Civilization Revolution the final nail ?

[ACEofHeart]

The one area that PC gaming has seperated itself from the world of console gaming has been in detailed strategy games.
With Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution coming out this year solely for consoles will ,in my opinion ,forever change that concept. Combined with the fact that PC gaming producers have never established a good rep for being honest about "minimum" specs. And how "Windows" was never an ideal gaming envirement. I see Sid's game as the final nail..
Having been a PC gamer since 1988, I have been stunned by how quickly the world of PC gaming has deteriorated. On my last visits to the likes of Gamespot and Electronics Boutigue, I was saddened by how little in PC games with even offered. The percentage of PC games to Consoles games being displayed was only about 10 percent..
In another 2 years I see PC games becoming what VHS is now to the video scene.
Wish it wasn't so...but XBOX here I come...

 

[Strato]

...Yet the PC system still enables ease of use with moddability.

Without getting too bogged down in pessimism, my own thoughts are that it will still be quite some time before games stop being designed for PC. Yes, game developers and producers need a shake up, but games will still be released for PC. After all, the PC is still great for the "indie" developers to release their software on.

 

[King Jason]

PC isn't going anywhere. It's not as if it's impossible for both mediums to co-exist.

 

[lutzj]

You can't hammer any final nails without a coffin.

 

[Thrallia]

then don't go to Gamestop...they don't care about PC games any more than they care about their customers. Go to Best Buy or some other major retailer...gamestop just rips you off most of the time anyway, with their ridiculously low buyback prices, their lack of any real sales(they only put stuff on sale when no one wants it and they want to get rid of it), and their lack of care about you as anything other than a great big dollar sign.

At least most other stores don't just rub in your face that they want nothing other than to take your money.

Besides, the PC will never go away...it is the single most widesprad gaming system in existence...it just requires people to figure out that sometimes, yes you will have to pay money to upgrade your now 2-4(and many times, older) computer to play that new game that came out. Why? because that's called progress in technology, cheapo.[/end idiot computer owner rant]

 

[Sir Janus]

PC isn't going anywhere. It's not as if it's impossible for both mediums to co-exist.

I tend to disagree, I think PCs will disappear from most homes. As broadband speeds increase we will make more and more use of web based applications with remote storage. As wifi becomes more and more widespread, with better speeds, this means that you could run most applications and access your data anywhere. Many offices are already turning to web based applications as it is a lot easier to manage updates and patches and ensure that data is backed up and secure.

Even in the near term the only applications that will not be web based will be those needing heavy duty graphics and that do a lot of data crunching. Most of these applications we call games. Once console makers bite the bullet and add fully functional web browsers then the market will transform itself. Within 5 years very few households will require both a console and pc.

Another trend is towards tv over the internet. Non-hardcore gamers who are satisfied with standard TV or HDTV resolution will not even need a console - the game will be processed on remote servers and the video and audio output fed to you as a tv stream. Obviously there are issues in responding quickly to user controls if the uplink network speed is not high enough, but such systems are available now and are capable of playing real-time PC games published as recently as 2005 adequately.

In the same way that there are now insufficient hard-core PC gamers to convince many games developers to bring out versions for the PC, it is possible that in only a few years there will be insufficient hard-core console gamers to support the number of console titles that are published currently.

Shortly after that we will be assimilated by the Borg.

 

[Justy]

PCs are not going anywhere. PCs are in more homes than console games. PCs have a wider usage outside of gaming. PCs can be internally upgraded when new technology is available, consoles are not. The gaming industry has a strong tendency to overreach and anticipate changes that the public isn't ready for. They live in a world where everywhere else is a Luddite next to them. So even if they want to ditch PC (which I doubt) they will find it economically unfeasible.

 

[r_rolo1]

I tend to disagree, I think PCs will disappear from most homes. As broadband speeds increase we will make more and more use of web based applications with remote storage. As wifi becomes more and more widespread, with better speeds, this means that you could run most applications and access your data anywhere. Many offices are already turning to web based applications as it is a lot easier to manage updates and patches and ensure that data is backed up and secure.

Even in the near term the only applications that will not be web based will be those needing heavy duty graphics and that do a lot of data crunching. Most of these applications we call games. Once console makers bite the bullet and add fully functional web browsers then the market will transform itself. Within 5 years very few households will require both a console and pc.

Another trend is towards tv over the internet. Non-hardcore gamers who are satisfied with standard TV or HDTV resolution will not even need a console - the game will be processed on remote servers and the video and audio output fed to you as a tv stream. Obviously there are issues in responding quickly to user controls if the uplink network speed is not high enough, but such systems are available now and are capable of playing real-time PC games published as recently as 2005 adequately.

In the same way that there are now insufficient hard-core PC gamers to convince many games developers to bring out versions for the PC, it is possible that in only a few years there will be insufficient hard-core console gamers to support the number of console titles that are published currently.

Shortly after that we will be assimilated by the Borg.

A nice analysis, but forgets a small deal:

-Broadband internet is not as widespread as it could be, and in some countries ( like mine ), even with the servers ready for high output internet the velocities go down due to old wiring and deficient articulation between the physical supports.

-Not sure if people will consider cost-efficient to have to pay current internet fees for every file they need to use ( stored in internet HD )

But this is only the point of view of a guy that still considers consoles as nerfed PCs...

 

[TyranusBonehead]

the pc is still the most flexible development platform, plus more people have pc's than have game consoles, so......

 

[Stuck in Pi]

Personally, I don't think so. How else can people waste time at work? Also, consoles will always focus on their strength: shooters, RPGs. The Civ world will still get their Civ 5 and 6. I think that Civ Revolution won't sell all that well because of the fact that it isn't the normal type of game for most console gamers. If it does though, be prepared for a second one.

Also, many talk about the long-term future of PC games. They aren't going anywhere. The internet will still have games on it, and those who want complexity will still get it. TVs will not have computing power. They will only be able to show pictures. So all in all, I don't think we are losing our PC games.

 

[ICNP]

The biggest problem with PC's is Sys Req and the fact that it is likely to break down from bugs. For those not interested in Keyboard Mouse Controls the ability to just know a game will work when they stick it in is priceless. However I doubt that PC will really die although the idea of a Cloud Computer throws so much of this discussion into a alternate reality.

And Civ Rev is a kinda dumbed down version of Civ. Don't expect Sid to make the switch. Worry more about EA...

 

[Jerrymander]

The biggest problem with PC's is Sys Req (snip)

But this is also the biggest boon. It makes the hardware of the PC moddable, which is a great thing. You can't just pry open your xbox, pull out the CPU, put a faster one in, then go back on xbox live. You've violated your warranty, among other things. But with a PC, you could replace an ageing Pentium 4 with a Core 2 Duo or something and still play games, online and off.

 

[Sealot]

Another big reason why gaming companies prefer consoles these days is piratism. It's much bigger scale on PC than on consoles.

 

[BARBEERIAN]

Another big reason why gaming companies prefer consoles these days is piratism. It's much bigger scale on PC than on consoles.

That's not really true, there's plenty of console piracy going on. The main reason devs like consoles is because the hardware is always the same. It makes optimizing and debugging much easier having only one very specific setup to test on.

 

[Sir Janus]

These days, I bet that far more laptops, mostly cheaper ones, are sold than PCs. Laptops cannot match consoles for gaming and most families are more likely to buy a laptop and console rather than a laptop and top of the range gaming PC.

 

[Sir Janus]

the pc is still the most flexible development platform, plus more people have pc's than have game consoles, so......

I would very much doubt that more people have PCs capable of playing 3D games adequately (even graphically simple ones like CIV) than have consoles.

My 2-year old top of the range, dual core , max-ed out 2GB RAM, dell laptop struggles on standard maps with 7 opponents.

 

[warpstorm]

Laptops cannot match consoles for gaming and most families are more likely to buy a laptop and console rather than a laptop and top of the range gaming PC.

Tell me why my 360 is better than my laptop for gaming. My laptop has a better video chip, more RAM (by a long shot), a higher definition monitor than my HDTV, has a much bigger hard drive (which is optional on 360s so developers aren't supposed to make its use mandatory), and is portable.

 

[Ambidexter]

My 2-year old top of the range, dual core , max-ed out 2GB RAM, dell laptop struggles on standard maps with 7 opponents.

Probably a video card problem, because my two year old, middle of the range, dual core, 2GB RAM PC handles 15 opponents just fine.