Do you think consoles will take over PC'?

[lamere]

That was an argument with a couple of guys here at my work. They think PC gaming is on the wayside, becoming less popular. The PS3 will be keyboard/mouse compatible and hook to a HDTV. Being a Linux box in general, it'll only be a matter of time before apps start to roll out for it and there will start to be no need for a PC any longer when you can everything on your TV.
This of course is a few years down the line, but they think it's inevitible.
A $1200 console is far by a "better deal" than say a full blown SLI rig costing upwards of $3000.
And they can't imagine that Sony would come out with those sick cell processors JUST for gaming.
Me, I'm a Die hard PC guy and don't want to see PC gaming go away.

Discuss?

 

[Okasa]

I think that there will always be a need for the open-endedness of a pc comp build. i mean what about the addon pci cards that do things that the ps3 cant do? will it support multi-display? i mean sure it would look great on an hdtv but what about all the ppl who wont be able to afford an hdtv, an lcd is basically an hd monitor, i know i dont want to play bf2 or css on a non-hdtv...what about multiple drives? i love being able to use multiple drives at once. not to mention that generally speaking consoles come out slightly better than pcs at the moment and then pcs overtake them again. tho normally they cost more like 300, not 1200, making a 400% increase in price, no wonder its a lot better than pcs out right now, it will take longer for pcs to overtake it but it is inevitable. there simply are too many limitations to consoles at the moment.

just my .02

 

[bunnyfubbles]

A. you can get a killer gaming rig for $1200, SLI isn't even necessary.
B. PC games are going to be far more versitile than console games for years to come
C. If M$ has their way, the two platforms could very well be merged (where PC gamers can play with/against console gamers online). Such a thing would help keep PC gaming alive.


I think it is possible for consoles to get very close to PCs, but it would be a day and age where "consoles" are upgradeable and the games far more versatile (as they are on the PC with modding communities and what not).

PCs are also NOT going away; they're actually almost replacing TVs (where you play with your console) for things such as casual entertainment and even news. With more and more households containing more and more PCs, why shouldn't games continue to exist for PC? They might not be of the same breed as high end consoles, because the specialized hardware consoles will have will be too great for average PCs to keep up. But most of us should know graphics isn't everything. There should always be a company the likes of Blizzard who is willing to create games that are less than stellar visually, but still incredibly fun to play. And then there?s always the possibility that integrated graphics in your everyday ?average? PC are going to get better and better - allowing for better looking games on lower end PCs.

PCs are also NOT going away, they're actually almost replacing TVs (where you play with your console) for things such as casual entertainment and even news. With more and more households containing more and more PCs, why shouldn't games continue to exist for PC? They might not be of the same breed as high end consoles, because the specialized hardware consoles will have will be too great for average PCs to keep up. But most of us should know graphics isn't everything. There should always be a company the likes of Blizzard who is willing to create games that are less than stellar visually, but incredibly fun to play.

 

[jackschmittusa]

PCs will always be the better deal since they are easily upgradable. You can also do a lot more with a PC i.e. my wife has a VCR, a turntable, a receiver, a cassette deck, a web cam, a scanner, and a camera dock hooked up to her rig. She runs Photoshop, Corel Draw, prints on optical media, restores old photos, plays a few games, etc.

Know of any consoles that can do that?

Besides, consoles will likey be heavy adopters of DRM, meaning forget about fair use.

 

[bX510]

NEVER, u can never play a game like starcraft or wc3 on ps3 / xbox

 

[Drew1082]

I for one am nervous that pc gaming is recieving less and less attention from developers.

I don't program games, or anything for that matter, but I can guess it is much easier to design a game for a singel platform then to make one that needs to adapt to many possible hardware configurations.

Even a company like bioware is putting much effort into a new game that is 360 only. It's called Mass Effect and I suggest you look at the video cuz this game is going to pwn!

Also, what about games like Oblivion that crossed platforms. If you've ever played it you may have noticed certain things like the UI being clumbsy and way too big (hence the console), and the save game manager is crowded and unmanagable. These are fundamentals of computer games that big developers are slipping away from in order to cater to the console user.

/sigh

 

[SoundTheSurrender]

Console games ruin pc games, look at Oblivion

 

[1N0V471V]

Then at which point does the PS3 become a PC? If it has applications and games that can function at a relatively good pace, then I call it a PC.

And keep in mind even though the PS3 will PWN3D in a couple of years it will be in the same postition as the current Playstation 2... crap.

 

[Craig234]

There is danger in this - and it's already happening a lot as the budgets have mostly shifted to consoles.

There's still a PC market though.

Over the long run though, convergence seems likely, why buy a console and a PC if you can have the benefits of both later.

 

[0roo0roo]

ps2 had a unix kit. they discontinued it

ps3 hardware looks ok now. but in a year or two it'll be meh, and it will stay meh.

and well linux is free now and has been forever, droves of pc users aren't using it. at best it reminds me of those internet appliances. email only etc, for those who "don't want a pc". ack, of course they failed. and well, ps3 is not small change type stuff, so if you can afford it and its games/accessories/hdtv, you probably got a pc already no real justification.

 

[0roo0roo]

oh and it seems they are including linux capability so they can avoid higher eu tarrifs on toys or something

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Halo is the biggest BS in the shooter industry ever. The way you get so much assistance in aiming is just pathetic. If you gave the console player 0 handicap versus a PC gamer, the console gamer woudl be headshotted before he could even move his joystick.

Bottom line is PC gaming will be far more versatile. Tell me you can do more with your thumbs and your index fingers (4 fingers total) versus someone who has 1 finger on a keyboard, using all 5 fingers, multiple keys, and another one on the mouse which is say a laser Logitech G5 with multiple buttons? A CS:S match would be a slaughter for any console player.

PC gaming will always be an elitist thing. Gaming on consoles will always be a very recreational thing, and more attractive for little kids.

 

[myocardia]

They have been for the last 8 or 10 years. Your average teenager now doesn't game on their computer. They all have either an X-box or a PS2, and want an X-box 360 or a PS3. Unless there's a revolution in the computer industry, I don't see how it's possible that the consoles won't totally take over gaming. If you don't believe me, notice that when any new game comes out now, it comes out on Xbox and PS2 now. They used to all come out for the PC first, and some never come out on the PC.

 

[MonkeyFaces]

Although the xbox 360 offers excellent performance for its price, it will never be a quick remedy for people who can't afford a gaming pc. The 360 had glaringly huge drawbacks even when compared to the uber 6800ultra systems. The xbox360 shares its resources with different tasks eg. unified shaders and ram for graphics and system. While this allows for excellent resource allocation, there will be times when you need the raw task specific resources of the x1900xtx (48 shaders and 8 vertex shaders), while the 360 will be under powered when it needs 24vertex shaders and 16 pixel shaders. This is why the console will never be a "chill pill" for those who would rather not have a gaming pc. Consoles will always have limitations such as the 360 vs pc comparison.

 

[StevenNevets]

Most teenagers don't have any computer geek in them (besides me and some others, but i'm not to bad... yet)

You think kids are going to build there own sweet computers with just a few hundred bucks... think they even know of a newegg? they probobly think it's impossible to buy a monitor under $400

They will either buy a $4,000 Dell XPS/AlienWare (rip off) or buy something cheap... realise it sucks and just quit pc gaming
They won't build which is the way to go nowadays

The fact is for pc gaming you actualy have to worry about the PC while console systems are just there.. they ussualy work perfect or fail all together, plus there are no new Conroes and such every few months

Basicaly the average video game player (teenager) doesn't understand, won't spend a couple hours heer and there to keep up with PC techology so they just go with consoles

_____
__________

If Consoles > Computer
then dam good work, they deserve the money and I'll probobly buy one of those in a few years instead of a computer

 

[HannibalX]

Do you think consoles will take over PC'?

No.

Simply because there are plenty of people (like me) who haven't owned a console since Super Nintendo, don't want a console and won't buy one.

 

[Mem]

I think PC gaming will be around for a long time,also PC games are always cheaper then their console cousins,flexibility of the PC when it comes to game mods,patches etc and even free online PC gaming has me hooked.

I think Vista and DX10 might make the PC games industry grow again down the road,only time will tell if I'm right.

 

[Aluvus]

This is the argument that has been around for years and years. People always say consoles are killing off PC gaming, but it never seems to quite happen. It's reached a state not unlike the "Apple is going out of business" theories.

PCs are getting cheaper and dramatically more powerful. Consoles are getting more expensive (save perhaps the Nintendo Wii) and making slower progress in performance. The biggest advantage consoles have historically held is convenience - nothing to install, quick hardware setup, portability. And yet as PC video drivers become more stable and easier to work with, and SFF PCs become increasingly economical, consoles are flirting with using hard drives and keyboards (even as some PC gamers turn to smaller keyboard alternatives).

There will always be a struggle between the two sectors. But right now, as consoles give up their own advantages in favor of more "PC-like" abilities, they are in an uncommonly weak position to overtake.

Unless of course the market decides Blu-Ray is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and adopts the PS3 for its Blu-Ray functionality. But that is unlikely to say the least.

 

[HannibalX]

On top of that, game developers like Valve and iD who developed mainly for the PC are making WAY to much money to roll over and die. Publishers like Activision and Electronic Arts are also making WAY to much money to simply stop publishing games for the PC.

They will fight to keep the PC alive if need be, but I doubt there will be a need. PCs aren't going anywhere.

 

[lamere]

Originally posted by: Trinitron

Do you think consoles will take over PC'?

No.

Simply because there are plenty of people (like me) who haven't owned a console since Super Nintendo, don't want a console and won't buy one.

This is pretty much where I stand also. A console will pretty much take over any "ER"/"reality show" time your GF/Wife/whoever wants to watch, and to me me thats a hamper. I would prefer to go and game in the other room while the TV stays free for the others to use.

I don't think the die hard community will let the PC die especially when they are coming out with multicore processers on the PC. They said the same thing, that M$ would kill off linux or open source and it's still around only getting stronger

 

[SparkyJJO]

Q:
Do you think consoles will take over PC'?
A:
No.
Why or why not?
Because if the consoles are turning into PC's now basically, they will no longer be consoles but PCs so actually PCs are taking over consoles

 

[lamere]

I want to see ANY console run the game, then exit it, and the user start writing code/modding for the game they were just playing.
That won't happen anytime in the near future.

 

[savvy]

No, the other way around.

 

[savvy]

No, the other way around.

 

[Zinthar]

My only concern with the current state of PC gaming is that many games that in the past would have been on the PC first or very soon after (such as games like Mass Effect and Gears of War) and going as first or second party exclusives on the consoles. I have a good feeling that we'll see them on PC eventually (just like we're going to get Halo 2...and probably Halo 3, but not till '08 or so), but the fact that the mass market adopts consoles more than they play PC games is hurting quantity of software available for the PC.