I was reading an old computer games magazine that was published about ten years ago. There was an article in it about the state of computer gaming, and whether consoles would kill gaming on computers. Fast forward to today, and I can perform a search online and still see the same discussion going on on various sites.
The fact that it has been over ten years and PC games are still being produced and enjoyed speaks volumes as to whether PC gaming is dying. I have been a PC gamer for over twenty years, and I have also enjoyed console gaming as well, and I can say that both types of gaming have their place in the world of gaming.
A Pointless Debate?
With every debate there are always two sides that are constantly locked in a “war or words” with each other (think Windows versus Mac users). In terms of gaming, there are console users and PC users. Each continuously brings up the advantages of their platform.
For me, I enjoy PC gaming, always have been and always will enjoy the platform. I am a PC guy, and have been involved with the building of my own systems for years now. I pick everything that goes in them, maintain them, and upgrade them when necessary.
With that being said, I have also enjoyed using consoles as well. They aren’t expensive (a few hundred dollars), and you can easily hook one up to a TV and get a few people playing together. The games are coded to a specific set of hardware, so they run without many problems (usually).
A PC, on the other hand, can be more expensive, requires a bit more connecting and setup, and the applications are coded to be compatible with an infinite number of configurations. Sometimes when things don’t go exactly right, you need to have technical skills to solve the problem. I haven’t seen too many with non-technical skills debug blue screens.
Is PC Gaming Really Dying?
In one word: no. In fact this discussion can still be valid ten years from now as it was ten years ago. A PC has one advantage over a console that will keep the gaming industry alive: technology.
Console systems are usually released every 5 years or so. When released, consoles usually incorporate the latest technology that produces the best graphics and enjoyment for games. Over the course of those five years until the next generation is released, the console may go through some small changes, such as additional hard drive space, but the core of the console remains relatively unchanged.
In the computer world five years is a long time. Graphics manufacturers release a new series of chipsets every year, while processor chipsets are upgraded on a similar schedule. With each upgrade the chipsets for both graphics cards
Much like console games, PC games can also be played in high-definition. Computer games, in fact, can be played at several resolutions, from 1024×768 to 2560 x 1600. With new technology, such as Eyefinity from ATI, you can now run a game across three monitors on a single graphics card.
Computers Too Advanced for Games?
Last year, I bought a new PC – i7 920, 6 GB RAM, 2 500 GB (RAID 0) hard drives and 2 ATI 5850 (Crossfire). I wanted to be sure that I can enjoy some of the latest games, and quickly realized that the games have yet to catch up to the latest technology available for computers.
Many games are developed to be played on several systems, including PC, XBox 360, and PS3. From comments on both forums and blogs, I have noticed that many PC gamers complain about the fact that PC games aren’t reaching their full potential because of the fact that the games are developed for several platforms. With the XBox 360 and PlayStation being released a few years ago, games need to be developed to work on systems that are 5 years old.
Case in point, with the new graphics cards supporting DirectX 11, which introduced Tessellation, most games that are released today support DirectX 9c because of the graphics capability of the consoles. A few PC games support DirectX 10 and 11, and a few also support DirectX 9x, 10, and 11. I don’t know of any on the market that support DirectX 11 only with all the features the technology is capable of supporting.
Many graphics cards released in the last year can easily play many of the games on the market for today, and possibly a few years into the future. With such technology as SLI and Crossfire, by simply adding a second, or third graphics card into a computer, you can easily add more graphics-producing power to a system.
The games of today aren’t being pushed forward by the newest technology that you can find in a PC, but it seems they are being held back by the static nature of the console.
To Each Their Own
With that being said, consoles are made for one thing: playing games. They do that well, and at a significant price advantage over their PC counterparts. It is much easier to get four players to play on a console than it is to play on a computer, and I’m talking about being in the same room. Not only that, but you don’t have to worry about setup and game performance as much as you do on a PC.
Everyone will have their favourite method of playing video games, and each will have their own reasons why.
If you enjoy playing video games, which platform do you enjoy playing them on, and why?
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on February 25, 2011 at 9:12 am
It is far to the day PC Gaming dying. Playing games on PC still has many advantages compared to games on XBox or mobile devices. Especially we always have better resolution and graphic quality on PC.
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on February 25, 2011 at 10:13 am
I agree. The one drawback to a PC is the price. The true PC gamers are willing to shell out $2000-$5000 for a PC. I usually go in the $2000-$3000 range for a gaming machine.
It will be interesting to see the next version of consoles, and what they have to offer in terms of graphics capabilities.
on February 26, 2011 at 7:41 am
I don’t know but with PS3, Xbox360 it looks like it…
Also Microsft & Nvidia have left the PC Gaming Alliance which is a nonprofit corporation whose mission is to promote PC gaming worldwide… As far as I have followed no reasons were given why those 2 companies left PC Gaming Alliance…
Source: http://news.bigdownload.com/tag/pc-gaming-alliance
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on February 28, 2011 at 5:14 pm
I thought it was dying, because there were so many good console games that are not available on the PCs, especially in 2010
Somehow in 2011, I see plenty of good upcoming games and some of them will even look better in the PCs. Go PC Gaming!
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on March 1, 2011 at 8:20 am
With the gaming consoles being several years old, game developers look towards the PC for cutting-edge technology. The trend may change again once the new consoles arrive on the market.
on March 3, 2011 at 1:10 pm
It will probably die out eventually, because the publishers have to satisfy the masses- people unable to comprehend ‘installing a game’.
And a PC will also run you less than a console if you take into account the TV/ monitor.
For about $600 you can build a decent PC ($100 for mobo, $100 cpu, $100 ram, $100 case w PSU, $100 hard drive, $100 video card), and can easily replace the video card in 2 years with a new one for $100. Versus keeping up with consoles $300-$600 every 5 yrs, using outdated hardware, and have a device that only do one thing.
They just need to release an OS for PCs that auto-installs games, and give 60% of a games profits to the hardware manufactures
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on March 3, 2011 at 1:32 pm
I just started to use Steam recently, and I like how it automatically “installs” the game for you, so you don’t have to worry about the installation portion.
Being a techie, I always like to manually install games because I like to choose the directory to install the game, and whether I want both the desktop and start menu shortcuts created (start menu only for me).
I used to create application installations for Windows Installer years ago, and had to ensure that all the install were silent – meaning no user interaction. I did this for many applications, so it is possible to do the same thing with games.
As for the cost, you can take the TV into account for the cost, but many people already have the TV before they purchase the console. Even if you include the cost of the TV, the cost will be getting lower as the price of TVs drop. Outside the cost, however, computer games definitely have the age in technology.
on May 27, 2011 at 9:26 pm
The argument that PC games don’t fully use the PC power due to console is wrong. I don’t believe the PS3 uses any DirectX at all. I know OSX for Mac doesn’t for example. The biggest limit of PC games are the PC themselves. Not everyone forks out thousand of dollars for a gaming PC and many people just own a laptop and in case they wanna play their games on that. It’s a matter of “compatibility”. The big pro about consoles is that any game developed for it will play as it should. With medium range WIndows machines one can’t never be sure. And no one wants to play only the old games.
Dying is a big word, but for sure the PC gaming lost big part of the market share. Also one has to consider that the big console boom happened with the Playstation. For the first time a console could do real 3d environments. The PS2 improved the graphics, PS3 and X360 made it realistic. I believe the next consoles will hurt the PC gaming badly. It’s already happening now. Many new IPs are not ported to PC; some PC exclusives are ported to consoles.
on May 27, 2011 at 10:22 pm
I wouldn’t necessarily say that PC games don’t fully use the PC power is wrong, in fact a quick search in the forums will prove it is accurate. Many development companies have stated that they don’t support the latest version of DirectX (version 11) in many of their games because they code for console systems also, which don’t support many of the features of the new version. Graphics cards for PC started coming out with DirectX 11 capabilities in 2009 – almost 2 years ago. Some PC gamers are upset by this because they want the best quality graphics in their games.
The XBox 360 and PS3, while they have good graphics, don’t look as realistic anymore when compared to a PC system – and not even close to a high-end system, which can play games higher than 1920×1080. Even a midrange PC with an ATI/nVidia graphics card produced in the last three years could be three years ahead of the consoles. New graphics cards for PCs are coming out every year, while the XBox and PS3 have technology that is about 6 years old.
I don’t think that the next generation consoles will hurt PC game badly, mainly because within a year the PCs will once again be ahead of the consoles. I believe that there are games that specifically play better on certain systems. In order for developers to push the limit of graphics, they can’t stay with console only, or they will end up writing games on 5-6 year old hardware (a lifetime in PC games).
on July 30, 2011 at 1:34 pm
I totally agree with Paul Salmon,the 360 and PS3 are becoming old technology,and besides Epic Games is developing the new UE4 and they stated that it will be to powerful for current generation systems (360&PS3).
Maybe it’s the reason Why so many are into Digital Distribution now and DRM.
But to me as a nostalgic gamer i find it hard to say goodbye to my Hard Copy games ( Physical Media)
on July 30, 2011 at 11:05 pm
I guess Epic Games has decided to produce games that will start to push the limits of technology, and won’t deviate from that plan. Many companies will start out with creating games that are DirectX 9 compatible for the consoles, and then release a DirectX 11 patch in the future for PCs.
on August 20, 2011 at 10:12 am
Salut,fals jocurile pc nu vor disparea niciodata,cred ca o sa mai dureze multi ani sau poate peste cateva decenii,o sa inceapa sa fie maimulte jocuri pt console,si apropo prostilor/prostule cel care ai scris blogul,exista doar cateva sisteme de operare pt jocuri,si acelea sint:
Jocuri Pc
Jocuri Windows
Jocuri Mac
Jocuri Windows 99
Jocuri Windows 2000
Jocuri Windows 95
Jocuri Vista Xp
Si Mai sint acele windowsuri noi,cum ar fi:Windows 7
Windows 8
Etc
Vai de capul vostru nimic nu aveti habar,Xbos,Wii360,Si Play Station Inclusiv 3 sint cosole nu sisteme de operare,sinteti cei mai varza,si analfabeti
on December 28, 2011 at 4:48 pm
i think consoles are best,
its simply cheaper to buy a console, looks really good on tv
there are far more players on a console game…
pc looks good but its to expensive….
who really wants to upgrade their pc’s every 6 months?
on January 9, 2012 at 7:51 am
My point is, with the rapid advances in computer mobility, and the more technologically envolved life, people are looking towards laptop computers and tablets these days rather than desktop PC’s, because they are able to carry them everywhere and can be quite nifty machines. A laptop computer all they are needing, why would they then purchase a gaming desktop when they can spend a few hundred dollars on a console that still provides an enjoyable gaming experience (especially these days) as opposed to spending several hundred to a few thousand or more for a gaming PC. That said, space is also a factor to consider; console being able to move around at will, and plugged into a tv or monitor. On top of that, when purchasing a game, you are fully aware that the game is compatable with your machine and will run with seldom errors, as opposed to buying games for PC only to discover that it doesn’t not run on your machine, or you must go through several to hundreds of file downloads to patch the game (when you have purchased a product, you expect it to run first time with no problem, but if to your misfortune you buy a game a few months after its release date, you have to search for files on websites not associated with the authoring company and installing them, when sometimes you may encounter difficulties getting these things to work, like why the hell would you want to do that? The pretentious PC gamers always provide arguements such as “dumbass’s don’t even know…so on” or “its not big deal” and things in common with these responses). Taking into consideration that other people may provide games for you and if they persue a PC game may have difficulty finding out your system specs, as opposed to gaming consoles. Console-no mucking around searching for servers, ignorant admins banning for their desired reasons and non of this shit where by people somehow gain authority through sites such as CyberGamer. Furthermore, as expressed earlier, people are moving away from a stationary PC’s and into the more desirable mobile computer technology, thus creating the need for a cheaper alternative and also reducing the number of gadgets one owns.
Although PC gaming is not “dying” so to speak, console gaming is rapidly evolving and the future may hold a similar identity for consoles as with PC; only opinions but these could include optional models-possibly different versions of the same console, such as more powerful video cards in one, or the more benefical-progressional optimising and enhancing:basically upgrading and replacing components when newer versions become available.
As for the future of gaming, who knows what it may hold. Maybe we will see PC gaming dominate all other platforms, or vice versa. Possibly we may see the integration of PC and console online gaming into one service and allow them to all compete together. OR, the most unlikely but who knows? Apple with all its excess revenue may enter the business and market their own gaming experience and/or buy out the rest and possibly come out on the top.
on January 9, 2012 at 9:01 am
You have made some valid points Thomas. While there are gaming laptops available, they are fairly expensive – at least compared to a desktop. As for spending thousands of dollars on a gaming desktop, that is an old argument that doesn’t hold much water anymore. A few hundred dollar desktop can easily play a game that was ported over from a console system, mainly because the desktops are more powerful and advanced than the current crop of consoles. In a few years, when new consoles emerge, that may change.
To tell you the truth, most desktops with a decent, dedicated graphics card can play most games on the market. As for patches, console games also receive patches much like desktops do, so the patch argument is a moot point. Desktop games have one massive advantage over their console counterpart – mods. Games such as the Elder Scrolls series have proven how powerful mods can be as people still play such games as Morrowind which is 10 years – just because of the mods that have been released to enhance the game.
Most games that have been created for both the console and PC look much better on PC. It is not a small difference either. Many of those games that have been created for both platforms don’t event take full advantage of the capability of the PC (DirectX 9 instead of DirectX 11).
While I am not against console gaming, and do enjoy it myself, I’d just rather spend several hundred dollars on something that was built within this decade and can also do more than just play games.