I’m not sure why this had to turn into a full-blown PC vs Console gaming debate when it should have just strictly stayed on the focus of MMO’s, but I’ll play along just for fun…
”We also have the Crysis series as a PC only game 
”
And how many PC’s were actually able to run Crysis when it first came out? The answer: not too damn many without a MAJOR upgrade across the board.
My local EB Games’s whole back area is dedicated to PC games (roughly the same amount of space as for Wii games)
Every game shop has a secret cache of PC games. You gotta stash them somewhere. And it’s usually in the back area of the store.
“I can also use my PC for a number of other things that I can’t do on a console.”
PC’s are indeed wonderful for surfing porn while you file your tax returns. Something you can’t do on consoles…yet.
“If all games went to console, isn’t that just going to pigeon hole all the developers into only building games for one set of hardware?”
Yup. I’m sure developers love supporting a gazillion different possible motherboard/cpu/video card configurations and the gazillion drivers that run them. Who in their right mind would want to change that?
“FPS’s will and always have been easier with a mouse and keyboard (please don’t deny this, even console gamers tend to agree with this one).”
True! Yet millions of Halo and Call of Duty players are successfully fragging friends from behind a controller every night without much complaint.
“It’s been said a number of times that it’s not currently possible to calculate the amount of money PC gaming is making right now because not all of the companies release their sales numbers. Sales from Steam and other online retail purchases don’t get counted, and they also don’t take into account subscription fees.”
Don’t you find that the least bit curious? These companies are always able to give us the latest data on how much their games get pirated, but they can’t give us sales figures? Are sales statistics from Steam and Direct2Drive so hard to track? You hear Blizzard bragging about their numbers quite a bit and for the most part they are making a good chunk of their cash on subscription fees. Why aren’t THEY clamming up like the rest of the industry?
“The only good thing about gaming on a console is when you buy a game for that specific console you know it will work.”
Well… not the ‘only good thing’, but it sure adds to the appeal. Can’t really say that for PC games can you? And even IF your system meets or exceeds the ‘minimum system requirements,’ there’s still a chance a game might not work properly. That blows.
So now that I’ve got your virtual panties in an even bigger bunch than before, I’ll say this…
I agree that PC Gaming is not going to die anytime soon. It’s just stagnant, dull, and uninspired. Kinda like a cranky, 400-pound computer nerd behind a mouse and a keyboard whose skin hasn’t been touched by natural light for years.
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I wish I could say I weighed 400 pounds….
:p
“And how many PC’s were actually able to run Crysis when it first came out? The answer: not too damn many without a MAJOR upgrade across the board.”
Yeah and the developers have nothing to do with that … It’s not PC’s that are the problems, it’s the developers that are creating games that can’t run on the current hardware. EverQuest 2 and other games have been written like that and it’s been admitted by the devs as being a mistake.
“Every game shop has a secret cache of PC games. You gotta stash them somewhere. And it’s usually in the back area of the store.”
Been said already … Online sales are where PC gaming is going. Consoles have no other choice, so they’re getting more real estate on store shelves. Doesn’t take Mr. Wizard to work this one out.
“PC’s are indeed wonderful for surfing porn while you file your tax returns. Something you can’t do on consoles…yet.”
You apparently don’t use a PC for much more than porn and gaming. I use it for much more than that and it’s going to take a console a long as time to be able to make up for that. Then if it does, is it really still going to be a console? Or is it going to be a PC made by Sony or Microsoft?
“Yup. I’m sure developers love supporting a gazillion different possible motherboard/cpu/video card configurations and the gazillion drivers that run them. Who in their right mind would want to change that?”
Yup and I’m sure developers would love not being able to develop new tech and push things forward because they’re limited by what the current generations of consoles have. How would you like it if they only released new cars, new homes, new TV’s, etc once every 5-6 years. PC technology moves fast. Developers use that to move forward too. If it wasn’t for PC gaming moving forward and paving the way we’d all still be playing on Atari 2600′s.
“True! Yet millions of Halo and Call of Duty players are successfully fragging friends from behind a controller every night without much complaint.”
Yup, and millions of players also don’t play on console and continue playing on PC because the controls are superior. Controls are one of the main reasons I don’t do console gaming. I can’t imagine me being the only person that feel this way.
“Don’t you find that the least bit curious? These companies are always able to give us the latest data on how much their games get pirated, but they can’t give us sales figures? Are sales statistics from Steam and Direct2Drive so hard to track? You hear Blizzard bragging about their numbers quite a bit and for the most part they are making a good chunk of their cash on subscription fees. Why aren’t THEY clamming up like the rest of the industry?”
No … Some company’s just don’t want to release their numbers. SOE being a prime example of this. No, it’s not hard to release sales numbers, but some companies just don’t want to release those numbers for their own reason. One being it’s none of our business to know the income of said companies. Some obviously don’t follow these rules. CCP is very open about their sales numbers and subscriptions. They seem to be the only ones that aren’t all shady about it though. Blizzard will sometimes talk about how many people have playing their game. I’m sure this is done because they’re the big boys on the block. If they had a normal subscriber base like the rest of the MMO’s, they’d keep their mouths shut like everyone else. Blizzard is notorious for not talking to the community. The active sub numbers is an exception because they like to brag. Their active sub numbers are also extremely inaccurate due to way the accounts in Asia work. You’ve probably heard about how the Chinese purchase game cards with x amount of money on it. They’re billed by the amount of time they play. If these cards have 1 cent left on them they’re considered active subs even though no one can or does play on them anymore. So they’re talking, but they’re fudging the numbers to do it.
In some cases the numbers are out there, it’s just the people that are doing the polls and figuring the numbers aren’t taking everything into consideration. D2D and Steam would probably release their numbers, but whoever is doing the figures don’t ask. A lot of times they don’t take into consideration huge retailers like Walmart. What kind of sense does that make?
“Well… not the ‘only good thing’, but it sure adds to the appeal. Can’t really say that for PC games can you? And even IF your system meets or exceeds the ‘minimum system requirements,’ there’s still a chance a game might not work properly. That blows.
So now that I’ve got your virtual panties in an even bigger bunch than before, I’ll say this…”
What other good thing is there? Controls suck compared to PC, online communities are a fraction of PC games, settings and mods are limited compared that of a PC. You can’t upgrade your console. Previous generate games don’t work on new tech (with a couple exceptions). What other benefit is there?
lol, you don’t have my panties in a knot. Sorry boss, but it’s going to take more than the rantings of a drunk podcaster to get my panties in a knot. After all I’m not the one that went on a podcast tirade calling people out, twisting their meanings, and trying to make them sound like whiny bitches. I’m more shocked that you went down this road and are acting like Julien and I are just 400 pound sweaty nerds raging on because you hurt our feelings. You’re just completely twisting things around and seeing them the way you want instead of the way they really are. You’re sounding more like a shock jock trying to drum up ratings and be edgy. lol, Since you started doing the blog-o-steria thing you seem to have taken on this persona of trying to be edgy and stirring things up. Even if it means creating controversy out of something that doesn’t exist. Sorry bud, I hate to say it, but your drunken bad boy imagine is starting to wear thin … Need more Noah talking about neck beard grooming techniques.
“I agree that PC Gaming is not going to die anytime soon. It’s just stagnant, dull, and uninspired. Kinda like a cranky, 400-pound computer nerd behind a mouse and a keyboard whose skin hasn’t been touched by natural light for years.”
I don’t think it’s PC Gaming, it’s all gaming that have grown stagnant. MMO’s being the worst of the worst. Like you said before, It’s all just the same old shit with a different ski. This had to happen eventually given the current limitations in technology. It’s going to take something huge to come out before things change. I mean we all bitch about doing the same old “Kill 10 rats quests.” But what else can developers do to provide repeatable content for thousands, or millions of players? Anything that changes the world sends the masses into fits of forum rage. Making quests unique would take far too much developers time. Randomizing quests has been tried in Anarchy Online and SWG’s mission terminals, but even after awhile those get repetitive and boring.
The masses will sit and scream for changes and something different, but when it comes out they all bitch about how different it is… Look what happened when Ago of Conan came out and had different chat commands. Everyone flipped out until they changed them to match what WoW had. Tabula Rasa came out with some very cool features, but no one wanted to play it because it was different and now it’s dead. Players are as much of a problem as the developers are. Maybe more some in some cases …
“lol, you don’t have my panties in a knot. Sorry boss, but it’s going to take more than the rantings of a drunk podcaster to get my panties in a knot.”
Oh really? Then explain that wall-of-text reply rant from the seventh level of hell. From the look of things I didn’t just get your panties in a knot, I also tied them around your neck and hung you with them.
Nope, you’re definitely not off your rocker there.
Methinks you’re starting to take this waaaaaay too seriously, but hey…what do I know? I’m just a “drunk podcaster trying to drum up ratings.” <—I really lol’d when I saw that one.
Ratings for whom? Last time I checked, I wasn’t making money off of this…wait a minute!
MARK!!! You’ve been holding out on me again! Where’s my money beeeoch?! I know where you live.
“PC’s are indeed wonderful for surfing porn while you file your tax returns. Something you can’t do on consoles…yet.”
Indeed. I mean, the consoles connect to the net, can be updated…why is there no browser (and this is only partially right, because the PS3 does HAVE web browsing)
Xbox will NEVER have browsing though. I mean, how will they sell Windows PC’s with their next craptacular OS!
BTW, I can STREAM porn to my 360 via media center..
Hmmm
@openedge
Sounds like it’s time to start working on getting my 360 hooked up to WMC.
Strictly for listening to music though…*cough*
lol, I honestly could care less, I’m just having fun debating a pointless issue on the internet. After all I’m not the one that busted a gasket on a podcast and had to make a special post on the blog about it. You however seem to want to just turn it into an internet argument. And we all know how well that works out for everyone.
http://humor.commongate.com/post/arguing_on_the_internet_is_like_running_in_the_special_olympics_even_if_you_win_you_re_still_retarded/photos/38441
I had a wall of text because that’s what you put up there and I wanted to address each point individually. When debating points with someone I like to address each point, even if it’s to concede on it. I didn’t want to skip anything and be accused of trying to avoid your points, which you know is something that would have happened. Maybe not by you, but someone would have jumped me about it. And just for the record I haven’t graduated college even once with a 4.0 gpa, and you might be smarter than me. I just like debating..
No you’re not getting paid for the podcast, but you certainly do get the all might ego stroke and an inflated sense of importance. That’s the paycheck your gunning for.
So anyways, take it for what it’s worth … If I can debate anything with you without being accused of 400 pound nerd raging, then I’m done. Cheers
If you don’t care then why are you still here flapping your gums insulting me in your comments? You’re the one who wanted to debate the topic in the first place.
http://www.channelmassive.com/blog/?p=299#comment-1468
I took you up on that request with a little humor and you turned into an internet rage nerd that even Shawn Elliot would be proud of and you…just…keep…on…going…
And yes…I AM egging you on. This is classic stuff.
Please keep it coming. My ego needs a boost.
Man…the things you miss when you go outside…
I’ll just say this: Both of you need to lighten up and agree to disagree because you will not be able to sway each other either way and all your arguements will fall on deaf ears. Kumbaya, anyone?
No Kumbaya here Julien. I hate that song and I hate folk music.
How about Raining Blood by Slayer instead?
Once again, you have an angry PC gamer who seeks to defend his position most vigorously! Look, are PC games going away? Heck no. But most developers are starting to realize this. A Console has it’s limitations, but you have a heck of a larger player base, and a lot less technical support head aches over all. And if you ask me, That’s pure win win. Both those points are pretty well established.
Yes, Consoles might not have the greatest graphics compared to modern PC’s. Modern PC’s with over $800 dollars in new technology slotted into it that is. Of course, Consoles also have limits on inputs, typically. But developers provide sufficently decent control schemes. And the addition of USB keyboards is becoming more common and widely accepted.
But even if a Console doesn’t have the latest graphics or a keyboard, the reality is, it’s still a great system to develop games on. You don’t need the best graphics system for your game. Yes, your game might look slightly better if it has 30-bajillion pixel over only 15-bajillion pixels. But the heart of a game should be it’s story and game play. Not how pretty it is. And that’s something a PC or a console can make better. It just happens or it doesn’t.
Over all, I love PC gaming, but I think the Console world is a much better middle ground for Gamers and Developers. It’s like agreeing to some kind of ‘industry standard’. It’s not going to give us the best, it’s not going to give us the fastest. But it’ll give us a nice happy medium that well, most of us can and should be able to accept.
And with that, I’m done with this topic. On to the next show.