Why are developers turning away from the PC?

[Logan Westbrook]

if you're confused by the options in console games, you should probably hang up your gamer identity and just fade to black.

If you're also confused by the options in PC games, you should probably hang up your gamer identity and just fade to black

Unless mommy and daddy set up your computer to go on the internet, all the things involved in posting on this forum is infinitely more difficult than figuring out if you want to invert your Y axis controls.

I know it hurts to be tied to a sinking ship.

just let it all out

Actually, if you read the article I posted a link to, you'd see that PC gaming is far from being a sinking ship. It is in fact an industry worth around $10 billion.

To who?

Are you really asking that question? Ok, it's worth $10 billion to the Developers, Publishers and Retailers and probably a few other folks that don't immediately spring to mind.

 

[Logan Westbrook]

Read the article I posted, much of this information is there.

 

[fix-the-spade]

Developers themselves are not turning away from PC games, Publishers however are, by extension putting presure on their developers to do the same. the reason is very simple.

STEAM.

Since it came out with Half Life 2, steam has pretty much demolished the PC market outside of itself. Despite being told by Microsoft (who Valve approached, among others, as possible technical partners) that a Steam style system wouldn't be possible for at least another 15 years, Valve not only made it work but made it a huge success.

Publishers realise that they have no hope with competing with such a system now, either on price, community or tech support, nor do they have the funds to develop their own credible rival. So they are putting massive pressure on the studios they publish to work only for the console market. Which is still reliant on offline distribution.
Piracy makes a convenient scapegoat, but I think the truth is that they can no longer compete in a market they have lost control of.

Or to put it another way, in Gamestation CoD:WaW is £50 for PC. On Steam its £28, compelling maths.

 

[Logan Westbrook]

The game he descriubed, I'm pretty sure thats MAG. Being done exclusively for the PlayStation 3.

MAG is a very interesting idea, and I'm keen to see it actually running, rather than just watching trailers. I very much want it to live up to it's hype, because it would be an awesome landmark to hit in console gaming, but there's a part of me that thinks that Zipper is over-reaching.

As for the rest of your post, I think your bias is starting to show through a little. Crysis's graphics were the thing that got mentioned the most, I'll agree, but isn't that like the large scale multiplayer on MAG, or the level creation on LittleBigPlanet?

 

[DYin01]

...since FPSs, Strategy games and MMOGs remain PC centric.

Nope. Not true.

Care to elaborate? Because last time I checked, PC had a LOT more MMO games than every console together. Same goes for strategy games. Yes, it is possible to make a decent strategy game for a console, but the fact remains that it's just a lot easier on PC with the keyboard for hotkeys and mouse for precision. You just can't get the same precision with a stick.

 

[Pigeon_Grenade]

well from the reports ive seen in threads over the last while, those who play PC games are too smart and will steal, or thats what they said about the DRMs justification

 

[Altorin]

well from the reports ive seen in threads over the last while, those who play PC games are too smart and will steal, or thats what they said about the DRMs justification

that's clearly not the case, as is evidenced by Eggo's many posts

 

[Pigeon_Grenade]

well from the reports ive seen in threads over the last while, those who play PC games are too smart and will steal, or thats what they said about the DRMs justification

that's clearly not the case, as is evidenced by Eggo's many posts

suppose im out of date on my information, problem with randomly posting and not reading things when you been awake a while

 

[KSarty]

Having Epic turn away from the PC is hardly a sign of it's doom. The only PC game I've ever heard of from Epic is Unreal Tournament, something I've never bothered to even try. And Cliffy B. citing piracy is crap. Epic teamed up with Valve and released the entire Unreal series on Steam, so they could do the same with Gears 2 if they're are worried about piracy. I think they are more worried that the majority of PC gamers just aren't interested, or maybe they don't want to spend time on a good PC port, because the first one was doen half-assed and sucked because of it.

People need to stop talking about this crap. People proclaim the death of PC and then 1 month later they state that it is triumphantly returning to the forefront of gaming. It always goes in cycles, and it always wears thin. There were a bunch of great PC titles this year and there are several more on the way within the next few months. If you enjoy playing games on PC, then you can continue doing so. If you don't, then don't. It is that simple.

 

[dukethepcdr]

They are following the money like they always have been. More gamers are buying consoles and the games for them than there are people buying gaming PCs and PC games. Developers and publishers spend millions making games. They want to sell as many units of those games as they can so they can make a profit that they can then turn around and reinvest in making the next game they have in mind.

Would you take the time and effort to write music and then insist on recording it on cassette and CD both? Sure you can release music on cassette, but who is going to buy it? There are still people out there who listen to cassettes, but not nearly as many people who listen to cds.

I like to play games on my computer and there are still game genres that seem to work better on computers than on consoles. However, I can't really fault the publishers for focusing on consoles as that is where the market is moving to.

 

[santaandy]

...since FPSs, Strategy games and MMOGs remain PC centric.

Nope. Not true.

Care to elaborate? Because last time I checked, PC had a LOT more MMO games than every console together. Same goes for strategy games. Yes, it is possible to make a decent strategy game for a console, but the fact remains that it's just a lot easier on PC with the keyboard for hotkeys and mouse for precision. You just can't get the same precision with a stick.

First, FPSs haven't been PC-centric for a while. I daresay in at least some cases FPSs are even better on consoles now (look at the latest Tom Clancy games). There may be more MMOs on PC but not enough to call them PC-centric. And even strategy games have plenty of releases on consoles. Remember, strategy is more than RTS (if that's what you meant), and consoles support K&M now (at least by hardware).

Perhaps, though, this is just a difference in opinion. I think a better statement would be to say that the PC is FPS, MMORPG, and RTS-centric.

 

[karmapolizei]

Developers themselves are not turning away from PC games, Publishers however are, by extension putting presure on their developers to do the same. the reason is very simple.

STEAM.

Or to put it another way, in Gamestation CoD:WaW is £50 for PC. On Steam its £28, compelling maths.

Come on, that doesn't make sense: Every Steam download is billed in US $, whatever the interface tells you. Taking into account the exchange rate between UK Sterling and USD, you can imagine why your comparison is crooked. In the US, as far as I can tell, Steam games cost about as much as physical copies, in Germany (with the Euro being worth only slightly more than the USD nowadays) it's practically the same.

 

[meece]

All I can really say is: Stardock - I have faith in them and what they can achieve.

 

[Credge]

Piracy is just as common on the console. I'm sure most of you have seemed to forget about buying used games. Except that actually hurts an industry because you did buy the game. Most typically PC pirates would not have bought the game to begin with.

 

[santaandy]

I daresay in at least some cases FPSs are even better on consoles now (look at the latest Tom Clancy games).

I've looked...But I'm not seeing how they are better on console. And do you have any other examples?

There may be more MMOs on PC but not enough to call them PC-centric.

How many people are playing World of Warcraft on the consoles?

And even strategy games have plenty of releases on consoles.

The Wii has plenty of third party games getting released for it, but what's that term everyone uses? Shovelware?

Remember, strategy is more than RTS (if that's what you meant), and consoles support K&M now (at least by hardware).

Only the PS3 supports K&M...Although you will have a tough time finding games that support it natively.

Perhaps, though, this is just a difference in opinion. I think a better statement would be to say that the PC is FPS, MMORPG, and RTS-centric.

I'd agree to that.

1) I was going by general reception and review, specifically for Rainbow Six Vegas 2, but I believe Red Faction was also reviewed as being better on the PS2 than the PC. I think the issue is with original platform development and porting, not necessarily a case of hardware superiority (there are many examples of bad PC ports to console, like Orange Box PS3). There is the fact that there are many FPSs developed outside the PC, and also not released for PC, which makes me think FPSs are not PC-centric.

2) Everquest, Star Wars Galaxies, and Final Fantasy XI (all top-tier names) all had releases outside the PC. X-Quest is one MMORPG in development for consoles and not PC. MMOs are not PC-centric.

3) I agree. My point was more on the lines that strategy is not the same thing as RTS, and strategy in general is not PC-centric. RTSs aren't either. There is one RTS, Goblin Commander, that was not made for PC but consoles only. There is starting to be more ports of big name RTSs too (World in Conflict, Supreme Commander, and C&C, but mostly to Xbox360, think of that what you will). Still not PC-centric.

4) True, but at least it's there. And the Dreamcast supported K&M for some FPSs (not sure about strategy), and keyboard for a typing game, Phantasy Star Online, and maybe more. I believe every console that had PSO had a keyboard controller of some sort. But you're right, in-game support is what makes the difference and is by and large barely there. I think the DC supported keyboard & mouse more than any other console.

http://www.racketboy.com/retro/2007/03/dreamcast-keyboard-mouse-be-prepared.html

5) Thanks!

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Piracy is just as common on the console. I'm sure most of you have seemed to forget about buying used games. Except that actually hurts an industry because you did buy the game. Most typically PC pirates would not have bought the game to begin with.

Currently, it's not possible (AFAIK) to pirate Wii or PS3 games, not sure about X360. Even still, good luck pirating those 25gb-50gb PS3 discs. And finding something to burn it on, as the only discs that can hold it are at last check $20 apiece, often more than the game itself.

Buying used games is not piracy and it the act itself does not hurt the industry. Companies not getting their fair share of preowned game sales by places like gamestop *is* pretty crappy, and does hurt the industry.

 

[santaandy]

Currently, it's not possible (AFAIK) to pirate Wii or PS3 games, not sure about X360.

Awww so innocent. Go to your local Chinese super-market and ask for a "fix" for your xbox. You'll see what I'm talking about.

Even still, good luck pirating those 25gb-50gb PS3 discs.

Firstly 50 gigs? What? The only game that even came close to that was MSG4, usually big games are around 10 gigs and average are around 5-6 gigs.
And that takes about 10 minutes with my PC and I'm running a mid-end.

And finding something to burn it on, as the only discs that can hold it are at last check $20 apiece, often more than the game itself.

Huh? I've bought like this big case of virgin dvd's for 10 bucks a month ago,I gave them to a friend though, so I really don't know its capacity.

Buying used games is not piracy and it the act itself does not hurt the industry. Companies not getting their fair share of preowned game sales by places like gamestop *is* pretty crappy, and does hurt the industry.

I concur.

Wow, how the hell are you getting around 1gb per minute downloads?

 

[santaandy]

Wow, how the hell are you getting around 1gb per minute downloads?

Downloads? I was referring to burning a dvd.
And I might have exaggerated a little, more like 20 minutes.
From private trackers I get around 1-2 megabytes per second, a 10 gig game takes a night?
I dunno, I'm not that good at maths

Oh, I was wondering!

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Why I Hate PC Gaming:

A'ight, lets go over this in a logical way...

I got my PS2 in 2002, it cost me $300 I believe and it provided me with damn fine gaming material until 2007 (I', count God of War 2 official "end" of the PS2) when it finally stopped seeing major releases on a regular basis

I got my PC in 2004, it cost me $1500, I stopped being able to run new games at full spec on it in 2006. What the hell? It was obselete in 2 goddamn years. It cost me 5X as much as my PS2 and it stopped being truly useful as a gaming machine after 2 years.

This is why PC gaming sucks and probably why devs are turning away from PC gaming. Because...

I've spent $1550 on Consoles from PS1 to now (I've got a 360 AND a PS3) that's the price of the one computer I bought and so far all of these consoles have had MUCH more longevity.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

But that's the point, the consumer does not NEED To Learn about how to build an optimized console, they can just read the basics and pick which one they want. It's way more accessible to the average consumer. I don't mind learning about consoles, because there are now only 3 on the market, while there are hundreds of PC parts to choose from that I'd need to understand in order to optimize.

More people WILL choose the console because it's easier, geeks and non geeks alike. I'm a GAME nerd, I like GAMES (i.e. software) not Hardware. Developers are not developing for the PC BECAUSE of people like myself, my girlfriend and my best friend. We all love videogames, but really don't care about hardware.

Until PC's can be purchased at a reasonable price with no aformentioned knowledge and run games for 5 years without upgrades, I don't think I'll ever be a dedicated PC gamer.

 

[Amnestic]

But that's the point, the consumer does not NEED To Learn about how to build an optimized console, they can just read the basics and pick which one they want. It's way more accessible to the average consumer. I don't mind learning about consoles, because there are now only 3 on the market, while there are hundreds of PC parts to choose from that I'd need to understand in order to optimize.

More people WILL choose the console because it's easier, geeks and non geeks alike. I'm a GAME nerd, I like GAMES not Hardware. Developers are not developing for the PC BECAUSE of people like myself, my girlfriend and my best friend. We all love videogames, but really don't care about hardware.

Considering how many guides there are on the internet that's really not a fair argument. Heck, I think Eggo has a guide on building a PC on this very forum. You don't need to know it, you just need to be able to read.

Alternatively, make friends with a hardware expert. How hard is that? There's plenty around these days. Sure it's simpler to just go up to the cashier and buy a console, but in this day and age you pretty much need a PC anyway (typing these posts for one), so why not take the time to educate yourself and build your own, optimised PC?