PC Gaming Not Dead - PS3 Won't Break Even

[JayVe]

Gamasutra reports (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=20875) that market research shows Sony is unlikely to 'break even' on production losses due to the PS3, and paints a rosy picture for the future of PC gaming. A device more regularly considered "doomed" is the PC, and on that Meloni had a far sunnier prognosis. While "other research companies" may claim the PC is dying, that's because they "rely on retail numbers."

"The PC has moved much faster to online and digital distribution methods that they aren’t tracking," she said, arguing that the PC market actually continues to grow at pace with the increase in the distribution of PC hardware.

[Gorvi]

Hooray analysts!

[Cyndair]

I own a PS3 and a PC. I'm glad to hear that at least one of them isn't going to die or be a complete failure. I have no games to play right now.

Sarcasm aside, I agree wholeheartedly with the digital distribution thing. The PC market looks a lot worse than it really is. Go Steam go!

[boratika]

Hooray analysts!

Nintendo's Revolution will be its last console, it's a two-horse race right now.

[Telefrog]

Sarcasm aside, I agree wholeheartedly with the digital distribution thing. The PC market looks a lot worse than it really is. Go Steam go!

Am I the only one that thinks it's a bad thing that everyone seems good and ready to hand all of PC gaming over to one company? :(

Don't get me wrong. I like Steam and I really like Valve, but it just seems weird that everyone is so fired up to let Valve take over the whole of PC gaming distribution. They haven't done anything to "betray" gamers yet, but I can easily see how any one company holding the reins of the industry might change given enough control.

[KingGorilla]

Oh, is it THAT time of year again? Let me get my veil and dig a grave.

[hunterx280]

Am I the only one that thinks it's a bad thing that everyone seems good and ready to hand all of PC gaming over to one company? :(

Don't get me wrong. I like Steam and I really like Valve, but it just seems weird that everyone is so fired up to let Valve take over the whole of PC gaming distribution. They haven't done anything to "betray" gamers yet, but I can easily see how any one company holding the reins of the industry might change given enough control.

I love Steam and all but I wouldn't want to see them as the only digital distribution platform. They have some problems when it comes to AAA titles that aren't their own. Take Fallout 3 for example. It came out and there was no pre-load. The servers were overloaded because Valve just couldn't meet the demand. We need other services out there to keep each other competitive.

[Dukefrukem]

I own a PS3 and a PC. I'm glad to hear that at least one of them isn't going to die or be a complete failure. I have no games to play right now.

Sarcasm aside, I agree wholeheartedly with the digital distribution thing. The PC market looks a lot worse than it really is. Go Steam go!

insert LOL smilie here

[Purple Santa]

Oh, is it THAT time of year again? Let me get my veil and dig a grave.

Don't forget the wooden box and cover the mirrors...

[Hotcod]

I love Steam and all but I wouldn't want to see them as the only digital distribution platform. They have some problems when it comes to AAA titles that aren't their own. Take Fallout 3 for example. It came out and there was no pre-load. The servers were overloaded because Valve just couldn't meet the demand. We need other services out there to keep each other competitive.

None of which are valves fault. I have no real idea of who handles the main servers for 3rd party games but the publisher is no doubt paying some form of cost on them and as such are (unlike valve) not always willing to dump a load of money on server costs to cover something they don't see as the main source of distribution. On top of that it won't be up to valve if a game is preloaded or not and 3rd party publishers are probably a bit jumpy about having the full game files (even encrypted) out and about before the game is and again it will be a matter of cost.

All DD platforms with major 3rd party title will have these same problems until DD become the main way PC games are brought at which point we'll no doubt see more and more publishers doing there own set up and some others that will try and compete with steam. Which is a good thing given that it will help drive price down in the market and sort out a lot of issue.

The thing is that at the moment steam is vastly important. people who are raving about it are not saying we should had all DD over to valve but just that what they are doing has merit. The more successful steam dose at DD the better for every one at this point. I mean while i don't doubt that steam will hold on to it's place as a mainstay in the market what ever happens... it will have much the same head start as itunes did over every one else... we still really really really do need goood competition in the long.

So the point i'm making? no one is saying hand everything over to valve but it's going to be up to valve to prove this model works... and that a lot of the problems with 3rd parties are due to 3rd parties them selfs and the fact that DD is new.

[JayVe]

Isn't Stardock offering a decently fair digital distribution channel (http://www.impulsedriven.com/)?

[violent]

Console gaming is dying. With the Wii on top, the PS3's lackluster performance in the States and the 360 becoming the new "mom" device, we're all screwed.

[Hotcod]

yes, there's also green house and direct to drive... but impulse is with out any kind of DRM system and as such it's never going to gain mainstream traction sadly. It's mostly being used for smaller games, stardocks own games, and there main things of random window aps. It's also very very new.

There are lots of new one showing up but in big 3rd party terms there really is only direct to drive and steam... game tap too come to think of it... and out of all of them steam seems to easily be the most used. The fact that major 3rd party games such as empire total war are starting to use valves steamworks is also a rather interesting development.

The market is starting to take off for DD but steam is by far the most advanced and high profile and in terms of DD being the main way of buying games for the PC in the future it's really is the most important of any of the current systems.

[KingGorilla]

GOG also. Look all media will go no DRM eventually. The elimination of that overhead alone will save the comapnies millions on each project. And the sales of games overall would probably go up. In particular as more things evolve to. A free-mium model. There is cable content, for free on Hulu, for example. That is ad supported premium content.

I do not see protection like registration or authentication leaving big ticket items like software suites. But the cost of fighting the losing and failed battle against piracy is too high to continue. And the casualties that are lost in the shape os paying customers is too high.

Just another bewildering quagmire that games seem to be stuck in as old media blows past them in the fast lane.