Is the PC gaming scene dying? When it comes to gaming, I think PC gaming needs a drastic change in direction if it wants to fully compete with consoles. Although I agree that mouse beats controller, that gap may be getting smaller. Say what you want about games like Halo, Gears of War and Resistance, their popularity shows that most people don't mind playing FPS with a controller.

The reason I don't do more PC gaming is because the costs are simply too prohibitive. A 500-600 dollar console lasts around five years, and, in that time, you have to upgrade your video card twice, maybe get more ram, and possibly a bigger hard drive. That's nearly twice what a console costs.

PC is generations ahead of consoles. Every time new game console come out, there is the question as to whether the PC is going to die. The answer is always no. Look at Crysis for example, shits all over anything seen on the 360 or PS3.

PC gaming is more expensive than consoles however, but then again it has always been like this.

Also there are some changes coming to PC gaming scene, you've got this is "Games for Windows" brand, to sit along side your standard Xbox/PS/Nintendo games, and then there is Microsoft's attempt to connect their Live service to the PC, with Achievement points and what not in PC games, tied to the same Live Account you have on your 360. Interesting developments there.

And then you have top selling games like WoW Burning Crusade, it shows you the PC gaming scene isnt dying at all. I'm not a core PC gamer, I only have very few PC games myself, so I'm probably not the best person to provide examples as to why PC gaming is great, but I can certainly see that it's not "dying".

I am pretty sure I won't be able to play Crysis at a setting that looks better than the next gen consoles - unless I spend $400 for a new video card and $150 for another stick of ram. I am starting to think whether $550 upgrade (every 2 years) for a few games is worth it. & I dont think it really "shits" on everything.

WoW is an exception, it has taken around 8 million souls, I really don't look at that as a game anymore. It's a damn drug but yeah a money maker.

Is PC gaming dead?

Two franshises say a resounding NO;
The Sims, and World of Warcraft.
The MMO games like WoW are taking over, and the PC is still the most viable platform for them.

The PC won't die for at least another 15 years, and even then, it won't have been the PC that's died, it'll be that the consoles have evolved into cheaper PCs.

Like Borg said, this comes up all the time, and is time and time again proven wrong.

Where's Prez? I'm sure he'll be able to mount a pressing case. :P

This is an interesting point, the fact that consoles are turning into PC's so to speak even more so suggests that the PC is not going to die, but is instead getting stronger. Though I suppose using the same situation you could argue that consoles turning into PC's, makes the benefits of PC's redundant? Not my thoughts, just throwing the alternative.

And yes, I’m sure Elprez would make a strong post in favour of the PC ;)

Working at GAMEHEAD I see all the trends - there's certainly no slacking off in the PC market at all and also no dip in the popularity of our EVGA cards and motherboards. PC gaming isn't going to be dying any time soon, particularly not with the extreme parralellism and a whole new generation of visuals just around the corner (as much as I wish visuals didn't matter in the market sometimes, they really do).

I agree that what we're most likely to see is a merging of our home computers and consoles to create a much more convergent technology, but the fact is, PC's are in use for a lot of things beside games, so what we seem most likely to see to me is greater standardization and compatbility in the PC market, leading to PC releases roughly equivalent to generations of consoles with all the gradual improvements entailed, rather than consoles simply taking on the role of PC's.

No matter how good a PC game is and how much you have to upgrade for it, I challenge anyone to have as much fun playing a PC game as a 4 player game of Mashed on PS2 (more examples etc.). Console gaming is more sociable, and PC gaming does have a stigma attached to it, that I was once prey to. I have now learned but I still feel Console gaming is better simply due to the interaction with your friends. Single player games are a lot more focused on PC though so I feel they are better. But no PC multiplayer will touch console multiplayer gaming ever.

It isn't that PC gaming is dying, just the console gaming is become exponentially more popular.

This is no new thing but it will never reach the stage where the PC is dumped as a platform. There are too many genres where consoles simply can't compete such as RTS games and to a lesser degree shooters.

Eventually a base PC will produce graphics significantly better than the current gen of consoles and this question will fade then the next consoles will come out and it will start up again. Just like it always has and always will.

Whether you like it or not, the increasing popularity of the console FPS will eventually make gamepads an acceptable way to play these types of games. Eventually a lot of FPS fans will look at the price tag and start wondering whether it makes sense to upgrade a PC or buy a new console.

Sure, PC is, and will always be more powerful than the consoles. But we have come to the point where the superiority of the PC is not as big a factor as before.

What we are experiencing now is no different to what we experienced with the last generation of consoles.

I will agree there is a convergence of function which is making it harder in the eyes of the average consumer to deliniate the platforms but it isn't enough for the PC to fall by the wayside.

Regarding the FPS I agree that consoles are increasingly becoming more viable for the genre but I do not see the PC being considered as less viable.

The big name FPS titles are still PC only. Big FPS makers like Epic have often stated that you can't just make a PC FPS and put it on console. Look at how they ended up tackling Unreal Tournament 2 after the attempt to wholesale port over UT2003 with the first game.

Battlefield 2 Modern Combat never came close to experiencing the success of its PC brethren. There is no Counterstrike equivalent for consoles (in terms of popularity, not game mechanic), etc, etc.

PC Gaming will never die.

It's always upgrading, and always for the better. It's easier to obtain patches, fixes and other things to improve your gaming experience.

Not to mention modifications. We're talking complete remakes, custom models / skins / weapons / maps etc. The list goes on. Games such as Unreal Tournament 2004, Oblivion and even Grand Theft Auto shine in this genre. Alot.

It is more suitable for FPS, RTS, TBS and a lot of games often involving selecting a lot at once, and precision. We all know how Age of Empires II on Ps2 turned out. >_>

In order to use an analogy (which will be picked apart, debunked and then have the semantics argued over), Consoles are the Mazda MX-5 (fun, cruisy, social) to the PC's mod scene with turbo's, superchargers, huge exhausts etc (a hardcore group of people obsessed with their equipment, and where innovation can sometimes flourish... like the clear brakelights that are now staples of Lexus and Mazda brands)

PC and Console gaming isn't exclusive to one another any more either. I know many who own both types, but they gravitate towards one or the other as their preference or how their mood suits.

I will never imagine people sitting in front of their TV, banging out a word document, or monitoring their budgets... its much more fashionable these days to do that on a laptop, with a latte in one hand....

It's true that consoles can be social (i loved mashed on PS2, as well as Worms World Party and Bishi Bashi on PSX), but I don't think PC gaming will lose out... or even "win". The two will continue in their symbiotic relationship, with consoles leaping up the ladder with the PC forever constantly climbing it at the same pace.

Alot of you are defensive because computers are a large part of our lives. Most of us work with computers and have a general obsession. Plus you figure you everyone here has a PC or else they wouldn't be on evo posting, right? It's just it feels like ALOT of people are leaving the PC whilst knowing that it subjectively is a better platform. Such a great platform is being overlooked because people are lazy and just want to be couch potatoes. Y'know watch some 24, jump onto the console and order in take out!

I don't think I'm being defensive at all. The magazine I write for (PC Powerplay - BTW Estapol gets a mention for AF this issue :P) is one of the highest selling men's interest magazines in the country.

PC interest is still there. I'm not worried, nor would it affect me much. I'm a multiplatform gamer as you can see by my sig.

We need that work that can be found only in the frustration of downloading 300 patches to make a game run with our obscure, barely compatible hardware or we'll wind up obese!

Nah, I jest - except for maybe the DS, I've spent far more time on the PC lately than anywhere else.

I know some people who have spent more on consoles than almost anyone would spend on a computer. If anything console gamers are becoming just as if not more hardcore gamers.