Piracy and the Hardware Industry... or will the Pcs die out?

[hellenes]

PC's are expensive...
It costs 1000$ to get a decent PC which will be VERY weak compared to next generation consoles. The only "benefit" of paying for PC hardware copmared to the bundle console/games is the ability of huge database of software available online...
People save money on games and funnel that money on hardware since its a corrupt circle of: developers pushing the enjoyable specs (the min specs are out of question in next gen console competition) ---> Thus forcing the gamers to buy more expensive hardware ----> Gamers need the money to buy the games AND the hardware -----> Gamers save money on games and buy hardware...
IMO if piracy gets reduced significantly the Hardware industry will recieve a HUGE BLOW...

Hellenes

[Mithrandir]

Actually, the consoles cost the manufacturers money...
they invest it and have to earn it back by selling games...

(below is just my view)
that's also one of the main reasons people prefer pc's over consoles : games for the pc are cheaper than for consoles (95% of the time), and have a much wider choice of games.

Besides the above, almost no one has a pc just for gaming, it's usually bought for Word,Excel, Internet Explorer.Playing games on it is a nice expansion :).

-Mithrandir.

[Fragony]

I think that games belong on a console, sitting behind a pc just feels like work. when there is an alternative for the mouse then pc gaming will probably kick the bucket.

[lugh]

I game on a laptop, so I actually find it easier than on a console where you're restricted where you sit etc etc.

I don't think pc gaming will die out, simply because some games don't work on a joypad, M/S/Rtw anyone? Other true RTS' are a lot easier to play too with hotkeys to speed your play up etc etc.
You'd end up needing 3-4 contollers for your console to simulate the diverse uses a keyboard has. Or find a way to make a keyboard mouse combo useable in a more relaxed position.

To be honest, I could care less about the hardware industry. It's bloated it as it is and there isn't an awful lot of diversity out there in rewgards to technique. The software industry though, beinf artistic, needs all the help it can get, so basically, don't pirate.

[Mithrandir]

I think that games belong on a console, sitting behind a pc just feels like work. when there is an alternative for the mouse then pc gaming will probably kick the bucket.

There used to be a time where people played with a joystick...

ancient times I think :).

[ICantSpellDawg]

i prefer playing on a PC. i have had countless consoles and i stick with PC's. Unless you are playing a fighting game, PC's are more aptly suited for detailed play. Games like R:TW and flight simulators are aweful on consoles.

[Mikeus Caesar]

PC gaming will never die out. Can you imagine trying to play RTW or other games like that on a console? And anyway, the PC game market is incredibly big. If it was to die out, it would either be due to some sort of super console like machine that is superior to PC's in every way, or because of a stock market crash that meant no one could afford PC's or games anymore.

[Viking]

PC's are expensive...
It costs 1000$ to get a decent PC which will be VERY weak compared to next generation consoles.

It won`t take too long before PCs have went past the consoles graphicwise, again. It has always been like this.

[Kekvit Irae]

I'd much rather play a game on the PC than on a console.

Case in point: Call of Duty 2.
On the PC, I had no trouble fighting, aiming, moving around, and (more often than not) all three at the same time.
On the console demo for XBOX IS HUEG AM I RITE?, I got killed more by the wonky controls than bad judgement. A few times I accidently killed my British teammates before I got out of the truck due to pressing the wrong button. I couldnt even make it past the first German MG42 because I couldnt aim.

An experienced console player and an equally experienced PC player goes head to head using their systems of choice. The PC player will always win because it doesnt take 5 seconds to line up a shot with a mouse.

[LeftEyeNine]

PCs are the basis under the coding/design tech. PCs are always more flexible. No more to say in order to dismiss "PC gaming dying out" claim.

Sure, the console gaming has been more popular than ever, but this is only the development stage of the market, there is a possibility that console gaming may die out one day. But PC gaming naturally will stand still.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

No free [legal] software for consoles.

Incidentally, I hate pirates.

[Kekvit Irae]

[drone]

Until consoles can store Gigs of pr0n, allow the use of l337 in game forums and chat rooms, and generally let the user be free to make an ass of himself, PCs will never go away.

To me, PC gaming will always exist. The PC allows more flexibility in it's use, and definitely pushes the performance envelope more. The lifecycle of a console doesn't really encourage constant innovation in the hardware, PCs do this. The business model of the console lifecycle also dictates (limits) how games can improve. I don't really see the big advantage of consoles anyway, they are not that much smaller than a PC and the controls are terrible and limit the games.

[Productivity]

It costs 1000$ to get a decent PC which will be VERY weak compared to next generation consoles.

This line has been trumpeted every time a new console comes out for over a decade now. It never lasts, and it's never going to last. Plus factor in peripheral costs and PCs look much better value than consoles.

[Phatose]

Eh....unless console manufacturers start shipping the mouse and keyboard standard with the systems, PC gaming will survive. There are simply too many genres which flat-out suck with a gamepad, and more where pads are workable but not ideal. After the fact add-on mice and keyboards don't help - developers just won't use them cause it cuts into their userbase so much. Which means the consoles, 'cheap' as they may be, always have a set of genres they're simply not capable of catering to.

For me, at least, the ability to play a game that isn't designed for under 12 buttons is a pretty big advantage.

[English assassin]

A few times I accidently killed my British teammates before I got out of the truck due to pressing the wrong button.

Are you an A10 pilot in real life by any chance?

One small reason to add to why PCs will be here for a while: many people (like me) need a PC at home for reasons other than games. So its the console, not the PC, that represents an additional expense. Once you've got the PC then its an easy step to think I wonder if there are any games for it, so a market for PC games seems unlikely to go away soon IMHO.

[el_slapper]

Would never had met my future wife without ICQ, therefore without a PC. nuff'said.

[Kekvit Irae]

Are you an A10 pilot in real life by any chance?

Keep the backroom stuff out of the arena.