Does the current console generation hurt or help PC gaming?
There is no need to be reminded that we’re currently seven years into a console generation and, considering the timespans that consoles have lasted for in the past, that is a very long time. But what does that mean in terms of the consumers, companies and Video Games affected by this long lifespan? What does it mean for PC users, who, unlike console users, aren’t restricted to seven year old hardware?
The Bad:
The most obvious setback to consider is with the hardware. The Xbox 360 console sported some mean system specs…when it came out. It has 500mb of Memory, and 3.2 GHZ of Tri Core Processing power, which in itself doesn’t seem that bad. The processor’s still up to par with the current standard, but what really kills the 360 as a tech machine is its memory, pitiful GPU and out of date design. The PlayStation 3 sports a slightly better CPU (Same Specs, newer model) with an abysmal 256 MB of RAM and video.
Without going much further into the technical details of how this affects game performance, we can see how an industry which has been forced to cater to the least powerful of these machines has largely been holding back the potential of PC gaming, a medium in which the individuals budget is practically the only limiting factor. What would games look like today if the investors who had poured their time and money into making the big titles of the generation run on a 360, focused instead on making a PC game that would blow everyone away? How much greater would the visual fidelity of today’s latest be if the 360 had an extra core, or had the PS3 been gifted with improved RAM?
The Good:
In an odd way the current generation does help PC gaming. As technology gets older it gets cheaper and, unsurprisingly this is particularly true of PCs. As time passes a gaming PC becomes more affordable, and at a much faster rate than that of consoles. Once you throw in the benefits of playing your games on a machine that can surf the internet, edit video, etc, you see the desirability of owning a high end PC skyrocket. Why play Skyrim on your PS3 when you can build a 500 dollar gaming tower and crank up the settings to maximum? Why get an outdated system when you can get a gaming rig with access to the benefits of better graphics, cheaper games on Steam, GOG and access to the many PC only titles available?
How does making the PC more desirable help PC gaming? Well that’s simple, the more money being spent on the PC platform; the more funding PC projects are likely to receive.
The Ugly:
There are things we don’t like to talk about in the gaming industry. One of these is how, in all honesty, the goal of every developer and publisher isn’t to make good games or make the games that people want. Their goal is always, first and foremost, to make cold-hard moolah, and everything else that comes out of that objective is incidental.
What does that mean? It means that the reason this console generation has been around for so long is likely very simple; it’s cheaper. When you don’t have to make games that look better you don’t have to spend more money on them, and when you don’t have to develop for a new generation of consoles you don’t have to hire people to figure out how to put Madden 15 on the 720 or PS4. In simple terms, innovation loses money and, for investors, the objective is often to slow innovation as much as possible.
The Bright Side:
They can’t stop innovation forever.
[signoff1]
Charles Kheng
January 12, 2013 @ 6:47 pm
The current console generation does limit PC capabilities. Games developed for consoles are in 720p and running at 30fps while PC can easily support 1080p and running at 60fps.
But we should also consider, what would be best for consumers? PC gaming is more expensive than console gaming. And there’s a shift in gaming towards more Indie developers rather than on big AAA titles thanks to Youtube.
Chris Pearson
January 13, 2013 @ 4:58 pm
I was going for the idea that Skyrim, for example, has to be able to run on a 360. Because of that hardware limitation it’s not going to be as impressive as it would have been if the game didn’t have such a low minimum.
It’s true about the indie gaming thing. I personally love how successful indie games have been on the PC, it’s kind of awesome that things on that scale are getting funded. 🙂
Daniel Flatt
January 13, 2013 @ 1:45 pm
I think that this generation has been very kind to PC gaming, Indie games, free gaming online, and Steam alone have made the PC one of the places one would go to enjoy high end gaming.
My problems with PC gaming are the same they’ve always been. Buying a high end gaming PC can be very expensive and you can find yourself having to buy expensive cards every year just to keep up. Not to mention I’ve always enjoyed gaming more with a controller, and while that is supported through a lot of games, I just find it a more streamline process on the console side. Then there is the idea of something going wrong with your PC, some driver being installed wrong, and for people who aren’t computer whizzes it might make your newest game completely unplayable.
As far as how consoles have impacted the PC gaming this generation I think you are completely right that it’s made games have to dial back what they can do to have mass appeal on consoles. I also agree with pretty much every point you make about the consoles and Sony/Microsoft not wanting to move on. Right now they are simply making money, Sony just began pulling in solid profit on it’s machines. Both companies are hesitant to move on because it means more money put into games, development and innovation.
Overall I think PC gaming has been made stronger this generation, but for me nothing will ever replace a new console for gaming. I’m ready for the next gen to truly start.
bleachorange
January 13, 2013 @ 6:24 pm
I like consoles. I do. But I fin the PC experience to be far superior in the fact that Anything a console can do, a PC can do better. You can even plug controllers into PCs now and expect them to work just like your console would have as far as gameplay. You have the convenience of downloadable titles and indie games without having to go through a hardware maker’s vetting process. And lastly, you have the holy grail of PC gaming, mods. User mods are by far and away the most attractive part of PC gaming, in that they often extend the life of games that otherwise had run their course, with the best ones sometimes surpassing the initial game’s popularity. The PC as an open platform, content creation tool is quite simply, unparalleled. Why take that content off it’s native platform?
Daniel Flatt
January 13, 2013 @ 8:01 pm
Playing Steam for the first time recently, I have to admit I was blown away by the UI, the prices and the great tools there. I know PC gaming is the be all end all for mods and the like and that consoles will never compare to the versatility compartment.
I’ve just always liked the idea on my 360 or PS3 no matter what game is shown as long as it says the name of the console on it I can play it without further upgrades. I used to say it was a lot more simple also, just plug in your game and go, but that certainly isn’t the case anymore. Especially not on PS3.
Charles Kheng
January 13, 2013 @ 11:59 pm
Steam is another can of worms altogether. Major DRM alert. While Steam is a good interface and software, the fact that you do not own the titles you bought through Steam and are only ‘renting’ the license to play the games for the time being is to me, shady business practice.
While I’m not suggesting that Steam is bad or anything, I’m only saying that should Steam ever goes under, there will be a lot of pissed off users out there.
Chris Pearson
January 14, 2013 @ 1:12 pm
I don’t think it’s a big concern because I doubt steam will ever go under, it’s such a long shot, and you aren’t renting the games, your subscribing to them, which is different.
Valve has stated that their steam policy has to do with legal issues such as class action lawsuits (For instance the crap Rockstar went through with San Andreas. In that instance everyone who bought the game recieved a full refund because of Hot Coffee, which almost bankrupted Rockstar.)
What possible move would Valve make that makes their policy a concern? If they revoke people’s games for no reason they’ll be crucified.
bleachorange
January 14, 2013 @ 6:56 pm
they will be crucified if that happens. in legalese, a license is a sale. there isn’t a game anywhere you install now that doesn’t have a license instead of a sale. I’d like to think it’s the same as a common law marriage: after so long, it amounts to the same thing anyway. I purposefully avoid the license thing with music, movie, and tv publishers, though – they tend to make a lot more fuss over licenses and generally act stupid about them over a couple of percentage points.