Comments on: PC Gaming’s Bright Future

By: YS

YS — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:18:08 +0000

Maybe the US$800 system will not be able to play a new game at maximum graphics a year or two later, but nowadays game graphics are good enough such that it’s ok to lower the detail a bit, and still get a lot of satisfaction and fun from the game.

What I’m not liking about some console games in-general is this feeling of “restrictiveness”. Two of the recent games that slightly disappointed me were Prototype and HAWX. Prototype had some areas with cheap-looking graphics that brought down the overall look and feel, along with simple mini-games that don’t quite fulfill the “sandbox” experience. HAWX was really overly-simplified, and was put together with very little dramatic tension, if you ask me. Yet both were well-reviewed in their respective console versions.

Now I’m not saying all console games suck, or simplified games are bad. I played GTA3 a long time ago, and had plenty of fun with it, despite not completing the game (I was exhausted by the time I got to the second island). The Call of Duty series is a simplified, almost “on-rails” FPS, but I still love them, because of the gameplay and the writing. And despite Knights of the Old Republic being another example of the “smallness” feeling a console port brings, it still was plenty enjoyable, if rather short.

By: Game Retail Store » GameSetLinks: Turning Japanese, I Really Think So

Game Retail Store » GameSetLinks: Turning Japanese, I Really Think So — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 07:52:15 +0000

[...] Loyd Case on Technology – The Future Of PC Gaming 'I like to think of PC gaming as a beam of light passing through a diffraction grating.' Fair enough! Good piece. [...]

By: dreamhunk

dreamhunk — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:49:25 +0000

I found a funny video on youtube about pc gaming dying lol, I find it funny pc gaming is 60 billion dallor Industry and every chances console gamers get they keep saying it’s dying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsTwgUo9Blw&feature=related

when pc gaming clearly has the must games made for every year.

http://kotaku.com/5037023/more-developers-working-on-pc-xbox-360-titles

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10291692-1.html

http://adrianwerner.wordpress.com/games-of-2009/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7960498.stm

http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/why-the-future-looks-bright-for-pc-gaming-589422

By: Kev

Kev — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 15:44:41 +0000

Well my major concern why the store of PC games are reducing due because a lot of games are downloadable. Steam, NCSoft launcher and etc.

Also there are tons of game pirating so it is unstoppable. Mouse and Cat.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:45:28 +0000

Lloyd, I would first like to state I was very bummed when they canceled your podcast.
First if anyone from the gaming industry is reading this. STOP MAKING THE SPECS EXCEED my PC’s in less then a year.
I know you have done $800.00 gaming rigs Lloyd. However were able to play the latest FPS on it a year later. I bet not. It’s a simple fact of economics. I can’t afford to shell $800.00 every year, that’s why I own consoles too. You get a longer gaming life out of consoles. And we are old men in a kids world here. And Game companies do not see us as their demographic. And parents will go for a console that gives them 5 to 6 years of gaming life over two maybe three. So any game companies reading this, keep the games interesting and you do not need to use the latest physics engine that runs on only top end hardware.

By: 3d training

3d training — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:49:11 +0000

Your article is very nice to read. I love to play PC games Generally. I think we can get a nice game quality and features in PC games.

By: Raspop

Raspop — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:43:51 +0000

Defense Grid has eaten far too may hours of my life – anxiously awaiting a sequel.
Good article and ET hasn’t been the same without you, Mr Case.
Thanks for keep on keeping on, or is that keeping on keeping onning?
Either way, keep it up.

By: Matt Jancaitis

Matt Jancaitis — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 06:31:55 +0000

The updates and patches might be annoying, but you never have to worry about whether your PC has the horsepower required to play the game. If you buy a console game, it’s guaranteed to run on that console. That’s about as easy, stable, and consistent as you can get. Crashes on a console are a fractional portion of crashes on a PC.

I miss the days when publishers would put out a completed game that was as bug-free as they could make it rather than putting out something good enough because they knew they could patch it later… but at least they do fix things.

And RRoDs were fixed (permanently) at least a year ago. Still everybody’s favorite talking point, though.

By: Loyd Case

Loyd Case — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:06:28 +0000

Yeah, but given RRODs, game crashes, patches and updates to existing games, ease of use and stability for consoles has taken a big step backwards. Still not as much a pain as a PC can be, but no longer a matter of just sticking a disk in and playing, either.

By: Matt Jancaitis

Matt Jancaitis — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:16:52 +0000

With due respect to Cliff above, and with the same hope that you don’t mind us linking back to another site, we did a counterpoint to show some inaccuracies and fallacies in the “PC as a better value” argument here:

http://gaming.icrontic.com/articles/sorry-pcs-consoles-are-the-better-deal/

Yes, PCs are great gaming experiences, and yes, they’re cheaper and certainly more varied lately, but consoles aren’t exactly leaving the MMO, digital download, or social gaming aspects behind, either. Several MMOs are being planned on consoles – The Agency, All Points Bulletin, CrimeCraft, Marvel Universe Online, etc. Only time will tell if they’ll be successful there and tear people away from their PCs as well. Both the PS3 and 360 are active proponents of the digital download system as well, with XBLA and PSN titles spanning from low-budget indie games made by folks with XNA to Warhawk on the PS3. Microsoft has recently said they’ll be enabling entire-game downloads from the network. As far as social gaming goes, Microsoft already has a well-acclaimed social game in operation (though it may still be invite-only beta) – 1 vs 100. Things are moving there, whether it’s for good or bad – it’s just inexorable.

As long as consoles continue to move up in power, catching up to PCs, the line gets thinner, and more people want to sit on their couch than want to sit in front of their desks, I’d wager. It may not be how you or I or Cliff wants to see it happen – I love PC gaming, fear not – but the console is a powerful force, and the market is receptive to shifting to accommodate it.