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How You Can "Save" PC Gaming

gamesradar.com — If the press is to be believed, we ’re a dying breed, friends: the PC gamer is slowly slipping loose the surly bonds of expensive upgrades and Byzantine hardware requirements, and gently rising to grab onto the tray-and-play hem of console gaming. So here’s a handy cheat sheet for how you can “save” PC gaming.

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  • brandonpierce, on 08/27/2008, -29/+7but will this cheat sheet help me run Crysis
    • digggthat, on 08/29/2008, -0/+3yes it will, on ur pc..so digg this up.
  • RoboDonut, on 08/27/2008, -39/+24"Games for Windows" is what's really killing PC gaming.
    • BalooUrsidae, on 08/28/2008, -5/+12Exactly. Create something portable. id does. Atari does.
    • chris4404, on 08/28/2008, -6/+40How is "Games for Windows" killing PC gaming?
      • harreola, on 08/28/2008, -26/+6Because many people have Macs that can't play many of those Windows only games.
      • damendred, on 08/29/2008, -6/+32'If your a gamer don't buy a mac.'
        It's not a new mantra.

        If you do, don't expect to play every game you want, and
        Just become an anti pc, Mac fan boy on Digg.
      • DesolataX, on 08/29/2008, -1/+8I own a Macbook Pro and I still play "Games for Windows" such as Supreme Commander and even Crysis. The 8600M is a decent enough GPU to play them on a decent setting.
      • mikeyrock, on 08/29/2008, -1/+10I felt that bootcamp mostly fixed this problem
      • JoeRW, on 08/29/2008, -2/+1I feel that there's no point in playing Crysis except at the very high setting.
        A radeon 4850 will do it no problem, but the processor must be dual core 4ghz at least and 2gb ram is enough but its got to run at over 7gb/s.
      • arah91, on 08/29/2008, -2/+3also there is the linux side even if it is not as big its god damn annoying trying to install a game and tell it no there is not a C D H or J drive and you want here at the media drive.
      • mrsteveman1, on 08/29/2008, -1/+5Because game developers write for one specific, windows only API (directx) which makes it difficult to port games to other platforms without playing stupid ***** games like with Cider or Wine.
      • RoboDonut, on 08/29/2008, -1/+8I hate it because it's marketing *****.
        They're just trying to make "Windows" synonymous with "games" because they know that's the one thing they can hold onto.
        Really, there's nothing wrong with OpenGL or SDL. I don't understand what the deal is with lazy developers who don't want to write cross-platform engines.
    • latova, on 08/28/2008, -4/+7Agreed. They care more about branding games then they do making them.
    • mikeyrock, on 08/29/2008, -2/+45World of Warcraft killed PC gaming. 11 million people that will never buy a game again because they keep going back to the same crack dealer every day and night.
    • Aorawn, on 08/29/2008, -1/+4Things like free Live, achievements, built-in 360 controller support w/rumble etc are killing PC gaming how? Seems to me like these things would help a 360 gamer feel right at home on a GFW game.
  • pepelu12, on 08/27/2008, -22/+15Mac's can't play [good] games. Linux sucks for playing games unless you enjoy running Wine.
    • jamesmcm, on 08/28/2008, -9/+7Loads of games are ported to Mac, including Spore.
      • sirbeta, on 08/29/2008, -0/+9While I agree it's not quite like it used to be, "Loads of games"? Not even close.
      • Thater, on 08/29/2008, -0/+6Enjoy your quake and Warcraft 3
      • ericrous, on 08/29/2008, -0/+3Yeah, there's Breakout and...umm...Super Breakout
    • santaliqueur, on 08/29/2008, -5/+2Using Boot Camp, Macs can play any game a PC can.
      • sirbeta, on 08/29/2008, -1/+3With that sort of reasoning, so can Linux. But the problem with this mentality is you still need to run another operating system to do so, and you venture out of "Mac" territory doing so. Outside of OSX, your computer is just like everyone ease.
      • santaliqueur, on 08/29/2008, -2/+2Your point makes no sense. PCs and Macs both run Windows. What does Linux have to do with anything? Sure it can run games with Wine, but that's spotty at best. Gaming in a VM also sucks too. My point is, Windows is not exclusive to PCs, and neither are games.
      • Inverno, on 08/29/2008, -1/+2Because you can duel boot a linux pc into windows with even greater ease than you can a mac.
      • santaliqueur, on 08/29/2008, -1/+1Greater ease than using Boot Camp? *****. It can't get any easier. Put the disk in, and wait.
      • Inverno, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1the foss boot loaders are pretty neat. I'm not a linux fan (I don't even have a distro installed, haven't in two years) but getting duel boot to work was super easy. I've never tried it on a mac though, so way to call me on it.
      • Slackdragon, on 08/29/2008, -0/+3Actually, emulating another OS isn't running that game in your OS of choice. You're still playing that game in another OS.

        Personally, I'd like to see more high quality games ported and created for Linux. Not emulated. Not a wrapper pretending to be windows executable in a shell. But a native Linux application.

        Running stuff in Wine and Boot Camp is all well and good, I suppose. But you're just basically admitting that your OS of choice still comes up short. I want Linux gaming to be KA-POW!!!
      • nixfu, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1>I've never tried it on a mac though, so way to call me on it.

        I use grub on my work laptop to dual boot, and I use boot camp on my Mac at home to dual boot.


        I gotta say, boot camp is a little easier.


      • carlosos, on 08/30/2008, -0/+1You mean an Apple PC can play PC games? Amazing!
  • seldon452, on 08/27/2008, -22/+122I find this list so ***** stupid.

    "Be Honest"

    What the ***** is that?

    burried.
    • DFENS, on 08/28/2008, -3/+60Seconded. PC Gaming isn't dying and won't be dying anytime soon. PC Game doom-sayers need to go away.
      • Ahnteis, on 08/29/2008, -4/+2No, but hardcore PC gaming might die. There will be casual gaming forever though since casual games don't cost $40,000,000 to make.
    • rbross2005, on 08/29/2008, -4/+13I've never once been able to play a pirated game online, and online competition is the only reason I play. If I blindly paid for every ***** game that IGN and Gamespot hypes up before giving it a ***** review I'd be one sorry dumbass who helped fund ***** game developers. What a ***** article. Buried in *****.
      • spaceshipsix, on 08/29/2008, -2/+3Dugg for bury technique
      • rpgmaker, on 08/29/2008, -5/+7"I've never once been able to play a pirated game online.."

        You're doing it wrong.
      • runtheplacered, on 08/30/2008, -3/+0why can't you play pirated games online? I'm guessing you've never heard of pirated servers?
    • shaherazad, on 08/29/2008, -1/+12She means don't be a pirate, dude.
    • MacSuxWindozSux, on 08/29/2008, -4/+1Lol thats like O'reilly saying "Sorry? Wtf is that?".
    • OpenRevolt, on 08/29/2008, -7/+1All of gaming is dying and to deny that PC titles are getting the shaft in favor of console development would be idiotic.

      The main problem is that we live in a consumer society where rendered cut scenes and having "blizzard" on the box are what sells.

      There are good development studios out there, but they all dumb down and fall-in line with all of the other big guys just to increase profits.

      Companies like Bungie, Bioware, Lucas Arts, and even Capcom used to make great games, but now they just excel at mediocrity and pre-rendered cliches.
      • iticu, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1Did you just insinuate that Blizzard makes bad games?

        ..
        -is speechless-
    • ravensfh, on 08/29/2008, -1/+1Yeah so what ever happened to the "Console gaming is dying" post? This list is *****.
    • Unknown038, on 08/29/2008, -7/+3buried for anti-piracy propaganda.

      IF pc gaming is dying, its because many of the best games for pc are also available on the consoles, which do not carry the obscene hardware costs of pc's. additionally, the "average" gamer (not a casual gamer but not a pc gearhead either) wants to be able to play his/her games without the hassle of choosing the right hardware.

      also, i think that certain developers (microsoft, rockstar, etc.) need to stop releasing games for the console months before their pc iterations.
      • neodorian, on 08/29/2008, -0/+4Adding a $150 video card and $30 stick of RAM to your existing PC is hardly an obscene cost but it's all it takes to play any game at higher resolutions than you will see on any console.
      • Unknown038, on 08/29/2008, -2/+1well, those costs wouldnt be obscene, if they were realistic. $180 is hardly sufficient for a video card upgrade alone, let alone a video card and RAM.
      • Arramol, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1"$180 is hardly sufficient for a video card upgrade alone"
        How do you figure that? Newegg has 9800GTs, which will easily run anything on the market, for under $150.
    • GodsTwin, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1I'm tired of people saying PC gaming is dying. If anything it's just making the competition more ferocious so developers making ***** games have to pay the price.
      As long as hard working developers (like Blizzard) release great games people will buy
  • BoonTobias, on 08/27/2008, -20/+6get a ps3
    install linux
    ????????
    profit
    • HOTM, on 08/27/2008, -9/+1The hell does that have to do with anything.
    • Leo21k, on 08/28/2008, -5/+4You can run Pc Games on a PS3? Pretty Cool, never knew.
      • i4ybrid, on 08/28/2008, -1/+8you can't, that's why you never knew.
  • Planets, on 08/28/2008, -2/+145"If the press is to be believed"

    Since when is the press to be believed?
    • JohanMarcusGuy, on 08/29/2008, -21/+0I don't know about you guys, but when I want to get my head in the "game" I pick up a tennis racquet. Maybe that's the problem with PC games, what the software manufacturer doesn't realize is that people want to be involved. People want to feel the sweat, and they want to feel PUMPED.

      Maybe this is never why I got into computer games, but why emulate reality when you can experience it in real time and with REAL adrenaline in your blood-stream?

      I hate to sound biased but when the liberals try to force their version of reality onto me through various "PC games" -- like the nintendo wii, the playstation two and mario kart -- I just say "no"!

      So let's start a revolution here people.

      Willing to help,
      Johan Marcus Guy
      • speakafreaka, on 08/29/2008, -0/+10Wow. Your whole post is a jumble of buzzwords and vagueness it almosts tastes like it was generated
      • cyrix, on 08/29/2008, -0/+8Ah an internet troll appears.
      • fxu1989, on 08/29/2008, -0/+7"I hate to sound biased but when the liberals try to force their version of reality onto me....."

        What the ***** does this have to do with politics?
      • Farik, on 08/29/2008, -1/+5You're an idiot and a douchebag. First off, who uses their full legal name as a username? Secondly, you are talking about a very small area of gaming (sports) which any sane person would purchase on a console rather than PC. Where else can you experience mass murder, car jacking, aliens, bullet time, space travel, or superhuman abilities?
      • JohanMarcusGuy, on 08/29/2008, -12/+0Guys, please don't shoot the messenger.

        News-politics talks about obesity all the time, but it only exists because we're trying to simulate exercise through video-games, think about it, can a wii-mote give you the range of motion that rock climbing can? No, it can only emulate the sensation to release the endorphins of addiction.

        @fxu1989: politics is part of the system, i'm afraid. There was a time when you could turn on C-SPAN and not hear about politics, but i'm afraid that time is over. Now we're in an age of war.

        I hope you get this message,
        Johan Marcus Guy
      • Sideshowxela, on 08/29/2008, -1/+6Actually, there _wasn't_ a time when you could turn on C-SPAN without seeing politics. C-SPAN was created to air sessions of congress.

        And while your analogy may apply to something as simple as tennis, a lot of games are played because of their interesting fictitious worlds or involving characters. Think less sports, more Star Wars. Plus not everything translates between a controller and the real world. I'm sure you could find a lot of people who enjoy Tony Hawk titles but have no desire to take up skateboarding.
      • speakafreaka, on 08/29/2008, -0/+8Johan Marcus Guy,

        I apologise that everyone is not like you when it comes to preference for leisure activity.

        Signed,

        The rest of the world
      • bagboyrebel, on 08/29/2008, -1/+5"A 34 year-old gentleman from Norwalk, CT (US) who joined Digg on August 29th, 2008"(that's today)

        "Johan Marcus Guy here, i'll keep it brief since I don't have time. Here are my stats: 5'11 160 Dodge Neon Sports Package. If you want to hook up, give me a ring, otherwise be jealous. Don't post negativity because I spurned you with a political comment."

        I'm guessing troll.
      • benguild, on 08/29/2008, -1/+3Rofl, JohanMarcusGuy, you're my hero. You're pissing off so many people. Lmao.
      • mburner21, on 09/01/2008, -0/+1people on digg wouldn't get satire even if you beat it into their heads with a shovel

        "Actually, there _wasn't_ a time when you could turn on C-SPAN without seeing politics. C-SPAN was created to air sessions of congress." - Sideshowxela

        you sure got him there
    • MacSuxWindozSux, on 08/29/2008, -0/+6It'll never happen. Too many people like their computers.

      There's much more growth in consoles but people aren't going to stop buying nVidia and ATI cards, and Quad Core chips. Consoles borrow their hardware from PC part manufacturers. And games drive almost all of the development into faster chips.

      I mean if this happened many many people would be out of business. It's just not gonna happen.
    • Dracusis, on 08/29/2008, -0/+9Blizzard don't seem to believe them.
  • rocknerd, on 08/28/2008, -10/+8i totally agree. i was very disappointed to see Iron Lore be eaten from the inside out by its own progeny, yes, us PC gamers. its a shame really. i loved titan quest and i wanted to see a TQ2. look how many developers arent focusing on JUST PC anymore because of pirates. now we will only receive either ported games or games that are being developed for four different platforms instead of time being spent on the best platform that exists, to make the game a shining gem, the PC platform of course!!!

    i casually know so many people who have no qualms with pirating. i have always bought everything i play. can you imagine what could happen 1-20 years down the line for us? there could be a nasty trend where only certain developers exist to develop for the PC and then the few MMOs that are still made too. so we only received 3 PC games every year. a blizzard game, a turbine game and if it was the odd year maybe a bioware game...

    i cherish my PC every day. i would trade the existence of ALL current consoles and games, if PC DID NOT exist, just to have it alive.
    • HolyChimp, on 08/29/2008, -1/+2In 20 years consoles will have advanced to the point that they'll come with keyboards and mice as optional controllers and basically be small, locked down PCs, thus negating the one advantage PCs still have over consoles (besides bleeding edge graphics). If there are any devs left developing for PC when the only difference between the two is that PC is easier to pirate games on, then I'll be surprised. Even indy game devs seem to be moving towards consoles with things like XNA.
      • InfernoX, on 08/29/2008, -3/+2If consoles become locked-down PC's, I would imagine that they would actually suffer from such a move. Your average console owner doesn't know how to use anything that doesn't have round buttons and an analog stick or twelve.
      • BrainInAJar, on 08/29/2008, -2/+2"Your average console owner doesn't know how to use anything that doesn't have round buttons and an analog stick or twelve."

        I'm a kernel developer. I own a playstation3 and a DS.

        Why? Because when I want to play ( have fun ) I don't feel like fighting with all the ***** that PC gaming implies.

        I used to be a PC gamer, but I realized that all I want to have to do is:
        Put disk in. Shoot nazis. In 6 years, buy new console. Repeat.
      • Gamoc, on 08/29/2008, -1/+1"Your average console owner doesn't know how to use anything that doesn't have round buttons and an analog stick or twelve."

        *****. I'm the most computer literate person I know, but I rarely play games on PCs simply because I prefer consoles. If you really believe your state you're just an elitist ass.
  • heavystone, on 08/28/2008, -11/+19"Saving" PC gaming is not up to us. How about they actually make a good game instead of glorified graphics and physics?
    You know...something fun?
    • i4ybrid, on 08/28/2008, -2/+12I agree and disagree. There are good games for the PC. There's StarCraft, WoW, Warcraft, Half Life, Counter Strike just to name a few. (AKA Blizzard & Valve games)
      The only reason why PC Gaming is "dying" is because EA is saying it is.
      • tocsy, on 08/29/2008, -1/+6Three of the four games you mentioned came out a decade ago. That said, I agree with the OP: there's too much emphasis put on graphics nowadays, that game companies are coming out with ***** 6 hour games that I'm sure as hell not going to pay 50 dollars for. People will buy good games, all you have to do is make them good enough.
      • OpenRevolt, on 08/29/2008, -17/+2All of those games suck, they just are just popular to the masses.

        They are part of the reason why PC-gaming is in the toilet.

        The average person doesn't want to play WoW (boring grinding), Starcraft ( a resource management clickfest), or Counter-Strike(an over-hyped and outdated mod).

        If they just took major titles like Halo, The Force Unleashed, Soul Calibur 4 and didn't water/dumb down them for consoles then they could do really well on PCs.

        The main problem is ghetto-gamers who have piece of ***** PCs and consoles -- no one with a kick ass PC and half a brain plays these games.
      • Sideshowxela, on 08/29/2008, -0/+6Are you trying to say that Valve and Blizzard are the Nickelbacks of PC game developers? And you think a port of Halo, a 3rd person action game, and an arcade fighter are what the world is too dumb to realize is missing? Really?
      • twich35, on 08/29/2008, -2/+5@OpenRevolt You have no idea wtf u are talking about PERIOD "no one with a kick ass PC and half a brain plays these games." As much as this statement pains me to say, its true. I know people with Alienwares that ONLY play wow. To even think that games like HALO or a game thats not even out yet, The Force Unleashed, are better then some of the classics is one insane, or two stupid. Your attempt at an opinion has failed you clearly do NOT know what gaming is if you really believe HALO is better then ANY valve/blizzard game.
      • otros, on 08/29/2008, -0/+4Well, if they have alienware, then they don't have half a brain.

        (Openrevolt is dead wrong)
      • twoifbysea, on 08/29/2008, -1/+2@twich35, YOU have no idea what you are talking about. @Otros is right, your little buddies don't have half a brain if they have Alienware pc's. And you just have no brain at all.
        Openrevolt is wrong, but at least he/she can form a coherent opinion.
      • twich35, on 08/30/2008, -1/+1@ twoifbysea If you actually read what I typed I said "As much as this statement pains me to say, its true. I know people with Alienwares that ONLY play wow." If your tiny brain can comprehend that then you would realize that I dont think that is a smart decision to make by them, but since you are trying to troll every comment I make you go on and be the little bitch that you are.
      • twoifbysea, on 09/02/2008, -0/+1@twich35, what a comeback!! At least you used punctuation. Next, try to avoid writing in broken sentences and maybe I could understand your little mind.

        As you say, keep on being a little bitch......stay classy!
  • Peynis, on 08/28/2008, -27/+129How to save PC gaming:
    1. Stop people from buying HDTVs for their living rooms
    2. Stop people from buying Wiis, PS3s and X360s
    3. Convince people gaming in front of your 19" desktop TFT is just as comfortable as gaming on your couch
    4. Make people love Blizzard and Valve games
    5. Make people upgrade their PCs (if necessary)
    6. Make PC owners actually buy software instead of pirating it.

    Good luck.

    • exeprime, on 08/28/2008, -20/+447. Own a console and be a total ***** about it.

      Which is something console owners are very good at.

      That alone will keep lots of people from joining the ranks of console owners, who the hell would want to be part of such a community?
      • ileftfark, on 08/28/2008, -4/+7Dude, wtf? Non sequitur.
      • bcollis, on 08/29/2008, -6/+4No they're good at being suburban backwards hat wearing "LOL IM RLY GOOD AT HALO U PLAY? lol " assholes
      • Shadic, on 08/29/2008, -8/+25"7. Own a console and be a total ***** about it."
        Kind of like the people that rant about how much better PC gaming is?
      • kinseyincanada, on 08/29/2008, -4/+16yes because we all know the PC gaming race is all sunshine and buttercups and not at all elitist assholes.
      • Traiklin, on 08/29/2008, -4/+9Kind of like when people buy an Apple product?
      • FoxOrian, on 08/29/2008, -1/+8Or you could just buy the console because it genuinely interests you and don't give a crap what anyone else thinks?
        Some of us just game for the genuine fun of it.
      • geodebug, on 08/29/2008, -3/+2Touched a soft spot did he?
      • NonLeftistDiggr, on 08/29/2008, -2/+3there aren't PC gamer assholes? Every console game article I've ever read has at least 1 dude spouting off about console owners being morons.
      • computrius, on 08/29/2008, -0/+3Good theory, except that is disproved by the fact that apple is not bankrupt. Apple has a very high percentage of dushe (yes, probably spelled wrong.. get over it...) bags for customers. I would guess at least 90%.
    • damendred, on 08/29/2008, -3/+32Making people love Blizzard and Valve games won't be very hard, as everyone already do love them.

      Go try TF2 on your XBOX on your huge tv, see how fun it is compared to your 19" LCD on your PC.

      I'll take the PC version of any FPS/MMO over any console anyday, regardless of screen size.
      Racing/fighter/adventure I've always prefered on consoles.
      • LemonChicken, on 08/29/2008, -4/+9On the flipside, Halo on Xbox is much better than Halo on PC.

        Because it was designed for Xbox, just as Team Fortress 2 was designed for PC, originally.
      • Alcorr, on 08/29/2008, -2/+13I sit in a VERY comftorable chair gaming on my 24 inch monitor 1900 x 1200, crysis, tf2, css, CoH, etc. etc. all look BETTER than equivalent console versions not only because my comp has more graphical power than either of the 3, but also because my monitor is so much nicer than the (fps locked, lower res) "high def" tvs that people console game on.

        Comftorable yes. HDTV, yes. Love blizzard and valve, easy, yes. Upgrade PCs, not THAT expensive. Buying rather than pirating? Say hello to steam...
      • omgwtflawl, on 08/29/2008, -2/+4Right, but no PC gamer would ever want to play halo, because the PC has games a thousand times better then it (half life series, stalker, deus ex). I mean, I know why console gamers would like halo, as its obviously the best shooter out for a console besides golden eye. But for a PC gamer, theres no need for the autoaim or the dumbed-down controls.
      • patm1987, on 08/29/2008, -0/+4I game very comfortably on my tv hooked up to my computer. I even have a wireless mouse/keyboard and a 360 controller that I keep by the couch as well as having a full setup at my desk that's all wired in (I have a subconscious notion that there is lag w/ wireless devices, I know it's silly but I can't get it out of my head).
      • InfeImmo, on 08/29/2008, -1/+2Nobody likes a fan-boy.
      • MacSuxWindozSux, on 08/29/2008, -0/+4I agree PC shooters are better than Halo. So Halo doesn't do well when ported to PC. There's too much competition.

        Also Halo doesn't get anywhere near the same level of fan made content like levels, characters, etc. And that's true for most console ports. They rarely support user made content even when ported to PC.
      • InfeImmo, on 08/29/2008, -1/+0Whoops. Replied to the wrong person but it goes either way, I guess... So, I'll keep my cool hat on.
    • omgwtflawl, on 08/29/2008, -4/+3If consoles could give me a keyboard and mouse, I'd already have given up on the PC and bought a console (actually i already own an xbox original for racing games). Shooters and RTS games just don't work on the console, and its because of its inferior (for those games) controls.

      Unfortunately for me, PC games are moving in the direction of subscription-based WOW knockoffs, which I refuse to use (for the record I don't pirate games, and I imagine I have one of the most impressive PC game libraries in the country), or they just dumb themselves down and move to the console. I'm not really sure when my dream will end, but it will be a sad day when it does.
      • chispito, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1I don't know if Microsoft or Sony is preventing people from hooking up their mouses and keyboards or if the game devs are, but both consoles have USB ports.
      • computrius, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2Umm if consoles gave you a keyboard and mouse, you would essentially end up with a pc... Hell, there is virtually no difference between consoles and pcs anymore except a proprietary controller and a smaller case..
      • Gamoc, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1PS3 can use a keyboard easily (works on XMB and internet browser), the game developers just have to enable it in the game. And map the controls to the keyboard too (or at least let us do it).
    • happycat, on 08/29/2008, -4/+1Comfy couch and HDTV or not, consoles and console games still are not that great. Everyone talks about movies lacking creativity, well that's what you get with consoles-each game is the same as a previous game, only the title and package have changed but it's still $69. No matter how hard you try, a 42" TV cannot turn crap into gold.
      • Gamoc, on 08/29/2008, -2/+3You're obviously playing the wrong games.
        Oh, and PC games do EXACTLY THE SAME THING. There is more innovation in consoles.
    • logandurand, on 08/29/2008, -2/+8Am I the last human being on earth who is capable of using the COLOR ***** CODED cables to connect his PC to his HDTV? Is this concept really so foreign?
    • kinkykingkal, on 08/29/2008, -6/+17 or 8. Fix online play so that I don't have to open new ports every time I want to dick around with my friend on team fortress or the PC Halo.
      8 or 9. Fix any controller peripheral issues before a game is released.

      Console gaming has become far less of a hassle than PC gaming, and until PC games follow suit, consoles will continue to be on top. You log in, start the game, play, and the controls work the way you want them to. Its that simple.
    • hordak, on 08/29/2008, -0/+3Ummm... I've got a 52" 1080p HDTV in my livingroom. I comfortably play all my PC games on it. Whips the hell out of my PS3 and Wii.
    • Fremen93, on 08/30/2008, -1/+3I bought a PS3, and I had an XBox...and I only played it about 3 times. Console games suck...I hate the controls, I hate the resolution, even in HD the resolution doesn't look so great...I think most games are only 720p still. I hate that they don't come with a keyboard or mouse...those stupid game pads suck for FPS or RTS games.
  • joeanon, on 08/28/2008, -9/+1PC gaming is doing fine its just far to easy to pirate compared to console gaming.

    The Xbox/PC combo is a great idea and if Sony had any sense they would get with Linux for a similar joint API because I doubt Sony can keep the game up against MS and it's ever growing super army of titles.

    Since Xbox games are just easier to develop and can easily be run on both PC and Xbox, it really makes the platform vastly superior.

    Without a PC platform for your console you are just weaker compared to something like MS's Xbox and gaming PC's are still expensive compared to consoles.

    They need to consolidate more, get better higher end consoles that function a media centers and PC's so they are an all in one gadget that you can consolidate in one purchase rather than have a console and a PC. They should always be one in the same because all consoles have some OS like capacity which is mostly unused.

    This would perfect the consolidated media appliance dream of decades ago where one kick ass CPU is used to power many devices. In the sense of a console, this would be easy to do, need more storage.. use NAS for your media library accessible from any console in the house .

    Not that HDTV is finally getting mass appeal a PC on TV platform is that much more realistic and needed. Linux has everything BUT the gaming to become an awesome console OS. Sony has the gaming, but of course, unlikely to give it up to Linux. So.... Linux is stuck with Opengl and few, but ever more games.

    Mac just supports gaming for show in my opinion most Mac users are casual gamers at best.

    So Xbox really has it all going on when you think about it, at least platform wise. With a quad core 2 overclocked console system you can have a completely kick ass gaming with full intel OS compliance for less than a PS3.. mass produced of course, not retail part values. Though of course I'm excited to see the cell processor actually do something impressive beside post numbers. Linux of course has that advantage that it can port most easily to new hardware. So Linux on the PSP always made sense, but it doesn't give you the PC like game selection though many games do run well enough in wine. The real breakthrough would be Sony porting the API's so linux could actually render their games in OS.

    I've always argued that we could just force MS to open their API's as part of public infrastructure. Using our democracy is probably the smartest and quickest solution rather than building all these reverse engineered API's and such. Even with the stagnation that was XP... wine never caught up and had a majority of Win32 games running that ran on XP rather a tiny selection the Linux community wanted the most.















    • Atsuke, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1Stop spacin' out, man.
    • dsmx, on 08/29/2008, -1/+2PC's problem is that games are getting dumbed down for console tards, publishers are making the pirated versions of their games better in every way, the total lack of any innovation in games, the charging of full price for games which are almost identical to their predecessor, the stupidly short games that get released COD4 single player comes to mind. The list of stupid thing game publishers do that make people less willing to buy games from them goes on and on, then they have the cheek to blame pirates as the reason why PC gaming is dying when it's their own selfish drive for higher profits rather than making a good game that is actually killing gaming in general.
    • SOS84, on 08/29/2008, -3/+1WTF? There are like two good titles for the XBox that you can't get in better form on either the PC or the PS3.
  • Br3ach, on 08/28/2008, -0/+34PC Gaming is far from dead, it does not need "saved".

    Of course if you compare just PC games to the combined "console" Xbox-PS3-DS-PSP-ect numbers, it is pretty dismal. But if you split it all apart, you would get a much different picture.
  • ptsuk, on 08/28/2008, -11/+70Retarded List. Piracy? Gimme a ***** break. Here is MY list of why PC games aren't a dying breed and why this "article" is there just to drive eyeballs to boost their ad revenue:

    10. Spore
    9. WAR (war hammer online)
    8. Wrath of the Lich King
    7. The Orange Box
    6. TF2
    5. Portal
    4. Rainbox 6 Vegas 2

    3. Conflict drives controversy driving eyeballs to view a cat fight.
    2. It's a games radar article = ad whore
    1. It's a GAMES RADAR article = ad whore

    hehe nuff said.
    • dsmx, on 08/29/2008, -1/+17The only thing killing PC gaming is the idiots publishing games who think stopping piracy will boost sales by using methods that make the pirated version better than the legitimate copy in every way.
      • InfernoX, on 08/29/2008, -0/+3Aye. I'm getting to the point where I'm just going to pay for games on something like direct2drive, get the keys, then just download the pirate versions.
    • 1gunners4, on 08/29/2008, -0/+151a. StarCraft II will be out within the year, most likely.
      1b. Diablo III will be out a year or two after that.

      Say what you will in the PC vs. Console gaming "war," no console game has ever had an entire country adopt it as their national past-time like South Korea has with StarCraft.
      • Tarkaan, on 08/29/2008, -1/+1The professional gamers here are actually moving over to FPS (is that still First Person Shooter?). One pro-gamer interviewed on Arirang News said that the control needed for shooters requires more skill, and it's actually more popular to be one of those types than StarCraft or WOW. Also, ㅋㅋㅋㅋ.
      • r1fl3m4n, on 08/29/2008, -0/+4Have you ever looked at a pro playing SC? does 300 APM mean anything to you?
    • LemonChicken, on 08/29/2008, -3/+6Most of the games you list are either repeats and/or on consoles as well.
      • dsmx, on 08/29/2008, -5/+6Except the PC versions will be better in every way and will be cheaper than the console version.
      • ericrous, on 08/29/2008, -1/+1Yeah, if by "cheaper" you mean "A lot easier to pirate."
      • ptsuk, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1Most? Hardly. Sorry but Most of those are PC first and then will be ported over to console.

        I didn't even mention Half-life, etc.

        Don't get into a pissing match about PC vs Console gaming as console will always lose.

        Console mind you are fun to play and they have their place, but PC gaming is where its at and will remain where its at for the simple reason of that is where the innovation is at and the 5 year-10 year console development cycle isn't a hindrance, because gamers can a) swap out new hardware for old "whenever" and game makers can shoot for the moon.

        CRYSIS anyone :P
    • HolyChimp, on 08/29/2008, -0/+4Not to rain on your parade, but did you really need to include the orange box AND two games that are included in the orange box? That said, I'm salivating for Spore, and hoping WAR won't just be another WoW clone.
      • ptsuk, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1Yes i did for a reason. A) those games were PC exclusives, which then were ported over (in the orange box) and because of it were then MADE AS GAMES UNTO THEMSELVES for the PC market (and now for console as well) So that is why they were included because they were a direct link to why PC gaming is still KING.
    • link2009, on 08/29/2008, -0/+4You fool,TF2 AND PORTAL are part of the Orange Box....NULL RESPONSE.
      • Mpwns, on 08/29/2008, -2/+2no it counts tf2 is so good it makes every top ten list twice.
      • ptsuk, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1get out from your rock while those games originated in the orange box they are now spun off as seperate games for pc and now for console because of the sucess of the orange box.

        I have steam i know perfecty well what came with the orange box tool.
    • Chalks777, on 08/29/2008, -5/+2Here's my list:

      1. Spore
      2. Spore
      3. Spore

      Ad nauseam


      /fanboy
    • allan17, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2Awesome sims and real time / turn based strategy games are what make the PC my gaming platform. FPS's are much better with a mouse. Also, I like being able to customize settings, use mods, etc.
    • 2Bnor2B, on 08/29/2008, -0/+5Add Empires: Total War, Demigod , Fallout 3, Mirrors Edge, Prototype...
      Some of these will be PC exclusive.
      • iticu, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1Empires: Total War is going to be ***** amazing.
    • biergutlol, on 08/29/2008, -0/+4Add every shooter there is... They are playable with a gamepad but they're just way better with mouse+keyboard
    • ociris, on 08/29/2008, -2/+0Its funny how us the gamers tend to think that piracy is not affecting the PC gaming industry... Maybe we should put ourselves on the developers shoes. They are the one complaining about piracy, maybe we should listen to them and stop being ignorant and downplay the piracy issue. I claim that everyone who is reading this, has played a pirated game that they enjoyed but never bothered to purchase it. The only ones who seems unfazed by pirates are publishers that make their games best for online play. Blizzard has all their games better enjoyed online.

      PC gaming is not dying, but its definitely not thriving like it used to back in the 90s. To say that piracy has nothing to do with the change is complete idiocy. Why should i wait for GTA4 on PC when back in the 90's consoles didn't have a GTA till the dreamcast. Why do i have to play a dumbed down version of Oblivion, Command and Conquer, et al? When i know that they could've made it even better if they concentrated on the PC side only. Is the next Civilization going to be some dumb hybrid so that it can also be played on console???

      Other than Spore... what else do we have this year? Now lets see how many great games came out on the console this year? Like i said, PC gaming is not dying, but it sure is not thriving compared to its console brethren. If piracy is not around or is in the same level as console, i guarantee you, it would look much better than where it is at right now. Dare i say a PC game developer other than Blizzard could actually sell more than a million games.
    • dstz, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2and Stalker, the Witcher, Crysis.... all PC exclusives from last year.
      • ociris, on 08/30/2008, -1/+1Stalker, Withcher and Crysis from last year are all good games but not noteworthy entries.
        Instead of defending that piracy doesnt impact pc gaming; take some time and reflect on the issue itself. In order to bring back the hayday of PC gaming, we would have to entice developers to create PC centric games. How do you do that? Show them that there is a lot of money to be made from us.

        There is a bit of elitism in PC gamers. We want to play the best and only the best. This behavior somewhat results in justifying "piracy"; ie. I'm downloading this game and if its great, i'm going to buy it, if it is just ok, then i didnt lose anything plus i get to keep an OK game. Hence, games that are just OK, gets raped by pirates, while great games tend to sell much better.

        Lets try to look at it on the developers stand point. Lets take a theoretical case; A developer (ie Silicon Knights) creates a PC game that they believe is awesome and publishes it to the PC. The game goes on sale with bad reviews. How do you think this game will sell on the PC? Now lets put the same senario on the console. How do you think this game will sell? Where do you think they would make more money and why?

        Instead of trying to defend piracy, we shoul really ask the question of "how do we entice developers to keep on creating a PC centric game?" as opposed to them making it first on the console then porting it over to the PC. Hell... why do you think GTA4 comes out so late when the 360 basically has the same directx code in it? Ignorance is a bliss... but cmon, a lil common sense should be enough to make you think that PIRACY is an issue.
  • Vindicoth, on 08/28/2008, -1/+25PC Gaming is dying? Someone better tell Reuters that the PC Gaming Alliance report was wrong about it being a 10.7 billion dollar industry laster year.
    http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS13 ...
  • sk11, on 08/28/2008, -0/+11IMHO, FPS/RTS/TBS games, which are incredibly popular, are experienced far better on a pc than on consoles. Can't imagine how starcraft 2 would play using a joypad, but it won't be fun finding out. Some games just beg for a keyboard+mouse interface.

    Looking forward to starcraft 2, diablo 3, fallout 3, spore, hl2:ep 3, alan wake and they say pc gaming is dying, pfft.
    • speakafreaka, on 08/29/2008, -6/+2Easy fix.. game support for mouse + keyboard for ps3
    • Thater, on 08/29/2008, -0/+3Starcraft 2 isn't coming to consoles, so you won't have to find out.
    • MacSuxWindozSux, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1Starcraft was ported to N64 i think. Not sure how tho...
  • kinseyincanada, on 08/28/2008, -0/+6ugh im not even a PC gamer and i know its not dying there are a tn of high profile games coming out, Spore, Diablo 3, Starcraft 2, Left 4 Dead, STALKER: Clear Skies, Linch King, and that Warhammer game. The fact is that Console gaming is hugely popular and PC gaming isnt as mainstream as console gaming.
    • Fizban140, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2Umm...Its Lich king not linch, slightly different meanings.
  • caddyalan, on 08/28/2008, -0/+1IIRC, for a long time, the majority of indie games (packaged, paid download, browser based, etc) have appeared exclusively on PCs. This might be changing with consoles which offer indie games for direct paid download. Even so, I wonder... how many people care enough about independent games that they'll go to great lengths to support them?
  • Mike668, on 08/28/2008, -6/+7"Today, $700 will get you a new PC that’ll handle just about anything for the next two to three years, with maybe $500 a year spent on upgrades."

    Meanwhile $400 will get you a console that will last five to six years with no upgrades. *shrug*
    • Exodin, on 08/29/2008, -2/+10That's it, don't include hidden console fees that make the price substantially more expensive than $400. Way to be honest!
      • MacSuxWindozSux, on 08/29/2008, -0/+3Like a second controller LOL
      • Gizza, on 08/29/2008, -1/+4Like console games costing $120 each here in Australia.
      • NonLeftistDiggr, on 08/29/2008, -3/+2Like what? I bought my xbox and my 360, used my GF's rechargeable AA's for the 360 controller, and I haven't bought anything since that I had to have to play games tons of rented games. Meanwhile I drop $700 on a computer with a ghetto ass motherboard that is a little more powerful than the consoles, uses twice as much electricity, and when I finally get to playing a few games online it's not fun because of ***** who cheat and half of the "available" game servers kicking you off for unexplained reasons. LAN party with PC's is the most fun, after that I like the consoles better nowadays.
      • Exodin, on 08/29/2008, -2/+1Like multiple controllers, component cables.. a GAME just to make the system work. HDTV ideally... A Wii cost me around $450+ just the first day I bought it. I wouldn't even consider the investment worth it.
      • theragu40, on 08/29/2008, -1/+1I have a Wii (which I love, don't get me wrong)...and the base cost was $250. But then I spent $180 on 3 additional controllers, $20 on an SD card, $10 on component cables, $35 on a carrying case, and I figure probably $75-$100 in AA batteries so far. Suddenly it's not as cheap as my PC. Not hating on the consoles, I am a console gamer as well as a PC gamer, but I have no illusions about my console gaming habit somehow being cheaper than my PC gaming habit.
      • Gamoc, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2Hold on a second, you're comparing your investment in a Wii to a PC? No, when people say console gaming they mean the PS3 or the 360, don't confuse the two - the Wii has a few decent games, but nothing worth actually buying one for, and the novelty runs out quickly.

        A PS3 is well worth your money, are there are many games out and coming out that you just won't get on your PC, and it cheaper than the PC in the first place, never mind the constant PC upgrades.
      • Exodin, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1I'm comparing it to the Wii because it's the cheapest console with osome hefty hidden fees, not because of the library. The PS3 and 360 is no less guilty. You're buying an HDTV to play in all its glory... PS3 possibly the biggest hidden fee offender thanks to the lack of an HD cable included in the box. Fact is, console gaming is far from cheap.. at least in the sense of comparing it to the cost of PC gaming.
      • supermanly, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1"PS3 possibly the biggest hidden fee offender thanks to the lack of an HD cable included in the box."

        More like the 360 with the lack of included wireless ($100 from Microsoft or using a router with special firmware instead about $40)

        Dude. Monoprice: $4.15 plus shipping. Are you seriously concerned about that?

        http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id ...

        /Wii:( and PC owner
      • Mike668, on 09/07/2008, -0/+1Hidden fees? A PC can only handle one player at a time (offline) so let's not include any controllers. A recharger kit for the one controller costs about 20 dollars... so no reoccurring cost for batteries.

        Other than that there's $50 a year for Xbox Live--something that's free for PS3 and Wii.

        And... well, that's it! If you want to add the cost of additional controllers, fine. Now you're getting way more out of your console than you would at a computer anyway, since now there only has to be one system per four people rather than each player needing their own computer.

        As for the TV thing, it comes with the cables you NEED, and I would be that most of you have TVs already, whether or not you ever plan on owning a console.
    • Crushkilla, on 08/29/2008, -1/+8...the upside: PC games have much better longevity. Good console games often get stale after two or three months, good PC games usually don't get stale even after years.
      • HolyChimp, on 08/29/2008, -4/+3This is just BS. The majority of games on ALL platforms are becoming insultingly short. There are some PC games that last for years (Counterstrike, Starcraft etc) but there are also console games that are still going strong (Halo 3 and CoD4 are both still thriving nearly a year on).
        The main upside of the PC is the HUGE back catalog of games, which include all the games from a bygone era when games lasted longer than 6-8 hours.
      • chispito, on 08/29/2008, -0/+6The reason for the longevity of PC games is user created content and the far, far superior internet and LAN gaming.
    • dsmx, on 08/29/2008, -0/+11Don't know where they're getting that $500 dollars a year from, once you've built/got yourself a half decent PC you don't need to change anything for about 2-4 years unless you want extra storage.
      • MacSuxWindozSux, on 08/29/2008, -4/+1100$ for a video card and every two years 150$ on a new CPU+Motherboard.

        That's about it.
      • Greatmatt, on 08/29/2008, -0/+3Last year I spent about 500 bucks upgrading my PC hardware. It was 5 years old at the time, but still played everything I wanted to play. I only upgraded because I had the money at the time and figured "why not". I agree with dsmx, if you get a decent PC it will last just as long as a console. If you spend a little extra and buy/build a good PC, it will last even longer before upgrades are necessary.
    • mustang460, on 08/29/2008, -0/+7you can build a $500 tower now that lasts you 4-5 years you don't have to pay everything on max graphics
      of course if you want the best possible graphics, you'll be spending that every year or two

      its just an extra option you get, you can't increase the graphics/framerate on consoles, your locked in to the hardware

      pc games are cheaper, as console games have to pay microsoft/sony royalty fees
      pc games get free custom content created by users
      pc games have free online(other than very few exceptions)

      • Gizza, on 08/29/2008, -1/+4And if you want the absolute best graphics, then you're not going to be buying a console anyways because 2 years after release the graphics become stale as every new game still has to be made for obsolete hardware.
      • Gamoc, on 08/29/2008, -2/+1Gizza: No. Cell isn't going obsolete for quite a while.
    • tocsy, on 08/29/2008, -0/+3Hell, I built my own computer two years ago for about $400, and I've put maybe $100 into it in these past two years. Granted, it's not TOP notch, but it plays everything I need: The Orange Box, Stalker, Battlefield 2142, Supreme Commander, and other older games.
    • paulsmith288, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1Besides you forgot to mention vista and windows 7 upgrade tax.

      Im not a PC gamer anymore - but dont you need vista for new direct X?
      • Exodin, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2The new directX is optional and not required to play any games.
  • Rev0lver, on 08/29/2008, -14/+87PC gaming: happily dying since 1985.
  • colosis, on 08/29/2008, -2/+10as long as WOW still exists, PC gaming wont die
    • MessiR10, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1LAWL ....WoW is not a game is away of life
  • DeFex, on 08/29/2008, -2/+9PC games dying is just crap made up to get you in the console scam.
  • JiiJii, on 08/29/2008, -1/+20valve, blizzard
    • v1c1ous, on 08/29/2008, -4/+3capcom, konami, square-enix, Naughty Dog, Vivendi, Rockstar.....
      • InfernoX, on 08/29/2008, -0/+4Monolith(PROJECT ORIGIN FTW), 2k games, iD software, Obsidian, Bioware, Relic.



    • MacSuxWindozSux, on 08/29/2008, -0/+7ID Software, Atari, BioWare, CrySoft, EA, Microsoft, Obsidian, Eidos, Ubi Soft, Westwood, NC Soft, Sierra, Flagship, Epic...
  • Exodin, on 08/29/2008, -2/+17PC Gaming is cheaper than ever, why believe the press?
  • KragTheDigger, on 08/29/2008, -2/+2Wasn't this the editorial for PC Gamer like 2 months ago ?
  • Saitekc, on 08/29/2008, -4/+39Buried for *****

    Any half decent PC gamer knows that it isn't dying. O
  • Borgcube636, on 08/29/2008, -1/+15The problem is the growing emergence of console games. Consoles require that games be dumbed down to a level of complexity that any 7 year old kid could easily play and figure out, and most importantly, win.

    Remember back in the 90's /early 2000's, when PC games were actually complex and required you think? Ah, how I miss those days.... who knows if we'll see them again, now that many games are being ported to the PC from the dumbed down consoles and/or made for all platforms but purposely dumbed down so they can run on consoles.
    • InfernoX, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2I think we need to strike a balance. Too complex and it drives too many people away but too simple and people whine at the simplicity. Also, multiple difficulty settings should do something other than "Lol triple the health". I think Crysis is one of these games, the varying difficulty levels change many aspects of the game and it allows you to be tactical or a halo run and gunner.

      Portal is another great example.
    • LotyBoy, on 08/29/2008, -0/+3No. No I don't remember that. I have never encountered a game on the PC or any console that is complex and requires you to think.... unless you mean Mario is Missing for the SNES. That game sucked.
    • Vanor, on 08/29/2008, -1/+1You need to try playing Monster Hunter sometime then try to tell me that console games are for 7 year olds. Monster Hunter kicks the ***** out of any PC MMO in terms of gameplay alone.
    • Izacus, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1"The problem is the growing emergence of console games. Consoles require that games be dumbed down to a level of complexity that any 7 year old kid could easily play and figure out, and most importantly, win."

      What does that have to do with console gaming?
      As trends are currently going, only dumbed down games for 7 year old kids are actually selling. On PC and on consoles... it's not a console specific phenomenon.
  • NiGHTSChao, on 08/29/2008, -0/+24Since when does PC Gaming need saving?
    Its perfectly fine, it has been for years
  • Ichi1, on 08/29/2008, -1/+5I understand that piracy is a big problem within PC gaming community, but I believe that developers and distributors aren't approaching the problem from the right direction. Companies like Gamestop and Steam have embraced the "Download" generation by making their games readily accessible for download, and it has proven very successful. I for one, would rather pay $20-40 for a game that I can quickly download, rather than waiting an entire week for seeders on a torrent file (not to mention searching for a crack). Plus, who wants all that plastic and paper that comes with the package?
    • reticulate, on 08/29/2008, -0/+7Add to that the fact that Steam isn't particularly draconian when it comes to moving content around when you're building a new PC or whatever, and it's probably the best way to buy games without annoying the crap out of the consumer (Bioshock not included, but they ended up fixing that anyway).
  • kidwithsword, on 08/29/2008, -6/+31I say ***** this ***** article. It is written by a woman, you know.
    • ericrous, on 08/29/2008, -1/+2Reading an article on gaming written by a woman is like reading and article on jungle survival tips written by an Eskimo.
  • tykwondingo, on 08/29/2008, -1/+21Starcraft 2.
  • madk, on 08/29/2008, -2/+6PC gaming is doing just fine. Man...every 6 months I see another pointless article like this. Bury em each time.
  • Lith25, on 08/29/2008, -0/+7PC gaming is going no where soon. Look at WoW...personally I hate the game, but it's popularity can't be denied.
  • dalittle, on 08/29/2008, -1/+8I know a great way to shut up this stupid argument that they keep trying to make believe is true. Just let the PC and console games use the same server for multiplayer games. After 100000 to 1 kills in favor of the PC on games like Halo and Quake and they would never bring this up again.
    • paulsmith288, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2what makes you think that - oh keyboard and mouse here we go again. UT3 - ps3 = keyboard and mouse.
      Its still not as good - but consoles are getting there.
      • dalittle, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1Consoles can never be as good as a PC by design. With a PC you can upgrade everything. With a console, you are stuck with what every they let you have. PC's will always dominate console games if they were allowed to both be on the same multiplayer server. That is why they will never do it, console fanboys don't like getting schooled.
    • ericrous, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1I'm willing to bet that, if they ever did it, you keyboard/mouse snobs might be in for a bigger surprise than you think. And the realization that k/m aren't inherently better than a good controller will be a worse blow to your psyche than the first time you had to shower with other boys and saw how their dicks compared to yours.
      • dalittle, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1they will never do it. Guess why (and it is not the the PC guys are worried).
  • JayRD, on 08/29/2008, -1/+2Around 260 million people worldwide play games on PCs. What's this about dying? Maybe in the US, not so everywhere else.
    • Skooma714, on 08/29/2008, -0/+3Most of them are playing Bejeweled or WoW. Maybe The Sims.
      • paulsmith288, on 08/29/2008, -1/+1yeah of course they do....

        I would like to see you prove it. And some figures from 2008 would be nice. This isn't 1998 anymore.
  • Ymeg, on 08/29/2008, -1/+45How to save PC Gaming in 5 easy steps:

    1. Get Blizzard and Valve together.
    2. Play soft music.
    3. Wait a few hours.
    4. ???
    5. profit.
    • Kahnza, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2Don't forget the booze and randy photos of great games.
    • JayRD, on 08/29/2008, -1/+9With Valve and Blizzard together, you'd have to wait years.
  • SOS84, on 08/29/2008, -0/+15PC gaming is dying? Since when? Oh wait, it isn't.
  • Fizban140, on 08/29/2008, -2/+5I spend about $1200 on my PC including monitor and a nice set of speakers about four years ago, I have spent maybe $500 on upgrades since then and I can still run all games at a decent setting. On the other hand I have bought two 360s for about $800, four controllers which comes out to about $200, cables and accessories for about another $100 and $850 for an HDTV which in now outdated.
    • Visual77, on 08/29/2008, -7/+2You know, if you count 4 controllers with the cost, you should count buying 4 new PCs, since single computer PC multiplayer is virtually non existent.
      • Fizban140, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2I am speechless, does this warrant a reply? No, but I am an ***** so here it is.
      • InfernoX, on 08/29/2008, -0/+5Local multiplayer in 90% of games is garbage anyway, online is where it's at.
    • greenrider04, on 08/29/2008, -0/+0cables and accessories for $100? i don't where you bought your cables but you might have been ripped off.
    • Fizban140, on 08/30/2008, -0/+1Cables are about $30 and then accessories could be many things but I was mostly thinking of battery packs and all that crap you need for the controllers to actually be wireless.
    • maxsunset, on 08/30/2008, -0/+1Outdated? Your Xbox 360 will always play every single xbox 360 game and you will never have issues with drivers, insufficient hardware...
  • CompUComp, on 08/29/2008, -3/+4PC gaming isn't dying. The author of this article is just one of those nubs I beat blind folded and just expressing her anger.
    • Corey2, on 08/29/2008, -0/+4The Editor in Chief of PC Gamer is a "nub"?

      I doubt it
    • Akaziel, on 08/29/2008, -1/+2When the hell did it change to "nub"?

      First it was Newb, short for Newbie. Then leetspeek took off, and it became "n00b". Now it's "nub"?

      God, I can feel the internet getting dumber by the day.
  • RegalBegal, on 08/29/2008, -1/+8Ctrl + S. duh. :)
    • VelvetoneFusion, on 08/29/2008, -0/+3F3, and you can save it quickly
  • SHUUTOBI, on 08/29/2008, -1/+15One reason we PC gamers don't buy as many games is because we have GAMES that have replay value that far exceeds the lifespan of a CONSOLE...

    • v1c1ous, on 08/29/2008, -0/+5i'm sure PC only companies love the fact you only buy a cpl of games a year.
  • immski, on 08/29/2008, -6/+0Why would I want to save PC gaming when cosole gaming is so much better?
  • albinorhino101, on 08/29/2008, -4/+4Wow 80 comments and nobody has tried to blame the death of PC games on Bush yet, I'm shocked.
    • HolyChimp, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1I blame Bush!
    • Inverno, on 08/29/2008, -0/+3You suck at trolling. If you weren't trolling you suck at thinking. The take away here is you suck.
  • lead2thehead, on 08/29/2008, -2/+2Yet another example of how out of touch reporters are with the real world.
  • TeamDynasty, on 08/29/2008, -3/+4"If you’re stealing games, then you cannot complain, ever, about the demise of PC gaming" Im not stealing games, Im making a copy of the original.
    • parfait, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1You're not making a copy of the original. You're probably making a copy of a copy...
  • donkz, on 08/29/2008, -1/+4luckly, if you wait a bit for QuakeLive, http://quakelive.com/ you will not need a good computer, nor money to buy the game because it plays from your internet browser.
    -the game is based on 10 years of FPS experience, and best practices
    -tightly well balanced
    -and has an above average mature community that is dedicated to the game
    -has incredible high competition value
    -will continue tradition of holding international competition events that are pure fun just to watch
  • SilverBlade2k, on 08/29/2008, -3/+7PC gaming will die if the industry keeps going the way it is now.

    I mean...most good games coming out these days have more visuals then actual storyline. Every single year, the gaming industry tries to push and push the specs, higher and higher, FORCING people to upgrade their computers. If they spent less money on the graphics, and more on the game play, this wouldn't be an issue. The industry only makes games for hard-core gamers, the ones who can spend money each year on upgrades to play the latest games.

    Oh, and also, games that do come to the PC are generally sold later then the console versions, and the PC versions are usually very bad ports, pushing the required specs higher.

    The industry should make games that run on a variety of systems, not just the ones that are 2 yrs old or less..
    • InfernoX, on 08/29/2008, -1/+2If you did some research when upgrading and actually purchased good hardware you'd be able to run any game for the next 5 years. Hell, my 5 year old video card that wasn't even that good was able to play most games for a few years. Only recently did I purchase a new computer, and for $910 i got brand new everything and can play any game at max.
  • CobaltBlue, on 08/29/2008, -5/+3I love video games. I think they are all good.
    • Kahnza, on 08/29/2008, -3/+3You are a ***** retarded and a lame attempt at trolling.


      edit: nice edit you coward
  • whiteguysamurai, on 08/29/2008, -5/+2Stop making shooters.
  • 13373h4X0r, on 08/29/2008, -5/+9You're reading Digg on a PC. You might even post to Digg using a PC. You own a PC. Someone is going to make it easy for you to play a game when you're not reading Digg. ==> PC gaming is not going away.

    Some of the giant corporate machines (EA, Microsoft, etc) might choose to target consoles simply to make sure they get their money from consumers, but online games (e.g., WoW, EverQuest, Planetside, ...) will continue to include PC clients because, again, you have a PC that you use ALL THE TIME and that you're never going to get rid of (thanks to Digg, Amazon.com, and the rest of the Internet that benefits from high resolution, open access to the Internet, a keyboard, etc).

    Frankly, while consoles made sense back in the early 1980s, when people couldn't afford personal computers, they only served to lock consumers in to closed markets. In the early days of Windows, consoles also reduced the hassle of hardware and software problems. With a console you simply pop in the game cartridge, CD, DVD, BlueRay, HDDVD, or download from a proprietary network portal, and start playing. Anyhow, I hope the market kills consoles despite the fact that the publishers who control the closed markets of consoles LOVE the console. I hope consumers simply say "no more" to being locked in. It sucks that multiple console types are required to play a random selection of the good games out there. Meanwhile, today's PC could likely, through emulation, play all previous-generation games (e.g., DreamCast, PS1, PS2, GameCube, original X-Box, etc) -- maybe quad core and a high-end GPU would be required to make *all* games emulate properly, especially the PS2 titles, but I'm sure it could be done. Anyhow, the point is that the PC is the only free-market platform; it's a platform that anyone can target without paying license fees to people who control the market. Meanwhile, consoles and cellular phones (even the iPhone) require fees for development, and the applications are limited by censorship or aesthetic constraints imposed by the party that controls the gateway to the market. You'll never see that "Columbine" game for a console. (Not that you'd want to, but the point is that the PC allows artists and developers to fully express their ideas without being censored by corporate machines.)

    Die, consoles!
    • daPhoenix, on 08/29/2008, -1/+4Actually I'm reading Digg on a Mac - not a PC.

      Unless you're of course talking about personal computers rather than x86 line of IBM Compatible PCs in which case it would be true. However, since Digg works fine on a PS3 in the integrated browser, I could also be reading this place via that and posting happily.

      As for the "closed markets", you have to use Windows to play games - where does that leave you with the "open market" ideal? Yes, you can play some games on a Mac or games on Linux via Wine but that only covers a part of the landscape and doesn't support many of the "improvements" you see today (well, you would if game developers supported things like DX10 but that's another thing).

      PC gaming isn't going to vanish but consoles have their appeal - they simply work. If you've ever fought with nVidia or ATI drivers on XP/Vista, fixed those more or less only to find out your X-Fi drivers break the sound, crash the system or cause other incompatibilities.. when you're done with that you suddenly notice that your virus scanner is interfering with the game and..

      Please don't compare the "ease of use" of consoles and PCs - they're still a worlds apart much due to your "open market".
      • Acqua206, on 08/29/2008, -1/+2Personal Computer.
        Is a mac a PC? Yep. Is it yours? Hopefully. Is it a PC? Hrm.
  • AzzX, on 08/29/2008, -2/+20One word: Steam.

    A bigger platform than the 360 and PS3.
    PC doesn't need saving its the gaming market in general that needs saving from being overwhelmed by casual games.
  • riptor666, on 08/29/2008, -6/+1The only advantage to PC gaming is the ease of piracy that's how you can rationalize getting a new PC for $2000 every few years.
    • InfernoX, on 08/29/2008, -0/+3Where the hell are you buying your PC? Dell?
    • jameskong15, on 08/29/2008, -0/+3You're paying 2k every few years? LOL

      You got owned by Dell or whatever overpriced company you buy from.
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