Why so console, son?

[YuheJi]

PC Gaming isn't much more expensive. Sure, it is expensive to buy a computer, but you most likely already have one. And you could easily upgrade it into a gaming computer with a video card, and perhaps a little bit more RAM. For example, I had an old Pentium 4 rig, with an integrated Intel graphics chipset. So it struggled to run Source engine games. I then spent about $100 on an 8800 GT, and my rig was able to play Fallout 3.

My guess of why many games aren't released on PC is probably due to fear of piracy. That is probably one of the reasons that Microsoft promotes the Xbox 360 so much these days, and ignores Games for Windows.

 

[CmdrGoob]

Yeah, the biggest problem with PC gaming is just that the much higher rate of piracy is making it so much less economically viable to make PC exclusives whereas console exclusives don't have as big a problem.

 

[leady129]

Both mediums are pretty much equal in my opinion. PC requires a bit more technical knowledge but this is rewarded by usually being able to modify or customize the game. You need to keep an eye on system requirements but even today most games should run OK on an old PC if you bump down the graphics. Console has the advantage of being plugged up to my 46" plasma with 8.1 surround.

 

[Woodsey]

PC's are harder to develop for because of the varying specs people have. It's not the same to say "we're going to develop for Dell PC's" in the same way it is to say "we're going to develop for the 360". PC's are so varied in capability, etc. most developers can't be bothered.

And technically the PC isn't an official gaming platform if you see what I mean, so no company can pay for exclusives in the same way they can for the consoles (maybe Microsoft can because of Windows, I'm not sure).

It does seem to go in waves though, a few years ago I was seriously concerned as PC's were being shunned, now it seems to developers are looking into exploring the more powerful capabilities of PC's and including better graphical options, etc. that the consoles can't offer (ie. they're not porting crappy versions of games to PC for a quick buck as much any more).

Actually, PCs are the easiest platform to develop for. You develop for windows (or macs if you have enough money) and that's it. You don't need to (although many developers do anyway) tinker with everything so it will run on the standard set of hardware. You just have to release it and if people can't run it, well it sucks to be them.

Also this argument isn't over exclusives but games that come out on multiple consoles. If a game comes out on the 360 and PS3, Microsoft has already let it come on to one of its systems, why not just release it for the other even if it is just a shoddy port.

And about the state of the PC, I'm feeling the exact opposite as you are. Crytek engine has been ported (possibly reduced) to console. Alan Wake has become a 360 exclusive. Even Bethsda was lax in getting the GECK out last year.

Alright well they're harder to develop for developers who actually care about the quality of a game that's getting released. And I still think this is wrong,a 360 or PS3 has a set hardware config, a PC game (ported or exclusive) needs to (or should) be made to cover as much hardware configs as possible so people can play their game.

 

[geon106]

Well PC's are always at the forefront of technology and have as you say, more flexibility. But, what you have to remember is to develop for the PC is more expensive due to the game needing to be tweaked for the various hardware available. So often you'll find that the PC release of a game thats not PC exclusive, will be after the console release date.

FPS games used to be solely on PC(few exceptions but none really worth mentioning), the mouse gives greater accuracy(and sure, still does) however casual gamers are finding it nicer to use a console in a living room where they can all sit around a large tv and play.

However the PC counter point to that is the Home Theatre PC, these are often small PC's which often pack the same power as a dedicated gaming PC(although do generally cost more). They can plug straight into the TV Via HDMI and when plugged in with a good wireless keyboard/mouse or even gamepad, will be a good alternative to a console.

I own a PS3 and have extensively used a 360 and had a quick play on a Wii, but PC's are where i love my gaming, especially FPS and RTS games. That's not to say i'm a PC fanboy as my PS3 is used daily for Little Big Planet and i've recently completed Uncharted again. But given the choice of playing Resistance 2 on the PS3(online or offline) i'd rather settle with the PC.

It boils down to this:

If money is no object or you don't mind going minimum of £500(about $700) excl monitor then you can get a PC that'll give you an experience better than a console for graphics(and controls IMHO when it comes to FPS) and if you spend a bit more of a small living room PC then it'll have the same features as a console. Hey if you like your Xbox controller get the PC Xbox Common Controller, you like your PS3 controller? plug them into your PC and download the 3rd party drivers. You can use your Wii controller too but i've forgot how. People say PC gaming is dead, but it's far from.

However, if you are on a budget and want a system that'll do a good job of playing games without compatability issues but don't mind spending more for the games then a console is the way forward. I love how consoles have the "plug and play" type experience, plug it into a tv, connect wirelessly to the internet(for ps3, or pay extra for 360) then switch on the controllers and off you go. Both are very good, PC and Console, but for me its the PC. However most people choose console, because at the moment casual gaming is the in thing this coupled with the dropping price of the consoles then more time, effort and money will be spent on games for them

 

[traceur_]

The only kind of gaming I like on PC is RTS gaming. I prefer consoles because I don't like sitting at a desk to unwind. I like kicking back on the couch and pwning on the big screen with a comfortable controller.

Plus I'm technologically retarded. If I had to update my PC I'd probably end up ramming my head through the monitor.

 

[RRilef]

PC's are harder to develop for because of the varying specs people have. It's not the same to say "we're going to develop for Dell PC's" in the same way it is to say "we're going to develop for the 360". PC's are so varied in capability, etc. most developers can't be bothered.

And technically the PC isn't an official gaming platform if you see what I mean, so no company can pay for exclusives in the same way they can for the consoles (maybe Microsoft can because of Windows, I'm not sure).

It does seem to go in waves though, a few years ago I was seriously concerned as PC's were being shunned, now it seems to developers are looking into exploring the more powerful capabilities of PC's and including better graphical options, etc. that the consoles can't offer (ie. they're not porting crappy versions of games to PC for a quick buck as much any more).

Actually, PCs are the easiest platform to develop for. You develop for windows (or macs if you have enough money) and that's it. You don't need to (although many developers do anyway) tinker with everything so it will run on the standard set of hardware. You just have to release it and if people can't run it, well it sucks to be them.

Also this argument isn't over exclusives but games that come out on multiple consoles. If a game comes out on the 360 and PS3, Microsoft has already let it come on to one of its systems, why not just release it for the other even if it is just a shoddy port.

And about the state of the PC, I'm feeling the exact opposite as you are. Crytek engine has been ported (possibly reduced) to console. Alan Wake has become a 360 exclusive. Even Bethsda was lax in getting the GECK out last year.

Alright well they're harder to develop for developers who actually care about the quality of a game that's getting released. And I still think this is wrong,a 360 or PS3 has a set hardware config, a PC game (ported or exclusive) needs to (or should) be made to cover as much hardware configs as possible so people can play their game.

There are different reports, and every development team is different, but most developers will say the PC has the best development tools.

 

[Pillypill]

I'll only get a game on pc if i can't get it on 360 or ps3 i can't be botherd with the whole install then register thing. I think the reason producers put games on consoles is for the convience of the people who buy it.

 

[PsykoDragon]

I'll only get a game on pc if i can't get it on 360 or ps3 i can't be botherd with the whole install then register thing. I think the reason producers put games on consoles is for the convience of the people who buy it.

You don't ACTUALLY have to register... unless you're talking about stuff like serial keys you have to enter.

mmm... I assumed that any gamer has a good knowledge of how PC's work, but I've been set straight now.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

Using a mouse makes my hands hurt.

I actually prefer the feel of using a pad, they are more comfortable.

Feel free to laugh at the menstrual connotations there...

 

[Cavouku]

I only just bought Orange Box for my laptop, but apparently my video card is a strange and confusing creature to it, and I can't even uninstall or reinstall it unless I can get my ass online. And we can't pay the internet bill this month (at my mum's house, at least. Where the laptop is).

I tried playing some Tomb Raider game on the PC a while ago, and it was crap. Though that might just be the game. The controls for a PC, I don't often like too much. And there's something about the fact I have a nice LCD screen for the Wii, downstairs, that makes it all better.

Admittedly, I can hook my laptop up to the T.V., but I would NEVER be able to work my brain around that one, as again, I have a laptop. Screen-to-keyboard, hand-eye coordination and such. And a decent computer costs a tidbit more than a PS3 if I'm not mistaken. Also I had to wipe out about half of the stuff on my laptop just to make TF2 not lag so much as to shut it down.

 

[Del-Toro]

I think it's because not every company wants their games on PCs. It's not like PCs are gods of gaming.

PC gamers aren't the greatest set of worshippers either. Consoles are a bigger market for gamers and won't spend time demanding modding tools and won't spam the inboxes when the nude mod they made causes the game to crash.

 

[Spaz91]

*sigh* I envision the approach of PC fanatics. the WORSE kind of fanboy, they don't think they are.

360 fanboys are the worst IMO, I'm not saying they're all like this but they tend to be spoilt kids who can't think of any argument other than screaming "zomghalo3!!". PS3 and PC fanboys tend to have a smug sense of superiority about them but at least they can form complete sentences.

 

[Pillypill]

I'll only get a game on pc if i can't get it on 360 or ps3 i can't be botherd with the whole install then register thing. I think the reason producers put games on consoles is for the convience of the people who buy it.

You don't ACTUALLY have to register... unless you're talking about stuff like serial keys you have to enter.

mmm... I assumed that any gamer has a good knowledge of how PC's work, but I've been set straight now.

Right so, i'm sitting sick as a dog, unable to go out with my friends so i decide to go on the escapist, i post a comment, leave out some information (yes i know this is petty) and some one calls me out about it. fair enough YOU may not have to register. But a security programme that came with my PC makes me register on a database, used to gather information about legit and ilegal downloads of games and music. so i have to register games to play them.

p.s. sorry to anyone reading this, this post is very childish.

 

[gamegod25]

sigh here we go again. Both platforms (PC and consoles) have their pros and cons. And at the end of the day it doesn't matter which one games were developed for if they are good.

 

[Aardvark Soup]

Don't forget consoles have one major advantage over any gaming PC: local multiplayer. Most games are just much better when you play them with friends on the couch. Of course you can play online but that's just not the same.

 

[PsykoDragon]

Spoiler

I'll only get a game on pc if i can't get it on 360 or ps3 i can't be botherd with the whole install then register thing. I think the reason producers put games on consoles is for the convience of the people who buy it.

You don't ACTUALLY have to register... unless you're talking about stuff like serial keys you have to enter.

mmm... I assumed that any gamer has a good knowledge of how PC's work, but I've been set straight now.

Right so, i'm sitting sick as a dog, unable to go out with my friends so i decide to go on the escapist, i post a comment, leave out some information (yes i know this is petty) and some one calls me out about it. fair enough YOU may not have to register. But a security programme that came with my PC makes me register on a database, used to gather information about legit and ilegal downloads of games and music. so i have to register games to play them.

p.s. sorry to anyone reading this, this post is very childish.

Wow, I've never heard of any software that requires you to do that :S Un-removable I assume? That's too bad though, sounds worse than DRM.

sigh here we go again. Both platforms (PC and consoles) have their pros and cons. And at the end of the day it doesn't matter which one games were developed for if they are good.

I actually didn't start this thread to talk about pros & cons. I wanted to see a bigger view of why gaming isn't unified on a single platform, or why the tool used to create these games (a PC) is left out unable to play the finished product.

Don't forget consoles have one major advantage over any gaming PC: local multiplayer. Most games are just much better when you play them with friends on the couch. Of course you can play online but that's just not the same.

Aside from what I already said about simply plugging in multiple joypads in a single PC (there just aren't enough splitscreen games for the PC), there's an interesting ability PC's have that I've never really seen hitting the big market. Multiple Mouse/Keyboard inputs.

Normally when you plug in multiple mouses or keyboards they all work as one single entity, but with, for example TeamPlayer [http://www.wunderworks.com/teamplayer/] (which is a conference tool, not a game), you can have a pointer for each mouse on a single computer. I'm sure the same can be done for keyboards.

So why hasn't there been a splitscreen FPS that uses this, combined with multiple wireless KB's & mouses? Or any other sort of game that could make use of this, such as shooter-platformers like Trine or Crimsonland?

 

[data_not_found]

I think it's because not every company wants their games on PCs. It's not like PCs are gods of gaming.

Excuse me? I must not have heard you right. Did you say it's NOT like PC's are gods of gaming? I hope not. My parole officer would be displeased with me if I had to "correct someone's mistake" again.

 

[KAPTAINmORGANnWo4life]

There is beauty in simplicity. Console games can be just as deep as PC games (example: Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution), while having a more user-friendly interface (or that's the way I interpret it). I have nothing against computer games, I own only two: Gothic 1 and Mount & Blade, but the controls do take some getting used to. Plus, all of the doohickeys that it takes to run a modern game, coupled with the cost of a good computer is more expensive than just 200-500$ up-front, but that may be different for others because I haven't sold my soul to the Devil for the good fortune of cheap, quality computer equipment.

 

[Radav]

what I don't get is the war going on between the consoles and pc gamers, what the fuck seriously?

I like my fps on the pc but I also like adventure, action gamer where you just want to chill on the sofa/bed.

I know the community here is pretty mature, but now you're acting like childrens, ALL OF YOU!!!!

my console is better then yours LALALALAA!!!1111one

I don't know why I say all this, because it's been said before, and I know it will never stop, I guess I'll just have to live with it. /cry