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Analysts Predict PC Gaming Decline


Supreme Cmdr
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I wonder if the decrease in sales is proportionate to the increased pricing? Warcraft III releases at nearly $70, WOW (a pay per month game) releases at $60... most PC games now are releasing at $60+

Sorry - if I'm paying per month, I'll pay when it drops to $20 at least. And I've got plenty of old goodies like Operation Flashpoint, etc. which keep me entertained while I wait for the new FPS's to drop in price.

I finally got around to getting an X-box last week, and purchase nothing but $15 - $20 games which are at least a year or two old.

Some people don't have the money to blow in the current market. I've also started refusing to purchase games which don't give a DVD option or ship on multiple CD's.

Unless it's a game I REALLY want - I'm not going to pull out 4-6 CD's.

Also - with games being released bugged as hell, and patches being applied which break the game - save well-supported games like the Battlefield Series or your own - most game makers just shove a half-completed version out the door for PC while focusing their efforts on consoles.

Naturally it's easier to program for a console due to standardized hardware - but the PC offers the best experience for certain game types. RTS & FPS in particular.

If PC Gaming is dying - don't blame the consumers for refusing to pay for the crap that is being peddled out nowadays. There used to be a time when creativity and ingenuity went into each game... leaving each game a unique experience. Nowadays the cookie-cutter FPS rip-offs are the norm. Starcraft, Diablo, several old games are still played religiously.

The new linear complete in 9 hour games which have no replay value are the reason for the decline in sales.

I want Neverwinter Nights 2 to hurry up. Modding is the only thing keeping most series afloat well past their shelf life.

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I couldn't have said that better myself.

And yeah, shipping games on multiple CD-ROMs is just insane. I have NO idea why they do that. I guess they assume that there are more CD-ROMs out there than there are DVDs. Which - of course - is rubbish.

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Exactly - most machines that ship now even the rinky-dink crap from Wal-Mart has a DVD ROM capable drive included in the package.

And DVD-ROM drives are insanely cheap anyway. A good game coming along might be the kick in the butt people need to upgrade.

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$ilk bought an Xbox????? Quick someone! List the OTHER signs of the Apocolypse!!!!

I for one am glad PC gaming is shrinking. The console is for the masses, the cheap and the lazy( that would be me) Maybe if money chasing publishers got out of the way and pursued console only gaming customers, the creative folks who program for PC's could concentrate on making ground breaking games and not try to be the next HL2, BF1942, Everquest, fill in the blank etc...

I'm sure that initially it would force some developers to fall by the wayside but I believe eventually you may see the return of QUALITY pc games that emphasize gameplay and not the need to constantly create the next great franchise. But what do I know? I am mostly a console gamer

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It's not really the game developers who are causing the problem with PC games, at least not directly. It's all those unscrupulous money grubbing publishers that screw over their developers with contracts and the insane insistence on pushing unfinished, partially tested software onto store shelves. I have seen too many games suffer this fate and left to die. Only one exception in the lot and we all know who that developer is.

On a side note, "What the hell do analysts know?"

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quote:

Originally posted by Supreme Cmdr:

And yeah, shipping games on multiple CD-ROMs is just insane. I have NO idea why they do that. I guess they assume that there are more CD-ROMs out there than there are DVDs. Which - of course - is rubbish.

Heh, funny you should say that. I just picked up Myst V from compusa. Found out they were having a 25% off sale. Now their web site was rather confusing. Req was listing DVD but at the bottom of the page it was listed as PC-CDrom. Well, I was going to be near there anyway so I went to check out what the deal was. Lo and behold, it was the 3 cd package. No wonder it was on sale. They wanted to get rid of them since no one was probably buying the Cd versions. Hey, 25% off I'll deal with three CD's for the instalation.

As for a DVD drive. I've had one on my system since '98. Not the same one now since the original pooped out not that long ago.

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quote:

Originally posted by Race Bannon IV:

$ilk bought an Xbox????? Quick someone! List the OTHER signs of the Apocolypse!!!!


Yeah I know... the reason though is that I became pissed at Sony entertainment and didn't want to enrich their PS2 market any longer.

And you've gotta feel sorry for Microsoft with the butt-whooping Google has been laying down on them lately.

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I believe expense is playing a part in all this as well. The newest ATI card (the X1800XT) has a MRSP of $599!!! Now lets buy 2 of them and a crossfire mobo and a processor and....

Now I'm as much of a hardware eek as the next guy but its just getting crazy! Its just not worth it anymore to keep playing the same games over and over with slightly better graphics and much higher system requirements.

I'll probably get an xbox this holiday too. Oh, and that new ipod looks sweet too!

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Since someone mentioned the new generation of consoles coming, Let me state this I didn't get an Xbox until 2003 for a HS graduation present. Since then the most games I have are on the Xbox. 18 Xbox games 9 PC games (I suspect no more until after 2007) and the "others".

IF I were to get a Xbox360 it would be for one game that a certain developer we all love to loath. Even then it would be awhile. Heck, I may even buy the game before I get the console.

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