I'm not assuming that the PC version will be unprofitable, I'm just telling you that it won't sell as well as the 360 version. Except for very special cases, PC games never do. I know Irrational was originally a PC developer but that doesn't mean that everyone will by this game for PC. Most people are buying this game because of hype and just about every piece of hype has advertised this as an XBox game over anything else.

Add onto that the fact that not a lot of people have gaming PC's (or at least people that will spend the time playing this) and you have the 360 version selling better.

That may be so, but I guess what I'm saying is that that would be a shame, because the PC version will play better, and with Direct X 10 and a capable PC it'll look better too. I'm also banking on the idea that many of Irrational's fans are going to go out and get this game on the PC simply because it's an Irrational game, and they would have to be PC gamers to be Irrational fans. I know that personally, even if this game hadn't been hyped at all, I'd still have been just as excited when I heard about it, because I know from PC games like System Shock 2 that these people know how to do A: a shooter with actual substance to it and, B: a PC shooter.

And why wouldn't a lot of people with gaming PC's spend time playing this? This is going to be an intelligent little game... I hope people don't expect that it'll be a simple run-and-shoot experience just because its coming out on the 360, and/or because the hype has made it a mainstream title. It'll be a fast-paced experience for sure, but make no mistake that dummies will be disappointed.

how did the PC and X360/PS3 versions of Oblivion sell ?? The console versions have huge starts but the PC version has shown great legs in the charts.

I have a feeling it'll sell better on PC.

My friend who has both PC and 360 has been asking himself which to buy it for, because it does seem geared for consoles....and it sounds like he's going to end up getting it for 360. But if he plays the PC demo, perhaps he'll change his mind...

I'm certainly getting it for PC, but I don't have a 360 anyway.

As long as they make a good profit on it so they can make more cutting edge games I'll be happy :)

Oblivion is one of those rare cases where the game can sell better than console versions because it was released on PC before consoles (at least pretty sure it was) and user created content makes that game better. Bioshock doesn't have either of those options to boost PC sales.

Another special case is UT3, it will sell much better on PC than the PS3. UT has a very large PC following and the user created content and creating that content is what drives almost all the sales of that game. While Irrational does have a PC following, that following isn't going to be big enough to boost sales and once again, Bioshock isn't a game where user created content is going to sell it.

@twesterm... bioshock is the sister/brother of system shock also yeah it has it's origin on PC like oblivion....

but I'm not sure it will be that much better on PC.... I mean it's already really high quality on XB.... the graphical result won't be really noticeable in my opinion.... and for the gameplay we have to see how they adapted it for PC because on XB it's really well done...
now for the sales result I don't know.... but I hardly think the quality difference will be the issue... it's more going to be up to people taste do they prefer to play it with the pad in living room or on the PC at their desk... me I prefer my couch so it's going to be XB

@twesterm - So your argument is that unless the PC version of a game either comes out first or can be modded, the console version will almost always out-sell it? But with Bioshock, note that we're not talking about a game that has the console version coming out well before the PC version. They're both being released simultaneously, so neither version has the advantage you're talking about. No one will buy the console version just because they don't want to wait for the PC version. They don't have to wait - they can choose now.

As for modding, Bioshock runs off the Unreal Engine, one of the most popular and versatile engines as far as modding (you even point out UT3). I see no reason why Irrational wouldn't support modding for Bioshock (they have a history of rewarding their fans this way, like the multiplayer patch for SS2 which they made solely out of the goodness of their hearts), and I see no reason why fans would not take it up with a passion. I think you severely underestimate the cult-following that a game labeled "the spiritual successor to System Shock 2" already has. Not will have, but has now. And this should only grow once the game actually comes out.

I never guaranteed that the PC version will outsell the 360 version, but you are, in fact, guaranteeing the opposite...

That said, the zinger: Oblivion's PC and 360 versions were actually released on the same day. You may be right in the end, but I wouldn't be as sure as you are about it.

You will know if they are making profit on Bioshock if they announce a sequel to it in the coming years..

@endimion - The graphical improvements for the PC version will be nice, but not huge. However, the user interface for the PC version will be far superior, and that's the major factor I'm talking about.

http://www.2kgames.com/cultofrapture/pcblowout.html

The podcast is rather long, but a few pieces of info in there make it clear that the PC version is not an afterthought or a port, but is in fact a re-working of the game controls/performance at every point during production. That is to say, the control scheme is not simply modified to fit the PC, but is in fact "built from the ground up" to use the PC controls to their full potential, which makes for a better game. In this sense, the PC version should feel more like the "intended" version of the game, rather than an adaptation of the 360 version.