends, from time to time. I like being able to just sit down, grab a controller, and play.

[Dr. Boogie]

It still has some strong points for it: Mods for games like Fallout 3, the potential for better graphics, and what is the best in my mind, the best controller for shooters.
But it is getting killed by things like DRM and half-assed PC ports.

If they ever come up with a way to let you play 360/PS3 games with a keyboard and mouse, I might have to abandon PC gaming for a while.

[darkvare]

i think you can play some ps3 games with keyboard and mouse

[Fathom Zero]

i think you can play some ps3 games with keyboard and mouse

Indeed. A few shooters support it.

[Dr. Boogie]

A few minutes after I made that last post, my PC crashed, and wouldn't start up again.

[darkvare]

it resents you for threating to leave it

[Dr. Boogie]

Apparently "PC" stands for "Possessive Cunt".

[Chojin]

PC gaming is basically MMO gaming in the eyes of every publisher out there right now. It's nearly impossible to get the go-ahead to take on any other kind of PC project.

[Zhukov]

I don't want to have to play Red Alert or Civilization on a console.

[Microshock]

I only play the PC for few games. All of them Valve. I just hate installing shit, yes on the PS3 you install stuff but its all automated and you dont worry about it. And I hate updating drivers, or waiting for the Steam versions of games to get updates.

And now MW2 is basically the console version on the PC which is the dumbest shit ever since the benefit of playing on a PC is to have dedicated servers, and communities in those servers, plus mods.

Plus, everything is going digital and a year ago, i thought it was brilliant, until you realize its just a cesspool for your cash since everything you buy is technically worthless. People have huge gaming collections from the NES, Genesis, etc, and in 20 years, the collections will be licenses on your harddrive.

[Tadao]

:rolleyes

[MarioRPG]

The only thing I dislike about PC games is they, you know, rely on you having a decent PC.
I don't think I've run a game on my machine that was made after 2004.

[Phoenix Gamma]

PC gaming's got some sick indie games, though. There's more room for creativity and distribution.

You won't find something like, say, Runman: Race Around the World on a console, let alone be able to name your own price (including $0).

Actually, consoles depress me, since almost everything is either a sequel, or something designed to start a franchise.

[Zomboid]

Indie games are available on Xbox Live. My friends and I have found some cool ones already.

[Guitar Woman]

Nethack is the best PC game. Every developer should just stop trying, because none of them are going to beat it.

Also I hate Valve and I'm not buying any more of their games.

[Fathom Zero]

Indie games are available on Xbox Live. My friends and I have found some cool ones already.

You must admit that the ratio of the number of releases is skewed in the PC's favor, though.

XBL doesn't have Cave Story. Enough said.

[Zomboid]

Well, yeah, obviously. I'm just saying that the games ARE there and that it's a step in the right direction. Given enough time, we'll be seeing more and more indie developers making games that show up on consoles.

Also, the devs that make games specifically for consoles tend to produce some gems every now and then; stuff like Castle Crashers, Mega Man 9, etc.

[Fathom Zero]

They tend to have more polish, the games that are available on services. They cost money, after all.

But in regards to the topic, I don't think PC gaming will go anywhere so long as people still use them. Unless what a PC is considered changes. The PS3 is a glorified PC, but its features aren't quite there yet. I think the next generation will take even more marketshare as all the lines start to blur together.

[Zomboid]

The problem is having to upgrade your system to play new games. The only time that's happened for consoles was the N64's expansion pack. I think you NEEDED that for like three games.

[Chojin]

the CDI had an expensive 'digital video cartridge' too, and since philips is retarded and let like 9 different people make their system there are different versions of it that work on different systems

intellivision had a speech upgrade

SNES and N64 (memory upgrade and disc drive on the N64) had several hardware expansion ports, as did the PS1

a lot of old consoles did, actually, but they realized in time that that's part of the reason people play games on consoles and not PCs.

[Pentegarn]

Sega Genesis was nothing but a cavalcade of hardware upgrades. The Sega CD, the 32X. Still, I loved Warsong and the Shining Force games so I forgive them.

I think PC games have some life left in them (The MMOs were a good example of this). Some games I don't want to play on consoles. FPS games as mentioned earlier stink on consoles, and I prefer the Diablo series on PC (the PSX port was a disaster in comparison)

[Zomboid]

I'm talking about games that you needed the console equivalent of a new video card or more RAM to play. Add-ons like the Sega CD and the 32x weren't really the same thing as when you had to get the expansion pack to play Perfect Dark on your regular N64.

[Tadao]

RTS games are way better on a keyboard and mouse.

[Mockery]

As far as I'm concerned, PC gaming is primarily about free independent games these days. I'm always trying out new Flash games online that kick ass (and games that were developed in Flash and then released commercially for the PC).

Of course, there's always Blizzard's Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 which I've played the demos for quite a bit during BlizzCon, and those will both take up a lot of my time. Actually, Diablo 3 will take over my entire life because it's just that good.

There are also some other random PC games I'm really liking. Not too long ago I picked up Plants vs. Zombies and was surprised just how fun it was. Couldn't stop playing it until I beat the thing. And then there's Machinarium (developed with Flash and now sold as non-browser based PC game) which is absolutely brilliant both artistically and in game design.

Don't get me wrong, I love consoles too, but I mainly like them for party games when friends are over, which is a rare thing since I'm always too busy these days (:(). I always enjoy playing some old games on my Neo Geo and PS1 from tim eto time. The Wii hasn't seen much action lately because, again, it's more for when you have a bunch of people over... as will be the case when the 4-player New Super Mario Bros. comes out.

PC gaming isn't dead and it will never die, but it's definitely changing and I love how the web has enabled independent developers to get word out about their stuff.

[Guitar Woman]

Funny PC story!

I bought a snazzy new nVidia 8800 GTS for to play some video games with on my computer.

Funnier conclusion!

It didn't fit, due to half the space inside of my computer being taken up by fucking stupid green plastic handles in lieu of the perfectly fucking fine traditional method of holding everything in place with screws. You just make the best computers, Dell.

My general instinct is to champion PCs over consoles whenever the arguement comes up, but I have no idea why, because my lifetime of trying to play games on the computer has been nothing short of a cavalcade of absolute failure. Meanwhile, none of my consoles have ever become laden with malware and other horse shit, or been incompatable with upgrades, or not been hardcore enough to run the hot new title I had been grubbing money for the past month to buy, or forced me to apply a patch to a game that breaks it in some way, or just not fucking worked, or put me through any of the other cum-guzzling bullshit gauntlets I am forced to run as a PC owner.

Honestly it makes me feel sort of stupid to think that I take most of this in stride just so I can aim better in the two FPSs I play.

[executioneer]

it adds to the challenge level of the game to make it harder to get it to run, that makes it more rewarding once you do

[Guitar Woman]

Then I just spend all of my time in the game thinking about when it's going to crash :(

[Microshock]

You see, I have all of these games on Steam but most of them I will never play again. Like World of Goo, i got really far in that game and i formatted my computer. Now yes, it's my fault for not backing it up, but PC game saves are so cluttered and the systems are all over the place, that its just easier to not bother. On a console, you have them all in one place, ready to back up.

And most games seem to hate alt-tabbing such as TF2

[darkvare]

blizzard is the only reason i play pc aside from emulators of course for wich i use a 360 controller

[Phoenix Gamma]

Steam makes PC gaming too accessible for me. Stuff like Lucidity or $5 for Bioshock result in a lot of impulse buys.

[Chojin]

You see, I have all of these games on Steam but most of them I will never play again. Like World of Goo, i got really far in that game and i formatted my computer. Now yes, it's my fault for not backing it up, but PC game saves are so cluttered and the systems are all over the place, that its just easier to not bother. On a console, you have them all in one place, ready to back up.

And most games seem to hate alt-tabbing such as TF2

i play every single pc game in a window, and most new games will let you do that without borders so it's indistinguishable from fullscreen other than not having to deal with bullshit

[Nick]

You guys need to learn how to build your own pcs.

[Fathom Zero]

I do, but every time I build one from scratch, I get bad mojo.

Like, I can swap out parts and buy and install new ones, but every time I try and put together a badass gaming tower, shit's broken.

[Nick]

I made mine back in March. I love it so much. :3

[Pentegarn]

I'm talking about games that you needed the console equivalent of a new video card or more RAM to play. Add-ons like the Sega CD and the 32x weren't really the same thing as when you had to get the expansion pack to play Perfect Dark on your regular N64.

I forgot about that. And like most everyone else, I did it.

Damn upgrades on consoles, least that one was relatively inexpensive though.

[Chojin]

I forgot about that. And like most everyone else, I did it.

Damn upgrades on consoles, least that one was relatively inexpensive though.

I think DK64 came with it, too

not that DK64 is a game anyone should play

[darkvare]

some games didn't really needed the expansion pack but had a small bump in graphics thanks to it

[Phoenix Gamma]

Majora's Mask :love

[Zhukov]

Fucking hell. I threw out my N64 along with Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, both Zelda games, and a shit load of others. Why the fuck did I do that why?


ALso, fuck Steam for not letting me change games from my brother's steam account to my own.

[MattJack]

i play every single pc game in a window, and most new games will let you do that without borders so it's indistinguishable from fullscreen other than not having to deal with bullshit

This.

[Fathom Zero]

I do, as well. It doesn't stretch the shit out of the low-resolution stuff that I play my games with and it lets me close stuff without having to deal with my computer crashing.

[genrichkarlovichjr]

I have an gaming chair its the xrocker one with the stand for it to sit on , But its pretty bad the sound cuts out when theres sudden bursts of sound E.G a shot on Cod : WAW But i dont mind

[Dimnos]

Your a cock.

[kahljorn]

it was funny cause i read his name as "generic""russianname" jr.

or maybe its not funny i dunno but that's what happened >:

[captain516]

I read it as "gen. reich something something"

[kahljorn]

im building a computer right now and it's only gonna cost like 400-500 dollars for a 1,000 +dollar computer :O

you could probably make a pretty decent computer for maybe under 300 dollars ;/

[Tadao]

I'm trying to install Pigin on my GF's Mac. WTF? I hate Apple.

[Fathom Zero]

You can. You can take a pre-made computer for $300, slap in a $50 video card, and be gaming with the best of them.

And some of the integrated stuff is getting so good that you don't even need a video card.

[Dimnos]

Yeah Apple should stick to making MP3 players and gay commercials. :\

[Dimnos]

And some of the integrated stuff is getting so good that you don't even need a video card.

Lies!

[Fathom Zero]

-HDR7Xbafp4

:rolleyes

And the GPU in my sole computer, my laptop, is integrated. It's the HD 3200 and I can get fifty frames per second in Left 4 Dead at the highest resolution, which is more important to me than the anti-aliasing, which none of my computers have ever been able to handle.

[kahljorn]

I'm getting a motherboard with an hd 3300 which is supposed to be the best integrated card and its supposed to be better than the videocard in my current computer :O

sooo we'll see what its like.

[Fathom Zero]

The HD 4200 is the best ATi one at the moment. Nvidia has something, I think the 9400? It's good, as well.

[kahljorn]

actually the 3300 is faster the 4400 just has dx10.1 support :O

[Fathom Zero]

WHAT THE FUCK EVER. JUST BE HAPPY.

It'll play most any game you want.

[Seth]

I think it's an issue dependent on the game genre and the capabilities of consoles. I would never want to play an RTS without a mouse and keyboard- BFME2 was horrible imo on the 360 (but I love it on my PC!). Sometimes it's also dependent on how the game works- Oblivion is so much better for the PC because you get a ton more hotkeys, there's a bunch of great mods out there to overhaul the graphics, models, and effects (as well as quests and stuff), and Bioshock I really just feel more comfortable with on a keyboard.

I think as consoles continue to evolve we'll see more support for regular computer usage on them. I mean, real OS's are standard on consoles now, as well as a hard drive. It used to be all about memory cards... And now we have the PS3 with a bunch of USB ports (which support keyboards, mouses, etc...), an excellent OS for media support (360's isn't bad, either!) for movies, pictures, and music (as well as games!), and the PS3 has its own web browser.

In short, I think consoles are just becoming PC's, basically, but they have a ways to go.

[Angryhydralisk]

Yeah, it's totally dying and going out of business. Just like Boxing, Horse Racing, Black Sabbath, KISS, Land Before Time movies, Professional Wrestling and the entire state of California. :rolleyes:

[kahljorn]

I got my new computer finished and I lub it :(

also the integrated video is pretty good (better than my old card) but i need to get like crysis or something to really test it..
although i did stalker: clear sky and it runs it on higher settings and smoother than on my other computers (with full dynamic lighting or whatever too but everything was so orange and doomish looking that i turned it back :O

[Fathom Zero]

Stalker: Clear Sky is pretty heavy, so that's a pretty good test. I assume it'd run Crysis well enough.

[Dr. Boogie]

When I first built my latest computer, it ran Crysis really well, but did have a couple hiccups running Clear Sky on the highest settings. I'd say you're good to go.

[kahljorn]

yea im gonna get another videocard eventually and maybe a faster harddrive and itll be smooth