Consoles Are Dead, Long Live the PC?

[wraggster]

Wild Tangent's CEO, Alex St. John, made some 'brazen' claims at the ION keynote — one of the boldest being that console gaming is dead and the PC is looking towards a renaissance. It should be noted that St. John has blabbered about this before, so he's just retreading previous ground:

Beginning one of several brazen claims in his keynote, St. John spoke of the death of video game consoles: “Nobody needs a console when a game's value and DRM is defined by community or an input device. Consoles just serve to keep you from playing a game you didn't pay for.”

He asked, “What's Sony and Microsoft's motivation to make another console? It's been so rocky, and it's not about the pretty graphics anymore.” According to St. John, spectacular graphics have become a commodity, and not the platform for games to differentiate themselves. “The Wii is the exception that proves the rule — it's not about the graphics, it's about the input device.

He went on to talk about advertising models and targeting the right audience — but his statements on the console vs. PC pack the most punch.

http://kotaku.com/5009568/consoles-are-dead-long-live-the-pc

[masterchief929]

consoles are not dead, nor will they ever be.

[JKKDARK]

The console sales are strong so I don't think consoels are dead

[vicious1988]

Wild Tangent, isn't that the 3D web plugin for games? That shit is junk.

[osgeld]

i said this about the ps2/dc/xbox gen

"this wont last, its the same old crap we have been playing for almost 8 years, just pretty"

the thing is gaming tends to be a young thing, last i checked theres still new kids being produced

and mommy and daddy still dont wanna get a pc that jr can fk up with his video games in under a day

so here we are, another gen of the same old crap with even prettier graphics (and a handfull of gems that come along with any generation of video games)

and yea wild tangent was garbage when it came out, and they have no intention of making it better untill they get ppl to use it (its HARD to program, slow as crap, and has 64 bit gfx)

[F9zDark]

That's a pretty bold statement. Consoles are vastly cheaper than comparable gaming PCs. Sure there is a vast majority of fun, graphics-lax games out there, most freely available, but when one wants to play the likes of Crysis or COD4, the bare minimum for a PC to play these games is about 800 dollars; to play them at peak performance requires in upwards of 1000s of dollars.

Consoles offer the same experience for a lot less coin and is thus the optimal choice for those on a budget or those who don't see the need for a gaming PC.

So no, I don't think consoles are going to die anytime soon.

[JKKDARK]

Consoles are vastly cheaper than comparable gaming PCs.
Well, except the PlayStation 3, I agree with your statement :)

[Triv1um]

Well, except the PlayStation 3, I agree with your statement :)

Try and build a gaming PC with £280.

[JKKDARK]

Try and build a gaming PC with £280.

I just checked eBay and I noticed it's possible to do that with £280.

[limming]

The PC sucks for videogames unless you have one of those controller things IMO. I think keyboards suck for playing games but the mouse is good.

[blazsly]

^are you seriously that stupid. You say a ps3 costs more than a good PC?

[vicious1988]

I've had my PC for about 10 years. Only things I've upgraded are RAM and GFX card. At today's prices for the parts in it, around $300-350. And it runs most current games at almost full quality. Unless the game is designed to run on that PhysX shit.

[Airdevil]

While everyone keeps saying "Oh the PC is the best platform to play games on". I completely disagree with that statement no matter what anyone says for these reasons:

1. Compatibility - Many people are moving into Macs, where gaming just doesnt work. Also there are so many factors with a PCs hardware that amature PC enthusiasts may find confusing/ have problems with.

2. Lack of variety in games - What is there in the market for PC atm?... erm RTS, or first person shooters. Im sorry, but ide rather have a choice.

3. Cost - In order to pay the latest games you need all the latest hardware which can cost hundreds of pounds, which many people are not willing to pay. Ide rather spend £300 on a PS3 and call it a day.

4. Input devices - People do not want to sit there with a keyboard and mouse, or sit back 2 metres away from their computer screens with a crappily built controller. Ill take a wireless controller as the standard thanks.

5. The mass market are not confident with upgrading their computers - There are still too many people about who think that getting a new graphics card is a hugely complicated process, when its really not. The fact places like PC world ask for £30 to install one just feeds this.


5 HUGELY important factors which consoles games just dont have. Seriously... how can this guy compare the Wii-mote to a mouse and keyboard?

[mcdougall57]

I hate news-posts like this its all I ever see on the front page now when some "expert" claims something if only to spark a brief amount of attention and then the following comments just end up in an argument or flame war.

"Wild Tangent CEO" Isn't wild tangent that cheap internet games site that expects you to install a client to install those crappy games along with a large amount of Trojans, Spyware and Adware?.

In full, who gives a crap about your opinion? you're just another self-proclaimed "expert" who wanted a slice of 15 minute fame.

[osgeld]

I hate news-posts like this its all I ever see on the front page now when some "expert" claims something if only to spark a brief amount of attention and then the following comments just end up in an argument or flame war.

"Wild Tangent CEO" Isn't wild tangent that cheap internet games site that expects you to install a client to install those crappy games along with a large amount of Trojans, Spyware and Adware?.

In full, who gives a crap about your opinion? you're just another self-proclaimed "expert" who wanted a slice of 15 minute fame.


heh amen

[jaws365]

I have PC and Mac for work-stuff

I have PSP and DS for lamer-stuff

[AuroraKnight]

Hahaaaa, oh man, these claims get more and more ridiculous everyday eh? honestly, most of the time I PREFER to play games on my PC, the only console I have to rival it is my DS which I actually do play more often than my PC but more over, that's retarded. There's no way consoles will be out done by the PC. The main thing PC's have going for it are MMO's and I think even that "COULD" be taken away from it. I prefer to play my FPS games on the PC but, there's just no way the PC could erase consoles, especially considering as soon as you upgrade your PC for one game, there's a new game with new parts required like a month later >_<

[Pilot_51]

2. Lack of variety in games - What is there in the market for PC atm?... erm RTS, or first person shooters. Im sorry, but ide rather have a choice.Those may be the strong genres since they work far better on PC than consoles, but PC still gets just about every genre imaginable, especially when you consider open source and the like.


3. Cost - In order to pay the latest games you need all the latest hardware which can cost hundreds of pounds, which many people are not willing to pay. Ide rather spend £300 on a PS3 and call it a day.Not necessarily. When I upgrade my PC I generally go for the 6-month/year-old stuff that had the huge price drop into budget range. My last upgrade was over a year ago and I can still play the latest games just fine. An upgrade as I did (motherboard, video card, and RAM) costs about $600 (300 GBP), which is about as much as the PS3 and better in terms of potential. I've noticed some prices have gone way down since then, especially RAM which was about $100 for 1GB and now it's about $30 for 2GB, so a major gaming upgrade now would probably turn out a couple hundred cheaper. I typically don't feel the need to upgrade again for a good 5 years, especially with the way many of the latest and most hyped games seem to be getting crappier.


4. Input devices - People do not want to sit there with a keyboard and mouse, or sit back 2 metres away from their computer screens with a crappily built controller. Ill take a wireless controller as the standard thanks.You know when someone is computer illiterate when they say that. PC's are far more flexible than any console. You can use console controllers with the PC or the huge variety of controller types available for PC or pretty much anything you want as a controller. I bought an adapter from eBay for about $6 that lets me use 2 PS1/PS2 controllers on my PC and it works perfectly. If you simply don't want to be close to the screen, and don't mind the keyboard/mouse, many keyboards and mice are wireless. Keyboard and mouse are just the standard and by no means should that be an excuse for staying away from PC gaming.


5. The mass market are not confident with upgrading their computers - There are still too many people about who think that getting a new graphics card is a hugely complicated process, when its really not. The fact places like PC world ask for £30 to install one just feeds this.I agree, that's why I build/upgrade my PC's myself and why I offer to do it for other people with no labor cost (or by donation).



5 HUGELY important factors which consoles games just dont have. Seriously... how can this guy compare the Wii-mote to a mouse and keyboard?FYI the Wiimote can be used on PC with Bluetooth, which has so far led to some very interesting homebrew creations (http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/projects/wii/).
He wasn't comparing the Wiimote to the keyboard/mouse, he was saying that the Wii is proof that the general public cares more about the gameplay (through good controls) than they do the graphics. He also said it was an exception to his main point because of that.

Me? I'm a huge PC gamer, so call me biased if you wish. I also have Wii, PS1, DS, and GBA and I've loved them all, so at least I know somewhat how console gaming shapes up. I was mostly into console/handheld gaming until I bought my first PC, then I almost completely stopped console gaming, but I've always been a big fan of Nintendo handhelds since the original Gameboy and my DS still goes with me almost everywhere.

[jamotto]

heh, Alex St. John is always very outspoken. If not for him and two other people Windows gaming wouldn't exist.

[digitalhijinx]

I'd almost say the opposite is true, well at least when I look at my own friends. The ease of use of consoles make them get games for them rather than the computer, no installation, no upgrading of the system. As for myself I am almost solely PC gamer right now, I just don't see a reason to get a console at the moment. And I like being able to do everything on one system (it helps I have a laptop).

So I think in the end its just a matter of preference, the PC will never go under in gaming, and neither will consoles. They're both equal outlets for gaming and the only thing that matters is the preference of the gamer.

[kojiro7]

I am a busy man,I used to have many consoles.Now I only have a pc,full of emulators and some next gen games,with a ps2topc joypad,connected to a 32'' TFT TV and 5.1 home cinema system,and I am mostly happy spending my free time.I also have a nintendo ds for external use.I am very happy with this combination,I will never buy a console again(only a new portable perharps):)

[kjetil1991]

i have one laptop whit only 1 gb on vista so most new games cant be played ;/ then i bought a 360 =)

[inlovewithi]

Unlike console, you can't just pop in a game and start playing it, you have to install it, then go through this whole process of mapping your controller, go through DRM crap hard ware crap and so on and so on. Most adults aren't rich, and have very little time to play games and just have too many things on their mind than to pop in a console game and play right away, much less go through the installation process of a pc game, and the constant configuration. PCs are superior, but for gaming it doesn't appeal to the mass market. Also lets say you have a big collection pc games, it eats up so many GB. Not worth it. You uninstall them to save memory, but if one day you have an itch to play a game again, you can't just pop it in and play.

[Capt_Trips]

The crazy man is right:

the value of any game is determined socially after it has been played. And more ads do not increase sales, they only make more people aware of the product.

Consider Bandit Kings of Ancient China for the NES. It costs a small fortune to buy used (is priceless new), is only worth 50 cents per playing session, and no one wants to play it (except me and my uncle every second year.)

Why is such an obscure game worth so much money when no one really wants it?

The issue here is collectorship: Remakes, reissues, updates and emulation detract from the value of collectables and memories.

I hate to sound like a communist, but I now understand why people steal: Its real use value is zero, in disregard of the gobs and wads of cash sunk into its development. Any personal value is derived after the fact of playing.

May it be time to stop playing games? Believe me when I say, If I have no time for games, my kids will be playing the ball on a string in a cup game:) and hide-and-go-seek-daddy's-bottle game.