MutonCommander
Banned
Do they? How many more people play casual browser and social games on PC vs casual games on consoles? How many copies has The Sims sold so far?
PC: The Largest Threat to Next Gen Consoles (according to Gametrailers)
- Thread starter EternalTruth
- Start date
Do they? How many more people play casual browser and social games on PC vs casual games on consoles? How many copies has The Sims sold so far?
petran79
Banned
Using multicore processors for computer gaming was already done, it is just that very few games did it.
emulators like Dolphin as well.
Problem was that it was very difficult utilizing more than 2 cores effectively. It was much easier utilizing the GPU for that matter, since at that time GPUs were even more powerful than all CPU cores combined.
MutonCommander
Banned
Ok, lots of stuff to talk about.
On last-gen consoles and for all intents and purposes, GTA is the massive exception in a pretty well-established rule.
The mass market will not buy into these new platforms for years. Early adopters are usually hardore gamers and for those technologies like Mantle, G-Sync and Oculus Rift are a very big deal. If playing a multiplat on their PC is a better, smoother, more immersive experience than playing on consoles, next-gen game sales will suffer.
Not really. People who play on PC do so because of a number of factors: freedom of choice, customization, upgradeability, performance, PC-specific games. Nothing is adressed by next-gen consoles.
On last-gen consoles and for all intents and purposes, GTA is the massive exception in a pretty well-established rule.
The mass market will not buy into these new platforms for years. Early adopters are usually hardore gamers and for those technologies like Mantle, G-Sync and Oculus Rift are a very big deal. If playing a multiplat on their PC is a better, smoother, more immersive experience than playing on consoles, next-gen game sales will suffer.
Not really. People who play on PC do so because of a number of factors: freedom of choice, customization, upgradeability, performance, PC-specific games. Nothing is adressed by next-gen consoles.
Yeah my Macbook Pro gets really hot sometimes while just watching streams on Twitch.
I honestly don't know how that little Core 2 Duo gets so hot.
Felsparrow
Neo Member
I'm a primary PC gamer myself, but I don't get all this hatred and fighting about consoles.
For your money, next gen consoles will run games better than a PC of the same cost. Also, it's still a much tighter package, usually resulting in far less external issues when playing games, such as hardware related bugs.
It's also important to note that it was the 360 and PS3's stabilizing effect on PC hardware tech and prices that has allowed PC gaming to take off as it has. There's a reason why such cheap PCs nowadays can run what people consider consoles games so well, that's because the spec they aimed at was the 7 year old 360/PS3 spec. All that extra power could go to some higher res textures, and smoother framerates.
Consoles and PC are just two sides of the same coin to me, both help each other. One is a platform with a thankfully fixed spec to be a grounding force for development costs. The other constantly tests and pushes the boundaries of tech.
Even as I PC gamer I am looking forward to the XB1 and PS4 because it's going to standardize and force devs to make real use of technologies only seen in tech demos from hardware manufacturers. Stuff like GPU Compute, tesselation, etc. As well as pushing CPU and memory standards to more cores and at least 6GB. Which, by the way, then requires more expensive hardware.
For your money, next gen consoles will run games better than a PC of the same cost. Also, it's still a much tighter package, usually resulting in far less external issues when playing games, such as hardware related bugs.
It's also important to note that it was the 360 and PS3's stabilizing effect on PC hardware tech and prices that has allowed PC gaming to take off as it has. There's a reason why such cheap PCs nowadays can run what people consider consoles games so well, that's because the spec they aimed at was the 7 year old 360/PS3 spec. All that extra power could go to some higher res textures, and smoother framerates.
Consoles and PC are just two sides of the same coin to me, both help each other. One is a platform with a thankfully fixed spec to be a grounding force for development costs. The other constantly tests and pushes the boundaries of tech.
Even as I PC gamer I am looking forward to the XB1 and PS4 because it's going to standardize and force devs to make real use of technologies only seen in tech demos from hardware manufacturers. Stuff like GPU Compute, tesselation, etc. As well as pushing CPU and memory standards to more cores and at least 6GB. Which, by the way, then requires more expensive hardware.
gtx 660 does bf4 30-60 fps maxed and is slightly more powerful than the ps4 gpu
Some Nobody
Junior Member
GameTrailers is wrong. Cellphones and tablets are the largest threat to next-gen consoles. PCs have not now, nor will they ever, be a threat to console gaming.
Does it make money? Definitely. Does it make a LOT of money? Certainly. Does it have a decent-sized fanbase? Absolutely. Are they a threat? LOL, again. Nope.
Does it make money? Definitely. Does it make a LOT of money? Certainly. Does it have a decent-sized fanbase? Absolutely. Are they a threat? LOL, again. Nope.
DemonCleaner
Member
as always people overestimate market potential for high end pc gaming.
Crysis 3 PC 2013 Shooter Electronic Arts - global sales: 0.26 million
according to banned source
Metro: Last Light PC 2013 - global sales: 0.05 million
according to banned source
yeah banned source doesnt cover everything, but i think it indicative enough to get an idea what the problem with pc gaming is.
Crysis 3 PC 2013 Shooter Electronic Arts - global sales: 0.26 million
according to banned source
Metro: Last Light PC 2013 - global sales: 0.05 million
according to banned source
yeah banned source doesnt cover everything, but i think it indicative enough to get an idea what the problem with pc gaming is.
dark_prinny
Banned
Yeah. Niche market is a real threat to mass market.
Ok GT.
Ok GT.
theusedversion
Member
I have to disagree with PC being the biggest threat. I am a PC gamer but I believe the barrier of entry is too high. I don't think that mainstream gamers will go for it, they haven't yet so what has changed?
To a large part of the industry and to a large part of gamers, PC is irrelevant. I don't see that changing anytime soon.
To a large part of the industry and to a large part of gamers, PC is irrelevant. I don't see that changing anytime soon.
Banned source has no real DD sales data, thus it is stupid to use that shitty site as any kind of proof of PC sales!
Ignoring your source for a second. You're looking in the wrong place for a start. High end gaming hasn't been the driving force behind PC gaming's growth for years. Just take a looked at some of the most popular PC games right now. A good chunk of them can run on PCs who's prime was many years ago. Which in my opinion is a good thing. When PC gaming was all about the high end it almost strangled the platform to death.
NameGenerated
Who paid you to grab Dr. Pavel?
airmangataosenai
Member
Which of course is to say, there is no real threat. Also, I'm glad we're passed that stupid phase were everyone was writing articles about how browser games and iOS will replace console gaming.
grandwizard
Member
A mortal threat it may not be, but things are certainly different this time around. I think the long generation definitely got some new converts to PC gaming in the back half when current gen was getting stale and you could pick up reasonably priced hardware that ran circles around them.
I think market of those people who will remember the benefits is what the console markets stand to lose. I don't think they will escape the next gen hype but I expect more people to be buying PC versions of multi plat games a few years into this coming gen than the last.
I think market of those people who will remember the benefits is what the console markets stand to lose. I don't think they will escape the next gen hype but I expect more people to be buying PC versions of multi plat games a few years into this coming gen than the last.
Gaf_SentMe
Member
I don't get it. People go to wherever the exclusives are. Simple as that. If PC wants to gauge the console market, then Valve needs to make their games exclusive or pay for exclusives. That won't happen, thus PC is not a threat.
Trent Strong
Banned
I just tried to play Trine 2 on my PC yesterday and it won't start. God PC gaming is infuriating sometimes.
lol, are you for real?
grandwizard
Member
Dota 2 is Valve's most popular game and is exclusive. League of legends is one of the most popular games around and is exclusive.
Psycho_Mantis
Banned
I think Last gen is the biggest threat far above anything on that list. Steam and PC gaming still isn't big enough to actually hurt consoles looking at the bigger picture but obviously it will detract a notable amount from buying a console.
Gaf_SentMe
Member
It is only exclusive because of the button layout being predominant on PC. But much like Diablo 3, the days of exclusive RTS are coming to an end. I wouldn't be surprised if Blizzard shows up on consoles with an MMORPG offering.
I have seen people say that since Starcraft 64 way back in the day. I will believe it when I see it.
On the subject the PC has a ton of exclusive titles in fact there are probably more PC exclusives then all the this gens console exclusives combined.
Gaf_SentMe
Member
Gamer says I have a PC, but I will get a PS4/Xbone?Wii U later when the price goes down.
Casual says I want a PS4 or Xbone or Wii U and that's it. Just the one console suffices. I can never see PC fit this casual console cycle purchase. Not without Mario or Halo or Uncharted.
We can't really gauge the sales of consoles because all of us are mostly multi console/PC consumers. A better poll would be to ask who is buying just one console/PC this upcoming gen. That's the question I am interested in knowing.
Casual says I want a PS4 or Xbone or Wii U and that's it. Just the one console suffices. I can never see PC fit this casual console cycle purchase. Not without Mario or Halo or Uncharted.
We can't really gauge the sales of consoles because all of us are mostly multi console/PC consumers. A better poll would be to ask who is buying just one console/PC this upcoming gen. That's the question I am interested in knowing.
DemonCleaner
Member
even if one tripples those numbers (which surely isnt the case) it would not disproove my point. you simply cannot (and wont be able to in the future) amortise an investment like crysis 3 through pc sales alone.
thats kinda my point, isnt it?
Gaf_SentMe
Member
That will change because indies (most of the exclusive content) will be a lot easier to port for devs. Architecture is very similar. Should keep costs down.
My mistake then. If your point was most console ports don't sell on the PC or that the PC can't solely support AAA console style games then we agree.
hemtae
Member
If your source is what I think it is, then it isn't really good for retail. Also I'm willing to bet that DD is more than triple the retail market on the PC platform.
Love Deterrence
Member
Yup. Haven't been hearing this argument for the past twenty years! Not to say that there isn't truth in them saying it. Just don't see PC knocking consoles out of the picture. Spec-wise, of course, but not as far as the market is concerned.
derExperte
Member
I don't get this answer. First you say Valve needs to make their games exclusive. DOTA is, TF2 is too practically. Now you say it doesn't matter because it's only because of the button layout? What? And where are the console versions of Starcraft 2 (are there any hints it's coming?), Company of Heroes or even more complex stuff like Total War?
We'll see, there's a ton of stuff that I think won't make it for various reasons.
Windom Earle
Member
For what it's worth, I did cancel my PS4 preorder yesterday after the Drive Club debacle. With my powerful PC, not enough incentive to jump into consoles at the moment.
The PC market is quite beautiful right now. So much interesting and innovative new tech coming out. Can't wait for G-Sync and Oculus.
The PC market is quite beautiful right now. So much interesting and innovative new tech coming out. Can't wait for G-Sync and Oculus.
Gaf_SentMe
Member
Exclusive games that cater to the console audience (L4D, Portal, Half-Life). That is the only way I see Steambox taking off.
Diabo 3 got ported to consoles. So did Minecraft. There is no reason to think that devs will continue to disregard consoles for MMORPG and RTS games. Especially now that Valve will have a home console offering of its own. They will try much harder to get around the issue of controller/keyboard. Especially since porting will be a lot easier for PC devs.
PC is a highly customizable and high performance gaming platform, a companion to consoles, both have different types of games as exclusives. It can target different audiences, or the same audience wanting the different experience or ease of use.
The PC will benefit the most next gen due to the similar architecture, resulting in more multi platform games. It may push console makers to keep churning out exclusives to create that point of difference.
With the PC having the dials turned up to 11, already ahead of next gen consoles, a significant performance gap will appear sooner than it did in the current gen. This I hope leads to a shorter console life cycle, 8 years was just way too much.
It will be interesting once the new Nvidia Maxwell cards come out next year, supposedly quite a leap from the Titan.
In my opinion, a high end PC and the console of your choice is the ultimate combo for a gamer.
The PC will benefit the most next gen due to the similar architecture, resulting in more multi platform games. It may push console makers to keep churning out exclusives to create that point of difference.
With the PC having the dials turned up to 11, already ahead of next gen consoles, a significant performance gap will appear sooner than it did in the current gen. This I hope leads to a shorter console life cycle, 8 years was just way too much.
It will be interesting once the new Nvidia Maxwell cards come out next year, supposedly quite a leap from the Titan.
In my opinion, a high end PC and the console of your choice is the ultimate combo for a gamer.
I think it's surprising that no one talks about free online in this thread.
On both next-gen consoles, you will have to pay a periodic fee to play online. There is no such thing on PC. I find this highly relevant, but maybe I'm the only one. It's too bad PC doesn't really have a platform holder (only in this context of course!!) who could trumpet this from the rooftops in a concerted marketing campaign.
On both next-gen consoles, you will have to pay a periodic fee to play online. There is no such thing on PC. I find this highly relevant, but maybe I'm the only one. It's too bad PC doesn't really have a platform holder (only in this context of course!!) who could trumpet this from the rooftops in a concerted marketing campaign.
Diablo 3 isn't the first Diablo to even get a console port. Maybe it was just me, but I never thought Diablo 3 was for sure going to stay PC exclusive.
Anyway as for RTSes many developers have tried and failed to port them to consoles before what makes you think they will stick this time? The same can be said for MMOs as well.
Speak of the devil looks like Sega is thinking of becoming the next one to try and fail. I don't see anyway for Total War to have playable controls on the consoles.
derExperte
Member
I want to see how they manage that other than completely redesigning them. Hell, Football Manager is too much mouse-clicking even for me.
It surely is. Just look at Payday 2, one of the better sellers on Steam this year. 80% of it's sales were digital and I'm certain that number is only so low because of consoles. Retail numbers are completely worthless these days when we're talking about PC. Especially when they are pulled out of thin air by a certain banned site.
people are way too willing to pay for online
That would make PC inferior to console. Oh you meant different.
Until they become much cheaper and AAA exclusive development increases I don't see PC gaming becoming the centre.
Consoles are mainstream in price, simplicity and as long as the console is working then you put the game in and boom it's guaranteed to work.
I love PC gaming and was up until quite recently a PC gamer with a decent rig (i5, 8 gig ram, 670) and compared to 10 years ago it has come on leaps and bounds in regards to stability and ease of use there can still be quite frequently driver issues with certain games (especially new releases) than can cause performance issues or issues of the game running at all.
These are usually resolved quickly with a driver update or rolling back but this and other issues along with those already stated are the reasons why PC gaming will always be just that bit too much for the mainstream audience.
Consoles are mainstream in price, simplicity and as long as the console is working then you put the game in and boom it's guaranteed to work.
I love PC gaming and was up until quite recently a PC gamer with a decent rig (i5, 8 gig ram, 670) and compared to 10 years ago it has come on leaps and bounds in regards to stability and ease of use there can still be quite frequently driver issues with certain games (especially new releases) than can cause performance issues or issues of the game running at all.
These are usually resolved quickly with a driver update or rolling back but this and other issues along with those already stated are the reasons why PC gaming will always be just that bit too much for the mainstream audience.
RTS simply isn't going to happen on consoles. Stuff like Diablo was always a great fit for the platform, but the moment developers start trying to cram actual involved RTS like Total War, Starcraft, etc, onto a traditional controller will be the death of the genre.
Sony getting indies on their platform has mostly been them courting established indie developers. PC sees tons of debut stuff from no name developers almost every week. Not all of those games will come over due to the cost of porting, updating/model restrictions, and input restrictions (games like Papers Please).
This is not even counting the tailor made mid to high range PC games like Arma 3, Endless Space, Path of Exile, and the like.
This was reposted a bunch of times on Rome 2's release. It's simply not going to happen as a strategy title. I can see a spinoff in the vein of Viking, but a traditional strategy game would be incredibly tedious.
Plus, Creative Assembly still has to make up a ton of good will after Rome 2's hilariously bad launch.
If PCs are the biggest threat, then next gen consoles will be more than fine.
The barriers are still there, no amount of "well just need to do ___ and then there is this guide at _____, and you buy this cable _____ and then you go here ____ and plug this ____ and voila! Couch gaming!!!! Now just install these drivers at ____" is going to change that.
1080p and 60 fps are the talk of many on Gaming GAF the last year or 2, but you are kidding yourself if you believe mainstream consumers give a shit. They want the most accessible, minimal effort box they can just plug in their tv and go.
The barriers are still there, no amount of "well just need to do ___ and then there is this guide at _____, and you buy this cable _____ and then you go here ____ and plug this ____ and voila! Couch gaming!!!! Now just install these drivers at ____" is going to change that.
1080p and 60 fps are the talk of many on Gaming GAF the last year or 2, but you are kidding yourself if you believe mainstream consumers give a shit. They want the most accessible, minimal effort box they can just plug in their tv and go.
MutonCommander
Banned
well in the case of playstation plus you get free games for 5 dollars a month you can amass a massive collection of titles if some one paid for playstation plus every month since it was released they would have paid $140 for 109 ps3 titles and the list stretches beyond that to ps2 and ps1 thwn there were those times where sony gave free months as well as extra months of playstation plus and it probably goes down to like $120
Didn't know that as I didn't really follow the game closely before release. I just knew that if Blizzard wanted to Diablo 3 controls would work on a console.
Now that you mention it I would also like to know the reason Blizzard skipped porting Diablo 2. On a side note the Ps1 version of Diablo was the version i played. It was that and Warcraft 2(also on the Ps1) that first introduced me to Blizzard.
Edit.
and yes once I started playing RTS games on the PC I was blown away. The controls on the consoles for RTSs are truly terrible and looking back I am amazed I put up with them in Warcraft 2. Ignorance is bliss i guess.