Hey Cantwin,

By AC2, I am going to assume that you mean Assassins Creed 2.  Here is the skinny.  What MOST people do not know is that the majority of XBox 360 games are developed on a  PC.  Here...

www.xbox.com/.../developingforxbox360.htm

Look at the required development platform specs document.  So in essence, these games are really ported to the 360, not the other way around.  This is the big reason why developers scream about how the PS3 sucks as a development platform.  It DOESN"T use a PC and doesn't have tools that anybody is familiar with.  Essentially, it is like learning an entirely new piece of technology and software command structure.

Why does it take longer for the PC?  Two reasons.  The first is that PCs have to cater to an extremely broad performance and hardware envelope.  They want their game to run on Pentium 4s all the way up to Quad Cores.  They want their games to run on Radeon 9800 Pros all the way up to Radeon 5870s.  They want their games to run in WinXP, Visa, and Win7.  All of this has to be considered, optimized, and tested.

The second reason is sometimes it isn't worth the effort.  Development costs have skyrocketed over the past decade, so if a game doesn't do well on the console, why develop that same dud on the PC?  Since the console version can come out cheaper and quicker, let that be a litmus test.  The majority of games that come out multi-platform are usually games that are established IPs.  NEW IPs are risky.

In terms of PC exclusives, I am actually very glad that exclusivity has lessened.  It means that I can pick and chose which platform I want to play a particular game.  For example.  I like platformers, 3rd person games, and racing sims on my console.  I like RTSs, FPSs, and MMOs on my PC.  I can then pick the least buggy version or the best looking version or the version with the DLC that I want the most.  Its beautiful.  :D

Profits are higher simply because there are more games on consoles in general, the majority of them pretty *** sucky.  Think about it.  How many class A titles REALLY come out?  How OFTEN do they come out?  The problem with consoles...I am telling you now...is that they are releasing unfinished games or purposefully leaving OUT content from games just so they can sell it to you later as DLC.  When you add up the cost of the content in the DLC vs. the cost of the entire game, you begin to see how it is an absolute rip off.  They are able to turn a $60.00 game into a $90 game with little to no effort.  This is going to be the new thing.  They are going to start nickle and diming you to death.

I think pc gaming is not dead. However MMOs are dying.

TO: ok yoLivi

Posted: 10-25-2009 7:11 PM

the only way pc gaming will die is gaming dying in general. theres always millions to be made on pc ports and valve/blizzard are making the most dough on pc.

i don't think consoles will replace the pc. i dont think that pc is being turned into a console just because consoles have mods now

I strongly disagree, the FPS king is still the PC.  The controls for PC's and controls for consoles have not changed, why would it not be the king anymore.  Just because they release more shooters on console now, doesn't mean it's better.  It's merely for people that don't have a suitable computer.  Two people of equal skill, the PC player would certainly win more often.  PC gaming just looks dead because people buy most of their games online now, so when you go to the store and look at that sad little pc shelf in the corner, you get the impression nobody cares about them.  

They generally still make games for all platforms, although I do think console has hurt the PC market.  PC gamers are hardcore though and stick to the better platform for them.

I wouldn't say it was dying. I think it's more specializing. Mostly, of course, in MMOs and RPGs, in which genres the PC is the unquestionable king (for now). PC gaming is fading away somewhat, it's true. But it's not going to die, especially with WoW to push it along. And as for modding, it's still around. Try Unreal III, which just held a contest for modding.

The reason I don't game on PC is actually quite simple. I can't afford a PC. In order for me to get all of the things that people talk about, I would have to spend about $1000 on a system that can still hold it's mud a couple years from now. Toss in the fact that I would also feel the need to buy a new keyboard and mouse (I like top of the line everything) and I have a rich mans toy. Now, that is just one reason, but the BIGGEST reason I don't PC game is actually because I am not as fond of MMO's. They don't quite appeal to me. However, I have an undying love toward's RTS, and it will kill me to not be able to play SCII. But I just cannot do it.

You're kidding right? If you think SC2 is going to kill modding you better start scolding valve for sharing their engine with their community too. The software and source for SC2 will be more open than Warcraft 3 was (ever heard of DotA?). The gaming community for SC2 will be able to create their own maps and game variants and if they're good enough, sell them for a profit on Blizzard's marketplace.

Paulinatr,

Sorry bro.  I mean no offense, but you are grossly misinformed.

No PC is going to be obsolete in a couple (ie - 2) of years because hardware development outpaces software so badly right now, any top of the line PC you buy today will last a minimum of 5 years and probably on the same graphics card.  Up until a month ago, I was running a 7 year old Pentium 4 - 3.2 Ghz with 2 gig of RAM.  The only thing I have upgraded on that rig since 2002 was the video card.  That's it.  I went from an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro to a Radeon X-850 to a Radeon 3850.  The ONLY reason why I upgraded from the X850 was because of the industry's move from Shader Model 2.0 to Shader Model 3.0.  The total cost for those upgrades equaled about $75 because I took the old cards and sold them on EBay to cover the new cards.

Note...this was a machine that was in its prime about 3 years BEFORE the XBox 360 was released and 4 years before the PS3.  That Pentium 4 was perfectly running EVERYTHING out today at a resolution of 1280x1024 and could have maintained current for at least another year, probably more.  The only reason why I upgraded was because it was the perfect time do to so.  (Down economy = lots of deals.  New i5/i7 800 series processors released and dropped the prices of the 900 series.  I was also using an AGP card so I had doubts that they were going to release a new one since the industry has gone to PCI-e.)

I took all the old parts and sold them on EBay and in the process got back over 25% of my original $800 investment for use on my new machine.  So for $600 (I got around $200 back), over 7 years...dude, that PC cost me $85 a year.

I then built a new Quad Core i7-920 w/ 6gig of RAM on an Asus P6T motherboard Deluxe, 2x Radeon 3870s in Crossfire mode, Western Digital 1 Tb HD, 750w Corsair power supply, and an Antec 900 case.  Every component rips your typical Best Buy "top of the line" to pieces in quality and/or performance.  Cost from the ground up?  A tad over $1000.  

CPU = 200.00
Memory = 90.00
Motherboard = 249.00
Power Supply = 120.00
Hard Drive = 90.00
Video Card x2 = 180.00
Case = 90.00

Total 1,019.00

Subtract the $200 I got back from my old computer and I am right back at $800.  oh...and I purchased everything on NewEgg.com with Free Shipping.  It runs Crysis and Crysis: Warhead in Ultra Detail Mode at a resolution of 1680 x1050 and does it at 58 FPS.

PC is never going to die. PCs can run games that both the PS3 and 360 cannot run, and PCs can always be upgraded with just a few parts every few years. With a PC, you don't have to buy a console every 6-10 years.

I'd say PC gaming, while it's certainly shrinking from the growing number of console users, is in good shape. PC allows a lot of modding and indie game creation. When I make my amateur games, it's on the PC, not Xbox (although that would be very cool). N+ is the ultimate success story of a basement PC Flash game that made it big. I think that the PC is a great place for those kinds of games.

Its not the PC gamer world thats dying persay I think its the console that is going to die eventually.

Beat down i can't tell from your post if you are siding for or against pc gaming.

Paulinatr, if you spend $1000 on a computer it would hold it's mudd for more than a couple of years.  It helps if you know how to build one so you can re-use the less critical parts from other systems, but it's really an old myth that components need to be upgraded every couple of years.  If it plays todays games, it will continue to play future games for the next 5-10 years.  Graphics are adjustable, so in the case they release crysis 4, it will always look at least as good as the console.  I spent 600 on mine and won't need upgrade for many years to come, and that upgrade will be cheaper than the next generation console.  You can play Starcraft dude, it's not that bad.  I am strictly speaking hardware and if you don't have a copy of an OS....well yeah that'll probably put a 200 dent in your wallet.  At least PC games are generally cheaper.

Nevermind beatdown, I see your valid point.