The State of the PC

There's been an interesting ripple in the PC market. The latest news...PC gaming is dying! But wait, here's the rub...in the past, its been console junkies and adolescent ramblings making that statement. Now, the news is coming from the folks that actually make the PC games.

It all started when Chris Taylor at GDC made a speech about how piracy is killing the PC market. News was then followed by a THQ employee venting (Michael Fitch) not only the same thing about piracy, but cranked it up a notch and bitched about every single annoying variable he could think of. If the people making the games are complaining, then the outlook must be grim...right?

Well, in steps Doug Lombardi of Valve, who claims PC gaming is live and well, and Steam is doing better then ever. So we see complete opposite statements. So, which is it...Alive or Dead?

Well, looking deeper... both Chris and Michael were using similar games as examples. For Chris, it was Dungeon Siege...and Micheal used Titan Quest. Both games, were Diablo ripoffs. There I said it...Rip-offs. Okay, Diablo is technically Gauntlet, but it did bring the ARPG up to speed. So, really, PC gaming fans, simply need to shrug off this latest bullshit from guys that lack original contentual ideas.

Edit: While writing this, a new speaker sounds off, this time its Tim Sweeney of Epic. Again, harping the PC. But again, I look at his resume. Unreal...Unreal Tournament...um Unreal 2...Unreal Tournament 2...Um...Unreal...you get the point. Oh, they did have Gears of War...Which was crippled by Windows Live (later patched). Course, GoW was just Co-op Unreal. How about something new Tim before you go pointing fingers. Truth be told, its easier to tap a new market with the same shit...then to innovate for the old.

[EDIT 2] Ben Cousins of EA weighs in, supporting the PC climate. ...thinks console gaming is niche in comparison to the PC.

Now some facts pulled from the articles:

• PCs need to ship with decent (mid range) video drivers
• Laptops manufacturers need to allow 3rd party video driver support
• PCs need to break the 32bit software barrier
• PC games need to tap the dual/quad processor power
  
• Steam has 15 million accounts
• WoW has over 10 million paying subscribers
• PC indie titles are at a record high
• Casual games are at record highs
  
• NPD reports lack international, online, and monthly subscription sales
• Pirates hurt sales, but no more than any other media (books, movies, etc)
• Consoles have organized marketing
• Xbox, X360, and PS3 have not recovered costs
• Um...Starcraft hype?