Rethinking Consoles?

#1 whoever said consoles weren't the way to go? Developing on them is easier due to standardized hardware, and the games tend to be better. I definitely wanna go console one day.

#2 Despite the sales drop the PC sales still made (net) more money than the previous years though.

Watch whos statistics you believe...

#3 Ah.. so they've sold less games, but now they're charging more for them? Good work, industry!

#4 I think, that people simply have bought more mainstream "big" titles which are more expensive.

so, they basically have avoided middle and low price offers (minus 5 percent sales), but instead have bought "big titles" (more expensive - bigger income).

but yeah, actually some games have had rather high price tag lately...

#5 Consoles are a golden goose that will quickly be killed.

All the companies that make mediocre PC games will switch to making mediocre console games instead. Clones, bugs and shovelware will become commonplace, and suddenly console game sales will "mysteriously" be down.

Hardware compatibility is a giant crutch for the PC games industry. Everything is blamed on hardware problems. Shipped a game without half the features you promised? Damn you PC hardware! Make a game devoid of content? PC hardware strikes again! Create yet another RTS or FPS clone? PC hardware is to blame, right?

The funny thing is, when PC game companies switch to consoles, their console games are just as bad. I've been a console game player for a long time and have learned that former PC game makers generally make terrible console games.

Part of what has made console games appealing is product diversity and a high ratio of decent titles to shovelware. In the days of NES chances are if you bought a random NES game it was going to be pretty fun. As more people jump on board quality will only decrease, especially if the main reason they are jumping on board is financial.

#6 the PC platform offers more control options, a keyboard, and an internet connection. because of this, computer games have generally been more complex and more in-depth than console games.

so why are the console sales growing and PC sales shrinking ? here's my thoughts.

1. PC games have been suffering from a slew of highly derivative, uncreative releases recently.

2. there are new consoles on the market and everyone is scrambling to make money off of them before they become obsolete.

and

3. Microsoft has used their illegally-generated revenues to steal PC games and developers away from the PC platform in order to create SKUs in their money-losing quest to try to dominate the console gaming industry.

the console industry is a hideous bitch-goddess. in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this particular MS venture is one of the final nails in its coffin. all it would take is a mass-produced $49.95 Linux conversion kit, and everyone will buy the consoles (below cost, mind you), and convert them into Linux computers, complete with hard drive and TV-out.

#7 You really believe that consoles are gonna die out? I don't quite understand your reasoning here. I never blame PC hardware for the crappy games that come out, but the fact that all consoles have the same hardware makes it possible for the developers to know exactly what the game will look like and play like for all of their customers, and this helps them get the most out of the machine. Also, because the big companies like Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft must authorize every game that graces their console, it attracts the games that have a bigger budget which generally (not always) leads to more quality. Console games aren't going anywhere...but neither are PC games.

#8 Well, there is always going to be room for both.

In my experience, Console games aren't as mentally challenging as PC games (usually).

Some games (like say Warcraft III) confuse the hell out my friends who only play consoles.

#9 Should try ICO on PS2. Nice puzzle/adventure game.

#10 sorry for my vague wording. by "its coffin", I meant Microsoft's funeral, not the console industry. the video game console industry always has a market, but by its nature timing is everything... Atari, Coleco, and more recently Sega... and possibly even Nintendo too, all know this lesson.

the PC platform should by all accounts be the #1 market for games, because players can upgrade bits of their computer while they can't do the same to their console systems.

but then again.. with PC video cards now outpricing consoles, maybe this line of reasoning is all up in the air right now. and with USB on the recent machines, it might be only a matter of time before the complexity of platform games catch-up to the PC...