Why so little PC gamers compared to console gamers?

[Buzz Killington_v1legacy]

I used to be a pretty hardcore PC gamer...and then I moved overseas into a tiny little apartment that had no room for me to set up my desktop (if I'd even been able to afford to ship it over), leaving me with an underpowered laptop that doesn't really run anything released after about 2004 or so. I do most of my gaming on an XBox 360 these days, but man, do I miss things like mods.

 

[omega 616]

The reason I love console gaming so much more than PC gaming, at the moment I have a virus that is rendering my PC almost useless and I have absolutely no idea how to get rid of it. (I have run avast for 4 hours, deleted the infected files but avast is still throwing up warnings. I now have malwarebytes on the case)

I think that sums up my problem with it quite nicely, it's just too fiddly, makes you problem solve too often and makes you find disks that have been long lost in some dark corner of your abode.

 

[Angerwing]

PCs aren't that expensive guys. I got my PC (AMD Phenom 2 2.0ghz quad core, 4gb RAM and the same card as OP) for $800 Australian. I spent $1000 on my TV, and another $300 on my xbox, which was cheap at the time. I've since paid money to upgrade my xbox's hard drive and to give it wireless. That ends up being close to double the cost. What if I want extra controllers? Even more.

 

[jamesworkshop]

The reason I love console gaming so much more than PC gaming, at the moment I have a virus that is rendering my PC almost useless and I have absolutely no idea how to get rid of it. (I have run avast for 4 hours, deleted the infected files but avast is still throwing up warnings. I now have malwarebytes on the case)

I think that sums up my problem with it quite nicely, it's just too fiddly, makes you problem solve too often and makes you find disks that have been long lost in some dark corner of your abode.

http://www.bitdefender.com/scanner/online/free.html

http://www.f-secure.com/en_EMEA/security/tools/online-scanner/

I find F-secure a bit better so try that first

 

[WolfEdge]

Price...
Upkeep...
Viruses and Malware...

People don't like dealing with these things. ESPECIALLY the upkeep. The idea that this computer, that I've spent close to a thousand dollars on, is going to be obsolete within half a year, at which point I'll need to replace parts if I want to maintain the level of quality I've enjoyed thus far?
That kind of thing is considered senseless toil for a lot of people.

 

[jamesworkshop]

Price...
Upkeep...
Viruses and Malware...

People don't like dealing with these things. ESPECIALLY the upkeep. The idea that this computer, that I've spent close to a thousand dollars on, is going to be obsolete within half a year, at which point I'll need to replace parts if I want to maintain the level of quality I've enjoyed thus far?
That kind of thing is considered senseless toil for a lot of people.

System requirements for the PC version of Fallout: New Vegas have been revealed, along with a partial list of classic tunes that will be spun by two New Vegas radio stations.

Ah, Vegas. The sights. The sounds. The skulls that explode like rotting coconuts dashed against hot pavement. Is there anyplace in the world more exciting? But as the saying goes, if you want to play, you've got to pay - or at the very least, have a PC that meets these minimum system requirements:

?Dual-core 2.0 GHz CPU
?2GB RAM
?10GB free HDD space
?Nvidia GeForce 6 series or ATI 1300XT series video card
?Windows XP/Vista/7


in other word Hardware so old it predates the xbox 360 by about 3 months

 

[Canadamus Prime]

It's simply a matter that console games are cheaper to produce. The hardware on PCs in never consistent so Q&A for PCs is a lot more difficult and time consuming (time = money). While the hardware on consoles is always the same.

Consistent hardware? How how many versions of the PS3 and Xbox 360 are out there with different chipsets and configs, the new 360 doesn't even have a dedicated GPU like the older one its all on a 1 die now. Also when the PS3 first came out it was well over $1000 US to produce while the 360 was around $800.

Ok, relatively consistent then.

It's simply a matter that console games are cheaper to produce. The hardware on PCs in never consistent so Q&A for PCs is a lot more difficult and time consuming (time = money). While the hardware on consoles is always the same.

Development differences between PC and consoles is minimal. The hardware used in Consoles is exactly the same as in PC's. Programming games does not depend on the exact type of hardware . The only differences are an absence of an Operating System and different input devices.

Yes, but the hardware being used by the end user is never consistent and as such Q&A is a much more difficult task.

No not even relatively consistent at all, whole different chipsets and manufacturers. My PC over the past 6 years has had less hardware changes on it than the first gen 360 to current gen.

In any case, this console generation must be the exception then, because traditionally a console's hardware wouldn't change.

 

[Staskala]

Isn't emulation alone an instant-win for PCs?
After all, including it, you're comparing 2 consoles against the entire history of gaming and there's no way the 360 or PS3 can win this.

Yeah, I know, it' not the PCs native gaming library and stuff, but you can still play it on one, as opposed to, say, a PS3.
By the way, how's your backwards compatibility going? Replaying all those PS1 and PS2 classics sure is fun, I must say. Thank god my PC practically came with a free replacement of my broken PS2.

All joking aside, why do you always have to pick one?
Is the concept of playing games on several systems that obscure?

 

[PettingZOOPONY]

[/quote]
In any case, this console generation must be the exception then, because traditionally a console's hardware wouldn't change.[/quote]

Not at all every console generation goes through different chipsets and remodels. Dev's used the different hardware excuse for decades to justify bugs yes it does cause some issues but look at all the bugs in current gen games on consoles they cross all platforms for most of em so its crappy coding not hardware conflicts that cause most problems.

 

[MechaBlue]

I'm a console gamer because I don't play online and I don't care about graphics. Not to mention it's just plain too much hassle to go get all of the fancy PC parts and get everything set up when I already have a nice 360 and Wii that meet my gaming needs at the moment.

I might upgrade to a PC when the next generation of consoles come out so I can see some of the fan missions and what not, but until then I'm sticking to the hardware I already have.

 

[JeanLuc761]

Smaller install base equals less potential profits and greater risk resulting in less games.

in what? the PC? the PC has plenty of games.

Yes, but not as many as consoles, and that's even including the shitty ports (note: not all ports are shitty, just some). In regards for this, I'm still pissed at game developers not making their games on PC, especially Bungie and Epic. At least I still have Id, for now.

metacritic's database of games would like to disagree with you. want me to get the numbers?

This man speaks wisdom.

There are thousands upon thousands of PC games dating from the early 90s to modern day. Current gen consoles have a few hundred titles at most (I think Xbox 360 is up to 800 maybe?)

 

[lacktheknack]

There isn't. We're just quiet.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

one word to sum it up? (and in my opinion)

convenience.

really, when you get down to it, the convenience,especially having a family, to have a console, has a lot more pro's to it than having a gaming rig does.

and i dont really know how to go about this whole thing..i know TONS, and i mean TONS of older people who never bought the new generation, but still play to this day gamecube/ps2/n64/etc.., do those not count?

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Smaller install base equals less potential profits and greater risk resulting in less games.

in what? the PC? the PC has plenty of games.

Yes, but not as many as consoles, and that's even including the shitty ports (note: not all ports are shitty, just some). In regards for this, I'm still pissed at game developers not making their games on PC, especially Bungie and Epic. At least I still have Id, for now.

metacritic's database of games would like to disagree with you. want me to get the numbers?

This man speaks wisdom.

There are thousands upon thousands of PC games dating from the early 90s to modern day. Current gen consoles have a few hundred titles at most (I think Xbox 360 is up to 800 maybe?)

this is goes back to my post that i just posted (sorry just saw this) if your going to include all pc games, then including all console games is fair too, is it not?

so if your going to do that...well...those are going to be some pretty high numbers on both sides.

 

[Souplex]

Many reasons.
Consoles are significantly cheaper and have an average lifespan of four years.
Consoles have controllers, which are quite comfy.
Consoles plug into your TV, which is generally across from your very comfy couch.
Consoles support local play. (Although that's quickly vanishing.
Consoles don't have DRM issues.
Consoles crash a fraction of the amount PCs do.
Consoles have more worthwhile exclusives. (Unless you're only into MMOs and RTSes)
Consoles can generally play a new game within a minute of getting said game.
Many developers abandoned the PC when piracy simply became too rampant.
There are multiple games that simply will never come to PC.
Consoles simply work.

 

[JeanLuc761]

this is goes back to my post that i just posted (sorry just saw this) if your going to include all pc games, then including all console games is fair too, is it not?

so if your going to do that...well...those are going to be some pretty high numbers on both sides.

I fully agree; I was merely comparing on a "per-system basis."
If you combine all console releases ever, then there will be huge numbers to be dealt with. If you compare it system by system, I don't think any can compare directly to the PC.

Not that that's a bad thing; PC has had its share of shovelware.

 

[PettingZOOPONY]

Many reasons.
Consoles are significantly cheaper and have an average lifespan of four years.
Consoles have controllers, which are quite comfy.
Consoles plug into your TV, which is generally across from your very comfy couch.
Consoles support local play. (Although that's quickly vanishing.
Consoles don't have DRM issues.
Consoles crash a fraction of the amount PCs do.
Consoles have more worthwhile exclusives. (Unless you're only into MMOs and RTSes)
Consoles can generally play a new game within a minute of getting said game.
Many developers abandoned the PC when piracy simply became too rampant.
There are multiple games that simply will never come to PC.
Consoles simply work.

What about the multiple games that will simply never come to console.
Some devs abandoned PC gaming almost all still support it.
PC's have controllers.
You can plug your PC into a TV.
PC's support local play.
PC's can play a game the second it comes out if they pre load off a Digital service.
Worthwhile exclusives to who?
the others I'll go with but most of those are user error caused issues.