The Big Picture: PC Gaming Is Dead - Long Live PC Gaming!

[BioTox]

I don't intend to start a flame war but I don't think PC gaming is dead. You said they will be transferred to tablets or laptop. Those are just the next generation PC (personal computer). So, the PC gaming survives as more people buy and developers make games for them. I would agree that the age for needing a desktop computer [for gaming] is dwindling because you can get some good performance out of laptops now.

I would say that the consoles are the ones that are turning into PC. Each generation is moving closer to emulate what a PC has been doing for years. The movie even pointed out the fact that consoles are just like computers now. So, wouldn't that mean the console died and was replaced by a limited computer?

 

[WaderiAAA]

There are still some reasons why I like having games on my laptop. The obvious one is that I actually use my laptop a fair amount for other stuff. I use it to write and it is the device I prefer to watch say escapist shows on. Taking a break to play a game on the same device I use for those things is really nice. Also, when I go on a trip I can play some games on a fairly big screen, not just play handhelds. That said, I wouldn't doubt that the number of PC exclusives are going to drop until there is very few left. I don't think PC gaming will be completely dead (as in there'll be no more games for it) until years after the holocube has been invented.

 

[TheLazyGeek]

If PC gaming is dying...and consoles are really just turning into PCs, will all that remain be just mobile and cloud gaming? Will Zynga come to rule over BLizzard or Valve?

Scary s***, man.

 

[vxicepickxv]

I'm not really to worried about the PC, or even PC gaming. Steam makes Valve money hand over fist.

That said, I would probably give up my PC when a console can replace every function I need to perform on a PC, and is cheaper than the PC I need to use, translation, not any time soon.

At the rate the United States is developing their broadband capabilities, I see cloud computing being completely functional for gaming about three years after the grey goo. Well, if we're going to be nothing but computers anyway, why should I care at all about a PC?

 

[Sennz0r]

Snip

That... was beautiful. Welcome to The Escapist.

 

[Rivers Wells]

Honestly, I've never even given the PC vs. Console argument a second thought.

If a game was a PC exclusive and I wanted to play it, I did so. I think the keyboard mouse combo is probably still the best control scheme for more complex games and definitely with FPS shooters, so all the better.

On top of all that: Steam. Steam makes me happy in ways that will get me Banned for mentioning them here. No matter how messed up Valve can be sometimes, I love them for Steam and for me its through that system I PC game exclusively now.

However, if Steam makes its way to consoles...well, we'll see what happens. There IS that little USB port on there.

Good topic to discuss, Bob. Certainly made me think more on the subject than I had...well, ever.

Oh and for the record, having to point and click with those crappy little motion control remotes exclusively would literally drive me insane. And probably gave me carpal tunnel before that.

 

[Vhite]

I if would get a cent every time someone says that PC is dying AND I would have to share it with all PC gamers, we would be all millionares by now.

 

[Spritzey]

totally disagree, for one- minecraft. i have a console and a pc, as long as people like me prefer playing on the pc then the pc will go on.

 

[ZombieGenesis]

If PC gaming is dying...and consoles are really just turning into PCs, will all that remain be just mobile and cloud gaming? Will Zynga come to rule over BLizzard or Valve?

Scary s***, man.

Nah, I think the general point here (and maybe the point Bob was ATTEMPTING to make, save for a very ham fisted approach) is that all technoloy nowadays seems to be approaching the PC functionality. Bob seems to think that this will mean people will have numerous seperate ways of achieving a PC function on the go (such as iPads) but ultimately overlooks the clear problem that these items are much MORE expensive than personal computers and aren't nearly as effective. Perhaps in future then?
Yes, but comparing having to purchase several devices instead of just one small sized rig on my lovely flatscreen with universal functions is a very unappealing thought.

Will consoles become essentially, PCs? I'd argue they already are, save for a lacking OS. Let an efficient Linux user handle it and you might as well be running Windows 7 through a playstation...

Oh wait, they'll sue if you do that.

 

[TiefBlau]

I disagree. Not about PC gaming dying, though I find Bob's comments a bit off, but about what he considers the future.

You see, when he says that in the future, all mobile devices and gaming consoles and etcetera etcetera etcetera will have PC characteristics, I completely agree. We're already seeing that age. But is the natural conclusion of that to drive computers obsolete? I don't think so. I think the natural conclusion is integration.

This means one of two things:

A) They all become part of the same multipurpose device, like a Pip-Boy.

or

B) Despite having a variety of devices, they are all connected in a multipurpose network, possibly installed in your home.

In both scenarios, the PC is without a doubt the central aspect of all your electronics. You may not consider it a PC by then. But I would consider the central computing technology to be nothing else.
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Finally, I wouldn't be satisfied with myself if I didn't display my point of view regarding PCs, at the risk of being labeled *gasp* fanboy.

Whether the PC is dying or not, I am without a doubt rooting for it.

Hardware is no longer as limited as it once was, and whereas before it was so difficult to port Pacman to the Atari 2600 that they could only come up with this pile of shit [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL2p2ANFlQ4], we have today reached the point where all 3 consoles on the market are just specialized PCs.

What this means for the PC is that it's a medium of bottomless potential. Graphics can be as high or low as you want it, and if Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo didn't patent the code they use to write their discs and therefore make nothing able to play them but their respective consoles, the PC could play damn well everything.

If you were to ask me from an economic perspective why the PCs are in a slump, I'd have one word to say: Oligopoly. The console market is one of the biggest oligopolies ever. There are literally only 3 firms, and you'd have to be a billionaire to even attempt entry into the market. Do you think these multitrillion dollar corporations like that a competitive environment like the PC is running against them? Hell no. They like things just the way they are. They can make you pay for internet twice, they can regulate everything you do, they can make sure you never change your hardware, and they can make your hardware obsolete whenever they want to. This is a dream situation for any company and, incidentally, an ethical black hole.

So that's why I support the PC. Because at the end of the day, I'm rooting for the environment that won't try to take over your life. At least not as much.

 

[Grunge4Ever]

Steam. Enough said.

 

[TheLazyGeek]

snip

Haha...Sony. But, I agree that that's where "Personal Computing" is heading. Eventually, we'll have a single device to do everything.

But it won't be able to run linux because of a patch.

 

[Mxrz]

Seems accurate to me.

I use a laptop & phone for internet/work now, and do my serious gaming on the PS3/360. When I go to retail game stores, there's rarely more than a handful of PC games stashed in the corner somewhere. I don't pay much attention to amazon's top sales lists, but it seems like its been ages since i saw a PC game on there.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

Meh ... not sure I agree ...

Miniaturization can only go so far, and whilst, yes, I can understand that rather than having a home-based electronic server will probably be swapped out for a mass public servers in which you can play games via constant internet connections the problem remains ....

You still need a computer to do the computing.

High-powered gaming will always require constant evolution of the medium ... and lets face it .. unless you want to buy a new console every year, a PC has advantaged over laptops, tablets, mobile phones or consoles.

That being said I swap out components on my PC every year ... I'm willing to do it so I can enjoy the latest games in style (not god almighty perfection ... but to a level which is both visually gratifying and enjoying a silky smooth framerate).

None of the three consoles can compete with my gaming rig ... because I continue to update, piece by piece my pc. Whereas consoles? unless you're willing to change consoles every year then there is little point.

Sure, PC-Gaming is dying, but that's because it now has to compete with some strong systems. But that's good .... the more competing a medium has to do, the better it's business focus and customer orientation.

And the PC still makes money ... which is the other other argument. Developers realise there is a market out there for people who want the best looking games.

Hell, if PC games were dead, they wouldn't retail for as cheaply as they do compared to the console market. Whilst I can understand that pc games don't have to charge as much due to a non-cornering of the market ... but that's another strong point in favour of pcs.

Consoles ... corner .... markets. A no matter what logic or business model a entertainment company may have ... when you corner the market, there is going to be a natural dcrease in the vitality of said market.

Nintendo cornered IR pointers ... what happened? A whle bunch of shitty party games ... whilst there ae a whole lot of gems (don't get me wrong) it still doesn't change the fact that much of it was shite.

Now that the IR market is now open to more individual cross platform hopefully you'll get a decrease iof all the shite as every console is now in direct competition for the motion control market.

 

[ran88dom99]

I can play ps2 and xbox games on my IBM PC. I could play them in 3d with the 2$ glasses and a software program. I would never buy an Apple and for similar reasons any PC made by microsoft, sony or Nintendo. Actually, i play mushroom kingdom fusion on my IBM PC, the best platformer ever. MMO type copy protection is far better than anything else as the hackers prove. I also use skype and watch TV from my laptop.

 

[Katana314]

While I disagree, I do see plenty of interesting points and good insight in the video. The one error I found with it is that the "hub of various devices" that so many geeks find useful isn't viable to someone on a lower budget. A phone definitely does much more today than it would ten years ago, but it couldn't be your ONLY device; like he was saying, we'd have a printer, game console, various other items, and no need for the "central hub" of a PC. But all those items, put together, are pretty damn expensive. I'm pretty sure that even if it takes up more space, some people would really prefer the idea of a centralized item they can do everything on, with an acceptable screen resolution. Heck, some people have a desktop computer replacing their TV; then it almost becomes your ONLY electronic utility in the house.

I know I have yet to buy a smartphone, tablet, Xbox, Wii, PS3, DVR, or half the various "must-have"s of this generation, and I'm even someone who posts on technology websites like this one. I am dead sure that there are plenty of other people like me.

 

[tkioz]

Well I'm not going to get angry because I've recently came to the conclusion that apart from his movie reviews Bob's videos are just him spouting poorly researched bullshit with a heavy personal bias.

So yeah, he's basically a troll with a bigger soap box then normal.

Don't feed the trolls.

 

[MasterRahl]

I'm guessing with the 500+ comments already posted on this that a lot of people think you're being a little narrow on this topic. I'm pretty sure PC's are going to exist for as long as there's a Windows or Linux OS out there. So, forever. Also, from what I can even gather from this video, your only definition for a PC is that you can replace the inner parts of it. Even if that is your definition of PC, you should add iPhones, Androids, Laptops and hell, even cell phones are being modded today (see Jailbreaking). Please redefine personal computer.

To broaden the definition, PC games are hardly dieing. Thanks to Blizzard, NCSoft, Bethseda, S2games, Mojang AB and it goes on and on. Also, where do games start? on PC's... There is also Steam, which makes getting games for PC almost illegally too easy.

So, right now, PC gaming has every industry beat w/ number of titles, pure processing power, and distribution. If anything, the console will die long before PC's do.

I usually agree w/ what you say Bob. Even on Metroid Other M. Way to screw this one up though.

 

[Polyg0n]

Up until now I always thought that MovieBobs reviews and commentaries were really good, but this one really took a big part of that admiration away. I admit that I am a bit of an PC fanboy, but even when trying to look at this topic from different angles I still can't agree with any of the things he said.