PC gaming is not dead though, just look at how many people play world of warcrack.

It’s a figure of speech. And I agree with the author, these aren’t features available to the majority of console games. But at some point in the future, I think the aspects that made PC gaming great (the social aspect) will be made available on titles on the Xbox and PS3. Dedicated servers for example make social gaming a breeze – more players and a common location! Great article btw.

The ‘major companies’ of which you speak do not represent gaming as a whole though. Of course the developers owned or subsidised by Sony and Microsoft are making games for Sony and Microsoft’s consoles. But that has nothing directly to do with the state of PC gaming.

Nobody can be bothered to make PC games anymore? This is nonsense in my opinion – there are more games being released of a greater variety than ever before on the PC.

I think you will find that to say that ‘consoles don’t need mods’ is a little….foolish. There are more games released on the PC than on the PS3 or 360. Secondly, a mod is not a hack; many games come with modding tools supplied by the developer, and some games are scpecifically designed with the modding community in mind.

Yes, consoles offer a better experience for gaming right out of the box. They’re designed entirely around that concept. With us, the ore dedicated pc users we can get to console level or beyond with our pc’s, but we can’t act as if Steam, our equivalent to Live is synonymous with pc gaming. Most people havn’t heard of it and the interface could really stand to be tweaked. Maybe it would explode in growth if Valve struck a few deals with having Steam pre-installed on more pc’s being sold.

Having more games autoconfigure themselves based upon the pc’s ability would go a long way also. I’ve introduced a few people with decent pc’s to Steam and some of them didn’t understand the basic view or what a resolution is for. People just want to play. Get them into the game as quickly as possible, then let the ones who want more make changes. That and I’m tired of configuring new games I buy. Maybe I can create a base settings I’d like for my pc for every game I play, make it simpler Valve, we is somes lazies peoplez here.

Nintedo, Sony, and Microsft advertise the heck out of their platforms to whichever crowd or part of the market they want. Could you imagine what would happen if one of them built a “Virtual Console” for pc that only required people to attach their controller and a “tv kit” so that anyone who couldn’t afford the hardware could play the games? They’d still offer a dedicated system, but I could see something like exploding the size of their market. They’d be striking straight at facebook users and many other people.

There are also other things to take into consideration. Like localization. If you are creating a game for a global launch not only do developers have to meet the qualifications of their publisher but they must also meet the qualifications of Sony and MS. Another hoop to jump through.

PC games will always be cheaper to produce than console games because of the above issue because it takes more money and more time to develop. Piracy unfortunately is always a problem and I don’t blame developers for wanting to make money on their hard work.

I actually think PC games maybe making a come back. Moores law is no longer in effect for PC’s which will give developers longer development time on the PC platform allowing for better more polished games.

@selits
@mike
When I said that mod support, dedicated servers etc were alien words to any console owner, I did not mean it literally. Of course there will be some who have both a PC and a PS3/360 and will know exactly what those words mean. What I meant by that statement is that consoles have never had mod support or dedicated servers.

@Kutocer
I was only listing a few of the great PC game developers, of course DICE would be on there if I were making a comprehensive list, along with many others. And I doubt IW will back down now. But if they do, kudos to you for seeing into the future.

“Dedicated servers, mod support, LAN games? Alien words to any console owner.”
Not at all. Many PS3 games run on dedicated servers, many consoles have supported system link cables, and as for mods, consoles don’t need them. Unlike the PC, there are enough new games constantly releasing on consoles that people don’t need to go back and hack their old ones in a desperate attempt to squeeze a few more hours of play out of them.

This is definitely not true.

It all depends from which angle you approach the subject. If you are talking about triple-A titles, often subsidised to encourage brand loyalty and hardware sales, then yes there is definitely a clearer route on the consoles. The big titles succeed on consoles because there is a captive audience with little real choice – no wonder the chosen developers love it. And no wonder the gaming media swallows the sales pitch whole.

But that isn’t because there is less money in PC gaming. It’s because the marketplace is so competitive. You are competing with the huge MMOs, the free-to-play games, the casual market, the stronger-than-ever indie market, the social networking sites and the ‘Second Life’s, the niche and specialist gaming communities, along with the hugely powerful back catalogue of the machine. And as a retail product you are competing with a slick digital download industry.

As gamers, why do we want the PC to just replicate what the consoles do anyway? The PC innovated most of the game styles that are popular on today’s consoles in the first place. And the PC market continues to innovate, offering a wider audience a wider variety of game than ever before.

The media will continue to peddle this myth about PC gaming for one reason alone. They are cosseted by the big console players, and attracted by a games industry they can understand, and scared of being thrown to the wolves of PC gaming, where the scale and variety of gaming on offer is bewildering.

And can I suggest instead of Diablo you play Torchlight – the Diablo-esque PC indie gem released today at a budget price.