hmm to lend credence to the op's post, all he said is true! the recent games that have come out are mostly console limited. you dont need to have a powerful pc for gaming;you got customizable advanced options (to tone down settings if you cant play it), its just that pc games are being dumbed down to accomodate consoles of late. hence the pc community will see it as a step back for games development and are wondering why consoles and pc game dev paths cant be separate? so that games dont have to be dumbed down

hmm to lend credence to the op's post, all he said is true! the recent games that have come out are mostly console limited. you dont need to have a powerful pc for gaming;you got customizable advanced options (to tone down settings if you cant play it), its just that pc games are being dumbed down to accomodate consoles of late. hence the pc community will see it as a step back for games development and are wondering why consoles and pc game dev paths cant be separate? so that games dont have to be dumbed down

While a good point, I don't think it's possible anymore... at least not for FPSs.... and maybe even then it's now failing.

A good warning claxon was Unreal Tournament 3. I've seen in the same breath of a review how the game was epic and awesome... on consoles... but STATUS QUO on PC. And it's not like the game was any different. We just have had so many games just like it. Rather then try to reinvent the franchise and maybe the genre like it so desparately needs, companies that focus on it found themselves NEEDING the consoles, who haven't had the genre for decades, in order to keep releasing the same kind of games profitably. THIS is why we see so many companies leave PC for console... they don't want to make something new and risking with the huge blockbuster budget.

But the other shoe is falling... as basically every game becomes more and more CoDified, the ganre of FPS is going to bore people outside of the CoD fan who buys it every year.... leaving all those other companies to have to make something new finally or die... platform regardless.

This is also part of why we see so many trying to say "we love you too, PC" now that the cash ride is dwindling/ending.

Well one thing's for sure it's definitely damn impossible to play an RTS on a console (I think)

@OP
This games was developed for consoles then released for PC. It was not originally designed for PC. If the former were true, then the original game (before a patch) would not have a start screen telling me to push start to continue (the start screen wouldn't exist!) nor would I have the gamma adjustment telling me to adjust me TV showing up either. No, Crytek lied through their teeth on this one and they will pay for it with pirating and drop in PC sales for their next venture
Also you can build a good gaming system for $600 bucks easy. $1500 bucks woud get your a really nice gaming system but not necessary.

Also, someone mentioned that developers are moving to consoles because they can rehash the same games on consoles because its cheaper and easier then to make a big block buster game. While this may be true, you also do not need a massive buget to make a really good game.
I'm playing a game called Magicka on Steam. It is a top down RPG (sorta) tongue-in-cheek adventure game that has some of the best game play I havn't seen in a long while. It is a $10 Indie game (a decent demo is avalible on Steam to give you an idea of what the game is like) and they don't have anything close do the budget of Crytek and yet its more fun then their (Crytek's) $60 dollar port.
Where Crytek dropped the ball was to drop below their own standard (Crysis) with the budget exceeding Indie devs, created a sub-par 'meh' type of shooter just to get into the console market.

PC gameing is not dying, just different developers will end up picking up the slack that the once "great" ones dropped it.

I read these post this morning and googled around to find out what the facts where about pc gaming vs console. There are a few graphs about that show PC Game sales vs Console games and I was sorry to see that these show PC Game sales dropping considerably. However the most up to date graph I found was up to end of 2008. So wether or not this has changed since I do not know.

When I go into town and visit the gaming shops such as Game etc I am always disappointed to see only a small corner of the shop dedicated to PC games whilst console games take up more space and are at the front of the shop with a lot more titles. Granted there is more than one console but look at the prices of these console games! No wonder PC games are at the back and are dwindling. Not only are the developers making more money but so are the game stores and I think the latter are also to blame for promoting console games over PC. We do have Steam which I believe is a major source for PC games.

Whilst looking around on the inernet I found this post on a site by a guy called Dragoncyber which summed it up for me: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/100057-25-console-losing

Does anyone have any hard facts they can post for this debate?

These are the global figures for console sales (cannot put a figure on PCs obviously)

1.Wii – 84.64 million as of 31 December 2010
2.Xbox 360 – 50 million as of 6 January 2011
3.PlayStation 3 – 47.9 million as of 31 December 2010

Now before any flaming begins, I enjoy Crysis 2 very much.

However, I regret buying it for PC, as there is virtually nothing that sets it apart from a console release. Now I wont use the term "port", because its not. It was developed ON PC, but also developed to run on consoles.

I cant blame Crytek for their decision to cater more to their console audience, since that is where the money is. But the harsh reality has finally hit me that VG devs are bound to abandon the PC scene, for the simple reason that they want the money. We see it here with Crytek, it is somewhat seen with Valve (Gabe's change of heart toward PS3), and I dread what is to come.

There were two games that initally lured me into the PC gaming scene and inspired me to build my own PC: Crysis and Battlefield 2142. Those games were made specifically for PC, surpassing all of the limitations of console. However now that I see Crytek is following the golden carrot, the future is looking bleak. If this trend continues, the only thing that will set my PC apart from a console is a controller and about 1500$.

My last hope is that Battlefield 3 wont succumb to the console scene, as I thought the franchise had done with the release of Battlefield: Bad Company 1.

Phew. /rant

EDIT: Okay, allow me to rephrase "PC Gaming" in general to "PC FPS Gaming"

Blame hacking.

I read these post this morning and googled around to find out what the facts where about pc gaming vs console. There are a few graphs about that show PC Game sales vs Console games and I was sorry to see that these show PC Game sales dropping considerably. However the most up to date graph I found was up to end of 2008. So wether or not this has changed since I do not know.

When I go into town and visit the gaming shops such as Game etc I am always disappointed to see only a small corner of the shop dedicated to PC games whilst console games take up more space and are at the front of the shop with a lot more titles. Granted there is more than one console but look at the prices of these console games! No wonder PC games are at the back and are dwindling. Not only are the developers making more money but so are the game stores and I think the latter are also to blame for promoting console games over PC. We do have Steam which I believe is a major source for PC games.

Whilst looking around on the inernet I found this post on a site by a guy called Dragoncyber which summed it up for me: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/100057-25-console-losing

Does anyone have any hard facts they can post for this debate?

These are the global figures for console sales (cannot put a figure on PCs obviously)

1.Wii – 84.64 million as of 31 December 2010
2.Xbox 360 – 50 million as of 6 January 2011
3.PlayStation 3 – 47.9 million as of 31 December 2010

Just something for you to consider. PC games don't have a large section anymore because a lot of PC sales go on now via downloads. Steam and D2D are just a few examples. EA has its own DL sight. Heck even some of the more obscure developers now have the option to downlod the games. So don't let the store selections make you think there isn't much for PC gaming anymore. As for numbers I do not have them however I have read several articles stating tha PC gaming is on the rise. It is only a matter of time.

Blame hacking.

Yeah because consoles are immune to that... >.>

There is a circle of life within gaming. When consoles can no longer power games or those games are not getting any better in inovation or graphics, the PC market grows once more. The current gen consoles have been out a while now, in a year or two the PC market, as it already is will see a steady increase and developers will choose it as its main platform while the next gen consoles come out. Then this repeats.

The game companies go where the money is, they push gaming to compete with each other, but sadly when the console is in the spotlight it drags inovation down to a snail pace. Maybe next gen consoles will have upgradable hardware, like hardrives on the xbox. We see now that devs are DLC crazy in some cases, maybe sont and microsoft will buy into that.

None the less, in a dissertation I wrote recently on this subject, I predicted PC will reign supreme again before 2015 for a year or so, then we will see a massive boost in game quality. Dont hold me to it though, no telling what Microsoft and Sont are planning next. Although if they stick to they whole interactive gaming market with wii style gaming, PC may take a large share of gamers who arent interested in dancing around like a tit in front of a screen.

Aye, as PC gets more and more easy to use and compatible with other home entertainment stuff, and DD takes discs place, there's little point in selling hardware DRM for exclusive game titles that imitate PC games any more. Wii dominates video-game market because it can monopolize what consoles are really supposed to do, and PC will always remain for it's incontestable versatility.

I'm a PC gamer since the early 90s. I've never ran out of great titles to keep me busy, and sometimes I grab an old game I had stashed away and I play it again. Fun. Its versatility has no boundaries.

On the other hand, I just sold my ancient PS2 which I haven't used for years!!! I sold it to a friend who's PS2 died and he failed to make some of his PS2 games run on the PS3. They simply didn't work. The day he came to pick it up I fired up the very first Doom on my Win7 x64 PC and ran it flawlessly. On the same day I played Crysis 2, and successfully tried to run Total Annihilation (1998) and SimCity 4 (2003).

In summary:

I see Monkey Island!!!! Oh and there is Ultima and Duke Nukem 3D. Ahh those were the days...

"PC games don't have a large section anymore because a lot of PC sales go on now via downloads."

i can confirm that. Ive never bought a single boxed game (yea i was warez junkie). But on Steam ive got around 50 games, legaly buyed. No need of CD/DVD, great deals (-75% on AAA titles) no annoying DRM. Why should anyone be a pirate on PC? So most of the game sales are via Digital download, but sales statistics are not released. There are also rumors that Bad Company 2 sales were ennormous on PC compared to consoles (via digital download ofcourse), thats why DICE decided to make BC3 primary for PC.

OP here.

Now when I say "PC gaming is dying", Im not saying that people will stop playing on PC. Many of the commenters are on that tangent. What I mean is that the subtle perks that make me want to choose a game on PC over a console are dissapearing.

Looking back on this topic, I feel a bit naive thinking that PC gaming is dying, since (as some of you have said) other devs are coming in and developing little gems left and right. I suppose what I truly was striving to say is that PC-exclusive "Blockbuster" titles are growing more and more scarce.

Some people who say your platform (PC) is dying/weak because you havent got as many exclusives as we have.. are just little kiddies with no comprehension of the global electronic entertainment industry. On the PC its not like that one particular company is interested in having platform specific exclusives for it.. or caring for Pc games in any term. You know of course Sony wants to push the PS3 while Microsoft tries to push the 360... but the PC as a gaming platform has no real patron who is watching over it. Microsofts interest in the PC as a gaming platform is actually contrary to their interest in pushing their own gaming platform. The only companies left would be Nvidia, Intel and AMD... but their influences and interests in the Pc gaming sector are highly controversial.

I think its like it always was... Pc gaming will survive and there will be good shooters... just wait for new companies.
Remember: Developing for consoles is way more expensive than for PC. And some of the best and creative games ive played in 2010 were PC Indie releases to be honest. The consoles will take the million dollar budget casual games while the true creative development will remain on the Pc.

Just look at games like:
Minecraft
Amnesia the dark descent
The Ball
Cryostasis
Stalker
Torchlight
etc...

Or upcoming games like
Diablo 3
Black Mesa
Dear Esther ( the incredibly looking remake)
Shogun 2
Witcher 2: assasin of Kings
Warface
Ground Branch
etc..etc..

Yeah, just to parrot bigboulder. You will see new developers coming out with good PC games. Take a look at some of the Indie games. I've started to become more of a fan because that type of development has come out with some really awsome and fun titles.
Other developers will jump in to pick up the slack left by Crytek and other developers when it comes to a really good PC game that will have all of the classic PC perks.

I suppose what I truly was striving to say is that PC-exclusive "Blockbuster" titles are growing more and more scarce.

It's the "blockbusters" and popularity that destroy the great titles that became known for quality in the first place. All of my favorite game series started out from nothing and were gradually brought down to crappy spinoffs as they had to reach for wider audience and higher popularity, becoming burger entertainment instead of games made with love. This, or the studios died out with their boots on, becoming legends (still remembering some in tears). Either way.

Edit: But yeah, even Crytek came after "the golden age", and is an example of rise and fall of just another great studio.

PC FPS is dying? BF3, Portal 2, Boarderlands, TF2, Killing Floor, L4D2 etc all say no. All either PC exclusive or primary on PC, all well optimised and EXTREMELY popular on PC. Plus just check the RTS scene on PC, that's a genre the consoles cannot and will not even touch for as long as they use inferior game pad controllers. Supreme Commander thrives today, Dawn of War even more so, and Starcraft I/II are insanity popular.

Nah PC's not dead, we just don't buy in stores any more, we buy on Steam/digital/etailers Hence it looks like sales are bad.

"Blockbuster". its like soap operas, they have billions of viewers on earth, but that doesnt mean quality.

http://www.kotaku.com.au/2011/04/12-ways-consoles-are-hurting-pc-gaming/

Bingo!
Great article. Thank you!

I know the PC multi for Cry2 is already dying out. Barely 20 servers populated State side.

FPS on a controller... oh dear god spare me please!

PC is no place for greedy AAA publishers. Tripwire Interactive stated that they are in profit just by getting RO2 pre-orders. Companies like EA and Activision lack ethics and usually go for the cheapest route. They heavily rely on marketing to razzle dazzle 12 yr kids and xbox toting frat boy
d-bags.

Gimmick games like just dance and pokeman orgy(or whatever name) and zuma fitness(which overtook crysis 2 in retail sales) are
becoming more popular and are easier to produce. GOW3 might have kinect support and withing 2 years all console games will be filled with
gimmicks like wave to see another scripted sequence.

UDK and eventually CE3 dx11 enable sdk have $50,000 royalty free limit. Which is good enuf to attract good talent and develop on pc.
Look at RO2, and NS2. Great games developed by indie devs. We will go back to good old days where great games were developed in garages
like Doom, Quake and Serious Sam.

DICE also know that currently there is a vacuum left on PC market. Black ops and Crysis 2 are crap. If DICE makes a marginally makes a good
game it will capture whole of the pc market.

PC sku might sell less than consoles combined (even though counting DD it might be bigger), they still sell. Even if they sell 1 million copies, thats still lot of money. Everybody likes money.

I'm so glad I didn't buy it for console. Playing with controllers is for children. Not to mention no DX11 possibilities.

What a stupid comment.

What's really stupid is a comment with no logical reasoning whatsoever to back it up. e.g. "What a stupid comment."

Ask CDProjekt folks ( The Witcher ) if they need consoles players...

or arrowhead folks (Magicka)

Magicka is not an awesome game, at least not to my taste. However, it is definitely worth the 10$ or so, if not worth more than that in raw entertainment value. I'd like to see what they could come up with with a bigger budget/more people on their productions.