I've noticed something interesting... Once upon a time, console games were the cheaper alternative to PC games. Now the industry has flip flopped. The next gen console games seem to be, on average, between $10 and $20 more expensive. What does that do to the developer? If that extra bit of revenue is trickling down to the dev, then it's got to be tempting to switch over to the console. If it isn't, where is that extra revenue going?
Another part of this is that, since gamers are willing to shell out the extra for console games, why hasn't the PC game publisher raised it's price to match? It's got to be tempting as in the end, this is still a business.
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the lower cost of PC games. However, if I was completely honest, I'd have to admit that I would be willing to pay more if the prices went up. Were the developers able to make more on thier investment, what would happen? Would it change the products? Would the number of releases increase due to parallel development? Bottom line, would it benefit the gamer to pay a little bit more?
ive been thinking of getting a 360, but i just can covince my self that i could find games i like and make gd use of them.
This is why I love PC gaming. I'd say console games are roughly 90% reflex based, whereas PC games are typically more cerebral. I like to think when I play, not just twiddle my thumbs.
Simple, they don't play them. I'm a firm believer in kids getting experience in life's unfairness. They're not quite old enough to really, really want the next-gen stuff, and once they are, they'll be just about old enough to go work for it anyway.
OMG! That's exactly what we started doing with our kids. Boys are much more likely to have behavioral problems at school when their brains are video game-addled. You're getting some good parent karma for that.
Smaller companies maybe. Larger ones no - they`d just endeavour to feed a larger bureaucracy. Think big, get bloated.
Shhh - don`t talk about being willing to pay more, they might hear you...
I like PC games more due to the fact that they ususally cost less up front, and seem to be on sale forever.
I never really got into console gaming until the PS2 with Gran Turismo and some other sports games. Around that time PC games and console games seemed to be around the same price. Although being in Canada all games are expensive
I do remember paying a lot of money to buy Sim City 2000 (around $80 cdn) at the time it came out and around the same for Railroad Tycoon 2. But then that was back in the day when PC games came in those huge boxes and had printed manuals and all that wonderful stuff. Now they come in this little tiny box with a PDF copy of the manual and the CD comes in a sleeve instead of a case. I'm not sure what the console games were going for at the time but I certainly hope they weren't that much.
I have a hard enough time even finding PC games in stores now. It seems shops like EB Games are getting out of the PC game business and selling all xbox 360, ps3, wii, etc. Then they leave a small rack in the back with a very limited selection of computer games. I guess I'll finally have to join the 21st century and start buying electronic copies of new games.
The great thing about digital distribution is that devs get more money, even if the game costs you less. If I buy Sins from Impulse for $30, Stardock keeps all the money. If I buy it from Target for $30, Stardock's cut is less. Even third-party devs selling through Steam and/or Impulse, probably get more $/copy, even after Valve and/or Stardock takes their cut. (This is based on various stuff I've read; Stardock and Steam are quiet about such matters.)Side note: Growing up, I played console and PC games. Console games were fun, but PC games like SimCity 2000, Caesar II, Civilization II, and Transport Tycoon taught me about complex systems (social, economic), how they function, and how they interact. Caesar II piqued my interest in ancient Rome; after playing SimCity 2000, I bought architecture books (if only to look at the pretty buildings). If I ever have kids, they'll play those types of games long before they play the latest Gears of Halo War Auto XXXXIV. I also have my original SimCity 2000 box with the receipt inside (from the now defunct Egghead Software)...got it for $60 in 1994. Will Wright generously autographed that damn box earlier this year. It's sad that PC games these days come in little DVD sleeves. Not even worth buying physical copies anymore, since the nice instruction manuals and tech trees, etc. are harder to find.
I bought Supreme Commander: Forged alliance off impulse because the CD version I bought was faulty. The download literally took hours. I started downloading before bed and left the computer running. In the morning it was almost done. I don't have anything against downloading games but I much perfer buying physical media. (And not only because I can buy $40.00 games for $1.50 on Amazon.com.)
Samurye.
Egghead's present incarnation. Only place I will buy computer hardware from, given a choice.
I actually work in the retail industry for Gamestop, and it's true. People don't really have a clue what they're talking about with PC gaming. Even trying to explain it is painful. If you ask them about their computers, 9 times out of 10 the answer is 'It's a Dell' or 'It's an HP'. For those that actually are familiar enough with the hardware to get going however, it's a very economical way to play. PC games are usually cheaper brand new, with better graphics and controls. (Dead Space - $60 on 360 and PS3, $50 on PC. Looks best and plays best on PC, when the money paid to purchase the PC was equivalent to one of the consoles. Note - I did build it myselef)
There are exceptions of course. GTA4 on PC? Disaster. Sports games? EA no longer makes them. I cherish and laud the values of companies such as Stardock which produce with the PC in mind. I spend more time playing a single computer game like GalCiv or Sins (and when it releases, likely Elemental) than I do with all my consoles combined.
...I do have a soft spot for my DS though.
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