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Future of PC gaming?

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2011 11:34 pm
by akem321
Hi,
Mobile, new devices, dematerialization and cloud computing...
What do you think about the future of PC gaming, bright or dark?

Re: Future of PC gaming?

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 1:24 am
by Kojack
"The future's so bright, I've got to wear shades"
:)

PC Gaming isn't going anywhere.

Re: Future of PC gaming?

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 9:23 am
by Zonder
I will always pick a console version of a game before a PC version. So with me it's a yes pc gaming is dying.

Re: Future of PC gaming?

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 10:53 am
by Kojack
I like paying less for games which can run faster and at higher res. :)

Re: Future of PC gaming?

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 12:44 pm
by Zonder
Kojack wrote:I like paying less for games which can run faster and at higher res. :)
if it was a different forum I would say that if you bought crappy pc hardware the money you would save easily off sets the price increase on the games. But been a 3D forum you would already have the hardware :)

I actually have a 1080P 37" 3D TV for my consoles (not made use of the 3D part yet) PC I only have a 20" monitor @ 1280x1024 so it's a better experiance on the console :) (and having 2 kids under 18month I can't convince my wife I need a new monitor)

Re: Future of PC gaming?

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 2:48 pm
by akem321
I think PC gaming is going to have a hard time,
and i'm a bit disappointed when i see big licenses like GOW not comming up on PC(specially when their "ancestors" came from PC...),
i see future like new mixed platforms(PC included) gaming as a service into the cloud with nothing to be installed or configured on the client side,
you just type in the address of the game or you would install a tiny 'app' from an 'app store' that would in fact just drop
an icon on your screen to directly get online to play the game with your account. Game data would be streamed,
It is already the case for smaller games, and with the current and next technologies WebGL/NaCL/... it would be even easier.
Of course everything would be dematerialized you couldn't go in a real store buy the "physical" version of the game, you'd have to
pay on play basis, maybe you could buy codes in real stores, prepaid game time, i don't know...
or maybe i'm wrong and the hardcore PC gamers will keep it up.

Re: Future of PC gaming?

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 4:01 pm
by akem321
This is kinda funny (:

[youtube]AGbo50Ar420[/youtube]

EDIT: I'm neither pro PC or pro Console - i like both, lots of console and arcade games.

Re: Future of PC gaming?

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 7:16 pm
by Kojack
I actually have a 1080P 37" 3D TV for my consoles (not made use of the 3D part yet) PC I only have a 20" monitor @ 1280x1024 so it's a better experiance on the console
TV's work fine for pc gaming too, I've got a 58" 3d plasma and a 360 controller hooked to my pc.
Although I prefer games like Batman Arkham Asylum at 5320x1050 res taking up around 120 degrees of my vision. :) Triple monitor eyefinity is fun.

I'm a flight sim fan, and simulators such as X-Plane, DCS-Black Shark and DCS-A10 aren't available for consoles.
(X-Plane 10 is due in a few months, looks awesome. The last version came on 6 dvds. The new one has real street data for the entire world taken from Open Street Map)

Re: Future of PC gaming?

Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2011 8:22 pm
by Jabberwocky
PC gaming seems to be doing quite well. But I suppose it depends on your perspective.

For people who want to play triple-A console games on PC, it's a mixed bag. On the downside, you get some bad PC ports, some annoying DRM, and sometimes games are released late or not at all on PC. On the upside, as mentioned, PCs are way more powerful than the current console generation, and you can often buy games for very cheap on Steam or the other digital distribution channels.

PC gaming also remains very strong in the subscription/microtransaction MMO space. And also seems to be doing quite well for casual / social gaming.

I think about PC a lot, since I'll be releasing my game on PC in the nearish future. So I'm currently viewing things from an indie perspective. For indie developers, the PC space has never looked better. The rise of digital distribution has created a new channel that circumvents many of the problems with traditional publishing, namely oppressive contracts, poor royalties, and difficulty even getting signed at all. In the old days, if you couldn't get signed by a publisher, you were pretty much out of luck. Now days, signing with a publisher is unnecessary and perhaps even inadvisable if you can fund your own development.

Of course, if my game flops, I may end up with a different view on things. ;)

Another huge change that has thrown open the indie scene is the availability of cheap game engines. In the old days, working with an established game engine was way out of reach, costing many hundreds of thousands of dollars. Unity played a big part in changing all that, and as soon as the other big engine makers (unreal, source, crytek) started seeing everyone migrate to Unity, it forced their hand to offer competitive deals to indies too.

Piracy remains a concern for all PC developers, both triple-A and indie. But how much that affects the final sales is a hotly debated topic. Most times it is discussed, it gets pretty flamey.

Here's an interesting gamasutra article from the guys who made Amnesia, the Dark Descent.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent Sells 200K, Developer Lauds PC As A Growing Platform

Re: Future of PC gaming?

Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 4:20 pm
by akem321
Interesting reading, from an indie view i agree with most of this, still a bit concerned with the app store distribution model and the cloud more generaly,
need to be approved(just like a publisher), pay to appear on the store, that sort of things.

Re: Future of PC gaming?

Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 9:43 pm
by eugen
Zonder wrote:
Kojack wrote:I like paying less for games which can run faster and at higher res. :)
if it was a different forum I would say that if you bought crappy pc hardware the money you would save easily off sets the price increase on the games. But been a 3D forum you would already have the hardware :)

I actually have a 1080P 37" 3D TV for my consoles (not made use of the 3D part yet) PC I only have a 20" monitor @ 1280x1024 so it's a better experiance on the console :) (and having 2 kids under 18month I can't convince my wife I need a new monitor)
You probably dont need a new monitor just a HDMI cable to put it into your TV set :) I've yet to see a better version of any game running on a console instead of a PC with wireless Keyboard and Mouse and HDMI resolution on a TV set (setup from the PC which you already have). But yes, if that was the issue between PC and Consoles then PC gaming will probably go somewhere but as we all know there are other more important problems forcing PC games into oblivion than this.

Re: Future of PC gaming?

Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 8:15 am
by mkultra333
Are PC games really dying? I did a quick google and their sales seem to be as healthy as ever.

http://au.pc.gamespy.com/articles/115/1152817p1.html
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/29 ... 10-report/

Re: Future of PC gaming?

Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 11:35 am
by Klaim
Last articke I read about the subject, PC games were becoming more and more popular, from some industry statistics reports.

Re: Future of PC gaming?

Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 11:22 pm
by lonewolff
PC has the fastest hardware by far and always will. Software dev's are using that hardware to maximum potential. This means that the PC will always be at the forefront for harfcore gamers.

Which holds your attention longer? Angry birds on the iPhone or SC2 on the PC?

Re: Future of PC gaming?

Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 7:28 am
by Denavo
Klaim wrote:Last articke I read about the subject, PC games were becoming more and more popular, from some industry statistics reports.
I think it is primary developing on the expense of the growing number of pc users, especially in lower developed countries. They just can't afford to buy the newest gadgets... I think that gaming will survive, but it will change its face, how? that's the question...

Re: Future of PC gaming?

Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 7:37 am
by EricB
PC games will always be around as a niche market, no doubt about it.

Who fills niches? Indie devs.

As for general consumer;
If you go into a gamestop and see 1 4foot rolling-rack with PC games on it in the entire store, that pretty much shows you what's happening.

Add in the fact the market is flooded with cheap-budget computers and laptops/netbooks and cellphones. Most computers these days can barely run ogre on minimal settings.

Re: Future of PC gaming?

Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 7:48 am
by lonewolff
Yeah, my two year old rig struggles with ogre at a paltry 8000 fps on a basic scene. :lol: