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| Microsoft souring on PC games? http://www.wsgf.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=17651 |
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| Author: | Tanuki [ 16 Jul 2009, 01:57 ] |
| Post subject: | Microsoft souring on PC games? |
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6213426.html?tag=latestheadlines;title;2 The above link may be a microcosm for something that I have noticed and heard rumblings about. Is Microsoft losing their love for PC gaming? Fable 2 Gears of War 2 etc... Perhaps the PC gaming dollar is not as lucrative for an OS as it was? They are looking to change their deployment models? Just a bunch of coincidences? GFWL bombing? :roll: Feel free to discuss. |
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| Author: | Frag Maniac [ 16 Jul 2009, 02:08 ] |
| Post subject: | Microsoft souring on PC games? |
It's not surprising. MS for some time has been pretending to revitalize PC gaming with it's Games for Windows mission statement, which has really just become a way of advertising and linking to their 360. What I'm more concerned about than this is MS' move to total motion sensing via Project Natal for the 360. It's been obvious for some time that we have to expect they will carer first to their console market, but now they are doing so with dumbed down Wii-like games. Games which very well could end up being very dumbed down PC port versions for us. I made a thread about Natal some time ago and to my surprise, no one responded. Not to use your thread as a bully pulpit, but I really don't think a lot of PC gamers realize the potential repercussions that could result in PC gaming from widespread acceptance of the "anyone can play it" Natal philosophy. Gaming has always been a bit of a niche activity BECAUSE it offered challenges some weren't up to. If they make 360 games so that mom, pop, grandma, grandpa and little sister Sally can easily play them, we will no doubt get PC ports exhibiting that trend. http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16315 |
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| Author: | skeeder [ 16 Jul 2009, 18:30 ] |
| Post subject: | Microsoft souring on PC games? |
Windows gaming is dead. I stated this a few months ago. Consoles now rule the world. Remarkable games like Crysis will just stop being put into production. More and more companies have been losing their shirts to pc-gaming pirates. That and I have a hard time disagreeing from a business standpoint. HOWEVER--I think someone will start developing games with keyboard and mouse support for the Xbox 360. Really, if you did that (and did it properly) I'd be tempted to replace a gaming pc with a console. |
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| Author: | Soduka [ 16 Jul 2009, 19:19 ] |
| Post subject: | Microsoft souring on PC games? |
I just think there aren't any companies releasing GOOD games for pc anymore. Crysis and Far Cry 2 are both good at showcasing their engines, but suck at being actual games. |
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| Author: | Paradigm Shifter [ 16 Jul 2009, 21:37 ] |
| Post subject: | Microsoft souring on PC games? |
I just think there aren't any companies releasing GOOD games for pc anymore. Crysis and Far Cry 2 are both good at showcasing their engines, but suck at being actual games. There are good games out there, but they aren't released by the huge mega-publishers because they're not willing to take risks... the big mega-publishers want maximum money for minimum effort... that results in sloppy coding, tight deadlines and buggy, poor gameplay that due to wanting to milk as much money as possible out of the IP means it's simultaneously developed on as many platforms as possible - usually to the lowest common denominator's level, as well. Microsoft have been quietly shafting PC gamers for a while now - look at the abortive mess that is Games for Windows Live. It's worse than XBox Live was when it launched... and they don't appear to have any motivation to fix it, as their console doesn't live or die by it like the XBox (360) did (does) with XBL. Then look at the PC Gaming Alliance - half of their press releases are from ex-PC developers who now develop on consoles who spend all of their time whining about how badly their crappy rushed PC game ports have sold. Well, I'm sorry but it's common sense: a game they've spent most of it's development time saying how amazing it would be and how well it would use multicore processors and fast graphics cards and... well, generally high end rigs... will come out on the PC if Microsoft think it might make them a buck or two. Which it probably won't, if they spend time porting it properly, as everyone who wants it badly will have already bought it on the 360. So then Microsoft can hold it up as another example of why developing PC games isn't worth it. Throw in some developer interview complaining about piracy rates, too. I'm not surprised. Disappointed, but not surprised. Epic Games did the same thing: if Gears of War had been released on the PC at exactly the same time as on the 360, and without GfWL, I'm sure it would have sold better. Thing is, a lot of people bought it on the 360 because they want it and bought the line about it not coming out on the PC. Ever. They had no reason to believe that Epic were fibbing on that bit, did they? So the 360 version sold really well, and the PC version was pirated to hell and back because it was really late, it was buggy as hell, and it was laden with crap that people didn't want to be tied to - Games for Windows Live. ... I'll still expect to see console games sales higher than PC games sales even if they were released at the same time, and the PC version didn't have stupid hoops to jump through just to play... after all consoles are easier to use and a lot more idiot-proof than PCs. But I don't think that PC games would do as bad if the PC version was released at the same time as the console version, globally... it's pointless to stagger releases by territory now as that encourages piracy! Those who want something badly enough will get it however they can, and frequently if they've got the choice between waiting two weeks for a game, or pirating it right that minute... they'll go with the latter. |
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| Author: | Frag Maniac [ 16 Jul 2009, 22:02 ] |
| Post subject: | Microsoft souring on PC games? |
I don't buy the piracy excuse. Sure it happens, but it happens on console titles too and I would bet that a much larger percentage pirate on consoles to avoid buying the game, vs testing it before buying it. THAT is something those so called statistics don't show and the PC gaming piracy estimates are skewed because of it. EA has said that digital downloads are rapidly making the PC platform the largest gaming platform. The ones jumping ship and selling out to consoles are the ones that did not see this boon coming and prepare for it. They only have themselves to blame. It's like the days when the internet first got going and lots of companies did not get websites up to prepare for the mass amount of internet purchasing that would follow. There are a LOT of truths not being revealed on this topic, but when devs like Epic blame it on PC customers being pirates after virtually making their fortune off them, it's a bit ridiculous. For that matter, Epic AND MS are two of the PC Gaming Alliance members that really CAN afford to put digital downloads for PC games into overdrive, like Valve and EA have. Instead they cling to their cash cow consoles taking the easy way out. What's going to come of this when the hardware manufactures that make the parts for the consoles say this is an injustice to their PC part sales? I dare say that is one thing that's going to make it hard for those catering solely to consoles to gain too much of a market lead on PC gaming. http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/58497 |
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| Author: | Soduka [ 16 Jul 2009, 22:28 ] |
| Post subject: | Microsoft souring on PC games? |
The major problem we're experiencing on the hardware side of PC gaming is that developers are getting more and more sloppy with their optimization/coding. They simply rely on the brute force of high end hardware to make up their shortcomings. The deadlines are definitely on there to be blamed, publishers aren't willing to give them the time they need and have their microphone in hand ready to blame SOMEONE besides themselves. Pirates, distribution, "Gamers don't Get it", etc. Brute Force can only do so much, today's games are plenty capable of running on older hardware and capturing bigger audiences if they spend the time to MAKE IT WORK. That was Crysis' problem (or one of them). |
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| Author: | The_cranky_hermit [ 17 Jul 2009, 02:16 ] |
| Post subject: | Microsoft souring on PC games? |
I don't buy the piracy excuse. Sure it happens, but it happens on console titles too It's absolutely rampant on PCs and barely happens at all on consoles in comparison. The fact that piracy is ridiculously less common on consoles does nothing but validate the excuse. I would bet that a much larger percentage pirate on consoles to avoid buying the game, vs testing it before buying it. THAT is something those so called statistics don't show and the PC gaming piracy estimates are skewed because of it. The statistics don't show this because this isn't an honest statistic at all. It's a BS rationalization. Unless we're talking about a game that focuses on multiplayer, you're not going to find a statistically significant number of people who actually bought a game they already got for free. when devs like Epic blame it on PC customers being pirates after virtually making their fortune off them, it's a bit ridiculous. Why is that ridiculous? Lots of PC users pirate. It's a fact. Denying this fact is ridiculous. And releasing a singleplayer-oriented PC game is quite risky as a result of this fact. A better criticism of Epic would be their initial alienation of PC gamers by making Gears of War 360 oriented and giving PC gamers a delayed and half-assed port. The major problem we're experiencing on the hardware side of PC gaming is that developers are getting more and more sloppy with their optimization/coding. They simply rely on the brute force of high end hardware to make up their shortcomings. That doesn't strike me as completely true. I have a fairly modest system that can be easily built nowadays for under $600. I have yet to find a game that won't run on it. Granted, it doesn't max out Crysis, but it *can* play it on high settings. And Crysis was meant to be maxed out on future systems, not current ones. |
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| Author: | Soduka [ 17 Jul 2009, 03:08 ] |
| Post subject: | Microsoft souring on PC games? |
I don't buy the piracy excuse. Sure it happens, but it happens on console titles too Oh shit, you just had to show up.... |
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| Author: | DaFox [ 17 Jul 2009, 03:12 ] |
| Post subject: | Microsoft souring on PC games? |
Oh shit, He is quite startled you He is referring to cranky just had to He is referring to cranky just doing something show up.... He is displeased with cranky showing up and picking away at each word in his sentence. |
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