Have more people started playing on the PC?

[scorptatious]

Well I have been playing Team Fortress 2 and Plants vs. Zombies as of late. But I'm still a primarily console player.

 

[Koroviev]

That's a subjective opinion. If you want to be objective about it, the best platform is PC.

Why would you want to even try to be objective about such a subjective experience as gaming?
Consoles offer huge convenience, as well as split screen multiplayer, used games, and many exclusives.

Whether a PC or console is better depends on your priorities, nothing else.

I can't even play my favorite games on PC. They're not made for it. And while that is not to say that I don't play anything on the PC (I <3 Steam), it really gets old when "The PC Gaming Master Race" is constantly trying to convince me that my preferred platform should be the same as theirs. Also, for the record, $600+ is not chump change. "You can build something amazing for only $700!"...yeah, only.

 

[The Virgo]

It never was dead. PC Gaming has always been alive to one extent or another.

One could say the same thing about iron-lung patients.

Though I'd like to think of PC gaming as a tortured dog that gets fed table scraps who will turn on its owner at the first sign of weakness. Of course, we're also looking forward to seeing just how long the effective console cycle can last. Microsoft and Sony are dragging their heels as hard as they can, stalling out the market, while Nintendo is so backwards that it's content just selling last-generation's hardware.

But PC has been slowwwwly moving away from the stranglehold of useless Facebook games and WoW. It's still highly dependent upon half-assed ports from the consoles. It appears we will see at least a few more PC-centric titles that aren't steeped purely in graphical bling, but substance.

Oh please, you could hardly compare these past few years of the PC's life to that of an Iron Lung patient.

Arma II isn't a table scrap. Neither are the many simulations that have come out. And don't forget the Sims 3 ... and the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games ... and Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Plus, don't forget about indie games. They are usually the only games where you can new ideas (Braid).

 

[Koroviev]

It is a cycle thing to a certain extent, in that the 360 and PS3 are heading towards the end of their lifespans and are looking a little dated, but I think one of the big differences are there are so few real exclusives these days.

OK, so a few JRPG series are exlusive on one machine or another, and you still have your Marios and Zeldas and Halos, but most AAA titles are multi-platform now.

It makes it a lot more convenient to have one machine that does everything, and if you're going to have a PC for internet / downloads / managing your media collection anyway, why not game on it too?

I've always been a PC gamer anyway so it makes no odds to me personally

I'm really not familiar with any major Japanese titles that are found on PC. Disgaea, Demon's Souls, Catherine, Tekken, etc., are all console exclusives.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

PC is by far the best platform.

Nope.
The best platform is the one you have the most fun on.

Agreed and at the moment for me that is the PC when it works. My most modern console is the Gamecube so...

 

[Gamblerjoe]

I just built my first gaming rig and and currently cracking out on ME2, so you can add one more to the list.

 

[joe-h2o]

I'm trying to buck the trend. While I *can* dual boot into Windows, I much prefer staying in OS X, so games that support the Mac are my mainstay, which got a significant boost with Valve joining the party with Steam.

Two of my housemates have 360's and while they're nice (played Arkham City and F:NV on them), I just prefer keyboard and mouse for controls, although I have thought about getting a 360 of my own - it would be cheaper than updating my Mac for Skyrim - she's getting pretty long in the tooth as far as the GPU goes.

I don't think the PC market is going anywhere for a while.

 

[Da Orky Man]

Well, I'm in the process of switching mostly to PC now. We got a really good rig a few months age, quad-3.6ghz core, 12gb RAM and a 3gb GPU. It plays all my PC games flawlessly on max everything, except maybe Alien vs Predator.

 

[ms_sunlight]

I'm really not familiar with any major Japanese titles that are found on PC. Disgaea, Demon's Souls, Catherine, Tekken, etc., are all console exclusives.

Yeah, I said as much, but I'm in the UK, not Japan, and they only make up a small proportion of the market here.

You're not going to run out of big AAA titles to play if you only own a PC, and most of the big-selling shooters, sports titles, licenced properties (e.g. Arkham City) etc. are completely cross-platform these days. Certainly enough of them are that PC gaming is an attractive proposition with plenty of quality titles on the menu.

 

[RoyalWelsh]

I know I have. I still mainly play on the PS3 because of the exclusives and that is where most of my 'in real life' friends are but I am certainly playing more and more games for the PC.

 

[Koroviev]

I'm really not familiar with any major Japanese titles that are found on PC. Disgaea, Demon's Souls, Catherine, Tekken, etc., are all console exclusives.

Yeah, I said as much, but I'm in the UK, not Japan, and they only make up a small proportion of the market here.

You're not going to run out of big AAA titles to play if you only own a PC, and most of the big-selling shooters, sports titles, licenced properties (e.g. Arkham City) etc. are completely cross-platform these days. Certainly enough of them are that PC gaming is an attractive proposition with plenty of quality titles on the menu.

I'm not in Japan either, but I generally prefer Japanese titles. Certainly the PC offers a variety of AAA titles, but there is more to the market than that. Unless Japanese game developers suddenly convert to the PC, I'm going to prefer the console.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Oh please, you could hardly compare these past few years of the PC's life to that of an Iron Lung patient.

I can, and I did.
[sub]That and it was a joke.[/sub]

Arma II isn't a table scrap. Neither are the many simulations that have come out. And don't forget the Sims 3 ... and the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games ... and Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Plus, don't forget about indie games. They are usually the only games where you can new ideas (Braid).

The indie titles are that slow, but steadily moving force I alluded to; I see many promising developments in the future from the indie-market.
However, for the moment, the vast majority of revenue in PC gaming comes from shitty grinders like Farmville or the any number of games in the MMO market, with the second greatest source coming from multi-platform launches (those half-assed ports).

I'm hoping this trend continues past the current console generation; I'd like to see PC get some better support on the technical/translation side.

 

[Omnific One]

PC gaming is actually cheaper in the long run if you purchase a significant number of games. PC games are usually cheaper from the get-go and DD sites have sales far before console games go on sale.

Plus, now it costs like $500 dollars for a gaming rig. My PC cost $515 (including the purchase of an OS and M&K) and it can run Crysis 1/2 nearly maxed at 1080P at 45-60 FPS.

 

[Outright Villainy]

That's a subjective opinion. If you want to be objective about it, the best platform is PC.

Why would you want to even try to be objective about such a subjective experience as gaming?
Consoles offer huge convenience, as well as split screen multiplayer, used games, and many exclusives.

Whether a PC or console is better depends on your priorities, nothing else.

I can't even play my favorite games on PC. They're not made for it. And while that is not to say that I don't play anything on the PC (I <3 Steam), it really gets old when "The PC Gaming Master Race" is constantly trying to convince me that my preferred platform should be the same as theirs. Also, for the record, $600+ is not chump change. "You can build something amazing for only $700!"...yeah, only.

Pretty much, Xbox 360 and Ps3 have gone way down in price now, at least half of what you'd pay for a gaming pc, and since most games are developed with them in mind, you'll hardly be missing out. I'm very much a pc gamer, I built my rig myself, but if there's one thing I fucking hate its elitists coming into every other thread and loudly declaring how superior their choice in platform is and how everyone should feel bad for not being as mighty as they. Pc gaming definitely isn't for everyone, and there's nothing wrong with that.

 

[Erana]

PC is by far the best platform.

Nope.
The best platform is the one you have the most fun on.

That's a subjective opinion. If you want to be objective about it, the best platform is PC. There is nothing offensive about saying that PC is superior to consoles.

The whole point of video games is that they're entertainment, and I do find it a bit annoying that people keep insisting that "MY THING IS OBJECTIVELY BETTER," when the only thing that matters is the personal experience, and I don't like PCs. Because they don't work for me, they don't like me. I don't get as immersible an experience with PC titles, and don't really care for M7K controls. And just because I'm an exception to this idea of objective superiority in platforms doesn't mean that people should ignore people like me because they feel justified by a bunch of numbers and hardware.

Its like insisting that some colleges and universities are "Objectively superior to others."
No. Just no. Some schools would fit me, personally, more than others, despite their graduation rates, their tuition, their post-graduate successes, etc.

Or its like insisting that certain motor vehicles are "objectively better" than others when certain people get cars for very different reasons.

Or like insisting that a specific breed of dog is better than any other because of genes and health predispositions.

This is to everyone who keeps trying to shoehorn supposed "objectivity" into the subjective: Stop.
The things that make you like one thing over the other are not valid reasons for disrespecting other peoples' opinions.
What works for you may not work for me, and that does not make how I feel or what I do any less valid than what you do.

 

[Googenstien]

PC gaming has slowed massively.. you can barely find game copies for PCs in stores now. It will make comebacks here and there, especially now because the 360 and PS3 are so dated but when the next-gen consoles come out it will most likely dust the PC again in almost all category's.

I think consoles will always be the bigger game sellers because of their ease of use.. load in/up game sit out couch and go. PCs are like muscle cars and need to be tweaked and messed with to run properly and most people don't want to invest that effort. Plus things are more controlled on consoles so cheating is less rampant for multiplayer games.

PC will always have its niche.. MMOs, RTS and most driving/flying sims can not be topped on PCs - due to button useage and needing mouse, keyboard to control things. I used to prefer FPS on PCs but find things more fair and as fun on my PS3.

Barely find PC games in stores? What manner of stoneage town do you live in? It's pretty much even balance. And PC gaming is too big to be called a niché. Nice troll attempt there fanboi.

Troll? What am I trolling? gaming? ha.

Target has maybe a shelf of PC games.. most are SIMs expacs or WoW and $5 Majong or mystery games.

3 Best Buys near me (saraota Fl) and each have barely a shelf of PC Games.. once again all SIMs or WoW pretty much with a few others thrown in.

All the Walmarts near me have about 1 rack of PC games and same shit as the other stores.. SIMs, WoW, Majong, Gems/Bejeweled.

Gamestop? lol.. the few by me have one side of a rack with games on them.. one small stand up racks worth... its a joke.

All these stores have 4-6 racks for each console and greatest hits sections.

As for digital games/downloads I think those fail miserably.. I have a games library and copies of almost every game I had since the mid 90s. If I want to play Dark Sun, I can load it on my PC and play it and I have the case and manual and al that fun stuff along with the art. If STeam, Origin, GoG go down in the next few years.. you have lost those games for good most likely.

Hard copies are best IMO.

 

[Cronq]

Damn, this is a cycle? How many times has it been repeated cuz I must have missed all those cross platform console ports of PS1 games to PC.

 

[gabe12301]

Apparently this happens near the end of a console generation, when it's become obvious that consoles are being left behind. This has become magnified by this extended 7 year generation, it also seems that Microsoft and Sony have no plans for new consoles because of the kinect and Move.
And so, I bring this thread to an end.