So, it's later than Nintendo, who's been dying way before that.

And what would this mystical problem be?  You say it needs adressing, but say not a word about what it actually IS.

From what I see PC gaming is becoming more popular. I've always played consoles but lately I find myself playing more and more on PC and neglecting my consoles. My friends who've owned consoles as well for several generations have already switched to PC only. I'm inclined to do the same, especially after the reveal of the lacking PS4 and Next XBox specs which are now basically low end laptops.

Wasn't in a decline but still believed to be in peril, it was believed that Arcades, home consoles, handhelds and fringe PC/console units such as the Amiga, which was pretty hot in Europe for a while, would take over the market and end the PC as a gaming platform, or at the very least leave it crippled. The arguments we see today are largely the same and the chances of PC gaming dying are also the same.

PC as a gaming platform is without a doubt the most adapted one and will always have the benefit of ease and simplicity of development as well extreme advantages in cost of distribution and development (doubly so since digital distribution is growing immensely on the PC). Nevermind the fact that it usually provides a superior gaming experience from a technical standpoint and has more connectivity, media capability and features than anything else on the market and still remains, and will remain, the primary development tool for everything software related.

Piracy.  In the late 1990's and early in the 2000's piracy of game software was a major issue and driver to developing for consoles rather than PCs.  It's still a reason why developers work on the console rather than PC or move to the console.  It's been stated by several developers over the course of the decade and a half. 

I didn't say a word about because I figured the average person on this site was educated and well read.

With all due respect, what?  No, in  the early 1990's PC gaming was actually very strong.  I was a part of it.  Don't confuse mergers and aquisitions with decline, many of those happened with some of the most successful companies.  There were some challenges that developers face, especially in 1995 when Windows 95 was released, but PC gaming continued to thrive.  The problem began with the advent of cheap CD-R/RW burners, then high-speed Warez Internet sites.

By no means am I suggesting PC gaming is dead.  However, the growth rate experienced in the late 1980s and early 1990s won't exist with current PCs.  Until developers have a 100% piracy proof solution.

In terms of the Amiga, in the time period I'm referring to it wasn't even a factor.  Not in the US Market.  Sony and Nintendo during the late 1990's combined for more than 50% of the video game industry in the US.  As well, Sony, Nintendo, and SEGA combined for the majority of gaming hardware, which included PCs.  That doesn't leave much room for other players if Sony owns 50% of the software market, and combined the three console makers of the era account for 50% of hardware sales. 

The early 2000's saw one of the largest vaccuums of gaming software on the PC.  RTS games all but died.  LucasArts had maybe one or two titles in the first half of the decade.  The projected growth for development of gaming software going into the decade was only 1%, with most of that switching to consoles there just wasn't a lot of growth happening in PCs.

That vaccuum did give small studios room to start working on games, but most of those either have folded or been bought up by now.  Only a few like Crytek still exist independently.  Though, there has been so much consolidation in the industry that few studios that existed in 1999 still exist as independents today.

But Piracy!!

The average person also knows that piracy is alive and kicking a lot of ass on the other platforms as well, from phones to consoles. As such, it's not a problem of the PC, but a problem of gaming in general. The XBox 360 for example was cracked very shortly after it launched. It's noone's fault but your own that your post was vague to the point of seemingly intentional parody.

The modding of a console is a pretty simple thing really that can be done without much effort and with a really low cost. It'll play pirated games just as well and I have known people who played a lot of stuff on theirs PS3s, rolled back the console and then basically uploaded all their trophies to their PSN account.

The jape was rather weak honestly, maybe next time.

Returning to your original post: "Pc gaming coming back"...I was not aware it had gone anywhere. Most big releases of this generation have come to the PC, with a few notable exceptions - Red Dead Redemption being one - and the platform has seen nothing but growth lately. Yes, developers have gone under, but that has been in the light of a global problem, with both PC centric developers disappearing, as well as console centric ones. 

Who said that? Seriously, I haven't seen anyone say PC gaming is dead/dying these past few years. This thread is 5 years too late.

Actually what spurred this thread was a quote from a developer regarding the PS4 and the future of the PC. I can't manage to find the topic right now, but it's one from today.