PC gamers....why must we always get shafted?

[Growley]

There's more money in making console games, simple as that. The industry has nothing against you.

This... is debatable.

Also, 'console' is not a platform. Making a game for both Xbox and PS3 requires extra coding/porting and whatever else. As far as the market goes, the only advantage I can see is that the more or less equal capabilities of both consoles means the game can be made for both platforms at the same standard of size and aesthetics..

...and inb4 'more console players lol'; in terms of numbers, PC has around the same as xbox, with PS3 lagging behind somewhat.

 

[The White Hunter]

Ooooh a vault thread about pc and consoles. Gotta post in this.

piracy, ease of developement, lower expectations, ease of marketing

Consoles are just easier. Dont quote me on that.

I just did!
=p

OT: Consoles have a larger install base, hence more people are likely to buy your game on them. As a result of this it makes sense to put your games on consoles because MORE MONEY.

[rant]Personally I've never had an issue with control with a gamepad, though some games need more fucking shortcuts (fuck you Dragon Age.). Just yesterday I was derided in the Borderlands 2 co-op group for considering a headshot-focused build when playing on the PS3 because apparently aiming with an analog stick is impossible. Well, it isn't, it's perfectly feasible if you're used to doing it.
[/rant]

Anyway, larger install base pretty much answers your question, and you answered your own with the piracy thing. You aren't all pirates, but there's a lot more piracy on the PC.

As for crappy ports: you have a PS3. Thus I accept your crappy ports argument. Anything dev-led on the 360 will be shit on the PS3 and not take advantage of the hardware. Thats why I have maybe 6 games for my PS3 that will actually play in 1080p. Because only Sony seems bothered about optimising for it.

I'm delaying my giant PC upgrade anyway, I want to see what the next generation brings and what the next generations price tag is, since I love a lot of Sony IP's and Nintendo IP's.

 

[Trippy Turtle]

You know what, screw this post. I spent 5 minutes ages coming up with it and somehow destroyed trying to make it smaller. Vault, just imagine a really well thought out post perfectly countering everything you said.

[sub] Seriously though what do you call this if it isn't bitching?[/sub]
.

Spoiler: Response on the first two pages to hearing Dark Souls was exactly the same as the console version but with free DLC.

I had this copied before I killed my post

30 fps lulz, gods it like a throwback to the early console games when buying a port meant that your were getting half of a game that probably would never work properly.

it is nice of them to give pc gamers the game but they could take a bit more time and make the game work.

Pfft, might as well not release it on PC at all then. Given the fact the game is locked at 720p and 30FPS since they can't take the time to fix that, I doubt the bug testing is going to be that great either. The port is probably going to be a buggy mess that crashes every 5 minutes.

Hell, we might even have a contender for a worse port than GTA IV here.

Am I reading this right? There's going to be a 30 fps cap on this game?

Massive disapproval.

Edit: Oh yeah, and looking like a console game down to the pixel... That sounds pretty fucking bad.

1024x 720. DO they even make monitors that low res anymore... and a 30fps cap... well thats a non purchase. I wasn't expecting tessellation or dx11 features or anything but surely they would at least support an HD resolution with a decent framerate.

 

[Pipotchi]

Whats Red Dead Rockstar?

 

[The White Hunter]

PC games are aimed at average PC speeds and memory configurations and these are generally known within the industry (Steam for example tacks them).

but even then they define how fast a game will play NOT if it will play of not.

plus consoles are behind even average PCs in terms of such things.

I'll definately agree that consoles are lagging behind. Especially the 360, which is holding the industry down like an iron ball. The PS3 is only utilised fully by first party games sadly and the 360 is even older and tireder (is tireder a word?).

We need a new console gen so devs stop being lazy frankly, it'll close the gap in performance if nothing else and encourage some fucking innovation.

I recally the end of last gen being quite stagnant and dull too.


Also I really like your avatar I love DQ8.

 

[Growley]

I personally don't have issues with DRMs they have never stopped me from enjoying a game. If there are solid DRMs that can keep pirates away for a long time we clearly sell a lot more PC games. I read somewhere that diablo 3 has sold something like 10mn copies that's amazing and most likely because it hasn't been pirated so far.

That's just it, DRMs don't (read: DO NOT) work. Often within days of release (often sooner) there are cracked versions of AAA games available online. Those who wish to pirate, do. Nothing will change that, and no restrictive DRM will stop it. Therefore, all DRM stands to do is inconvenience the honest, paying customers.

There are a few shitty ports out there but things have improved considerably these days. i feel like i get a far better deal as a pc gamer than my console brethren at the moment. Our games are cheaper, generally play much smoother, look much better and often come with extra goodies.and devs these days take care of PC gamers much better than they did a few years ago. this is probably because we are the fastest growing gaming segement out there. I think we're going to get pampered for the next year or so until the next generation of consoles show up

Personally, I just don't buy shitty ports; but your idea that PC gamers will be pampered? That requires developers with pride, and unfortunately those are few and far between.

 

[Evil Smurf]

I'd rather focus on the double standard that rears its ugly head every so often, like today. PC Gamers upset that a game is being released on another system that they don't have? = Entitled Brats

Console game released on another system that console owner doesn't have? = Eat a dick Nintendo.

Because as Yahtzee said, your mum will only buy you a single console, and if it turns out you bought the wrong one, you're screwed.

Meanwhile, in PC land.

I agree, just play tf2

 

[VanQ]

"Choice of system"? Let me ask you: why do you have to choose one system? I have a 360, a PS3, a Wii, and a gaming-capable PC, not to mention all the older systems I have, so just choosing one system and sticking with it seems silly to me. : \

because as I said...I have a preference for the control scheme and set up which greatly affects my experience

so I mean own a PS3 but tht doesnt make playing on it any less headache inducing

no i mean "f2p" gaming.

ah....allow me to rephrase

GAAAHHH FUCK THAT!

[img/]http://gifs.gifbin.com/25yuswsw28295.gif[/img]

You should really check out some gameplay videos of Phantasy Star Online 2. Even if it's not your kind of game, it'll give you an idea of how the east does f2p much better than the west does.

 

[karamazovnew]

Console: one system, one set of hardware, one game to make.
PC: many systems, many sets of hardware, different texture compression and loading methods, different access to RAM for temporary storage; pop-in and loading times need to be taken into account for different set-ups, different sound cards have problems with different programming (BF3, anyone?) etc., etc., etc.

I built my PC. I know the ins and outs of hardware and software, dun worry.

Actually, you're wrong... 10 years ago you would've been perfectly correct, but not anymore. During the 90's and early 00's the gaming industry was pushing the limits of hardware all the time. We always had 2-3 games which couldn't be played on ANYTHING. Gaming computers became obsolete 6 months after you bought them. If you didn't spend a LOT, you new PC was already obsolete to begin with. This drove up the market and the maker's will to invest in the technological race. I remember the chore of updating drivers during the times of dial-up internet. At the same time, a PS2 was smaller, faster, more fun, with better graphics. Not anymore... A good example would by my own pc. It's 5 years old and still going strong. And I didn't buy the latest and most expensive things either. A first generation quad core, 4 gigs of ram, a GTX275 card... I never ever formatted it, or even defraged it. I always hover at the 1 GB of free space on the Systems partition. I've long forgotten when I last updated anything on it. Yet I can play almost any game at maximum details. But that's only part of the story...

AAA titles rely on a few game engines and frameworks. PC gamers have embraced good looking 2D games, we have a lot of 2.5 games. 3D games are mostly developed by well known developers which reuse their old engines and polish them a bit. DirectX and Java provide enough flexibility these days to create anything. Think Minecraft... In 5 years, I've only seen 2 games which struggled on my (and any) PC: Crysis 1 and The Witcher 2. No wonder, they're still the best looking games ever made. Plus the PC world relies on hugely talented modders, some of which would like to work in the industry and try to make a name for themselves, others just want to play the game THEY want. And pirating has taken a back seat thanks to Steam. The major companies that complain about pirating are the ones that don't fix the games, those that release tens of needless DLCs, have weird DRM and ofc, those that make BAD games.

If there is one gripe that we PC owners have, is the POOOOOOR quality of console ports. It's something that doesn't make any sense to us. A recent example is Dragon Souls which I gave a score of 2 on Gamespot and called it "an insult". Doesn't anyone here remember WHY you had to use the F6 and F7 keys to switch the menus left or right in NFS Carbon? Ports suffer from very weird controls, which smells of either incompetence, or sheer contempt from console devs.

Consoles on the other hand have taken a huge beating. Xbox is being pirated... A LOT. Wii is even easier to crack. PS3 sold like cupcakes when it was cracked but they messed their own sales by imposing patch after patch after patch making the legal owners curse. Playing a newer game on these consoles is a chore. And because they now KNOW that you have an internet connected to your PS3, they put out buggy games in the idea that they'll patch them. And they don't. Games on consoles move bad, have bugs, the controls are usually bad.

And let's face it... Europa Universalis 4 will be PC exclusive. Hehehehe

 

[Zhukov]

I wasn't aware we were being shafted.

Yes, DRM can be annoying.

Sure, the occasional title doesn't make it our platform. (Although those are usually exclusives. Most game that come out of for both major consoles also get on PC.)

I honestly don't have any real complaints.

 

[Growley]

I'd rather focus on the double standard that rears its ugly head every so often, like today. PC Gamers upset that a game is being released on another system that they don't have? = Entitled Brats

Console game released on another system that console owner doesn't have? = Eat a dick Nintendo.

Yup. It's cool to hate PC gamers though, not that we don't occasionally make it easy for them..

 

[Krantos]

Um... We don't.

Seriously, stop bitching.

There's a reason I Play PC. Cheaper titles, STEAM, more configuration options, mods, etc. Seriously, we've got it fine.

 

[TwiZtah]

Piracy.

It's cheaper and easier to hammer out a game for the consoles than make one that'll run on a bunch of different systems, and then when you finally do get it working on heaps of rigs, people pirate it to hell. Much less piracy on the consoles--due to it being harder than simply downloading a game and playing it, usually.

Ahh, you can blame everything on piracy, I mean, look at Valve, they are doing pisspoor. It can't be that developers are putting horrible DRM in their games, make shitty ports or anything like that.

Give us good service, good games and we WILL buy your games, we are not your enemies, we are your customers.

Oh, and btw, PC made more money than PS3 this quarter.

 

[GoaThief]

PC gamers....why must we always get shafted?

I don't think we are at all, I think we've certainly got the better deal in recent years. There are a few exceptions like the AWOL PC version of Red Dead Redemption (I don't know why this hasn't been ported at least, it was GOTY and will sell tons) but overall games for PC are cheaper, come with better visuals and modification possibilities.

I'm honestly struggling to think of recent multiplatform releases I'd rather get for a console. Exclusives are a different kettle of fish, which is why I do also own multiple Xboxes, a PS3 and Wii; but that's not what this topic is about and I'm sure us PC owners can reel off a list of exclusive games that will cause pangs of jealousy in our console-bound cousins.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

What are you talking about? PC gaming is great, the industry is not out to get us. Consoles are not the only ones to have exclusive titles, PCs have plenty of their own exclusive titles too. In what way are you treated as a criminal while playing PC games? As an avid PC gamer I don't feel this way at all, in fact I've converted almost exclusively to PC gaming from console gaming because of how much I love it. Developers have the right to do what they want, they don't have to release games on every current platform, don't throw a tantrum when you don't have it your way. Surely you are old enough to ignore the idiots who claim "PC gaming is dying".

 

[Legion]

Cheaper Games.
The ability to download games if you don't live near a shop.
Servers exist for almost all online games which means a better connection.
Mods.
Better access to communities.
More sales.
Customisable controls.

Yes, there are downsides to PC gaming, and yes some developers are terrible when it comes to supporting them, but it has it's upsides.

I mean, to be honest in some ways I wish I had never bought an Xbox and simply spent the money getting myself a better gaming rig. The only time I ever get a console game is if it's an exclusive or my PC can't handle it.

The former isn't really a big issue seeing as the exclusives are not *that* amazing, and the latter is down to me having spent money on the console.

Like Borderlands 2, I am getting it on console simply because I'd need to upgrade my computer to get it.

 

[Megacherv]

One thing I've learnt about the controller vs. KBM for shooters is that if a shooter is a console exclusive (e.g. Killzone 3's multiplayer which I've been playing recently) is that he games that require a controller are slower games with bigger targets and smaller maps. Sticking with Killzone 3 as an example, everyone's fairly bulky and the weapons don't spread that much. Also the game is fairly slow paced (melée takedowns take a while, sprinting isn't lighting fast, even 'using' things take a few seconds), so having slow movement and aiming still feels natural and the controls are really solid. Games such as TF2 and CSS, they're far more fast-paced and therefore the require the quick reactions and precision that KBM can provide. A good example of comparison is UT3. The console versions were slowed down because with a lack of KBM they were really difficult. The PS3 version had a mod that upped the game speed to PC speeds, and boy was it fucking difficult.

 

[Amaror]

Sorry can't tell you why pc games get nearly no good games anymore, gotta play the awesome pc exclusive Faster than light...