PS3 and 360 are killing off PC gaming
There’s a dying breed in the gaming industry, and I’ll have to beat you with a stick if you try to save it. PC gaming, which for a long time defined the cutting edge in game innovation and advancement, is nearly vanquished in the face of console games. Say goodbye to those gaudy cases and flashing lights; consoles are moving in!
There’s a very specific group of gamers, all around the same age group, who have always had a special place in their hearts for a mouse, keyboard, and most important, the most powerful graphics card hard-earned money can buy. For a long time, those were the guys and gals who were true gamers to the core.
Much of why that is could be attributed to developers focusing efforts on PCs, as consoles were a good step behind anything a cutting edge PC could do. The golden age of the PC was illustrious and long-lived.
I can tell you, there are now a lot of bitter die-hard computer gamers out there at this moment. With traitors turning to the 360 and the PS3, the true and weathered PC gamers live a hard life. New games like Crysis require an almost brand new rig, and very expensive at that; with each new game, you have to consider upgrading your machine again.
The console era is here; PS3s and 360s are affordable, the Wii offers innovation that no console or PC can provide, and most importantly, developers are focusing their efforts on consoles. Users can buy a new console every 2-3 years and still handle the latest and greatest in gaming; PC gamers will spend more money on a graphics card to handle the latest game than any console costs…and they’ll do it again for the next best game.
Sure, there is some stock in the good old mouse and keyboard combination. I still believe the best RTS games can only be played with a mouse and keyboard. I myself loved every minute of some of the older tactical shooters like Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear, and even the occasional flight sim. The mouse and keyboard are great for some things, but for most, the modern controller takes the cake.
Game speed and style are geared more for controllers, and no fun is lost simply because you’re holding a controller rather than a mouse and keyboard. Now, we are all saddened that we can’t cut a hole in the side of our 360 to custom rig it with neon lights or an water-cooling system, but sacrifices must be made.
To the tried and true of PC gaming, you have my greatest sympathies for your loss, and my respect for staying true to the dying breed. Now put that gaming rig on ebay, buy yourself an HD tv and cutting edge console and get to the real fun.
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32 Responses to “PS3 and 360 are killing off PC gaming”
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February 1st, 2008
that’s not completely true. consoles are getting better and cooler, but pc gaming is still with us and will be for a long time
February 1st, 2008
How many consoles have died? PC’s are always going to be there. You can’t stop it.
February 1st, 2008
I disagree, it’s not the consoles themselves, it’s the developers and publisher’s ABANDONING PC gamers, in lieu of consoles.
A prime example, Call of Duty. Once upon a time, this game was game of the year. Once upon a time, the expansion, was game of the year. Then came Call of Duty 2 for the PC, with no punkbuster, no dev tools, no standalone server. Nothing. And absolutely no word from IW/Activision on when they would be released. PC Gamers got so pissed off they staged a world-wide boycott of all CoD2 servers online for a 24 hour period. And were successful in shutting down 75% of the worlds CoD2 servers.
These server admins and other gaming afficianado’s were in no way attempting to FORCE these companies into doing anything. They merely wanted feedback from those two companies. And these companies snubbed their noses at them.
Then CoD3 is released, no PC version. That was when Infinity Ward, and Activision died, to me. And they still are. CoD4 will never touch my PS3. And the only way I will ever play it on my PC, is if I download it.
PC gamers want, need and deserve companies that will respect and remain loyal to them. Companies like the aforementioned, deserve to go under.
Blame the developers, not the consoles. PC’s are better at certain games, than the consoles. The market just needs to identify those niche’s and expand.
Morne
February 1st, 2008
i agree with u 90%. but , yes, soem fun is loss while playing a game casue of not havign the accracy of a KB and mouse. take unreal 3 for instance on teh PS3 , i love the game yet i become very frustrated while tryign to play it with the controller. infact any FPS isfrustrating for a pc gamer with that damn controller. im gonna have to try unreals 3 kb/mouse support.
February 1st, 2008
PC gaming is not even close to dieing, one genre will keep it alive far into the future, RPG. WoW. Nuff said
February 1st, 2008
The problem isn’t the developer, it’s the consumer. The PC gamer will play the same game for 10 years.
February 1st, 2008
bitturents killed pc gaming.
February 1st, 2008
CoD 3 wasn’t developed by Infinity Ward.
February 1st, 2008
Hey Mornelithe. If you download PC games, then you are part of the problem. Game makers don’t make their games for free. They want to make money. If they do not make money on PC, while they do on consoles, PC would never get the support back. Want to help the problem? Start paying for your PC games.
February 1st, 2008
I have to disagree. PC gaming has such a huge advantage over consoles in almost every category except easiness to setup and start playing. Which is the one and only reason console gaming is bigger.
You can say consoles today are on par with PCs, but give it another year or 2. Remember when Xbox and PS2 were 3-5 yrs old. They look like crap compared to PC games and in another yr or two Xbox360 and PS3 will look just as crappy.
The PC mod community is huge. Until someone makes a mod that gains as much recognition as Counter Strike, consoles have nothing to say.
You mentioned RTS game and your correct. They are nearly unplayable on consoles. And while FPS are comparable, nothing beats a mouse and keyboard, I don’t care how good you are with a controller.
Then you have online play which seems like only Microsoft knows whats its doing. PC gamers are online gamers and thats a big piece of the puzzle that is missing from consoles, although Im sure they will eventually get it right.
If anything I’d be more worried about console gaming, cause if PC manufacures ever figure out how to make an extremely customer friendly, easily upgradable PC, console gaming will be on its way out.
February 1st, 2008
Mornelithe:
Thanks for your comment…I sort of hinted at the developer side in this statement, “Much of why that is could be attributed to developers focusing efforts on PCs, as consoles were a good step behind anything a cutting edge PC could do. The golden age of the PC was illustrious and long-lived.”
February 1st, 2008
To – Mornelithe: I see you like many people still don’t understand that COD3 was not made by Infinity Ward but was instead made by Treyarch.
Hence this is why the game sucked.
Activision the parent company wanted Infinity Ward to make a COD every year, they said they need at least 2 years to make a good game. So Activision had Treyarch make it.
This is why COD 5 will suck. Treyarch is making it and they are going back to WW2.
Infinity Ward will make COD 6, and they have already begun working on it. So if your a true COD fan like you seem to be, Go get COD 4 for your PS3 because the game is amazing.
It’s better then any FPS I’ve ever played. Yes even halo! The game shows exactly why Infinity Ward takes this much time to make a game. Because they make an amazing product.
So before you protest something at least get the facts straight first. Now go pick up your COD4 because the game is Amazing.
February 1st, 2008
A single franchise (CoD) didn’t kill the PC gaming market. It was many things that all together are slowing it down.
The thing about the PC gaming arena that saps it the most, is that piracy is so damn prevalent.
Like for instance, Resident Evil 4 came out for PC and yet people were downloading it from pirate sites before it was on sale in the US. There is a website from Spain that posts every single new PC game on their forums for download. The current generation of PC gamer doesn’t believe they should pay for their games. They MUST get it for free. They simply apply what they do with music downloads and stuff. It’s all free.
February 1st, 2008
consoles vs PC is like comparing a commercial car wid a sports car (analogy)
all current gen consoles are weak ..all current games are running at 720p (1280×720)..infact games like cod4 are running sub 720p (1240×600)
u know, u can build a PC for less dan 400$ which can run dis games at higher res n better image quality.
also consolin n PC gaming comes to b equally xpensive…coz console games are more xpensive dan PC games..so u buy 10-15 games a yr n u will end up paying 200$ more for d same titles on PC. U can use dat amount to buy a midrange graphic card.
consoles have more games ..
pc’s have better gfx n d easiest platform to dev game.
the only reasons consoles are ganing coz dat way dev n console makers are making more money
and piracy is killing pc gaming
February 1st, 2008
I, sadly, have to agree. So much so that for the first time I am considering shifting my gaming focus to a console rather than a PC.
Up to now I snubbed at consoles. Their mediocre graphics, their simplified controls (and as a result some simplified games), the inability to tweak, modify and sometimes completely change games.
When xbox owners went wild over the first and second Halo, I just smiled because to me, while fun, Halo offered nothing my PC didn’t do better ages ago.
When this whole business of “console exclusive” came to be I was pissed. why should I miss out on games because Sony and MS had a scuffle? GTA, MGS3 etc.. some came but much later, some never will.
For now, I solved this in a way – bought my self a used PS2 and I pick only the top rated classics.
Now I see devs flocking to consoles. I see games simplified to fit consoles even if they will be released to the PC and I see too many games not even considered for the PC.
I’m a gamer – I want to play. In a way I don’t mind where I do play but now I have to own a PC, WII, XBOX360 and PS3 if I want to experience all the innovation and fun games offer. And now it seems that with HDTV, consoles reached a point that they can fight PC’s on their strongest turf: cutting edge technology. So what left for me to do?
Some part of me is still the smiling PC gamer. Those same words were said when the PS2 and XBOX came to be and yet the PC held its ground but now I think the paradigm shifts.
For one, corporates realised gaming has a lot of money in it. It is no longer the realm of a gordon freeman askew minority. Leaving the Wii aside for a moment, the XBOX360 and PS3 also try to cater to a larger audience. This means more money invested there and means more games.
The second is our fault. there is less money is PC gaming. what’s with the tweaking, the h/w chase, the odd compatibility issues, crushes etc, people find it more easy to pop a disc in and turn the power on.
Lastly there is everyone’s favourite – piracy. With every PC game cracked and released as soon as it is out, devs have 3 options.
a. make online content and updates alluring enough. I think only Valve succeeded there but with the built in online component of the consoles what’s the initiative? Besides, it consumes time and money that could be spent on a new game that will generate more revenue.
b. create online only games – A niche and too risky unless you are Blizzard.
c. move to consoles where hacking control is tighter due to the H/W structure and built in online dependability.
To be honest, I can’t blame them.
I hate to see it, I still love my PC and I still think that PC gaming offers the best overall gaming experience but now I suspect the PC will become the home for indie games and a few dedicated devs while consoles get the big names and budgets.
In a way, its going back to the early days of gaming when PC’s were the playground to test out things.
February 1st, 2008
It is the same cycle as always. You are too young to have seen it. New gen consoles are always a better value, but then as they get old people get tired of the lower quality graphics and the PC gains attention.
In a couple of years PS3 games are going to look outdated.
February 1st, 2008
I have to totally agree with Laura here. It hardly has anything to do with the new consoles but everything to do with piracy. The current consoles are harder to make boot leg copies of software and harder to obtain while PC on the other hand is quite easy to obtain illegal copies of games. Therefore, the developers are naturally going to gravitate towards consoles where they are going to make the most money.
February 2nd, 2008
the ps3 can use a keybroad and mouse like a pc so for the perpose of control the ps3 has the best of all worlds
February 2nd, 2008
“Dying” is a relative term. Gaming on the PC has been accused of this for as long as I can remember. The original Playstation was hailed as the “PC killer”, the accusations became even louder when the PS2 arrived. Consoles are excellent alternatives for their respective genres, and I feel the same way towards PCs. The crux of the PC argument is they are a niche market which is not growing as fast as their console counterparts. (Which is debatable, anyone check Forbes’ company of the year?) This being said, the current generation of gamers have mostly grown up with consoles so it’s natural that journalists write propaganda such as this for much needed hits. I remain unconvinced PC gaming is dying, at worst it’s changing. Genres such as FPS/RTS/WRPG/MMO are home on the PC, and consoles may try to emulate, but they never . Digital distribution will be the “saving grave” for PC gaming, it helps streamline installation and patching, along with much needed anti-piracy systems built right in. Long story short, PC gaming is fine. It will remain a niche market for those who want to spend the time and money for the superior gaming experience, and cannot be replaced with any budget gaming appliance.
February 2nd, 2008
In response to the Piracy comment:
1. RE4 for PC is garbage & im glad it got stolen so much, believe me, when I couldnt get past the first cut scene with the boulder, i deleted that POS & remained $50 richer.
2. Bioshock was awful, deserved to be stolen too, lol. They didnt even make new models for the main characters/bosses. Except that one guy with the stache. & fontaine.
3. Piracy is just as bad on the console, its easy to download xbox 360/ps3 games, but the sad thing is most people on the consoles are lazy idiots who dont know how to make a console dvd, so the consoles are semi safe. Also, a report came out recently that 90% of DS owners have a chip that lets them steal games from the internet. I highly dout more than 50% of PC gamers steal all there games, unlike the filthy DS scum.
Ok, now my lovely imput about consoles
Console = $60 games, slow patches, crappier graphics, younger, more immature idiots yelling in your headset, horrible FPSing with controller, tons of problems ( red ring of death, some odd program stopping ps3 players from playing cod4 from noon to 12:00? Wii only having one good game?)
February 2nd, 2008
I wouldn’t say that PC gaming is dying. It’s more of a decline. I agree with you that having a “decent” PC for gaming needs too much money. Especially when the cost of a good graphics card is equal to a console!!! That’s insane!!
In fact, I’ve been seeing more than I like, that many people use PC for “lightweight” gaming such as Diner Dash, Zuma, and other time-wasting games, which don’t need powerful PC or graphics.
However, there are some genres of games that can’t be replaced by consoles (yet), such as RTS and MMORPG (the best ones).
Don’t give up, PC Gamers!!!
February 2nd, 2008
I wonder when more PC titles will find their way onto the PS3 and 360.
I’ve always loved Sid Mier’s titles. Can Civ. run on the PS3 and 360? My laptop wold explode if I tried today’s games on it.
February 2nd, 2008
I have a Wii, a PS3 and a PC. This for me covers all the bases. Any game worth it’s salt on the 360 will also be released for the PC and generally look and play a bit better (except Tiger Woods 08!) as long as you are willing to spend the money on a decent graphics card. A good card will stand up for a couple of years at least – as long as you do your research and are happy to use Windows Vista (for DirectX 10). Has anyone seen Far Car 2 on the PC? Check out this link: http://www.clan-themes.co.uk/article217-far-cry-2-video-demo.html
This vid is about 10-12 minutes long and is probably the most amazing looking FPS to date. I wonder how the consoles will deal with this as it’s no longer PC exclusive.
February 2nd, 2008
****That should be Far Cry 2 not Far Car 2!!
February 2nd, 2008
I simply feel sorry for all the NON-PC gamers who miss out on the ability of gaming with a proper aiming device with as precision as 1200dpi.
No RTS or FPS can be played without the keyboard and mouse. Not properly played Had they included a Keyboard + Mouse with any console, a PROPER one with support for all games mind you, I would have switched to consoles long time back.
I had bought a PS2 for sometime, and played GTA:SA on it (then later the PC). The fact that you simply had an ‘auto-aim’ function for aiming and killing people was just sad. Auto Aim is like a cheat to me. On all other games I prefer the mouse too. 3rd person shooters, you can turn 180 with the flick of your mouse. Playing on the PC was more fun, I actually made use of my aiming skill rather than pressing two buttons to aim someone.
PC Gaming has much more presicion and PC gamers are much more towards getting extreme precision in their gaming ability.
February 3rd, 2008
@Matt Ford:
“1. RE4 for PC is garbage & im glad it got stolen so much, believe me, when I couldnt get past the first cut scene with the boulder, i deleted that POS & remained $50 richer”
^^^ 1st of all, The boulder part wasn’t the first cutscene. In fact, it’s not called a cutscene but a Quick Time Event (QTE). Second, you could buy the game for $20 bucks not $50. In other words, you just got outed as someone that doesn’t know what the fudge he’s talking about. Besides, RE4 for PC doesn’t define the quality of TRUE PC games that are available for download on pirate sites.
“2. Bioshock was awful”….
^^^ With that comment you just took away any credit from present and future posts. Congrats.
“3. Piracy is just as bad on the console, its easy to download xbox 360/ps3 games, but the sad thing is most people on the consoles are lazy idiots who dont know how to make a console dvd, so the consoles are semi safe.”
^^^ So on the one hand you claim console piracy is just as bad as PC but on the other hand claim that because console gamers are “lazy idiots”, it really isn’t that bad and it’s almost safe from piracy… dude, your mental farts are getting bipolar on you.
“Console = $60 games, slow patches, crappier graphics, younger, more immature idiots yelling in your headset, horrible FPSing with controller, tons of problems ( red ring of death, some odd program stopping ps3 players from playing cod4 from noon to 12:00? Wii only having one good game?)”
Tsk! You sir are a poop spewing machine. Give your mother a pat on the back and tell her to close her hairy legs the next time she thinks about going to bed with the gibbon you call daddy-o.
LOL
February 5th, 2008
To say that PC gaming is dead (or dying) is completely delusional… There is no doubt that the console/PC technology gap is closing, but consoles still don’t have the sheer flexibility, utility or range that a PC has. I’m sorry, but Triston’s opinion is just that… His opinion, which is totally out of touch with the reality of things.
February 21st, 2008
Here is the deal. I am a huge former PC gamer.
I always bought the best cards $500 to $600
a pop. I have a water cooled rig ect.
I have been a 360 gamer since it was released.
The next gen consoles are to close to what I
expect games to be. Before the 360 I used
to laugh at console gamers when they came
to my house and saw real games on my PC.
Their mouths would drop open because the
graphics where so advanced. It was like Pac Man
VS Half life 2. That is not the case with the next
gen systems. Sure crysis looks great but not that
great. No one is going to look at Crysis and
say oh my god I have never seen graphics like this before. The leap is not that big.
PC gaming IS DEAD. The reason is money.
You guys my not like it you may bitch about it
but the bank roll behind the developers don’t
care what you think and you can’t change the market. Big money will never flow back into PC gaming again. This has nothing to do with what you like it has to do with business. Stop bitching
get a console and start playing.
June 8th, 2008
Very good article. I think pc gaming is dead because these days you can buy a console and play all the games you want for years to come, with out costly improvements to be made to the console.
To be a PC gamer you need to upgrade your PC every year, putting alot of money into it, and not only that. I went to trade in my PC games which were merely a few months old, and they gave me 5 bucks for them. On the other hand, any 360 or PS3 game would hold it’s value for a while longer.
Just remember those people that bought the PS2 when it just came out and got so many years of top of the line games without adding a cent in improvements, while us PC gamers have been rushing to the stores every few months to get a better Video card.
August 15th, 2008
You do not need to upgrade your PC every year. There are softwares out there that will make your graphic card render only what it can handle. These are still few softwares, but they keep coming all the time.
PC graphics will always be better as well.
February 14th, 2009
Many of the comments here are extremely ignorant, but others are pretty good. PC gaming is not dying at all but I want to point out some things that I just saw…wrong here:
Some PC gamers keep saying there is nothing like keyboard and mouse…FOR FPS, RTS GAMES!! (and probably point and click adventure games)…god damn it! there was someone here saying there is no better aiming device than a mouse…IS THE FPS GENRE THE ONLY ONE IN YOUR MIND? this why I see PC gaming as limited, this not new it’s always been like that.
PC has better graphics, flexibilty and a million other things but consoles always had the most games…most of the times, genres like FPS, RTS, and adventure games will always be better on PC, but there’s no fighting games, Japanese RPGs and a whole SLEW of other awesome non-simplified games on consoles, don’t come with crap like “nowadays” because it’s always been like that.
The best experience is for the one that can afford everything and have everything (consoles and PC), they are the ones that probably enjoy gaming the most not JUST PC gamers or Console gamers.
The other issue I see is that a lot of PC gamers come out with false statements all the time on sites like this just to put down console gamers which is ridiculous and childish (and they complain of console gamers being childish).
There are also false facts console gamers come out with but that’s because of ignorance usually.
I can build a PC on newegg right now that can play ALL modern PC games on highest graphics (Crysis on like HIGH not VERY HIGH, but that game has awesome graphics…and that’s about it) for around $1100…you don’t spend that EVERY year though, you spend it now and you won’t need to upgrade your graphics card in like 2 years or so and your CPU in like 3 years…heck, even dual cores are not fully used by games let alone Quad core (this PC would include a pretty powerful quadcore, not i7 but no game even makes use of core2quad or Phenom/Phenom II.
Another little issue is, a true PC gamer always has a gamepad lying around…don’t complain if a console port doesn’t play well with keyboard and mouse please, specially if it’s not a FPS like Devil May Cry 4, Assassin’s Creed, Dead Space etc etc etc…GET A FREAKING GAMEPAD!! the “experience” that matters the most on PC is graphics, flexibility, mods etc etc BUT NOT control (except for FPS, RTS etc etc..), if you HAVE to use a gamepad then that should be no problem at all I think, also I forgot to point out platformers never make it to the PC either…and yes, adults play them too.
One last thing, please don’t count stupid MMORPGS…they are made to get your money and time, and the ones that are free are still crap…you know why? RPGs ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT STORY, ATMOSPHERE AND “FEEL” first and foremost, not doing a million side quests without story and being so “freeroaming” and useless crap like that certain developers tend to sell to gamers, RPGs are supposed to be nice and linear so you can concentrate on the story…besides, you pretty much RENT an MMORPG, why do you buy a copy if you can’t play it unless you pay every month? if you don’t pay you can’t play it? that’s ridiculous!!! that genre shouldn’t even count…
February 14th, 2009
And yeah…that was long as hell!