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How to Fix PC Gaming Once and for All (For PC games Lover)
extremetech.com — With the demise of Games for Windows/Computer Gaming, the popularity of consoles, and games that once might have been PC-only are now appearing on said consoles, sometimes exclusively.PC gaming doesn't need to be fixed, but it does need some maintenance work to keep on running smoothly. Here are some areas that could use attention.
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- jkremer3, on 04/24/2008, -6/+128While I agree that some of these issues are correct, I don't agree that PC gaming was ever in danger of dying..
- jivemasta, on 04/24/2008, -23/+10I think it is definitely in danger of dying. I stopped caring about pc games about 5 years ago. Before then, you didn't have to worry about buying a $300 video card just to play one game that you get bored of after a week. Every major game that has come out on pc in the last few years has been spread apart so much that by the time you had a card good enough to play oblivion on high settings, you had to go out and get a new one to even play crysis. Yet you can still use the same processor because those don't get upgraded every 3 months. Why would someone do that when they can just buy a $300 xbox and get the same, if not better experience. Game studios need to realize that while graphics are good, they aren't important enough to support all the bad parts of a game. Some of the best PC games i've ever played have terrible graphics. just look at the independent games on tigsource.com, or the ones that actually make it on steam.
- rhoffer21, on 04/24/2008, -3/+19ONE pc game has almost as many subscribers as Wiis sold....
- KMartSheriff, on 04/24/2008, -4/+10You are being dugg down by Wiitards.
- jivemasta, on 04/24/2008, -7/+4I have nothing wrong with WOW, you can run it just fine on an old machine. I'm talking more about cookie cutter fps games that add nothing to the genre than pretty graphics. What is the last game for the PC that really innovated, portal, but then what before that? Nothing on the PC really stands out in any other area besides graphics. My point is that while not completely dead it's sure on it's way to being nothing but WOW and casual games.
- KMartSheriff, on 04/25/2008, -3/+8You wanna talk about cookie cutter that add nothing more than pretty graphics!? Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Enough said.
- norman619, on 04/25/2008, -1/+7Sorry but most console games are as you described.
- RandomGuySteve, on 04/25/2008, -0/+3There are Mods, Skins, Maps, TCs, Mutators, Quests, Private Servers, etc for the PC.
All of these things will always be better than the best game you can make on any console.
The Create Community used to make PC games last 10x a comparable console game. If this dies, then PC gaming will offer nothing over it's console counterparts.
- iofthestorm, on 04/24/2008, -2/+26Every time someone says you need to buy a $300 graphics card each time you want to play a new PC game I get the urge to stab them over the internet. A $200 graphics card will last at least 3 years although you may have to play on lower settings, it will still be playable and the graphics will be as good or better than the Xbox games.
- jivemasta, on 04/24/2008, -5/+1I bought a brand new 5500 right when it came out. I could play all the latest games, but it seemed right after, the 6800 came out, and every thing required hardware dx9 support to run on low settings. Maybe I just picked a bad time to buy one. Even three years isn't worth paying for a $200 card. When you still might need to pay another couple hundred to upgrade your cpu and ram, but wait, cpus just changed socket types again, so you need a new mobo, which requires more power, so a new power supply. It's just a vicious cycle, all for games that don't really stack up.
- PueSi, on 04/25/2008, -0/+7You hardly ever need to upgrade your CPU for gaming, it's all about the vidcard most of the time.
- norman619, on 04/25/2008, -0/+4You don't know much about hardware based on your comment. Newer CPU use LESS power than older ones. You usually don't have enough hardware in your computer to justify the massive power supplies available for desktop PCs. Most people fall for the marketing BS and buy way more power supply than they actually need. You do not need a huge power supply unless you are building something like a graphics workstation which is more like a server than a regular gaming PC.
- ThugThrasher, on 04/25/2008, -0/+3Since I built my computer 3 years ago, I have upgraded my video card once. That's right, ONCE. For $150. I have not upgraded my motherboard, cpu, power supply, or any other major component. I have run through 3 mice, because I treat those like *****.
I still buy new games. I don't have problems running most of them. The ones I do, I just turn the graphics down a bit. - Zekarus, on 04/25/2008, -4/+1 You know what, guys?
I think he's talkin' about graphic card, not processor. You know, like, GF FX5500. And 6800 [GT, Ultra, blah blah blah].
If so, you guys failed. - Lythium, on 04/25/2008, -1/+3^^ You know what, Zek? If you're talking about hardware and use incorrect terminology, you fail. If you respond based on what someone WROTE, as opposed to what the ether tells you he might (or might not) have MEANT to write, you do NOT fail.
Yeesh.
- ausfahrt, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2I agree people are mental when it comes to freaking out about needing a new 300 dollar card but i also think you are exaggerating. A 300 dollar card is at most times the perfect price point as many of us know and will have the longer lifespan than a 200 dollar card and 3 years is quite a long time. If you were referring to last generation xbox then i would agree. Sure now more than 2 years after the 360 is out a 300 dollar card is as good and better than the graphics on a 360 but if u had bought one then when it came out youd be off by quite a bit.
- jivemasta, on 04/24/2008, -5/+1I bought a brand new 5500 right when it came out. I could play all the latest games, but it seemed right after, the 6800 came out, and every thing required hardware dx9 support to run on low settings. Maybe I just picked a bad time to buy one. Even three years isn't worth paying for a $200 card. When you still might need to pay another couple hundred to upgrade your cpu and ram, but wait, cpus just changed socket types again, so you need a new mobo, which requires more power, so a new power supply. It's just a vicious cycle, all for games that don't really stack up.
- shodanx, on 04/24/2008, -4/+0why ?
you that thing called a mouse ?
yes - command-tab, on 04/24/2008, -2/+1Cool!!
- Dubbsacc, on 04/24/2008, -0/+8You say graphics don't matter, yet saying you need to keep purchasing new graphics cards to play on the high settings. You don't need to play every game on High settings. You have this preconceived notion that you need to have everything maxed and turned on (AA8x, AF16x, etc.) and have it running smooth to be satisfied. Guess what? Most consoles don't even do this, they aren't pushed to the absolute limit, this allows for a smoother consistent frame rate.
Have you seen the prices on decent PC hardware? It's not bad at all anymore, you don't need to be on the cutting edge to play most games effectively. I'm still on a 7 series GeForce and doing fine. I dropped a cheap as hell $64 dual-core in, plus 60$ for another gig of RAM.
DirectX 10 and Vista was all hype, it's sad the way it was handled in my opinion. Forcing some games exclusive as well has DX10 being exlusive was a bad idea. Gaming on DX9 is just fine.
Console exclusivitey isn't a problem for me, I can wait to play it, on the other hand there are people that need to play certain games right then and there and they just buy the console. - mitrovarr, on 04/24/2008, -1/+4"Every major game that has come out on pc in the last few years has been spread apart so much that by the time you had a card good enough to play oblivion on high settings, you had to go out and get a new one to even play crysis."
What planet are you on? So many good games came on on PC last fall that I still haven't managed to play all the ones I bought, to say nothing of the rest. Team Fortress 2 is so much fun I'm still playing it - of course, I was delayed getting into that because I was playing NWN2 Mask of the Betrayer and Portal. Hl2ep2 and UT3 still sit untouched on my shelf, and I still plan on trying Crysis and Call of Duty 4 someday.
And of course, there were at least a dozen other good, popular games released during the same time period. And there's been a couple released during the spring.
Unless you play a game through once and then forget it exists and don't touch the multiplayer, or don't have a job or life and do nothing but play games all day, I can't imagine how you'd ever burn through all available computer games. Maybe you're restricting yourself to only the shiniest, highest-tech video card demos and not playing the games with actual depth and gameplay? Most of the games I've had the most fun playing weren't the bling-filled tech-demos.- jivemasta, on 04/24/2008, -2/+3What if I'm not a fan of FPS games? And I don't have the budget for WoW ar other subscription games. Until PCs get the same range of games that consoles get(sports, racing, platformers, single player rpgs) it's never going to be a viable competitor compared to consoles.
Now as a fan of PC games, I am trust me. PC games just don't innovate anymore. What is so special about crysis, from all I can tell is it has a good physics engine, that's about it. It seems like they just made it to show off the engine to get other studios to use the engine. Call of duty 4 is good I admit, but why is it good, it doesn't really add anything to the genre, you run and shoot, and then take cover.- Farnn, on 04/25/2008, -1/+2PCs do get the same range of games consoles get. And in what way are console games any more innovative than PC games? How many Madden games are really needed? And the argument about subscription games makes little sense. If you were paying $15 a month you would be playing it more than you would a normal game, and over the course of 4 months you would pay the price of a single console game.
- mitrovarr, on 04/25/2008, -0/+3Well, if you like MMORPGs but don't want a subscription fee, there's always Guild Wars. Also, computers have their own genres where they excel - most MMORPGs, FPS, RTS, cRPGs, adventure games, Civilization-types, Simcity-types, etc.
Maybe you like the console genres better in which case you made the right decision, but there's far more to the computer game market than FPSs and WoW. - rompom7, on 05/01/2008, -0/+1PCs have sports (FIFA), racing (TrackMania), platformers (Rayman) and single player rpgs (Oblivion). What are you talking about? (note: those examples came off the top of my head, there are tons more)
PCs are the _only_ place you will find innovation. You will _always_ see the latest tech on PCs.
The only thing PCs are not good at are party games, but even then LAN parties and MMOs compensate for that.
- jivemasta, on 04/24/2008, -2/+3What if I'm not a fan of FPS games? And I don't have the budget for WoW ar other subscription games. Until PCs get the same range of games that consoles get(sports, racing, platformers, single player rpgs) it's never going to be a viable competitor compared to consoles.
- longbow486, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2if anything it would because either the developer or publisers dont want to persue the PC market any more, the gamers will always be there
- norman619, on 04/25/2008, -0/+2No *****. It's the largest platform out there. Most people have a PC. The same can't be said of consoles.
- popfrogs, on 04/25/2008, -0/+2It's also constantly pirated. That doesn't happen at all on PS3 but it still happens with the Wii and X360. This makes developers nervous and kills innovation. Studios know that every single game must be a smash hit to recoup costs...so they make Generic FPS part 13. I used to criticize Valve for making nothing but Half Life since day one but at least they know they can turn a buck on it despite piracy.
- norman619, on 04/25/2008, -0/+2No *****. It's the largest platform out there. Most people have a PC. The same can't be said of consoles.
- meed, on 04/25/2008, -0/+2Upgrading isn't a quarterly requirement for PC gaming, nor is it even a yearly requirement. In 2005 built a computer for about $1000, and I am still playing on the same system with a few minor upgrades (More Ram and HDDs) heck it even played crysis smoothly at low settings. But I will admit I just bought a new graphics card for my system, after 3 years my x800 has been retired not mainly because UT3 engine based games won't run on it, but because I really want the HD playback accelleration in newer cards. The replacement nvidia 9600gt purchased for under $150.
- ArmandoM, on 04/25/2008, -2/+2Wait...wait...wait. Jivemasta stopped caring about pc games?... Well, then pack it up. PC gaming was dead 5 years ago.
- rhoffer21, on 04/24/2008, -3/+19ONE pc game has almost as many subscribers as Wiis sold....
- SierraAlpha, on 04/24/2008, -2/+6RFTA
"...PC gaming is alive, well, and has a solid future. "- antiorblkflag9, on 04/24/2008, -2/+13Read ***** the article?
- SierraAlpha, on 04/24/2008, -1/+11Yeah sorry, I originally had FTA but then I decided to be a little more aggressive and ***** my self over when I did that.
- antiorblkflag9, on 04/25/2008, -2/+1ah
- SierraAlpha, on 04/24/2008, -1/+11Yeah sorry, I originally had FTA but then I decided to be a little more aggressive and ***** my self over when I did that.
- antiorblkflag9, on 04/24/2008, -2/+13Read ***** the article?
- antiorblkflag9, on 04/24/2008, -1/+12As long as people need computers for porn, they will need computers for games.
- IceX, on 04/25/2008, -1/+2there's still way more pc gamers that play online than all the consoles combined
- lunarcanary, on 04/26/2008, -0/+0Some of you "simple-minded" plebs may think the above comment is plain, dead-ended, and merely an opinion people digg up because they are "fanboys". Sure, "empirically" it may be a "useless" comment that solved nothing. That's because you don't see the true beauty of digg.
Sure, the "real" smart people are the CEO's of the gaming corporations. The "elites" behind the business that have people on digg worship and gather around them. From their ivory tower, watching petty "proles" digest scraps of trailers and discuss them on forums.
But can't you see? Digg is where the people have power. Gamers are the smart ones here. Sure, they may "waste their time" and "idle away" on games. But if you call them out, remember buddy, you're buried.
Let the ego of a exploited proletariat be free. For if you can't have power in real life, just have it "virtually." If you can't have money in real life, just use lindenbucks and gold. If you can't get your article published in the local paper, blog it. You can't get your movie in theaters? Put it on youtube. You can't get people to listen or agree with your juvenile, bandwagon mentality in real life? Put it on digg.
- jivemasta, on 04/24/2008, -23/+10I think it is definitely in danger of dying. I stopped caring about pc games about 5 years ago. Before then, you didn't have to worry about buying a $300 video card just to play one game that you get bored of after a week. Every major game that has come out on pc in the last few years has been spread apart so much that by the time you had a card good enough to play oblivion on high settings, you had to go out and get a new one to even play crysis. Yet you can still use the same processor because those don't get upgraded every 3 months. Why would someone do that when they can just buy a $300 xbox and get the same, if not better experience. Game studios need to realize that while graphics are good, they aren't important enough to support all the bad parts of a game. Some of the best PC games i've ever played have terrible graphics. just look at the independent games on tigsource.com, or the ones that actually make it on steam.
- bitterbug, on 04/24/2008, -35/+4Now this is weird. It made it to the front page without any comments.
I've never see that before. - Dantetheinferno, on 04/24/2008, -20/+6I think, sadly, that PC gaming has a different future than console gaming. I think it'll eventually turn into the casual gamer (Sims for example, portal) or be for MMO's (WoW). Have you tried playing the PC version of rainbow six vegas 1/2? You can just tell that it plays better on a console.
- Motocompo, on 04/24/2008, -2/+11hmmm... My experience has been quite difference. Vegas plays exceptionally well on PC in my opinion and the mouse/keyboard combo really hits home.
- Spl1nter, on 04/24/2008, -0/+11The only reasons they play better one a console is becuase Ubisoft is known for making horrible ports of all their games for PC. Also in case you don't remember the series started on PC.
Otherwise, I think Stardock (Sins of a Solar Empire) and Steam are leading the way for PC gaming. Stardock is against copy protection other then the fact that you receive a cd key which you only need to enter if you want additional content and patches. Plus they actually give additional content which is free and not some 3 maps for 10 dollar ***** - EtherGnat, on 04/24/2008, -0/+13"You can just tell that it plays better on a console."
If that's true it's because they made a lazy ass port. I prefer the PC for those types of games, but I've been seeing half baked ports more and more.- longbow486, on 04/24/2008, -0/+6i liked it bettert when they developed the game on the PC and made a lazy ass port for the console
- PurpleSfinx, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1Same - cause on the console it either works or it doesn't. On a PC, they can just claim everyone needs to upgrade.
- RandomGuySteve, on 04/25/2008, -0/+0Unfortunately they knew there would be more fans on the xbox, so that's where the money went.
- longbow486, on 04/24/2008, -0/+6i liked it bettert when they developed the game on the PC and made a lazy ass port for the console
- t0x2c, on 04/24/2008, -0/+8What about games like CS and Battlefield that handle terribly on console?
- latova, on 04/24/2008, -1/+1Games like UT3 and Vegas 2 play better on PC, but they're still terrible games. That's the problem.
- TRScheel, on 04/24/2008, -4/+29That guy is pissed off but he hit the nail on the head.
- crossmr, on 04/24/2008, -8/+2He's so pissed he forgot his dictionary.
"everything they say about gaming sales is virtually irreverent." how about irrelevant. Its a very long stretch to fit irreverent in to that sentence where irrelevant is much more suited.
A subscription isn't the same as a sale. We don't call someone leasing a car a sale every month, or someone paying house insurance a new home buyer every month.
This guy is all over the place.
CD keys are useful in restricting online play to legit owners.
I can't believe this guy has kids then proceeds to call someone dumb for what they do.
Did your kid right this article Joel?- Zyphron, on 04/25/2008, -1/+3"Did your kid right this article Joel?"
I believe you meant WRITE.- Lythium, on 04/25/2008, -1/+3Sweet irony.
- Zyphron, on 04/25/2008, -1/+3"Did your kid right this article Joel?"
- mattyice11, on 04/25/2008, -1/+7He completely missed the mark on his first point. Intel integrated graphics are cheap, and it's not the responsibility of the general public to prop up the gaming industry by making them pay for more powerful video capabilities that they probably won't ever use. Epic has been making this point for awhile and they're dead wrong.
I happen to enjoy playing games on my PC, so I bought a video card for that reason. But the grandmothers of the world shouldn't have to subsidize my desire to game.
- crossmr, on 04/24/2008, -8/+2He's so pissed he forgot his dictionary.
- svensko, on 04/24/2008, -34/+2Switch to Linux.
- chris4404, on 04/24/2008, -0/+17How would that help with gaming?
- vondrak, on 04/24/2008, -1/+16It doesn't, but it does help with the ladies. Wait, no, no it doesn't help there either.
- Cyborg326, on 04/24/2008, -1/+10you get to WINE about the lack of games on linux
- deviationer, on 04/24/2008, -2/+10wine, xwine, or what the gaming thing is called, is a ***** joke. sorry not worth it. you are into computer gaming, it's windows, or nothing else. Yeah you might be able to run a good chunk of the games out there but how do they look running over opengl when it was program for directx, also hows you frame rates eh? Linux + wine for gaming is like saying use OSX for gaming.
- valkyries, on 04/24/2008, -1/+6until steam(and all valve games) work nativity on linux there is no way in hell im switching
- KMartSheriff, on 04/24/2008, -6/+3***** you Linux tards who spew this *****.
- chris4404, on 04/24/2008, -0/+17How would that help with gaming?
- h4mx0r, on 04/24/2008, -6/+110The list got stupid when it said how they should fix the piracy problem. You can never make something uncrackable. There are multiple groups of people out there who make it their hobby to crack games. CD Keys are useful for making your copy unique, as in for a unique online account, but they aren't that good for piracy protection.
What you guys need are good games. Make a good game that is compatible with many systems of all sorts and one that doesn't cost fifty bucks. You want to know a good example? Sins of a Solar Empire. Excellent game with no copy protection, and BAM. Top seller of the month.- bitterbug, on 04/24/2008, -4/+20I love it when game developers or publishers claim they can't make a game without a 25 to 50 million dollar budget any more.
That's complete and utter *****. If it costs that much money someone is mismanaging that project all to hell, unless it has a scope that dwarfs virtually all titles out there.
I still have no idea how they came up with 70 million dollars as the amount of money spent on Shenmue.- TRScheel, on 04/24/2008, -0/+12The cost comes from the artists lately. I know some recent games have had artist groups which dwarf the coding groups. At an average salary of 60 something grand, they add up damn quick especially considering big games have dozens.
- bitterbug, on 04/24/2008, -0/+8I worked at a game developer. The artists made way less than the programmers in salary, and the numbers were pretty evenly split.
If you have 200 people working on a game, then 25 million dollars isn't surprising. But very few companies actually have massive work forces deployed on their games.
- bitterbug, on 04/24/2008, -0/+8I worked at a game developer. The artists made way less than the programmers in salary, and the numbers were pretty evenly split.
- TRScheel, on 04/24/2008, -0/+12The cost comes from the artists lately. I know some recent games have had artist groups which dwarf the coding groups. At an average salary of 60 something grand, they add up damn quick especially considering big games have dozens.
- antiorblkflag9, on 04/24/2008, -4/+20Valve has gotten their piracy prevention pretty much down pat.
- grewell912, on 04/25/2008, -0/+5And they make some damn good games
- logandurand, on 04/25/2008, -0/+6Yet their games are still pirated in huge numbers. Even Steam's technology isn't foolproof. Valve, however, solves much of the piracy problem by actually making a good product that you *want* to buy.
- Katana314, on 04/25/2008, -1/+3logandurand: True, people crack Steam games. However, it's still pretty hard to, compared to a normal release.
- loneraven, on 04/25/2008, -0/+5The point is, is that while you can crack steam games, it's a pain in the ass to do. Most people aren't going to bother. Besides, a lot of steam games are known for their online play. You really crack an online game unless you play on a private server. (Or maybe I'm out of th eloop or something.)
- tocsy, on 04/24/2008, -0/+17I agree, h4mx0r. The only thing I didn't like about the part on piracy was his "online registration" fix, where he says "no one cares" if it cripples people with bad connections. Well, I don't have a bad internet connection, but I still ***** care. What if I don't have internet access for whatever reason (internet's a piece of *****, moving from one place to another, just don't have enough internet ports, etc), what the hell am I supposed to do then? I should be able to play the game without having being connected to the internet.
- thomasthecat, on 04/24/2008, -0/+3Dunno why you were dugg down, you speak the truth.
- dadioflex, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1He never said you had to have the internet to play the game, just to get it in the first place.eg Stardock lets you download a game and then if you want that's the last time you have to go online. Steam will also let you play offline without an internet connection but won't let you multiplayer without online validation. So worst case you're talking about eg wanting to LAN game your laptops while on a train ride or something. Don't get me wrong that's a valid reason to complain but has to be weighed up against the benefits of online validation and distribution for the 99.9% of people it doesn't affect.
- NCg8r, on 04/24/2008, -2/+3It won't be long until there is NO piracy of PC games. Simply give the disc/DL away with enough of the game to get you wanting more. Like a Demo, but not crippled or nagging... But of course you have to pay to get online with it and open the "full experience". Stop fighting the "gimme sum'n for free" crowd and appease them! Get them hooked and mine their depths for the impulse, throw-away money, and you'll die richer than a Pharaoh.
- BevansDesign, on 04/24/2008, -0/+8And make it so people can SHARE it. SoftWARE you can SHARE. We'll call it...share-o-gaming.
- dadioflex, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1
@NCg8r - Of course Shareware gave way to Donateware because many people were satisfied with what they got for free or they used a simple crack to unlock whatever extra content was in their original download - the irony being that the company was putting their game out for download using their own resources and a few mouse clicks from a crack blew it wide open. In any event companies give away demos for free and then you can download the full game, so what's the big difference?
- dadioflex, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1
- BevansDesign, on 04/24/2008, -0/+8And make it so people can SHARE it. SoftWARE you can SHARE. We'll call it...share-o-gaming.
- bitterbug, on 04/24/2008, -4/+20I love it when game developers or publishers claim they can't make a game without a 25 to 50 million dollar budget any more.
- jawagas, on 04/24/2008, -20/+3Insightful article, somewhat annoying, and not really front-page worthy.
- PyroChan, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1Agreed, we should tell somebody important about this. Hold on, im calling the pope, BRB.
- AyaJulia, on 04/24/2008, -3/+20"Maybe online distribution is the key, with online components that, unless they're present, cripple the experience. I know that would piss off anyone without a decent online connection, but who cares?"
Wait... first he's talking about fixing PC games, then he's saying who cares if you piss off your loyal DRM-angsty customers?- Slybri, on 04/24/2008, -5/+3I think he means that the number of people who have PC gaming rigs without internet connection is so small, it's not worth worrying about.
Having a working online validation program is a good way to fight piracy.- AyaJulia, on 04/24/2008, -0/+7No. Just no. "online components that, unless they're present, -=CRIPPLE THE EXPERIENCE=-" indicates a lot more than a simple online validation program. I, personally, really enjoy having games I can play without an internet connection. Say I'm headed somewhere where I expect an hour or two of sitting around and waiting... I'm bringing my laptop and playing games! Not every place has an open wireless network to accommodate a ridiculous DRM like this.
- DanNZN, on 04/25/2008, -0/+3Not to mention that the validation servers could go down or be taken down after a few years making the game unplayable to everyone.
- Slybri, on 04/24/2008, -5/+3I think he means that the number of people who have PC gaming rigs without internet connection is so small, it's not worth worrying about.
- Shuk, on 04/24/2008, -2/+15I predict that PC Gaming will continue to thrive, but be more focused towards online gaming because of piracy (you can't pirate online games, and if you do, the experience is much worse). Games such as WoW have proven to be cash cows. As well, I think a main issue is that developers do not optimize code on the PC in hopes that people will have really good rigs. PC Games need to run well on medium-to-high end rigs and have good ART DIRECTION and sustainable gameplay. This is why Starcraft II will make a killing.
- valkyries, on 04/24/2008, -0/+11valve does that almost perfectly, from low end to semi-high end and look pretty damn good all the way across
- enivid, on 04/24/2008, -7/+67I don't think I will ever enjoy a first person shooter game on a console... It just lacks the precision that I'm looking for in these types of games.
- TRScheel, on 04/24/2008, -3/+29Auto aim drives me crazy on console ports.
- KMartSheriff, on 04/24/2008, -2/+8A-*****-men. I hated the 2 thumb joysticks concept from the first day I laid hands on it.
- ClemsonPoker, on 04/24/2008, -13/+1And I will never enjoy a FPS on a PC, I don't want to swim through servers to find one where there aren't any people who have hacked the game yet...to each his own.
(PS: I use a mouse/keyboard on my 360 and PS3...)- Lazydriver, on 04/24/2008, -2/+6I've rarely had an experience where there were cheaters, and it took a simple server move or a $ban #playername (in admin's console).
- BevansDesign, on 04/24/2008, -1/+9What is it, 2003? Any decent multiplayer game made these days has easy-to-find servers to play on (or at least no worse than on a console) and anti-hacker tools.
- NCg8r, on 04/24/2008, -1/+2I used to say the same thing, and I complained about it for a year after I got my 360. Now I have a PS3 and can hook up a keyboard/mouse if I want to... and I don't know if I want to. Once you have it down, it's mighty convenient to sit there on the couch with a gamepad instead of rigging up some "breakfast in bed" setup...
- hybridcreation, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1And considering I mostly play shooters...that's why I don't own a console.
- NeverReturnKid, on 04/24/2008, -5/+31"Computer makers, here this..."
Here? Here???? I'm glad they proof read the article...- stanleyford, on 04/25/2008, -1/+3"everything they say about gaming sales is virtually irreverent." -- Well, the spell checker said it was all right.
- Yazilliclick, on 04/25/2008, -1/+2I'm glad we have people like you to make posts on sites linking to articles to point out their spelling mistakes.
Here's an idea, contact the editor, don't bother us with this *****.
- joltjake, on 04/24/2008, -11/+1OP http://digg.com/pc_games/How_to_Fix_PC_Gaming_Once ...
- TehGrisp, on 04/24/2008, -1/+3This: submitted 10hr ago at time of this post.
That: submitted 7hr ago at time of this post.
Originals rarely come after copies.- joltjake, on 04/24/2008, -3/+1Well, the other story is the one linked to from the website. I figured I'd bitch a little, what my comment get buried.
- TehGrisp, on 04/24/2008, -1/+3This: submitted 10hr ago at time of this post.
- KWhat, on 04/24/2008, -1/+21It should be noted that Uncrackable is Impossible, so why even bother with the copy protection.
- Ratty, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1It keeps the publishers happy.
- mtbterain, on 04/24/2008, -19/+4consoles are inferior, they should be held to childrens games
pc will always be much faster and ahead in technology, and the controls will always remain intuitive and customizable with an array of applicable devices...i beleive consoles are the non-gamers system
pc is l337 in all honesty...and yes...i used 1337 to confirm where the language came from....pc, consoles have given us no revolutionary games- Ender008, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1Did you even read the article?
- PyroChan, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1GOD DAMN HE IS SPEWING A FOUNTAIN OF TRUTH!!!!
- lcmatt, on 04/24/2008, -9/+272 diggs and not one comment? How very odd, anyway as this will probably be the first I'm either going to be dugg down to hell for not actually saying anything about the article or dugg up for some strange reason.
- kerguelen72, on 04/24/2008, -7/+7Fallout 3
- Slybri, on 04/24/2008, -2/+4which will also be available on the 360 and ps3
- an0nym0us, on 04/25/2008, -1/+4Which is also the reason why the dev messed up with the original mechanics and dumb it down for console. :(
- crispynoodle, on 05/22/2008, -0/+0Yep, exactly what they did with the Eldar Scrolls 4 - Lite, otherwise known as Oblivion.
- an0nym0us, on 04/25/2008, -1/+4Which is also the reason why the dev messed up with the original mechanics and dumb it down for console. :(
- Slybri, on 04/24/2008, -2/+4which will also be available on the 360 and ps3
- joshtj, on 04/24/2008, -5/+23"Fix the piracy issue or shut up"? what a rubbish article. Like PC developers haven't been trying to do this for the last 20+ years.
- dullnation, on 04/24/2008, -8/+2Exactly. So shut up.
- jayzeus, on 04/24/2008, -0/+15They are not fixing it. All they are doing is releasing more complex copy protection schemes that get cracked within hours or days, and all it really does is annoy legit users.
- Slybri, on 04/24/2008, -2/+2Yeah, it seems like they whine about it and use it as an excuse for poor sales instead of developing security or incentive to not pirate games. Seems like Valve is doing just fine.
- pogfreak, on 04/24/2008, -1/+3Tell that to Iron Lore. Valve and Blizz are the exception, few companies have the brand name and bank roll to do what they do. When CoD4 sells 10:1 on console to pc how can you act surprised when the "average" dev migrates to console first, PC second.
- PhoenixAvatar2, on 04/24/2008, -1/+1Trying to fix this? I've seen three approaches. CD Key, online account and no protection. Looks like they've got a lot to show for 20 years of work.
- joshtj, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2Shows how much you've been in into gaming then. They have numerous DVD/CD/Floppy copy protection and encryption methods, all cracked, some software had a hardware key you had to plug into your computers parallel port, some games required you to read a part of the manual to enter codes, others had a 'code wheel' or similar device, some software would write something to the floppy disk it was installed from to ensure it wasn't another PC. I'm sure there have been many more too.
- thedragon4453, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1I think the key was fix it *or shut up*.
They can't fix it. Make decent games. Make games that are compatible with a wide variety of systems. Don't make a game that requires that you have the graphics card that was released 5 minutes ago. IMHO, steam is the best example of how to deal with piracy. Hell, if I were a game developer, I'd be watching Valve and taking notes. Or Blizzard.
And yeah, skip all the copy protection *****. No one that is intent on pirating a game will come up short. Copy protections get cracked. Think of something else.
DRM, in all forms, only serves to alienate customers. It absolutely does not stop or even deter piracy.
- Amenbea, on 04/24/2008, -5/+6Consoles in a few generations pretty much will be a PC. All in a matter of time.
- TRScheel, on 04/24/2008, -3/+6They are pretty much PC's right now... XBox 360 is a great example
- latova, on 04/24/2008, -3/+7Except no mouse and keyboard and you have to pay for DLC and online use.
- flangepiece, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2All this stuff is a business model, not a hardware restriction. And a very effective one at that.
- KMartSheriff, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2As long as you have to pay to play a game online (LIVE), it will never work.
- iruber1337, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1PS3 is a better example, just ask anyone that has played DMC4....
(when did we start requiring installs/updates on console games!?!?)
- latova, on 04/24/2008, -3/+7Except no mouse and keyboard and you have to pay for DLC and online use.
- nobelief, on 04/25/2008, -0/+3of the three consoles, you picked the 360? PS3 games require installation!
someone's out of touch- TRScheel, on 04/25/2008, -0/+2I picked it from a coding standpoint
- TRScheel, on 04/24/2008, -3/+6They are pretty much PC's right now... XBox 360 is a great example
- AzzX, on 04/24/2008, -2/+21Steam has done a lot in securing a important part of PC gaming - especially for the future. I don't buy PC games online anymore - Its all via steam.
- jivemasta, on 04/24/2008, -0/+7Yeah, steam has really started kicking ass the past year and a half. I remember when it used to be only hl1 and its mods. Now it's pretty much every big PC game. Plus independent and older games.
- DemonWasp, on 04/25/2008, -0/+2Just bought the Max Payne bundle for $15. It's nice to see that instead of price-gouging, they're actually making a product that's worth the money.
Oh, and I can sit my lazy ass down in a comfy chair while I'm getting the game, too.
- DemonWasp, on 04/25/2008, -0/+2Just bought the Max Payne bundle for $15. It's nice to see that instead of price-gouging, they're actually making a product that's worth the money.
- hybridcreation, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1I've bought my last 4-5 games through Steam...and would buy every game through it if I could. No discs, no cracks, no patches...just games. Digital distribution is the future and Steam is the comfort spot when I comes to DRM....no authentication through Steam, no play. Simple AND effective.
- jivemasta, on 04/24/2008, -0/+7Yeah, steam has really started kicking ass the past year and a half. I remember when it used to be only hl1 and its mods. Now it's pretty much every big PC game. Plus independent and older games.
- PhonicUK, on 04/24/2008, -3/+81He missed a couple out...
Publishers need to stop with half-assed ports of console games. A PC version shouldn't be an afterthought and should be a design consideration from the start. Think about the controls, think about the user and think about the hardware!
They also need to get Network Play right. Every online game needs a decent online lobby system, matchmaking, skill levels and achivements. People should be able to host their own servers so our online experience isn't at the whim of the publisher. See EA games withdrawing online play for the earlier Need For Speed games.
Crack down on cheaters! It seems like some of the publishers (See EA games, again...) are completely unwilling to crack down on cheating in their games. It ruins the experience for legitimate players who want to just play. I am fed up of playing Crysis to find half the players have speed and ammo hacks, which brings us onto the next point...
Stop releasing games before they are finished! Yes you'll get more sales releasing just before the christmas rush, but at the expense of your reputation! (See EA Games with Crysis, yet again...) Too many games come out as Beta quality with the idea of "Release now, Patch later". Get it right from the start and players will thank you for it.
Stop using Gamespy! It sucks! This point needs no further explanation.
Listen to the players and release extra content for the game. It improves the longevity and creates a better user experience. Or failing that, let users create and distribute their own content!
In summary, EA suck.- sys9five, on 04/24/2008, -2/+5If anybody deserves more diggs, it is you sir!
- flangepiece, on 04/24/2008, -0/+3This is what the article should have said. I was practically shouting bravo at my screen reading the points you raise, and what a summary - succinct and entirely valid.
- SeventhSon, on 04/24/2008, -1/+5Oh my goodness, that was so good I was practically shouting that you should father my baby while I was digging you up multiple times.
- lovestospooge, on 04/24/2008, -0/+5Valve and Paradox. Only good companies in the business.
- sgtpppr, on 04/25/2008, -2/+3Blizzard? Anyone?
- Zyphron, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1Stardock/GPG
- hybridcreation, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1Agree on Valve...they just do everything right.
- JeffD, on 04/25/2008, -3/+1"People should be able to host their own servers so our online experience isn't at the whim of the publisher."
Except they shouldn't do this, rather they should only allow online play using their services (and make it a good one) and use that as the only form of copy protection. People still buy old games like Starcraft rather than easily pirating it specifically so they can use the online service.- PhonicUK, on 04/25/2008, -0/+3Yes but that does mean that any point the publisher can suddenly decide to pull the service and suddenly nobody can play it anymore. I've seen too many good games become unplayable because the publisher has dropped their online support.
If they did do that, then they should at least release a final patch upon dropping the game to let people play on 3rd party servers so the game doesn't become unplayable online.- dsmx, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1Which EA will never do as how would they sell there yearly stat change games?
- Parkinsons, on 04/25/2008, -0/+3I think privately owned servers is a must for games. It promotes Mods, community, cheating prevention, and game settings tailor made to your liking.
- Zyphron, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1Also dont forget that the dedicated server community is what allows for large numbers of players in games. I love a good 32-38 person deathmatch, as opposed to the 16 person max that you can find in most consoles.
While I agree that a centralized service is important and helpful, I think that individually hosted servers should be integrated into that service, instead of removed entirely. In fairness though, half of the problem with cheating IS individually hosted servers. There is much less cheating on games that are hosted entirely by the game company. (Any Blizzard game, GuildWars, etc)
- PhonicUK, on 04/25/2008, -0/+3Yes but that does mean that any point the publisher can suddenly decide to pull the service and suddenly nobody can play it anymore. I've seen too many good games become unplayable because the publisher has dropped their online support.
- hackiavelli, on 04/25/2008, -0/+2Guitar Hero III for the PC is the poster boy for half-assed ports. It doesn't even take advantage of the keyboard for entering your name on the high score screen. Add to that zero work put into creating an online community (four months on and there's no downloadable songs for purchase or otherwise) and some hugely annoying DRM and it feels like I'm actually being penalized for buying the game.
- Nuhaus, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1"Crack down on cheaters!" What I really want to know is why the PC gaming companies are not protecting their intellectual property rights when it comes to hacks. How can the people setting up commercial web sites that sell subscription based hacks for online games legally stay in business? Why the hell are they not being sued into oblivion? Are they not reverse engineering PC games and thereby breaking the DMCA? It seems like the PC gaming companies just do not give a damn.
- Zyphron, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1Of course they are breaking DRM. It is a matter of resources. In the music and movie industry, huge percentages of profit go to fueling the RIAA and the MPAA which then go around harassing everyone. The video game industry does not have the same level of organization, and quite frankly, I would not really want it to waste its money.
Even in the console world, where hardware modification is necessary to pirate, there is STILL piracy. It is not going away. Just move on. Look at stardock, which puts no piracy protection on its games. Or Blizzard, which is very lax, but just has everyone connect to their multiplayer servers to play their games. The best thing PC publishers can do is to stop fighting so hard, and just be smart about how they deliver their content, and it will be fine.
- Zyphron, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1Of course they are breaking DRM. It is a matter of resources. In the music and movie industry, huge percentages of profit go to fueling the RIAA and the MPAA which then go around harassing everyone. The video game industry does not have the same level of organization, and quite frankly, I would not really want it to waste its money.
- hybridcreation, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1Agree with every word. Very well put.
- dynamicx, on 04/24/2008, -6/+1In the long term(10+ years) I can't see consoles staying around. With gaming ready PC prices continually falling and when transferring things between the computer and tv becomes easier and enters the mainstream, why would you want a console when you can have a do it all PC? Interested to hear what others think.
- SanTe, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2The PC vs. Console argument is stupid because every time the argument comes up it starts with someone saying one side or the other will go extinct, which is woefully blind to history. PCs won't go extinct any more than radio went extinct when TV became all the rage, and plenty of people were absolutely certain that radio wouldn't survive to see the end of the 1950s when TV took hold.
And before anyone says "HD-DVD" in rebuttal, that is entirely different. Blu-ray movie players and HD-DVD movie players were designed to do the exact same, single thing: play HiDef movies. HD-DVD will go extinct because it has no reason to exist now that Blu-ray is being so widely adopted. PCs and consoles are two different things that serve two different purposes; it just happens that you can also play games on a PC. It just happens that you can also play Blu-ray moves on your PS3 but that doesn't mean cheaper standalone Blu-ray movie players won't become popular in a few years and have a decent lifespan as well. - aklu, on 04/24/2008, -3/+2I don't think the console or the PC will last another 10+ years. Everything is going to be synaptic and modular. We'll all carry around our computers (in our pockets, sewn into clothing, implanted under our skin, who knows) and use them with the appropriate output device for the situation, whether it be your desk at work, your TV at home, or your car's dashboard. You may not even have to plug it in... the device you're using may be able to recognize you and adjust to your presence. All applications will be managed and distributed via systems like Steam. Network speeds will be AMAZINGLY fast at that point in time, so local storage won't even matter. The input mechanisms will adjust to the situation as well. I can imagine a virtual keyboard displayed on my desktop (the furniture, not your XP/Vista/Linux desktop) at work, but a normal looking remote will be used to control the computer while it's plugged into my TV, and maybe a gamepad or keyboard and mouse setup for gaming at a monitor. It won't matter... the computer will just handle it. Ten years is along time when you apply Moore's Law
- SanTe, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2The PC vs. Console argument is stupid because every time the argument comes up it starts with someone saying one side or the other will go extinct, which is woefully blind to history. PCs won't go extinct any more than radio went extinct when TV became all the rage, and plenty of people were absolutely certain that radio wouldn't survive to see the end of the 1950s when TV took hold.
- BodomChild16, on 04/24/2008, -1/+14This article doesn't say anything about "fixing" PC Gaming. Its just simply some guy whining about how everyone is whining. PC Games don't need to be fixed, nor are in any danger. I'm tired of all of these immature 9 year olds who just got an Xbox360 for Christmas and have to argue with everyone that it's the greatest thing since sliced bread.
"Ps3 is $600 which means its bad!"
"The keyboard sucks, i just like the controller in my hand"
"Halo 3 > Counter-Strike: Source"
Does it really matter? I own a gaming PC, PS3, and Xbox360 and instead of wasting all of this time complaining, I simply play whatever game sparks my interest at that given moment in time.- YoshinoAiki, on 04/24/2008, -1/+0Indeed. I think people who say PC gaming or Console gaming is better than the other simply don't have the other. Why limit yourself to one kind of gaming when you can enjoy both? I don't run around saying console gaming is dying! Oh noes! They are both here to stay and will both continue to evolve. Each offers styles of gaming that the other does not. One can find things to love about them all.
- RandomGuySteve, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1Because you have to make the choice. Do I get COD4 for the 360, or do I get it for the PC. Do I get Mass Effect for the 360 Now? or do I wait 12 months for a horrible PC version.
Or my favorite: The PC version sucks because we ported it. We don't care and never will. Enjoy.
- RandomGuySteve, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1Because you have to make the choice. Do I get COD4 for the 360, or do I get it for the PC. Do I get Mass Effect for the 360 Now? or do I wait 12 months for a horrible PC version.
- YoshinoAiki, on 04/24/2008, -1/+0Indeed. I think people who say PC gaming or Console gaming is better than the other simply don't have the other. Why limit yourself to one kind of gaming when you can enjoy both? I don't run around saying console gaming is dying! Oh noes! They are both here to stay and will both continue to evolve. Each offers styles of gaming that the other does not. One can find things to love about them all.
- Downtime, on 04/24/2008, -3/+3outstanding article. the pc gaming industry is still raking it in, and it won't be going anywhere south anytime soon. i'm glad the Steam example was used.
- uziko, on 04/24/2008, -3/+2the only thing that needs fixing, is people that try to play pc games without a good video card
- davidrools, on 04/24/2008, -4/+10Insert obligatory PC vs Console fanboy argument:
-PCs cost too much
>Controllers can never be as good as a keyboard and mouse
-You gotta constantly upgrade your computer
>Exclusives PC games!
-Exclusive console games!
>Online gaming!
-Online gaming!
>Better graphics!
-I get to play on my TV/couch
...etc.- xNIBx, on 04/24/2008, -7/+5Pc doesnt costs too much. Everyone has a pc and you can add a 8800gt for 150$ and play any game you want with graphics better than consoles. If you need more ram, 1gB ram costs 15$. You already have a pc to do things, you just need a decent gpu. But even if you need to build a gaming pc from scratch, you can get one for 800$(quad core cpu, 8800gt, etc). At first it might look more expensive but it is in fact cheaper because console games cost an extra 20$ compared to pc games. If you buy 4 games a year, for 4 years, that's 320$ extra cost. Add the cost of Live(pc have free online) and the extra capabilities of the pc and voila, pcs are cheaper than consoles.
And you dont need to constantly upgrade your pc because PC GAMES CAN SCALE DOWN THEIR GRAPHICS. I could easily use a p4@2.4ghz with a 9700pro and 1gB ram as a gaming pc for like 5+ years. And graphics still looked better than what ps2/xbox 1 could get me. Just lower the resolution and the quality of effects. 4 years later, scaled down pc games will still look better on a c2d/8800gt than ps3/xbox 360 games will look then.
And you can easily connect any pc with your tv without any problem and use wireless keyboard/mouse or gamepad or steering wheel from your sofa. - xNIBx, on 04/25/2008, -0/+2You could at least write down why are you burying me. But i guess logical arguments are too complex for you to use.
- PedleZelnip, on 04/25/2008, -1/+1Okay I'll bite the troll....
How about the fact that everything you say pretty well assumes that the person using the machine is competent enough to build it themselves which is a small portion of the gaming community as a whole.
Or how about the fact that while XBL does cost, it provides added value and a consistent, uniform experience to playing online irregardless of what game you're playing or who the developer is (exception being many EA games as EA insists on running their own servers).
How about the fact that while yes PC games can scale down their graphics, that means that you'll invariably get an inconsistent gaming experience. When you play on a 360 or PS3, you'll have the same experience as every other person playing on a 360 or PS3.
Not saying PC gaming is dead, just playing devils advocate with some of your points.- xNIBx, on 04/25/2008, -0/+11. Many shops assemble the computer for free(assuming you bought all the hardware from 1 place).
2. XBL is nice and all but i still think that having your own lagfree, low latency server and playing the game on your own rules, with your own mods, beats the crap out of everything XBL can and will offer. Also windows have Live if you really miss it that much(although obviously not implemented into every game, thank god).
3. Why should all computer players have the same graphics on their games? You make no sense. This is like saying "audi rs4 is slower than r8, so audi owners dont have consistent experiences, while lada owners have consistent experiences(since all lada suck), thus lada is superior to audi". Let's assume in 2 years, i will be playing gow 2 on my pc and you will be playing gow 2 on your xbox. My 2 year old 800$ pc will offer me superior graphics to your console. Yes, people that have a faster computer will be able to see even more eye candy, so what? Why should all pcs have the same performance all the time? I dont get it.
The only advantage that consoles have regarding their consistent hardware, is that developers can better optimize their games for that specific architecture. So console games take advantage of console hardware with an 85% efficiency while pc games usually take advantage of pc hardware at 70% efficiency. BUT, pc hardware has better looking(or equally good looking) games, despite it's lack of efficiency because the pc hardware is faster than the console hardware(wanna compare 8800gt with the gpus that 360/ps3 have?). And what's more, every now and then a highly optimized pc game comes out which totally blows consoles out of the water.
- xNIBx, on 04/25/2008, -0/+11. Many shops assemble the computer for free(assuming you bought all the hardware from 1 place).
- PedleZelnip, on 04/25/2008, -1/+1Okay I'll bite the troll....
- xNIBx, on 04/24/2008, -7/+5Pc doesnt costs too much. Everyone has a pc and you can add a 8800gt for 150$ and play any game you want with graphics better than consoles. If you need more ram, 1gB ram costs 15$. You already have a pc to do things, you just need a decent gpu. But even if you need to build a gaming pc from scratch, you can get one for 800$(quad core cpu, 8800gt, etc). At first it might look more expensive but it is in fact cheaper because console games cost an extra 20$ compared to pc games. If you buy 4 games a year, for 4 years, that's 320$ extra cost. Add the cost of Live(pc have free online) and the extra capabilities of the pc and voila, pcs are cheaper than consoles.
- frazw, on 04/24/2008, -3/+3I grow weary of the "PC Gaming is dying" crap. It may not be beating console gaming in terms of sales but as another gaming platform pitted against sales for individual consoles (instead of all of them) it is doing just fine.
- Mohdoo, on 04/24/2008, -4/+5PC Gaming isn't dying. This is mainly just assumed because of how popular console gaming is in North America. North America is the console center of the world. But even so, PC gaming is still more popular in Europe and Asia. There is nothing wrong with certain regions having gaming "specialties".
- Tahiri, on 04/24/2008, -4/+3It's mainly assumed cause PC gaming is dying.
- JeffD, on 04/25/2008, -1/+2PC gaming isn't dying, its growing. Console gaming is just growing faster.
- sgtpppr, on 04/25/2008, -1/+2US is the console center of the world? I would think Japan begs to differ considering the majority of the games and technology is coming from there (with the exception of Microsoft).
- Tahiri, on 04/24/2008, -4/+3It's mainly assumed cause PC gaming is dying.
- s14sh3r, on 04/24/2008, -2/+13When I first started playing FPS on pc, I wanted to use a controller. Everyone told me to tough it out and learn to use the keyboard and mouse. Now that I've gotten fairly good at it, I could never go back to a console. I can run rings around someone using a controller.
- BebopBlues, on 04/24/2008, -1/+2What's next? How to Fix the iPod business? What other successful businesses that doesn't need fixing we should fix?
- deviationer, on 04/24/2008, -0/+3i own a 6th gen ipod and the ipod does need fixing. why can't I create and delete playlists on the fly? why can't I delete songs or videos on the fly? when I could with my creative player.
- triskele, on 04/24/2008, -4/+13Buried for :
A. The poster eluding that PC gaming is in trouble.
B. Uncrackable is impossible
C. Why should OEMs have to ship every PC with discrete graphics? Yes they suck, but onboard graphics keeps the price down for people who don't use graphic intensive applications.
D. If PC gaming is in a good place, that means everything is working as intended so what the hell do we need advocates for?
E. People who take sides in console/PC arguments can rarely be swayed. For instance there's a large population of FPS players who will never leave that mouse & keyboard. So, drop it.- antiorblkflag9, on 04/24/2008, -1/+2You forgot his apparent need to defend his ownership of a Wii
- hybridcreation, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1"Why should OEMs have to ship every PC with discrete graphics? Yes they suck, but onboard graphics keeps the price down for people who don't use graphic intensive applications."
I think he meant more along the lines of people being sold a "powerful" computer that really has nothing but a good CPU, and not being properly informed that it does not have the necessary hardware to play games. He's saying the OEMs should include video cards for those that want to.
- Avolii, on 04/24/2008, -7/+5According to him, its cool to own a PC and all other consoles....wait...no....the Wii is his son's....he's TOO hardcore apparently.
Another thing to point out--'This one goes out to all the pasty white nerds who think posting on message boards means something in the real world—shut up' And posting something on a site I never heard of until now is any better then a message board? Isn't a blog a glorified board?
Anyways, this whole PC gaming is dead thing has been beaten to death already. It's not dead. Consoles have come and gone, console creators have done the same, but the PC has always been there. Dead my ass! - Spamiclese, on 04/24/2008, -3/+1Amen, I second this post!
- Sogui, on 04/24/2008, -3/+3Wow I stopped reading after the first stupid suggestion:
How to fix PC gaming:
1) Add $150+ for a decent video card that can handle modern gaming. This is sure to fix the PC market! Forget the fact that any decent gamer would prefer to shop out their own card or is at least smart enough to buy a PC with a decent card. Most stores will advertise which PCs are designed for "gaming".
I wouldn't buy a toaster and complain that it won't run Halo 3... likewise it's stupid to buy a retail PC and not check if it has a real video card.- jivemasta, on 04/25/2008, -0/+2You aren't thinking about joe blow that isn't an avid gamer that knows what to look for. Think about someone in their 30's 40's that buys a pc, they know that more expensive means, better and faster. But they might not know that when they buy a mid or low line pc that it wont have a chance to run any high end games. The way they see it, anything that they buy now should be able to run anything that is currently on the market. That is where pc gaming is losing it's ground. Not the nerdy types, but the older generation that sees the ease of owning a console where they don't have to get in and open their computer up to change parts out. It would be like saying, only cars with a v8 engine can ride on this road, so do you just buy a new car, or upgrade yours by doing the work yourself with little to no knowledge of what you are doing in there.
- PedleZelnip, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1Exactly, that's one of the problems with PC gaming, if Joe Blow isn't smart enough to know that onboard video isn't good enough he certainly isn't going to know what is good enough, nor is he interested in learning.
Most gamers want to spend their time playing games, not researching video cards.
At the same time it's also one of the PC's strengths --- the ability to upgrade to get better performance. But just as is the case with cars, that's an enthusiasts POV, not the typical or norm.
- PedleZelnip, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1Exactly, that's one of the problems with PC gaming, if Joe Blow isn't smart enough to know that onboard video isn't good enough he certainly isn't going to know what is good enough, nor is he interested in learning.
- luckyguy2000, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1youre right, but tell this my wife who wants to play sims2. she doesnt know whats inside her computer.
- hybridcreation, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1"I wouldn't buy a toaster and complain that it won't run Halo 3... likewise it's stupid to buy a retail PC and not check if it has a real video card."
That's great, but you are not a member of the overwhelming majority that doesn't know a video card from a post card.
- jivemasta, on 04/25/2008, -0/+2You aren't thinking about joe blow that isn't an avid gamer that knows what to look for. Think about someone in their 30's 40's that buys a pc, they know that more expensive means, better and faster. But they might not know that when they buy a mid or low line pc that it wont have a chance to run any high end games. The way they see it, anything that they buy now should be able to run anything that is currently on the market. That is where pc gaming is losing it's ground. Not the nerdy types, but the older generation that sees the ease of owning a console where they don't have to get in and open their computer up to change parts out. It would be like saying, only cars with a v8 engine can ride on this road, so do you just buy a new car, or upgrade yours by doing the work yourself with little to no knowledge of what you are doing in there.
- yeahthatsme, on 04/24/2008, -1/+2I agree fully with Triskele. But also, the fact that he wants to do away with onboard graphics(to widen gamer bases) but then proposes an anti-piracy system that relies on a constant internet connection is foolish.
- pogfreak, on 04/24/2008, -1/+1"Maybe online distribution is the key, with online components that, unless they're present, cripple the experience."
This wouldn't solve anything, hackers would disable the "cripple the experience" part like they can every other copyright measure thats been taken in the past 20 years. Every game on steam is cracked/pirated and can be played offline with no internet connection. The only games that it works for are MMOs and even then the servers still get reversed engineered and pirated servers exist. Its the large, *persistent* player base that is exclusive to MMOs that saves them from piracy - not the technology or "requiring an internet connection" alone.
Also, Solar Empires selling 100,000K isn't exactly "making a killing" compared to 8 million+ that a game like CoD can sell on the consoles. Solar Empires is a niche strategy game that was created with a reasonable budget and a small team. Its absolutely great that they are able to get away with no copy protection but just because it works for them doesn't mean it will work for a company like Epic or Valve who need to sell millions of copies to the average frat boy gamer just to break even.
This doesn't mean that over intrusive copy protection schemes are at all acceptable, but it the issue is no where near as simple and clear cut as the author seems to think it is. Piracy is a problem - whether the end users think it is or not - developers and publishers certainly think it is - and when you see games sell 10:1 on the console vs PC you can't act surprised or disgusted when the AAA million++ dollar budget games start becoming console first PC second. PC gaming isn't going anywhere but its definitely changing!- pierrot, on 04/24/2008, -0/+0I hesitate to comment, having submitted a piracy story of my own, but it's more complicated than even what you said.
I agree that it's certainly not clear cut, but it's also highly arguable whether or not piracy is actually a problem. Your comparison to Sins of a Solar Empire would seem to emphasize this. What does it tell you when a niche strategy game can, relatively, see more comfortable sales than a game that's targeted at the "average frat boy gamer", which is arguably the bigger market?
Basically, the situation is really screwed when you can say that the bigger, more mainstream games with more marketing and higher overall profile is expected to have a harder time than the technologically simple (in terms of hardware punishing pizazz) niche title. Conventional wisdom has always stated that the niche title would have a rougher time, but now the inverse suddenly makes sense?
The fact is -- and i've looked at this a bit myself -- is that the big boys have simply lazed about so much that the niche titles are more accessible to people. The problem, i think, is that PC gaming ISN'T changing. It's collectively still trying to do more than it can reasonably support, and it's doing everything it can to damage itself on top of that. Look at Steam, for example. Instead of being the unifying platform, Valve lets publishers set the prices, which ends up in stupid ***** like CoD 4 costing $49.95 in the US, but $69.95 in the UK.
And this is with digital distribution.
With these AAA games costing so much and NEEDING so much to break even, as you say, you'd think that they'd do all they can to broaden the market, but the reality is that they've done the exact opposite. In Italy, the economy is going through rough times, yet Unreal Tournament 3 costs the equivalent of $88. Does piracy still sound like the biggest problem there, or does it suddenly start to make sense? - dsmx, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1Instead of stating piracy is a problem you need to find out why people pirate then as a developer eliminate these reasons. Reasons for pirating include price, user experience is better with the pirated version, convenience, not available in there country (region locking, never got a publisher, etc), people want to try the game out before they go and buy it, there are many others. Recently all these areas have been getting worse for the user and until game companies start realising that the problem is the developers and publishers not the end users piracy is only going to get worse.
- PedleZelnip, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1There's also the reason of the fact that many gamers simply don't view piracy as being a crime, thus they have no reason not to pirate, but many reasons to pirate. Even if you eliminate all the reasons to pirate (which you can't do unless your game is free), there will still be piracy.
- dsmx, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1I'm not arguing about that there will always be a hardcore group of people who will pirate no matter what you do. I'm talking about eliminating the reasons that piss off the average user.
- pogfreak, on 04/25/2008, -0/+0My simple assertions:
-PC game sales SUCK compared to console. This is magnified on big budget games that need millions to sell.
-*Lots* of people pirate PC games and this is easy to verify just by looking on any bittorrent tracker
Ergo, big budget games are moving to console. Thats really it. You can't argue with that. You can say its not only piracy, you can justify theft, you can say "1 download != 1 loss sale", which is probably true, but the bottom line is the financial incentives are there for the developers and pubs to move to console. Period.
SALES ARE WAY DOWN ON A PLATFORM WITH A RAMPANT PIRACY PROBLEM. DONT ACT SURPRISE WHEN YOUR FAVORITE PC FRANCHISES GO CONSOLE ONLY.
- PedleZelnip, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1There's also the reason of the fact that many gamers simply don't view piracy as being a crime, thus they have no reason not to pirate, but many reasons to pirate. Even if you eliminate all the reasons to pirate (which you can't do unless your game is free), there will still be piracy.
- pierrot, on 04/24/2008, -0/+0I hesitate to comment, having submitted a piracy story of my own, but it's more complicated than even what you said.
- Po0py, on 04/24/2008, -1/+3Forget about people pirating games. If you want to make people buy more pc games then you need to market your game to people who buy pc games. It's likely that people who pirate games were never going to buy your ***** game in the first place.
Oh and another thing you can add to your list. Don't release now and patch later. Seriously, how times do you see buggy games being released on pc and then a patch several weeks later. Assaassin's Creed, Gears of War, Rainbow Six 2 (still waiting on the patch), the list is endless. Of course, no garauntee that the patch will not introduce new bugs but thats another story. Finish making the ***** thing and then release it.- hybridcreation, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1"It's likely that people who pirate games were never going to buy your ***** game in the first place."
Exactly. The game companies need to quit making us that do buy them feel like criminals and jump through all kinds of hoops just to play the game we just BOUGHT. Intrusive DRM doesn't work..it just pisses people off. SecuROM anyone?
- hybridcreation, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1"It's likely that people who pirate games were never going to buy your ***** game in the first place."
- Slybri, on 04/24/2008, -3/+2The day they make a handheld controller that is as versatile and precise as a mouse and keyboard but can be used on the couch while laying in your girlfriends lap then PC gaming will die.
Today is not that day.- Tahiri, on 04/24/2008, -2/+1Yea, that day was the day DualShock 1 came out
- L4WL3RS34L, on 04/24/2008, -2/+1If PC gaming dies, then they will take console gaming with them. Consoles use a lot of the same hardware, and they would have never been made without PC gaming. Trust me, PC gaming won't die anytime soon.
- KraftSingle, on 04/24/2008, -1/+2I don't agree with this article much at all. The biggest problem in my mind, is that is not practical to invite friends over and play PC games. LAN parties, sure but that is something entirely different and more difficult to set up. Until you can invite a few friends over, plug in, and go, I think consoles will continue to dominate.
- WilliamDecker, on 04/24/2008, -2/+6Whomever wrote this is an idiot with no concept of gaming on the business side. The article was extremely uneducated, biased, and uninformed. I don't care for the fact he grammar sucks (hey let's be honest...this is an online publication...), but I do care that the content is equally as bad an ignorant as the grammar.
Oh well...can't win them all. Let's have someone with half a brain read this.
PS: Reason I'm so rude is that I had to read the god damn article. I don't get my time back. Hopefully someone will read this and not the article and be saved of previous fapping time.- PedleZelnip, on 04/25/2008, -0/+2"I don't care for the fact he grammar sucks"
Trying... so.... hard... to.... resist..... temptation..... to..... correct..... you... - hybridcreation, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1Calling something "extremely uneducated, biased, and uninformed" without stating why that is so is extremely uneducated, biased, and uninformed.
- PedleZelnip, on 04/25/2008, -0/+2"I don't care for the fact he grammar sucks"
- Namco, on 04/24/2008, -4/+3The first blow was Halo ripped from a PC exclusive to an XBox exclusive. Fuggin' Micro$oft.
- SSCrow, on 04/24/2008, -4/+3It was a MAC exclusive actually.
- Namco, on 04/24/2008, -1/+2I had to go look it up, we're both half right. It was announced in 1999 on the Windows and Mac. The sticking point after Microsoft acquired bungie, it was up in the air if possibly Halo would run on both the XBox and Windows. Before the XBox came out nobody knew how it would interface with Windows or if games from the two system would be compatible or not. I remember reading articles on the subject back in the day.
- nobelief, on 04/25/2008, -2/+1Halo would never have been the game it is if it wasn't for Microsoft's funding.
Don't be ignorant
- SSCrow, on 04/24/2008, -4/+3It was a MAC exclusive actually.
- theflupke, on 04/24/2008, -6/+5Console games are retarded, too easy and short, expensive, and the graphics are bad, FPS with a pad is a joke, the framerate on some games is terrible, and the online sucks.
I love my PC :)- ClemsonPoker, on 04/24/2008, -2/+2If you go out of your way to play the crappy ones, then yeah. Otherwise...easy(Ninja Gaiden), short(FFinsertnumber), graphics(the list here could be long), framerate(PC guy: THIS shouldn't be your argument), and online (XBox Live?) are horrible arguments against console gaming as a whole.
- nobelief, on 04/25/2008, -3/+3PC gaming is too expensive. $1500 upgrade every couple of years? ***** that
- PedleZelnip, on 04/25/2008, -1/+1LOL, the flaming pro-PC anti-console message is being dugg up, and the relatively reasoned two anti-PC pro-console messages are being dugg down. Hmm, do you think the typical digger is a PC gamer? ;)
- tj111, on 04/24/2008, -2/+2I'm not much of a PC gamer, but I'm sick of hearing "PC gaming is dying". When TV came out, everyone said that radio and cinemas would die. Same thing with newspapers and magazines when the internet got big. It's not dying, its just that it's user base is expanding into other areas.
- alclone, on 04/24/2008, -1/+1In order to fix PC gaming, developers should support multiplayer with cd-key.
Even though there are illegal private servers, not that many people are willing to play on these illegal private servers compared to public.
Take for example diablo 2 or Counter Strike. People can probably pirate these games but choose not to because there is no fun playing with a small group of people.- PedleZelnip, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1It does still cause problems though. What happens when you lose your CD key and want to play your game? Or what if your buddy comes over and swipes your CD key?
- ixid, on 04/24/2008, -3/+11"OEMs: Stop Using Intel Onboard Graphics"
Painfully wrong, make games FOR onboard graphics. I'd call myself a hardcore PC gamer but I've not upgraded to an expensive graphics card and processor because you only need it for a few ridiculously over the top titles and the expense is just not worth it. Onboard graphics are improving, cheap and will soon be capable of running anything short of Crysis. Look at Portal for a model of gaming success, it runs on onboard graphics, offers GOOD LOOKING and innovative gameplay and is broadly appealing.
Unreal Tournament 3 (Epic fail) and Crysis are the wrong direction for PC gaming to take. Smaller budgets, smaller teams, more creativity and risk coupled to a much larger potential user base (lower end hardware) are the way to go.- Lazydriver, on 04/24/2008, -1/+1Oddly enough, I could run UT3 but not CoD4. I have a processor that's four years old, and a graphics card that's going on two (GeForce 7800 GS), plus a gig of budget ram, and I can run UT3 easily at the highest details with a decent framerate (30-fps average).
IMHO, UT3'S deathmatch > UT2004's. But I've only played the demo :3. The weapons in UT3 seem more powerful, doesn't quite feel like you're fighting with nailguns (from TFC), weapons actually seem to do meaningful damage. - ujjwal, on 04/25/2008, -0/+2I agree with you. I guess the decline in gaming is because of the focus on making use of new and powerful graphics hardware, rather than to improve gameplay. Make games with decent, acceptable graphics that are fun to play and accessible to all!
- stix213, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1I agree... Make games with minimum video requirements that are compatible with onboard video, but allow the video settings to be majorly ramped up for those who spent $1,000 on their video cards.
- Bender1001, on 04/26/2008, -0/+1I think people need to just make that extra investment when purchasing a computer and get a decent video card. I mean heck it's only $126 for an 8600 GT and it will run just about anything on medium settings perfectly. The barrier to entry to enjoy quality gaming is so low now a days that there isn't really a good excuse anymore. Any CPU purchased today (even the lowest of low ends) will run games fine when paired with a decent dedicated video card.
Of course, this does come back to the OEM's and the fact that they should include the video card by default in the computer. Keeping the price down VS how many will use it for gaming VS how many are just gonna play Solitaire is a hard guess for the OEM's.
- Lazydriver, on 04/24/2008, -1/+1Oddly enough, I could run UT3 but not CoD4. I have a processor that's four years old, and a graphics card that's going on two (GeForce 7800 GS), plus a gig of budget ram, and I can run UT3 easily at the highest details with a decent framerate (30-fps average).
- Seemefearme, on 04/24/2008, -5/+1Great article. The writer hit everything square on the head and brought out a lot of valid points.
- deadbaby, on 04/24/2008, -3/+4"PC gaming is doing fine. Just ask Blizzard."
Yeah but don't ask anyone other than Blizzard or you'll get a different answer.
On the topic of integrated graphics... I don't play computer games. Why should I have to pay more for something I don't want?- lacronicus, on 04/25/2008, -0/+2You're not likely to run photoshop either, but does that mean you won't see a benefit from more ram? Video cards are used for more than just games; high definition video plays far better with a dedicated video card, some graphics applications use the GPU to run faster, Vista even uses the GPU to render the OS GUI. just because you don't think you need it doesn't mean you wouldn't benefit from it.
- hybridcreation, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1"Why should I have to pay more for something I don't want?"
Look up this word...option.
- badken, on 04/24/2008, -1/+1"With the demise of Games for Windows/Computer Gaming"'?
oh, the magazines.- Lazydriver, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1Good point.
The magazine still lives on, just in web format. Which is very nice, because I loved that magazine but could rarely purchase it. Problem solved! But I'll still miss the magazines, that magazine showed me a LOT of games....
- Lazydriver, on 04/24/2008, -0/+1Good point.
- iisdev, on 04/24/2008, -2/+2I have nothing against developers making games with ultra-high hardware requirements - or the consumers that choose to spend their money for the rigs to run them. However you can't complain about sales when the majority of the PC market can't run your product at acceptable frame rates! It's not rocket science why games like Bioshock sold more on consoles then they did on PCs.
One major point I disagree with this article on is the importance of integrated graphics. I personally have never liked them but until their are some radical changes in hardware design they're not going to disappear from notebooks anytime soon. The fact that more notebooks are sold than desktops compounds the problem. The fact that many graphics chip manufacturers shirk the responsibility of mobile driver maintenance mars the consumer experience even more.- stix213, on 04/25/2008, -0/+1There are plenty of notebooks sold with gamer level graphics hardware today. Skip the budget notebook market and you will usually have little problems playing games.
- 20grams, on 04/24/2008, -0/+2I can understand where the author is coming from, but there is no need to be concerned about the media bias against pc gaming with all these BS pc decline articles, most of those articles are outright dumb written by a bunch of ex-pc gamers who bought into this generation of consoles and a feel a need a downplay others who didn't or justify their $400 purchase,
We don't see the real devs whining about NPD sales like the articles do because they know the real figures and how much they're making, Crysis was reported at 86k by NPD and labelled a commercial failure by mass anti-pc media, A few weeks later, only few sites mentioned it but it was announced a million seller(platinum) by EA which is better than most ps3 games considering pc games don't even get a fraction of hype plus the install base is limited with higher requirements, Orange Box on pc outsold xbox360 and ps3 versions combined even though it had 2 games already available on pc before, there are barely any mainstream articles on the successes,
If pc gaming was really dying and wasn't as profitable as these articles make it out to be, devs like Capcom, Bioware, Codemasters, Midway, Ubisoft who are console-oriented wouldn't be bothering themselves to push out polished pc versions of almost all their games, contrary to the duke nukem days, almost every game announced these days is xbox360, ps3 and pc.
Besides, there are some reasons that the hardcore pc gamers will never be persuaded to abandon their ways for consoles, the tweaking, customizing and modding for those who want to control their own experience as opposed to being locked down for consoles, the superior resolutions, textures, framerates for the graphic whores or those who game on large screens/projectors, superior controls/variety for fps, mmos, rts and realistic sims which can hardly be recreated on consoles without being dumbed down, the fact that one machine does it all etc. -
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