234 replies to this topic

[DirtyHarry50]

Resistance is futile. You all will be assimilated.

Next gen 60 FPS 4K gaming on a $500. box will leave nothing left to hold you back. For many millions of gamers the current generation is already the way to play.

There is a reason Microsoft got into consoles and has created a path through the sea of weeds from windows to Xbox and gaming glory. It is the same reason that Gaben tried to create a Linux console. Too bad nobody wants a Linux console with a weird controller trying to run games made for a long in the tooth mouse & keyboard platform whose days are numbered.

Gaming should be enjoyed on a reasonably priced, easy to use console platform. Computing should be done on Apple computers and iOS devices. PC’s ain’t got no reason to live.

Embrace your future! The golden age of consumer electronics is upon us now!

I need to put together a “I’m a console. I’m a PC.” Television ad. Maybe that would help.

[Frost]

DirtyHarry50, on 18 May 2018 - 12:23 PM, said:

a long in the tooth mouse & keyboard platform whose days are numbered.

Gaming should be enjoyed on a reasonably priced, easy to use console platform. Computing should be done on Apple computers and iOS devices. PC's ain't got no reason to live.

Embrace your future! The golden age of consumer electronics is upon us now!

The problem is PC gaming has been on a massive uptick for most of the 8th generation of consoles, ergo the underlying basis of your assertion is false.  If you're going by market growth or decline, consoles are showing far more signs of being long in the tooth and on the way out than PC gaming. PS4 is doing well and will probably have outsold the PS3 in half the time by year's end, granted. But much as I may like the direction the X1 is currently going in, sales-wise it's half the PS4's numbers in the US and Canada and it's about dead in the water outside the US and Canada. The S/X overhaul hasn't really bucked the trend except around the initial launch.

I like the idea behind the X1X, enough to own one, but I'll also call a spade a spade.

[DirtyHarry50]

Well, I am kidding around about this stuff of course but I do wonder how sustainable PC gaming in its present form will be over time for various reasons including ones I kid about now. Time will tell but I wouldn’t argue that it’s going anywhere in the short term.

[Matt Diamond]

DirtyHarry50, on 18 May 2018 - 12:23 PM, said:

Gaming should be enjoyed on a reasonably priced, easy to use console platform.

I agree. There is NOTHING like playing a good game of Starcraft or Civilization on a console platform!

Literally, nothing like it!

[macdude22]

Matt Diamond, on 19 May 2018 - 09:56 PM, said:

I agree. There is NOTHING like playing a good game of Starcraft or Civilization on a console platform!

Literally, nothing like it!

Civilization Revolution was the best Civ game so 100% agree.

[Frost]

Civ: Rev was pretty darn fun, I'll give you that one. Enjoyed the heck out of it on my PS3.

[Matt Diamond]

macdude22, on 20 May 2018 - 12:11 PM, said:

Civilization Revolution was the best Civ game so 100% agree.

Probably more accurate to say you 50% agree. Or was there a console Starcraft I'm not aware of?

Not sure I'd go along with Civ Rev being the best version but your point is still valid.

I do think there are some games that work better on PC still. Maybe not so many, but its a feedback loop. Fewer PC-first games are made, so there are fewer reasons to buy a PC, and therefore less market for PC-first games.

[Janichsan]

Matt Diamond, on 20 May 2018 - 09:18 PM, said:

Probably more accurate to say you 50% agree. Or was there a console Starcraft I'm not aware of?

[DirtyHarry50]

I can see a PC as a retro gaming device. That’s why I pulled my 14 year old Compaq laptop running Windows XP out of the closet on a recent rainy day. It has StarCraft, Diablo II & Warcraft III Battle.net Editions installed. All run great. My motivation though was to play Icewind Dale II which is also installed on it.

The beauty of this old PC is the environment is perfect for old classics. The 15” screen looks good and is a 4:3 display, also perfect for old games.

I also have Myth II, AoE, AoE II & RoN installed with expansions. I even have NoLF & NoLF 2, Star Trek Elite Force I and II and lots more cool stuff on it. That’s all disc based stuff. Then there is all the GOG classics.

Amazingly, Steam still updates and works. Origin offered to install a legacy client with no store which I took them up on for my C & C Complete Collection. This system runs everything prior to the C & C 3 games fine. GOG is fine via the website. Even XP itself updated. That surprised me. Obviously, this system is not for Internet access save game downloads from the aforementioned clients and one website.

All this stuff along with a bunch of other classics from GOG lives on a 75 GB drive with 10 GB to spare.

So yeah, I like PC gaming too. It has its place still.

[DirtyHarry50]

I forgot to mention that every system has its awesome exclusives. I would agree PC remains the leading platform for in depth strategy titles but even there, a good deal more of that is making its way to consoles. By and large there is increasingly good coverage of all genres on consoles now.

I like the idea of an nVidia console streaming PC games. All we need are something like the old TV dinner stands for Bluetooth mice and keyboards. You can do this now with limitations, right? This might be the future of PC gaming. Turn it into  a dumb terminal console that is cheap, powerful and able to complete on its own merits. Better input controls need to be developed though. Playing games with a keyboard is a rather archaic way of doing things. You can have more inputs without going the same old route of a repurposed typewriter interface.

On the other hand, none of that may be necessary including the limitations of streaming games. Consider the very cool work Microsoft is doing with alternative input devices for consoles now to make gaming fun accessible to gamers with all manner of disabilities. That’s such a cool thing they are doing and the new input gear is going to bring a lot of joy to a very special and deserving audience. I am so impressed with the Xbox team for their outstanding work and leadership in this area.

[DirtyHarry50]

One last thing I was just thinking about. Backwards compatibility has been a huge success on the Xbox One. The data on playtime says it all. It would not surprise me to see a future Xbox boot a custom Windows environment to support a huge existing library of PC games with appropriate input accessories available. That may never happen but it could. I think Xbox sales would soar if they did this personally. At that point, there’s considerably less reason for all the other ways to get PC games on a living room television to exist. It’s also a killer way to compete with SONY.

As long as this remains as seamless as booting an OG Xbox or 360 environment on demand it really would be a killer feature. I have to think this idea is at least bounced around for the long term roadmap. This is an area in the consumer electronics space that Microsoft could really own and it’s one that Apple makes no effort to compete in whatsoever.

[DirtyHarry50]

Sorry! Too much coffee this morning I think. I forgot to mention earlier that Civilization Revolution is available on Xbox One as a BC title that I picked up a while back. I’m glad to hear you guys liked it. I am looking forward to it when I get around to it.

[ipickert55]

Holy crap Harry. Less sugar!

I still think PC gaming will have advantages that consoles don't speaking as someone who uses both and likes both. Power levels aside, the customization of PC games is always super nice, though this does bring a con of sometimes breaking the game too. There's also mods which although are present on console now, aren't really the same as they are on PC. I'm also a bit spoiled nowadays and just wanna have 60fps on everything too

[DirtyHarry50]

Yeah, PC gaming is cool in its own way for sure. For me it's really older games that I never got around to that make the idea of playing at a desk sometimes still appeal. There is a wealth of classic gaming that realistically will never be accessible any other way. For everything else new, I prefer my Xbox One now. I know it's a subjective call but I love how simple and affordable gaming this way is and I have come to really like the experience vs parking myself at a desk.

I kid about this stuff sometimes just for fun but I don't care who does what. When everyone is having a good time doing the same stuff it doesn't matter if we use different hardware. Who cares? It's about having fun. So whatever works is good.

[Ichigo27]

What about dreams on the ps4? Isn't there a beta out for it right now?