We have some PC market data! Lets discuss...

[Squilliam]

vlad321 said:

Squilliam said:

Its the barriers for entry, you know for the games where people say "That console game is better on PC" so obviously its not a flash game or some other niche non-event. People do not generally know how to build their own computers and for those that do bring a value of $40-50 an hour self help tech support, without that then theres the value argument which evaporates quickly. People are stumped by the most basic issues like "Does this computer have a PCI-E slot" and "What cards are compatible"... These are serious barriers of entry for even your mid range 3d games.

 

I agree that it's hard to get a PC right away and all, but with an hur of reading and a few more for constructoin and you can get it done. Or you can also just buy a PC that can already run the games. However that doesn't address the issue as to why is it that the PC only games that manage also happen to be rather decent do sell well. It's not like the witcher had Sims graphics....

Basically consoles are to the PC what the Wii is to the HD consoles. Except that the wii's success isn't riding on something other than the general populance's idiocy, ignorance, and inability to read for an hour or less....

Graphics cards are keeping pace with the computer market, theres no issue for the overall number of people who are able to play the games. The unfortunate issue is the number of people who use the PC as a "Free" gaming platform and personally I know several PC gamers, but I don't know a single one who actually pays for their games. Games which are played online through PC servers are usually not pirated, but overall the toll of piracy is that there are no big budget single player releases which don't also have a console port or two. PC development is moving east where the costs of development are far lower, which is why they could afford to release a game like The Witcher. There just aren't as many big releases as there used to be...

People just don't have the inclination to build computers, they never did. Its all fine and good when everything slots in nicely, but when things go wrong? What a PITA to sort out. Even I had an issue with a new build just recently where it wouldn't install the OS without the motherboard sata being set to IDE compatibility... Now really? Thats just minor but it can be a lot more problematic than that. The general user is too incompetent to build computers...