| JonnyAtlas said:
As someone who games on both PC and 360 (and has played many of the cross-platform games on both), I have to disagree on three levels.
One:
The playing experience on a PC and the playing experience on the 360 are VASTLY different. If they weren't, do you really think PC gamers would "wait for a confirmation of a PC release"? Of course not. As Bodhesatva already pointed out, the input methods are completely different, creating a totally different pace and skill level. To say PC and 360 are the same gaming experience is rediculious (unless you are, for some reason, using a controller for your PC gaming instead of mouse and keyboard, in which case you're just crazy).
Two:
They don't say "oh I bought myself a cool new Microsoft computer", they say "oh I bought myself a cool new Windows computer". Just about every PC gamer runs Windows. I they are running Linux or OSX, they have a dual boot setup. Why? Because the PC is a Microsoft exclusive gaming system. This is slowly changing (Steam on Mac), but it will always remain thus. The fact that Steam now runs on Macs just proves my point more. By making their games "for Windows Live", they are ENSURING that anyone who plays said game is doing so on THEIR system. No matter how you try to frame it, it is still Microsoft exclusivity. The games still only run on Microsoft systems. Those who don't drop $299 on a 360 drop close to $200 on the Windows OS, then even more on Office, etc. I assure you, the PC gamers are not hurting Microsoft at all. They are still putting money in their pockets and contributing to market share.
Three:
I disagree that Halo would be a perfect PC game, with evidence to support my point. The fact of the matter is, they released both Halo and Halo 2 on PC (Link: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/halo2/index.html - again, Games for Windows Live). They sold so poorly you weren't even aware they did so. They weren't going to invest the money in developing a PC version of Halo 3, ODST or Reach when their first two attempts bombed. The only reason they don't release certain exclusive game on PC is because they realize there is no market for them on the system. It has nothing to do with 360 sales because, as stated above, they still have the market exclusivity on the game. One less 360 sale by a PC gamer is one more Windows PC sale. Saying an exclusive game released for Windows Live isn't exclusive is
As someone who games on both PC and 360 (and has played many of the cross-platform games on both), I have to disagree on three levels.
One: The playing experience on a PC and the playing experience on the 360 are VASTLY different. If they weren't, do you really think PC gamers would "wait for a confirmation of a PC release"? Of course not. As Bodhesatva already pointed out, the input methods are completely different, creating a totally different pace and skill level. To say PC and 360 produce the same experience is ridiculous (unless you're, for some reason, using a controller for your PC gaming instead of mouse and keyboard, in which case you're just crazy).
Two: They don't say "oh I bought myself a cool new Microsoft computer" because they say "oh I bought myself a cool new Windows computer". Just about every PC gamer runs Windows. If they are running Linux or OSX, they have a dual boot setup. Why? Because the PC is a Microsoft exclusive gaming system. This is slowly changing (Steam on Mac), but it will always remain thus. The fact that Steam now runs on Macs just proves my point further. By making their games "for Windows Live", they are ENSURING that anyone who plays said game is doing so on THEIR system. No matter how you try to frame it, it is still Microsoft exclusivity. The games still only run on Microsoft systems. Those who don't drop $299 on a 360 drop close to $200 on the Windows OS, then even more on Office, etc. I assure you, the PC gamers are not hurting Microsoft at all. They are still putting money in their pockets and contributing to market share.
Three: I disagree that Halo would be a perfect PC game, with evidence to support my point. The fact of the matter is, they released both Halo and Halo 2 on PC (Link. Again, Games for Windows Live). They sold so poorly you weren't even aware they did so. They weren't going to invest the money in developing a PC version of Halo 3, ODST or Reach when their first two attempts bombed. The only reason they don't release certain exclusive games on PC is because they realize there is no market for them on the system. It has nothing to do with 360 sales because, as stated above, they still have the market exclusivity on the game. One less 360 sale by a PC gamer is one more Windows PC sale. Saying an exclusive game released for Windows Live isn't exclusive is ignoring that the game is still played on a Microsoft system.
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One
Yes they control differently and the pace is not the same. But take Mass Effect for example, one of the greater stories in a game this gen, if you've played it on the PC you're not going to go out and purchase a 360 so you can play ME2 on the 360 aswell. Because you've already played it. The incentive to buy the hardware for a certain game is lost. Just imagine if all of the console exclusive games had been exclusive to the 360, the incentive to purchase a 360 would be greater than if the 360 didnt have any exclusives at all. Its really simple.. 1+1=2. And all console makers knows the importance of branding your hardware with exclusives. Even microsoft.
Two
No, no one thinks "oh i bought myself a cool new Windows computer"! Thats not true at all. They either go, "oh i bought myself a Laptop" or "I bought myself one hell of a gaming rig". Games released on the PC dosent help in branding Microsofts game division in any way. As for the Sony counterpart, which is why we're having this discussion about games within the same brand, is different. Same goes for Nintendo who also does portables. If theres alot of games you want on the portable version, that has the big brother counterpart on the main console, its not going to stop you from purchasing either one because its not the same experience. If you've played LBP on the PS3, its not going to spoil the story or experience on the PSP version. It might even give you a bigger urge to pick up the portable version since you love the concept at platforming, but want it as you travel.
Three
Thats because Halo as a franchise is a console game first, PC game second. Just look at Modern Warfare 2 for example. Just because its a FPS, dosen't mean it will be a success just off the bat, even though it sold like 15m on the consoles. PC gamers want a PC games. Counter Strike which is in many ways inferior to Call of Duty, is still being played and have huge success within the PC market.
Bottom line is, true blue exclusives matter. They do play their part. And one shouldnt downplay their importance in branding a console or creating demand. And thats exactly why Microsoft has certain games as exclusives, just like sony and ninty. And thats also why alot of us wants to see MS announce a new first party IP at E3.
