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Band of Brothers: Microsoft, Intel, NVIDIA, AMD

Mark Rein of Epic Games recently told the story of the shift in gaming from the PC to consoles.

“When Call of Duty 4 came out, I heard some of our guys sitting around talking about the great game they'd had last night and I'm like, 'Hey guys, what server are you playing on? I'd love to come and join you,' and they said, 'Just send us a friends request,'” he said.

“It was at that point I realized they were all playing it on console. Plus, the sales of the console versions are something like ten times the sales of the PC versions,” Rein continued. “I'm a real fan of the PC, but yes, consoles are definitely stealing a lot of hardcore gamers from the PC.”

The controlled nature of consoles, along with the multiplayer capabilities of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, are enticing former PC gaming faithful with their relatively hassle-free experience. The open, uncontrolled nature of the PC, is both the platform’s strength and weakness.

According to Dean Takahashi’s blog on Mercury News, the major powers in PC technology will soon announce a fellowship amongst them called the PC Gaming Alliance. The reveal is said to take place at next week’s Games Developers Conference, and will include Intel, Microsoft, NVIDIA, AMD and several other computer companies.

The aim of the PC Gaming Alliance is to keep the PC as a viable and attractive platform for developers, and to remain competitive with the console industry.

This comes shortly after NPD revealed its data showing that PC game accounted for only 14 percent of retail game sales in 2007. NPD, however, did not track digital download or online subscription sales for 2007, a now considerable factor in the PC market. NPD announced recently that it intends to begin collecting information on game subscriptions for online games such as MMOs.

Blizzard with its online model seems to be flourishing even with the rise in console sales. “We believe that the PC gaming industry is strong when you look at everything together,” said Mike Morhaime, president of Blizzard Entertainment, last week at the DICE Summit. World of Warcraft currently has more than 10 million subscribers pouring money into PC gaming, but the monthly revenue generated isn’t counted as part of retail sales.

The Games Developer Conference 2008 runs from February 18 to 22 in San Francisco.

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Times are tough
By amanojaku on 2/13/2008 4:52:33 PM , Rating: 5
quote:
Band of Brothers: Microsoft, Intel, NVIDIA, AMD


When these guys are teaming up you know things are bad. But let's be honest: I love my PC (PC's, really,) but it's a pain to deal with compared to a console. Let's look at the benefits of a console:

1) Seamless connectivity to a big screen
2) Less patches than a PC, at least for now...
3) Your friends can join in with a $30-$40 controller
4) No need to install anything (well, the Wii does update its firmware for some games)
5) Game saves are portable, so you can go to a friend's house and start where you left off
6) Waaaaaaaaaaaaay cheaper than a high-performance PC

What are the benefits of the PC?

1) You can use any vendor's product, as long as it's got the muscle
2) Backwards compatibility is generally stronger than on a console
3) Online play is pretty much a given
4) Upgrading the hardware usually provides a richer graphics and audio experience
5) Patches and expansions provide better more features, content, and stability.
6) Picture quality is usually better, even on a smaller screen

It's pretty much a tie. I have a cheap gaming box for about $800 (dual-core Athlon in a Shuttle) that doesn't play anything recent (read Crysis.) I have two consoles (PS2 and a Wii) that cost less than $300 each that play games released for them today. I'd say the tie breaker is either price or your dedication to gaming.




RE: Times are tough
By anotherdude on 2/13/2008 5:09:06 PM , Rating: 5
What about us poor souls who can't get used to the console controller for shooters? Any way yet to use mouse and keyboard on xbox360?

If you add back pirated PC games I wonder what the stats would look like? Not that that helps the industry at all.


RE: Times are tough
By wrekd on 2/13/2008 7:31:23 PM , Rating: 2
I am playing Metroid Prime 3 and am not familiar with that problem.

It is actually quite nice to be able to point with the Wiimote.


RE: Times are tough
By EglsFly on 2/13/2008 8:34:38 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
Any way yet to use mouse and keyboard on xbox360?
Not on a 360 that I am aware of, however you can connect a mouse and keyboard up to a PS3.


RE: Times are tough
By sweetsauce on 2/13/2008 9:19:50 PM , Rating: 4
Its completely up to the developers on the ps3. I plugged in a k/m for cod4 on the ps3 and it didn't work, though it could've been me being stupid since it was new years time and i was very drunk.


RE: Times are tough
By treehugger87 on 2/13/2008 10:10:14 PM , Rating: 3
k/m work on COD4, and i have personally used them for Unreal Tournament and it was like the first time i heard the beattles.


RE: Times are tough
By BruceLeet on 2/14/2008 8:17:35 AM , Rating: 2
Yeah I cannot use a controller to save my life (literally, I keep dying - even on RECRUIT in Campaign) in COD4. Microsoft needs to make some sleek attractive peripherals for the 360 for us Controller-retarded gamers so we can enjoy 360 FPS' aswell.

Same as my nephew, he's 16 but he cannot play PC FPS'like COD4 or BHD on my SLI rig, he gets owned on the PC. He doesn't like PC gaming for one simple reason...he believes everyone who kills him is a cheater/hacker lol.


RE: Times are tough
By PrezWeezy on 2/14/2008 2:50:02 PM , Rating: 2
Actually nVidia, Intel, and AMD could care less if the game is pirated or not. You still have to buy their hardware to play it on. So it in a way it still does help the industry.

I also tend to believe that PC games are played longer. I know with my console I tend to play it, beat it, and be done. However with PC games I play them for 2 years sometimes.

I'm with you on the controller for shooting games. Although racing with a controller is much easier, so there are trade-offs.


RE: Times are tough
By roadrun777 on 2/16/2008 5:01:51 PM , Rating: 2
I have avoided console games for that very reason. I can not play games with my thumbs. I am sorry, I tried and tried and tried. I just couldn't do it.
I learned to play games using a keyboard and then a mouse, then a keyboard + mouse at the same time. It was an evolution of games from the 80's up till now.
I still can't play flight simulations, and space sims, that force the player to use those big honking sticks or "joy sticks" (haha) with over sized elongated controller sticks and huge ill placed buttons that force you to take your hand off the stick to hit it.
I still don't understand why this isn't a problem for most people. I guess if you grew up with a certain kind of controller you got used to using your thumbs to steer. I use my wrists and hands for fine motion control, not my thumbs.
I haven't got to try the Wii controller for a FPS yet, but I may get to this year.

Btw, does anyone ever remember those "Play Station on a PCI card" devices? You could just drop in a PCI card to your computer and play all your favorite play station games.
Why can't they do this for the PC? If they are so scared of pirating, they could just develop an add on board PCI-E and use the pc's blu-ray rom to play legally owned discs.
This opens up a whole world of modding to an otherwise creative and artistically void console world that is so closed and locked down.
I still play PC games from several years ago for the very reason that I can download expansions and modifications that turn the game "engine" into a new experience. You don't get that on a console.
Console games are like sex, they are good for an hour or two then the experience gets a bit repetitive and you feel like sleeping after wards.


RE: Times are tough
By roadrun777 on 2/16/2008 5:09:12 PM , Rating: 2
You know, the more I think about it, the more I wonder why they don't do it?
If they can sell a console game for 300$ then why can't they make an add on card with all the necessary hardware and ports for less? It should be cheaper to make and would only require minor software development, since most of the software developer kits for these platforms are on the PC anyway.


RE: Times are tough
By Digimonkey on 2/13/2008 5:10:16 PM , Rating: 5
It really doesn't seem all that bad. On top of not counting online sales, they also groups PC's by themselves and consoles together. I believe this even included handhelds. So what, like 5-6 systems vs PCs? 14 percent would be a decent number.

It also makes sense that these companies are joining each other since they have a big stake in the business.

Intel/AMD sell alot of processors to gamers. Nvidia and AMD, again, for 3D video cards which are consumed heavily by gamers, Lastly Microsoft, one of the biggest arguments between the Mac and Windows OS is more games are developed for Windows. So of course Microsoft will also want to defend PC gaming.


RE: Times are tough
By JoshuaBuss on 2/13/08, Rating: 0
RE: Times are tough
By PrinceGaz on 2/13/2008 10:09:56 PM , Rating: 2
If every PC game was released through STEAM, I doubt there'd be much of a market left at all. Having a physical disc which I know will work forever (barring some accident) is preferable to relying on a remote server all the time.

If the only choice for PC gaming was downloading via STEAM, or downloading and burning a copy to disc from an unofficial third-party source along with the patches needed, I know which I would choose. I wouldn't be alone either.


RE: Times are tough
By The Sword 88 on 2/14/2008 1:32:43 AM , Rating: 1
I will always buy a physical disc over steam


RE: Times are tough
By RedStar on 2/14/2008 2:41:13 AM , Rating: 2
me 2 --i prefer to buy a disk ..price for me is usually same anyways. But i do love steam ...

WoW takes up most of my time now..even though i still buy all the latest great games (esp love COD 4). I still have to get to some of the ones i bought last xmas.

PC gaming forever!! :)

AND the xbox people (MS) said that they would never support mouse/keyboard because it would then be too much like a PC.

Sony, on the other hand, has said thier console IS a PC.


RE: Times are tough
By djtodd on 2/14/2008 8:41:48 AM , Rating: 1
QFT, give me physical media any day, kthx :)


RE: Times are tough
By ElFenix on 2/14/2008 11:02:52 AM , Rating: 3
i prefer steam now, assuming valve remains in business i like the fact that it keeps the game up to date, that i don't have to have a CD in the drive or a 'patch' to play without CD (copy protection blows) and the devs get a bigger cut than they do buying a CD in store.

assuming i can use steam offline (i've never tried), and backup my games to DVD, then there isn't even really the issue of valve going out of business.


RE: Times are tough
By V2K on 2/13/2008 5:27:50 PM , Rating: 5
I don't care how console users try and spin it, the gamepad will never be better than mouse and keyboard for FPS and strategy games.


RE: Times are tough
By mmntech on 2/13/2008 5:58:13 PM , Rating: 2
You pretty much summed up the argument perfectly. I love PC gaming but the issues you mentioned became painfully obvious. I love PC gaming too but it's almost impossible to keep up with unless you have deep pockets. Consoles offer a measure of stability. There's also no intrusive DRM (ie Starforce, SecuROM), no Windows SNAFUs, larger variety of games and genres. Games tend to be less buggy on consoles as well. I think this is really the first time in video game history, at least in my opinion, where consoles are a viable alternative for PC gamers. The problem though is they're pretty much static between generations with the exception of storage upgrades.


RE: Times are tough
By Hakuryu on 2/13/2008 6:13:35 PM , Rating: 3
I would add alot more things to the PC benefits :

1. The ability to mod and make new maps. Some console games allow this but it's very limited compared to PC modding.
2. The ability to use any server browsing software you want. You can use the built in game browser, Gamespy, All Seeing Eye, etc.
3. Hardware modding like water cooling, lights, case mods. Some of this is avaiable to consoles, but again it's very limited.
4. You can generally play with many more people than any console game - 64 player games of ET for example will never happen on a console.
5. You can play games and surf the internet at the same time with dual screens. I have a widescreen for games and normal aspect ratio screen for the internet.
6. Games dont always cost $50-$60 for the PC, even new games. I bought Crysis for $34.99 the day it was released... never find that with a console game.

Imo consoles are just mini-PC's. The ideal solution for the technically challenged (you know, those ppl that put down PC's because of patches, OS, or hardware), but a definate downgrade for someone with tech expertise.