I definitely think PC Gaming is here for a long while. I have slowly shifted from the boxed game to the online distribution scheme. Having used both Steam and Stardock I have really enjoyed not having to go to the store, patching 3 – 5 times, and then playing the game. I purchase my game, leave my computer on over night, and the next day the game is on my computer in all its updated glory.

On of the PC’s mainstays, the RTS (Supreme Commander and World in Conflict being examples), are extremely difficult on a console. Flight Sims, although not as popular as they once were, can only be fully realized on a PC.

PC gamers need to be patient. It takes time to make a masterpiece.

I can see Nintendo doing a flight simulator for the Wii.
Not something too complicated but an arcade space simulator for the Wii, with the remote as the stick and the nunchuk as the throttle? I’d play that.

PC gaming defiantly took a hit when this new slew of consoles came out. Mostly due to the fact that a lot of developers wanted to get in on the initial band wagon and make some quick cash with release titles and a few years later with the “excusive titles”. Which for a lot of titles did not stay excusive.

The Wii phenomenon also skews this view, the Wii has found homes in hardcore gamers houses as well as the standard Nintendo fanboy/girls. But it also got a bunch of people who would never of bought a video game to start playing. The elderly, a lot of middle age people who missed out on the arcade’s in the 70’s, and of course people who wouldn’t of otherwise been interested in standard game controls (seriously they love the Wii wand). But these people are not making developers make less PC games there just a new demographic/consumer base. Companies seeing dollars signs decided to make games for this new group and in doing so moved resources and people from PC development. Once the sales stabilize and the size and supposed wants of this new group is discovered, we should see a shift back to PC games where these developers know there is a market (I hope anyways.)

Then you got the crap idea from certain companies like Rockstar and Epic that while the computer is not ignored, games for it are put on the back burner after they have made there money on console sales. Now I am not knocking these companies they make great games (GTA, Unreal, etc.) But I think its pretty clear that when the PC version comes out it is always superior to the console version (As you said David). Just compare Mass Effect, any GTA that’s been ported, or Assassin’s Creed its pretty obvious. Not to say they couldn’t of done more with the computer versions but even with just minimal graphic tweaks they come out on top (not to mention superior controls). In the end though I think companies that back burner their PC games are going to prove to the masses (those that look anyways) that the PC is a superior way to go by just comparing the end results.

Piracy is a non-factor you can just look at Sin of a Solar Empire to see that. It shipped on disk with almost no copy protection and sold better in a few months than most “protected” games do in their entire run. Pirates are not going to buy a game and invasive protections from online activation to starforce only hurt sales from people who otherwise would of bought your product. Bioshock is a great example of a fantastic game that got hurt in PC sales because of limit installs and online activation (yes it sold well but even 2K admits it could of done better.) No one wants a coaster once the game isn’t supported and activation servers go down.

As for the physical disk versus digital copies that is preference. I prefer a disk and will take the three seconds it takes to download a patch over a system like steam. If I pay for something I want some thing physical. I have bought digital only releases but only when it doesn’t make me rely on programs/systems like Steam. I might be a minority now but beside having a unnecessary program running in the background of my OS, I prefer to have control over what happens on my computer and not have to worry something is set on auto download or what not.

To sum it up I agree PC gaming is in a slump, though there are some great games out/being made. But from what I have seen there is a very good chance for a huge resurgence.

Just a short note because I have written too many comments on these topics already. But most of what this Ron Taylor guy is talking about is just plain wrong.

That everything will be online distribution is a dream for the publishers because in such a world, they could keep their customers under control. Apart from a few make-believe advantages for the player, it makes everything worse. You still pay your money for a game, but you don’t get a game. The publisher grants you a short, limited right to somehow play a game, as long as they feel like letting you. Play without and internet connection? Nope. Play on your notebook in the train? Nope. Company goes bankrupt? Goodbye money. Company gets bought up? Goodbye money. Company decides to stop supporting the game, like such publishers tend to do after 2-4 years – goodbye money. You basically still purchase your game, but in contrast to a boxed game it is almost guaranteed that you won’t be able to play it anymore in 5 or 10 years. It’s just not worth it. And I think customers will not buy into it any more than they did with DRM for music. It’s pure customer dictation. For additional content, or a new form of renting games? Sure. As an alternative to retail distribution? Not really.

And then, no, pirates are not killing developers. Developers who only cater to pirates, not customers, kill themselves. Pirates don’t buy games, so why do you even care about them? You have to make games that people want to buy! And why will some games not sell? Might it be because of the numerous disappointments from shitty console ports, and the incredible copy-protection schemes that annoy the paying customer, and the paying customer only because all the pirates are already playing a readily-cracked, unconditionally-working cracked copy that does NOT require you to activate it over internet and that does NOT stop working after having installed it 3 times?

PC games had better times. But enough developers and publishers are demonstrating that it’s not because of other systems, or because of the pirates, like Stardock mentioned in the comment before mine. It’s because the publishers that are moaning about it right now have just forgotten what you need to do to sell a product: make it a product that someone actually wants to pay money for.

The plain and simple fact is most, if not all of these game publishers would not be sitting on the fat cash cow there on if it were not for the pc and gamers like myself!! Crytec blames pc gamers for going to console WHO EVER HEARD OF CRYTEC until farcry came out which , OH YEAH , was a PC game.
There all greedy hypocrites, and that also goes for the dirty filth stealing crooks who pirate pc, or any other, games. BUY the games people, BUY the games!

PCs will always be vastly superior to consoles in the eyes of any gamer who is willing to learn more than 10 buttons. The game mechanics of a PC game is usually far superior to the simplified console mechanics. I think preference boils down to how involved someone is in their gaming. If you are okay with having a button that does the evasive maneuvers for you; or that the monsters you are fighting cannot hear you, be harmed or even move until you enter the room, then consoles are for you. However, if you like games where things are happening in areas that you aren’t even in because of cause and effect, or you like using a mouse because it allows you to dodge gunfire without the help of a dummy button, then you might enjoy a PC more.