Microsoft Exec Calls E3 a "Console Only" Show
PC gaming may not be dead but you sure wouldn't know it based on this year's Microsoft's [http://www.e3summit08.com/] Kevin Unangst, who described the event as a "console show."
In an article on Intel [http://venturebeat.com/2008/06/26/dont-expect-to-see-many-pc-games-at-upcoming-e3-game-show/] are having little to do with the 2008 show. Intel won't be holding any press conferences this year, while Microsoft elected to display its PC titles at an event in San Francisco this week, rather than risk being lost in the console crowd.
"As it has morphed, E3 has fundamentally become a console show," said Unangst, Microsoft's senior global director of Windows gaming. "We didn't want to just squeeze out some time at a console show."
The new console-centric attitude is largely the result of E3's transformation from the year's biggest, most anticipated gaming event to its current status as a press-only show with just a few thousand in attendance. The smaller scale has greatly reduced the cost of the event but also tightened the focus on high-profile products. Also impacting the presence of PC games at the show are the current troubles at the departure [http://www.theesa.com] of several members. Some will still attend the show, but others have dropped out entirely or will be holding parallel events of their own.
Unangst said that even with the reduced numbers in attendance, it's tough for PC titles to attract much attention. The Xbox 360 [http://www.gamesforwindows.com/]. Still, Unangst remained upbeat about the future of the PC platform, saying, "There have been a lot of trend pieces about how PC gaming is dying when that is absolutely not happening. It's growing exponentially, thanks to online games, and even faster than the rest of the market."
But Rahul Sood, chief of the Hewlett-Packard [http://www.voodoopc.com/], remains unimpressed by the "new" E3 and won't be attending. "E3 used to be the mecca of gaming," he said. "I'm skipping it because it's not what it used to be. Now it's just an event called E3."
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PC gaming may not be dead but you sure wouldn't know it based on this year's Microsoft's [http://www.e3summit08.com/] Kevin Unangst, who described the event as a "console show."
In an article on Intel [http://venturebeat.com/2008/06/26/dont-expect-to-see-many-pc-games-at-upcoming-e3-game-show/] are having little to do with the 2008 show. Intel won't be holding any press conferences this year, while Microsoft elected to display its PC titles at an event in San Francisco this week, rather than risk being lost in the console crowd.
"As it has morphed, E3 has fundamentally become a console show," said Unangst, Microsoft's senior global director of Windows gaming. "We didn't want to just squeeze out some time at a console show."
The new console-centric attitude is largely the result of E3's transformation from the year's biggest, most anticipated gaming event to its current status as a press-only show with just a few thousand in attendance. The smaller scale has greatly reduced the cost of the event but also tightened the focus on high-profile products. Also impacting the presence of PC games at the show are the current troubles at the departure [http://www.theesa.com] of several members. Some will still attend the show, but others have dropped out entirely or will be holding parallel events of their own.
Unangst said that even with the reduced numbers in attendance, it's tough for PC titles to attract much attention. The Xbox 360 [http://www.gamesforwindows.com/]. Still, Unangst remained upbeat about the future of the PC platform, saying, "There have been a lot of trend pieces about how PC gaming is dying when that is absolutely not happening. It's growing exponentially, thanks to online games, and even faster than the rest of the market."
But Rahul Sood, chief of the Hewlett-Packard [http://www.voodoopc.com/], remains unimpressed by the "new" E3 and won't be attending. "E3 used to be the mecca of gaming," he said. "I'm skipping it because it's not what it used to be. Now it's just an event called E3."
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