In alt.games.video.xbox alvinstraight38.DeleteThis@hotmail.com <alvinstraight38.DeleteThis@hotmail.com> wrote:
> In the beginning, consoles and PC games enjoyed a peaceful
> co-existence.
Peaceful? Where have you been? There have been flamewars between PC and
Console gamers almost since the begining of usenet.
> Consoles were for kiddies, and PC games were for mature
> adults who enjoyed digging through thick manuals, playing with graphic
> settings, and indulging in massive gaming worlds.
Not sure I'd agree with the 'massive gaming worlds' thing. Some console
games had larger worlds than the PC games.
> Then Sony and Microsoft had to come muck it up by stealing all of the
> PC gamer's advantages. First Sony proved that console games can
> offer huge RPG depth with the Final Fantasy Series and countless other
> RPGS. The argument that consoles games were short in length was put
> to rest. Sony RPG's often clocked past the 100 hour mark.
Huh?
PCs still have the advantage in RTS and MMORPGs. They arguably still have
the advantage for FPS's with the mouse. And PCs still have the advantage
in terms of online play with free online play for many games, free mods
and free tools (which no console game has done yet) Strategic games still
play better on PCs.
Consoles are still better at "arcade style" and casual action games. I've
also never seen a light-gun game for the PC.
And even though you can clock 100+ hours on a Final Fantasy, that still
doesn't compare to some of the classic PC games, such as Civilization in
which you can clock endless hours and never have the same game experience
twice.
No, for the most part, PC games are still much larger and longer than most
console games - and are much more flexible.
> Microsoft came on board demolishing PC games hold on the online market.
> Xbox live offered a richer and more relaxing online experience. PC
> game developers start closing shop quickly unable to produce million
> dollar budget games with a decreasing profit margin. By the time the
> death bell tolled, the PC's hottest genre RTS had cooled despite
> being the hottest thing on the market in the mid to late 90's. The
> PC world only advantage over consoles now remains the mod community.
While the growth in console gaming has definitely had an impact on PC
gaming, I do not think you can attribute to this all to the Xbox. In the
world market, the Xbox came in a distant 3rd with regards to hardware and
software sales for the previous generation.
The "weakening" of the PC market is the result of stagnation which started
back in the mid90s as far as I'm concerned, when just about every game was
either a FPS, a RTS, MMORPG, a "deer hunter" or SIMs add-on. Yes, there's
the ocassional breakout, such as Diablo2 or Civ4 as well as outstanding
titles like Starcraft, but for the most part, the diversity in games that
the PC world used to enjoy had greatly diminished, and some genres have
basically fallen off the radar entirely. For instance, when's the last
time you saw a really good space-fighter sim for the PC?
> Now that the console world has bested the PC in just about every
> aspect, all is great in the gaming world. Right? Wrong. Instead of
> having tons of PC game and console releases every month, consumers are
> now dealing with a trickle. How about less than 10 A+ titles across
> all platforms this year as an example? And thanks to Sony and
> Microsoft's greed, gamers are facing a "pay big to play big"
> future. The price tag for PS3 is outragerous. $600 is gonna push past
> a lot of middle class parent's Christmas budget. Not to mention that
> games will be $60-70 a pop. And alas, the joy of PC gaming offering
> hundreds of hours of play for cheap prices, and unlimited life with
> mods has been stolen.
Uh, all consoles get off to a slow start with regards to titles. Take a
look at the PS2 at release. Very few releases - and none of them
outstanding - until the release of GT2 almost a year later.
The stuff about the consoles and games being more expensive this time
around is true but the 360's higher prices didn't stop it from selling
everywhere until around March of this year, and I expect the PS3 will do
the same - even with its $600 pricepoint.
Even at $300, I wouldn't consider these "childrens' toys" - remember, the
average age of a gamer has gone from 10-16 to someone in his late 20s.
Someone like that will certainly be able to afford the higher prices and
will keep the market going until the prices come down for the rest of us.
And just what are you talking about with regards to your last sentence?
Very few console games offer ANY sort of downloadable content whatsoever,
and NONE of it was user created since console games have yet to have any
TOOLS released for them. Meanwhile, games for both the PC and the 360 are
consistantly being priced *LOWER* on the PC while featuring better
graphics and more online content.
> The most compelling argument to favor consoles over PC games is gone
> now. The cost. You can no longer argue that a console is a cheap
> computer. You can build a decent new computer for less than the price
> of a PS3. These bloated high dollar consoles will most like go the
> path of the NEO GEO leaving PC games to rule again.
While the price difference between a decent gaming PC and a new console
has certainly narrowed this generation, there's no way you're going to be
able to build a PC for $600 that can match the graphical resolution and
power of either the PS3 or Xbox360. Even if you consider what Sony
spends to build each PS3, which is closer to $1000, you're going to be hard
pressed - especially when you consider that even a low-end gamer quality
video card is going to cost you $300-400 just by itself.
Most folks here used to be single platform gamers - be it PC, Sega,
Nintendo, etc. But as the previous 2 generations have shown, this doesn't
make any sense. There are good titles scattered acrosss all platforms,
and it certainly isn't inconcievable to be a multi-platform gamer. The
PS3 faces some serious challenges with its expensive technology, just like
the 360's challenge is to diversify its library to attract more gamers to
it. Only time will tell how the players in the industry rise to these -
and other - challenges...
> Keep the dream alive.
Yeah, you're dreaming alright...
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