Poll: Console Syndrome

[JEBWrench]

So here's the question: Do you think that consoles or PCs are the bigger focus of game developers?

Consoles. It's a bigger market.

 

[InvisibleSeal]

I have Dragon Age on Xbox 360 and plays perfectly fine. Dunno what you're on about.

Same here. I think both markets are doing fine. Heck, the PC market has even been blowing up more than ever lately, so all the PC-elitists really have nothing to complain about anymore.

I think what the OP is getting at is that on the PC you can zoom out to overhead view. I also find it easy on the PC to select which enemy to attack since you can easily see where they are in relation to you from birds eye view. With the more zoomed-in view I can imagine it feeling like a bit of a clusterfuck in some battles, no matter what the graphics and things are like...

 

[Auric]

Well, consoles are arguably easier to make games for...

... Is more accessable to your average customer, theres no installing, making user accounts for online activation, then wondering if your system can actually run it, and if it cant, thats to bad because you cant return your game now...

Plus, these developers all have the impression that its harder to pirate games on a console, so thats probably a major factor as well.

 

[Tony2077]

i like both consoles and pc so i'm set

 

[slowpoke999]

Hopefully in the future Pc's become cheaper with less diversity as all the pros are eventually melded into one. I mean everyone has a PC right, consoles should just be a gaming system for people without computers, and if you got a PC you should just play your games on there.

 

[The Undoer]

Yes, I'd have bought Batman Arkham Asylum for my PC by now, if it had better controls. That was probably the worst bit about Assassins Creed on the PC, the controls were rubbish and completely set.

 

[Estocavio]

Both are good in different way, its a matter of preference.

 

[insectoid]

There's simply more money to be made on console development. What choice do you think they're going to make?

 

[DigitalSushi]

LaCoil recently locked a thread like this because we weren't playing nicely, good to see everyone here is sharing their toys.

I think its to do with piracy and general "cracked" copies of the games, much harder to do on a console, because the hardware and software is locked down, which must appeal to the suits.

 

[hawkeye52]

basically as people have said before:

its easier to cater to console people(will generate more advertisement for games being good when they arnt)

theres less need for drm for consoles (so less expenses)

more people have consoles (just take a look at the all time highest selling game cod6 and then check to see how many pc users bought it compared to consoles)

unless the game is multiplayer focused the theres no point in buying the game for pc you might as well pirate it except for supporting that developer (and i have done that a few times with smaller developers like paradox who made the epic game Europa Universialis 3)

although all these arguments are against the pc and it would sound like i voted no i abstained because there are some markets that will always be pc and those are heavy mod communities of the RPG and the RTS games since not only are console controllers to unwieldly to do any form of micro with the console users themselves are generally either 1) to stupid or 2) too impatient to learn how to play the game properly unless its at grass roots level like the glorious days of aoe2 or red alert or 3)it could be a combination of both

 

[King of the Sandbox]

I have Dragon Age on Xbox 360 and plays perfectly fine. Dunno what you're on about.

Same here. I think both markets are doing fine. Heck, the PC market has even been blowing up more than ever lately, so all the PC-elitists really have nothing to complain about anymore.

I think what the OP is getting at is that on the PC you can zoom out to overhead view. I also find it easy on the PC to select which enemy to attack since you can easily see where they are in relation to you from birds eye view. With the more zoomed-in view I can imagine it feeling like a bit of a clusterfuck in some battles, no matter what the graphics and things are like...

Well, it doesn't bother me at all, and I was a huge fan of Baldur's Gate and that series of games. I actually kinda liked the idea of seeing things from a more involved level, as opposed to the "God looking down on his characters" view. Like, how would your characters know there was a darkspawn behind that boulder? Because you can see it? I guess, but I appreciate the immersion of the close up view.

But the main point I was trying to make was that there's nothing wrong with it on consoles, like so many PC elitists will insist, just different. The game itself isn't changed, the camera is. Big whoop, y'know?

It just seems kinda nit-picky to me.

 

[fix-the-spade]

So here's the question: Do you think that consoles or PCs are the bigger focus of game developers?

I think you're asking a bad question, or at least a badly worded question.

You cannot generalise all developers as to their focus, you have to be more specific.

There's developers like Dice and Valve, who are primarily PC focused but also produce a range of console products.

Or there's Bungie and Naughty Dog who don't 'do' PC games point blank.

Or Blizzard, Turbine, CCCP and co who do nothing at all but PC exclusive games and openly have no intention of changing that.

There is no generalised focus of the gaming industry, it varies from developer to developer.
If there's any development trend you can pick out it's that in big releases there is now less divergence between the PC and console version. But a lot of that is down to consoles getting closer to PC's, now they support network play, HDDs, and they can be updated, so there's fewer practical differences.

It's also worth noting that the console market is much, much louder to proclaim it's successes than the PC crowd. Which skews people's perception somewhat, certainly PC developers that get it right stand to make a lot more money than they could from consoles (see Valve, Blizzard and Turbine), but that is balanced by the greater risk. Publishers and console manufacturers certainly prefer consoles, as they can make a killing through distribution and licencing, which is why the marketing for consoles is that much louder, they would rather you never considered the alternative.

 

[Riobux]

While yes they do seem to be focusing more on consoles across the board, I wouldn't exactly label it a syndrome. It doesn't seem that bad. I think some games just wouldn't work out on PC (e.g. Little Big Planet) and some games just wouldn't work out on consoles (e.g. RTSes don't really work on consoles...). I think developers try to release games on as many platforms as possible generally.

 

[AlanShore]

Because once they found out that pretty much everything except the RTS was better on the console

Hahahaha, yeah good one. That is a joke right? You're seriously suggesting that FPS games are better on a console?

 

[MetalMonkey74]

I think it really varies on what type of game the developers are putting together. Although the RTS genre is really dieing down (which is a pretty much exclusive PC genre), there still are a lot of MMO's out there that are PC only.

The Xbox and the pc work very similary to each other, so a lot of games that come out on pc can be ported.

But consoles will pick up in the long run, especially as they get more powerful and probably more modular. Better TV's and more content online will make the pc on par when it comes to performace and whatnot.

Tinkerers will always love the pc more, and personally, i think that FPS titles on a console dont come anywhere close to precision you get with a mouse.

Mac users are still wondering if anyone will ever consider making real games for them, unless the game involves flash.... coz we all know what Steve Jobs thinks about that!!

 

[SniperWolf427]

Consoles.

Besides, consoles offer ease of use on the side of the consumers. Push a button and play. No updates, installations (unless you count the PS3, but shut up, my point still stands), not to mention a lack of any need for major console DRM.

Lets see;

Updates, present on all 3 current gen consoles.

Installs for disc based games, present on the 360 and ps3 (ps3 include manditory installs.

DRM present on all 3 current gen consoles. And if bricking your console as a punishments not a major response, I'm not sure what is. Console DRM just affects less innocent byestanders, and almost all of them brought a modded console unknowingly.

Developing on the PC eads to the need to cover more hardwear types yes, but that more affect bugs, as pc arhitechture is fairly uniform, and instruction tend to go through standerdised instruction sets like directx anyway.

The PS3 is no easy beast to program on, partially as its noticiably different in archtecture to anything else on the domestic market, especially if you want to use it to its fullest advantage.

Console games are really easier to make as they are often less complex than pc games. This has become less so recently, but is still true. The disparity in FPS games certainly has, but stratagy, there are more complex flash game than console stratagy games!

You're telling me things I already know. I simply should have worded my post better.

Regardless of anything anyone could ever say, the average consumer does not have the necessary gaming PC, nor the knowledge or patience necessary to install a game on a PC. Yes, the PS3 is a pain in the ass to program for, primarily the reason Valve hates using it, but on the consumer end it's no harder than working a fucking toaster.

As for updates, they're all mandatory and pop up right when you insert the game, so they aren't exactly requiring of a fucking tech wizard to figure it out.

And you said it yourself right there. The DRM is present, yes, but how many people know about it or need to give a fuck? None. Not if you have a non-modded console. On the pc, you've got shit like SecuROM fucking with oyur internal hardware the instant you install it. Piracy is only rampant on the PC (another reason for makers to focus on consoles). Sure, there is that 5% of console consumers that give enough of a shit to take the time to mod their console, but for the most part it's simply too much work.

It's 6 AM and I didn't feel like arguing with anyone right now. Sorry if the post seems testy.

 

[Anticitizen_Two]

Consoles get way more focus.

 

[Dr. Awesome Face]

The fact that Crysis 2, the sequel to a PC exclusive game is being released one every platform worth noting, should answer the question for you

 

[AlanShore]

Because once they found out that pretty much everything except the RTS was better on the console

Hahahaha, yeah good one. That is a joke right? You're seriously suggesting that FPS games are better on a console?

They. Are. Equal. If you disagree, well, you'll find out what happened to the Phantom.

I'm sorry, you're just plain wrong. In what way are they "equal"? Any console FPS can be done better on the PC and there's no way a controller is anywhere near as precise or fast as a mouse, so please enlighten me. And what, pray tell, is the Phantom?

 

[splatterguy734]

I see what you mean but at least there are some companies like valve who support and value their pc community.