PC Gaming is not dead

[shaithis]

Yet fewer console players end up giving much higher revenue than a far more numerous amount of PC players...

What are you basing the number of PC gamers on?

[kalniel]

What are you basing the number of PC gamers on?

The PCGA figures and extrapolation from JPResearch figures.

Annual shipment volumes for the PC Gaming hardware market in 2009 were over two times larger than the combined Wii™, PlayStation® 2, PlayStation® 3 and Xbox 360® console units shipped in the same period. This trend for the PC Gaming hardware market to outpace all console shipments combined is expected to continue through the forecasted period of the research. In addition, revenues from consumer PCs capable of gaming that shipped with a discrete GPU (excludes Netbooks and integrated graphics-based PCs) totaled approximately $54.6 billion in 2009 and are forecasted to grow to $61.3 billion by 2014. These revenue figures are based on an estimated 61.5 million PCs (Desktop and Laptops) shipped in 2009 that can largely be associated with PC gaming as a key usage scenario.

[dangel]

Yes but the same report also talks about how year on year the market for actual game sales is growing substantially (not shrinking) and predicted to carry on rising through 2014. It's quite relevant when the thrust of the thread is "pc gaming is not dead" because it supports that very statement irrespective of claims of piracy and/or massive potential for all those office PCs out there to run games too

"The report concludes that the PC game business will continue to grow at a pace of 9% CAGR to
$23 billion by 2014"

Additionally, I've seen quite a few industry figures recently talking about the PC again as a worthwhile platform - there is good money to be made there and the industry is not blind to it..

[shaithis]

Those figures are so grey it's untrue. IMO there is absolutely no way at all you can even put a ball-park figure on the amount of PCs used to game on.....

Now, lets look at the most successful PC game of all time: World of Warcraft. When I played it, around 1/3 of the people I played with were running it on integrated graphics....they didn't even have a "gaming class" PC.....it topped out at 11.5 million people .

Now consider the amount of people playing it on a non-gaming PC. Consider it is the most successful PC game ever....11.5m....now consider piracy of WoW was virtually nil.

Now look at how many copies GoW3 has sold ALREADY....and there are 55m 360s out there....and it's been on torrent sites since a week before release.

Your PC gamer numbers do not compute with me.

[dangel]

Since when were "market research" stats particularly accurate anyway? Steam sales on the other hand or WOW subs..

[kalniel]

Yes but the same report also talks about how year on year the market for actual game sales is growing substantially (not shrinking) and predicted to carry on rising through 2014. It's quite relevant when the thrust of the thread is "pc gaming is not dead" because it supports that very statement irrespective of claims of piracy and/or massive potential for all those office PCs out there to run games too

"The report concludes that the PC game business will continue to grow at a pace of 9% CAGR to
$23 billion by 2014"

Additionally, I've seen quite a few industry figures recently talking about the PC again as a worthwhile platform - there is good money to be made there and the industry is not blind to it..

Absolutely agree - just look at the increase in numbers of free to play MMOs.

Those figures are so grey it's untrue. IMO there is absolutely no way at all you can even put a ball-park figure on the amount of PCs used to game on.....

Now, lets look at the most successful PC game of all time: World of Warcraft.

Successful in terms of revenue only.

When I played it, around 1/3 of the people I played with were running it on integrated graphics....they didn't even have a "gaming class" PC.....it topped out at 11.5 million people .

Now consider the amount of people playing it on a non-gaming PC. Consider it is the most successful PC game ever....11.5m....now consider piracy of WoW was virtually nil.

You're confusing revenue with numbers of players or PC gaming machines.

Now look at how many copies GoW3 has sold ALREADY....and there are 55m 360s out there....and it's been on torrent sites since a week before release.

Your PC gamer numbers do not compute with me.

I don't see where the discrepancy is. There's no proof that WoW is played by anything like the majority of PC gamers - it's an internet required subscription based game for starters, ruling out a lot of people.

[j.o.s.h.1408]

You can't pirate games on an X360 out of the box, while most people already have a PC - they don't buy them just for gaming.

I don't believe that's true, however specifics of pirating would be against Hexus rules.

Yet fewer console players end up giving much higher revenue than a far more numerous amount of PC players...

Well wont dive into the ins and outs but go look it up yourself on how simple it is. This is why i fail to agree with you suggesting pc games get pirated much larger then consoles. i think the gap between the two is similar.



Im pretty sure there are more consoles then "gaming pc's"

End of the day, PC gaming is far from dead. have faith and support the PC PLATFORM!

[dangel]

...and don't forget to comment in next year's pc gaming is dead/alive/zombiefied thread

[wasabi]

My 2 cents. I've only got back into PC gaming in the last few months (i need some reason to justify building my new PC....) Mainly inspired by Deus Ex HR. However also quite enjoying Rage and am looking forward to Bulletstorm after that. The new Thief looks promising too assuming it is a medievalised DEHR. For me the biggest thing that put me off PC gaming for almost 5 years was the absolute lack of anything AAA except ultra-realistic 'war' shooters / anti-terrorist stuff which bored me senseless.

DX11 could win some people back. The extra effects switching it on in DE made a night and day difference visually.

[kaelthun]

First game platform: NES.
Followed by SNES
Followed by PC with a side of PSX and N64

Haven't really touched a console seriously since. PC has always had the best Dungeons and Dragons titles, the deepest stories, most fun 'after the game', best expansions / sequels and hardcore gaming scene. Of course, this is all IMHO.

I've played everything from the original Mario Kart to Baldur's Gate and have been part of various gaming communities over the years. Played Diablo 2 for 6 years straight. Can't say I've ever met a bunch of people so diverse and intrinsically interesting as PC gamers. Can't say the same for the maybe 40+ hours I've spent on Playstation Online and Xbox Live before going back to PC.

[kalniel]

Now the PC are also too much faster so you can take the copy of PC version and start to play it.

What do you mean by take a copy of the PC version?

[kaelthun]

As long as they keep putting out MMOs for PC that have PC-oriented guilds I will play them. It's when the big MMO developers start making their games for consoles that I'll start worrying.

[Firdelore]

PC Gaming is not dead, and will never be dead. Graphics cards continue to be released every month or so which give better performance - you buy a graphics card right now in the £200 price range and to be honest, it won't last you that long with the speed the game developers seem to be going at nowadays. Most games being produced are taking full advantage of the graphical capabilities on the consoles, while there aren't that many which can utilize what can be done on PCs - maybe with the exception of Metro 2033 xD That game is a beast :X

[kalniel]

PC Gaming is not dead, and will never be dead. Graphics cards continue to be released every month or so which give better performance

When was the last card released that gave an increase in performance? The 6990 came out half a year ago.

[melon]

I think PC games are dying a slow death - the controls on games like DA2 and now Sky rim show that consoles are even starting to effect , not only the audience of games, but the mechanics of how those games play too - with complete disregard for pc owners.

Console games are so much easier for the masses and cater to the singularity of mindset that is increasingly becoming responsible for the mass marketing of mindless games...

m:

[melon]

PC Gaming is not dead, and will never be dead. Graphics cards continue to be released every month or so which give better performance - you buy a graphics card right now in the £200 price range and to be honest, it won't last you that long with the speed the game developers seem to be going at nowadays. Most games being produced are taking full advantage of the graphical capabilities on the consoles, while there aren't that many which can utilize what can be done on PCs - maybe with the exception of Metro 2033 xD That game is a beast :X

Better performance of what ?

Graphics cards if anything are good part of the reason why gaming has turned too crap imo, itb puts to much emphasis on everything but the gameplay and rarely enhances it.

Old time gamers knew this long ago.. because while graphic standards change all the time gameplay does not which is why 99% of games today are so boring.

m