PC gaming dead, for real this time?
01-28-07, 12:16 PM
#51
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Originally Posted by Vandelay_Inds
And I wouldn't even know either how to add more RAM or replace the video card. 
RAM is as simple as snapping it in, and Video Card is pretty much just as easy though their may be a driver to install and/or firmware updates.
01-28-07, 01:17 PM
#52
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Originally Posted by Vandelay_Inds
If all you play are FPS and RTS, sure. For everything else, it sucks.
Originally Posted by Vandelay_Inds
And even then, while the mouse is indeed great for FPS, being forced to use the keyboard as well kills any of its advantage. Maybe if they came up with a joystick to use with your left hand while you aimed with the mouse on the other...
01-28-07, 02:01 PM
#53
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Originally Posted by Vandelay_Inds
If all you play are FPS and RTS, sure. For everything else, it sucks. And even then, while the mouse is indeed great for FPS, being forced to use the keyboard as well kills any of its advantage. Maybe if they came up with a joystick to use with your left hand while you aimed with the mouse on the other...
I play all my FPS games with a joystick for my right hand to move/shoot and a trackball for my left hand to aim.
01-28-07, 02:56 PM
#55
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Yes, sadly, PC games are dead:
http://www.blizzard.com/press/070123.shtml
WORLD OF WARCRAFT:® THE BURNING CRUSADE™
SHATTERS DAY-1 SALES RECORD
IRVINE, Calif. - January 23, 2007 - Blizzard Entertainment® today announced that World of Warcraft®: The Burning Crusade™ has broken the day-one sales record to become the fastest-selling PC game ever in North America and Europe, with a worldwide total of nearly 2.4 million copies sold in the first 24 hours of availability. The Burning Crusade, the first expansion set for World of Warcraft, was simultaneously released in North America, Europe, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia on January 16, and on January 17 in Australia and New Zealand.
Blizzard had supplied more than 4 million game boxes to retailers worldwide, and more than 5,000 stores throughout the world had their doors open at midnight to welcome thousands of expectant players.
Day-one sales totals on both continents were similar, with an estimated total of nearly 1.2 million copies sold on the first day in North America and an estimated total of more than 1.1 million copies sold in Europe within the first 24 hours of launch.* By the end of the first day of availability on both continents, a total of more than 1.7 million players had already logged in and upgraded World of Warcraft to play The Burning Crusade.
"The Burning Crusade has already exceeded even our most ambitious expectations," said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We're pleased that so many players are eager to see all of the new content that the expansion has to offer, and we look forward to seeing everyone online as additional players continue to upgrade in the days ahead."
Retailers are continuing to report sustained demand, so if players have not yet purchased their copy of The Burning Crusade, they are advised to call ahead to make sure their store has copies on hand. Additional shipments of the expansion have been routed to retailers to help maintain stock levels.
"The immediate popularity of The Burning Crusade once again shows that Blizzard consistently delivers what gamers want," said Robert McKenzie, senior vice president of merchandising at GameStop Corp. "In addition to setting a new day-one PC-game sales record at our GameStop and EB Games stores, the expansion garnered more online pre-orders than any other PC game in our company’s history."
Prior to the launch of The Burning Crusade, World of Warcraft was played by more than 8 million players around the world -- with more than 2 million on North American realms and more than 1.5 million on European realms -- making it the most successful subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game in PC-gaming history.
For more information on World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, please visit the official website for the expansion at www.worldofwarcraft.com/burningcrusade.
SHATTERS DAY-1 SALES RECORD
IRVINE, Calif. - January 23, 2007 - Blizzard Entertainment® today announced that World of Warcraft®: The Burning Crusade™ has broken the day-one sales record to become the fastest-selling PC game ever in North America and Europe, with a worldwide total of nearly 2.4 million copies sold in the first 24 hours of availability. The Burning Crusade, the first expansion set for World of Warcraft, was simultaneously released in North America, Europe, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia on January 16, and on January 17 in Australia and New Zealand.
Blizzard had supplied more than 4 million game boxes to retailers worldwide, and more than 5,000 stores throughout the world had their doors open at midnight to welcome thousands of expectant players.
Day-one sales totals on both continents were similar, with an estimated total of nearly 1.2 million copies sold on the first day in North America and an estimated total of more than 1.1 million copies sold in Europe within the first 24 hours of launch.* By the end of the first day of availability on both continents, a total of more than 1.7 million players had already logged in and upgraded World of Warcraft to play The Burning Crusade.
"The Burning Crusade has already exceeded even our most ambitious expectations," said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We're pleased that so many players are eager to see all of the new content that the expansion has to offer, and we look forward to seeing everyone online as additional players continue to upgrade in the days ahead."
Retailers are continuing to report sustained demand, so if players have not yet purchased their copy of The Burning Crusade, they are advised to call ahead to make sure their store has copies on hand. Additional shipments of the expansion have been routed to retailers to help maintain stock levels.
"The immediate popularity of The Burning Crusade once again shows that Blizzard consistently delivers what gamers want," said Robert McKenzie, senior vice president of merchandising at GameStop Corp. "In addition to setting a new day-one PC-game sales record at our GameStop and EB Games stores, the expansion garnered more online pre-orders than any other PC game in our company’s history."
Prior to the launch of The Burning Crusade, World of Warcraft was played by more than 8 million players around the world -- with more than 2 million on North American realms and more than 1.5 million on European realms -- making it the most successful subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game in PC-gaming history.
For more information on World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, please visit the official website for the expansion at www.worldofwarcraft.com/burningcrusade.
01-28-07, 03:35 PM
#56
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Originally Posted by Vandelay_Inds
I've finished Halo, Max Payne, Medal of Honor, Duke Nukem 3D, the original Doom... on the PC throughout the years. I definitely do not like using the keyboard for gaming and never will.
Never questioned or had a problem with the keyboard
01-28-07, 04:18 PM
#57
Retired
Originally Posted by The Cow
I've been through the same games, and others...
Never questioned or had a problem with the keyboard
Never questioned or had a problem with the keyboard
Different strokes for different folks. It's just not as intuitive as moving a character with an analog stick or d-pad for me. I can do it more naturally with my thumb, than using 4 fingers.
But the mouse is much better for aiming so it's a trade off.
I would really kill for a Wii nunchuk like controller for my left hand to hand the moving and a few other functions with 3 or 4 buttons on the underneath.
01-28-07, 08:27 PM
#58
DVD Talk Limited Edition
The insistance that PC gaming requires constant upgrade-itis and fiddling with patches and drivers is ridiculous. Windows XP is very stable and requires little in the way of driver updates, and game patches are as quick as pressing the "update" button. PC gaming has gotten much easier over the years.
I'm running a socket 754 Athlon64 system. I built it originally 3 years ago January. I did do a lot of small upgrades this year, but they were all small. Overall it's about $500 investment, total, over the past 3 years - new stuff bought this year, minus selling my old hardware. I'm all done with my minor upgrades, though.
You don't need to spend much to game on a PC. However, only hardcore PC gamer folks burn a lot of cash on it. These are the guys that want to play FEAR at 1920x1200, maximum anti-aliasing, etc. These are the only folks spending $400-$500 on a video card or two. PC gaming does not REQUIRE this, any more than watching movies requires a 73" SXRD HDTV and a $1000 blu-ray player. I do fine with FEAR at 1280x1024 and a tiny bit of aliasing, thank you.
And a lot of non-tech saavy people go buy a new PC every time their old one gets 'slow' - when all it really needs is a fresh install of windows or maybe a drop-in video card upgrade.
I'm running a socket 754 Athlon64 system. I built it originally 3 years ago January. I did do a lot of small upgrades this year, but they were all small. Overall it's about $500 investment, total, over the past 3 years - new stuff bought this year, minus selling my old hardware. I'm all done with my minor upgrades, though.
You don't need to spend much to game on a PC. However, only hardcore PC gamer folks burn a lot of cash on it. These are the guys that want to play FEAR at 1920x1200, maximum anti-aliasing, etc. These are the only folks spending $400-$500 on a video card or two. PC gaming does not REQUIRE this, any more than watching movies requires a 73" SXRD HDTV and a $1000 blu-ray player. I do fine with FEAR at 1280x1024 and a tiny bit of aliasing, thank you.
And a lot of non-tech saavy people go buy a new PC every time their old one gets 'slow' - when all it really needs is a fresh install of windows or maybe a drop-in video card upgrade.
Last edited by GreenMonkey; 01-28-07 at 08:33 PM.
01-29-07, 12:12 AM
#59
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Originally Posted by Josh Hinkle
For other games you can just use a gamepad (like the 360 controller which has a PC version).
But I agree with you on FPS. The keyboard part sucks, but the mouse is so much better than aiming with the right stick.
I still give a slight edge to the PC as aiming quickly and accurate is more important than walking/strafing accurately in FPS games.
But I too would like something that was an analog stick with a few buttons (for jump, reload, the action button etc) that was made just for the left hand--something kind of like the Wii nunchuck would be great.
But I agree with you on FPS. The keyboard part sucks, but the mouse is so much better than aiming with the right stick.
I still give a slight edge to the PC as aiming quickly and accurate is more important than walking/strafing accurately in FPS games.
But I too would like something that was an analog stick with a few buttons (for jump, reload, the action button etc) that was made just for the left hand--something kind of like the Wii nunchuck would be great.
I bought mine for $23, worth every penny.
I don't think PC gaming is dying, we are just in the console launch period, so consoles are the big buzz right now. Crysis will be somewhat of a big release, as it will show off Vista and DirectX10. And we will probably see another round of Doom 3/Half Life 2 size releases in a couple years, where the screenshots of the upcoming engines will create a buzz.
01-29-07, 12:14 AM
#60
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All I know is if PC gaming is dead then I won't be playing games any more. I don't care for console games. The only games I have ever remotely enjoyed on consoles were fighting games. I gave away my PS2 and Xbox since I never played them and both of them I got as gifts. Since those systems came out I have only built a new system once and I still played all the latest games without issues.
I just find console games don't hold my attention. I play for a few minutes and I am bored. I bought a 360 twice and returned it both times after playing with it for the weekend. The only attraction to the console for me is playing with friends, but my friends don't play games.
I just find console games don't hold my attention. I play for a few minutes and I am bored. I bought a 360 twice and returned it both times after playing with it for the weekend. The only attraction to the console for me is playing with friends, but my friends don't play games.
01-29-07, 05:48 AM
#62
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I'm at the computer too much already. When I want to relax and play
a game (or watch a movie for that matter) it's the last place I want to be.
a game (or watch a movie for that matter) it's the last place I want to be.
01-29-07, 06:37 AM
#63
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Originally Posted by CKMorpheus
Crysis
Bioshock
Command and Conquer 3
Unreal Tournament 3
Alan Wake
To name very few.
Far from dead, IMHO.
Bioshock
Command and Conquer 3
Unreal Tournament 3
Alan Wake
To name very few.
Far from dead, IMHO.
01-29-07, 11:20 AM
#65
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Originally Posted by GreenMonkey
The insistance that PC gaming requires constant upgrade-itis and fiddling with patches and drivers is ridiculous. Windows XP is very stable and requires little in the way of driver updates, and game patches are as quick as pressing the "update" button. PC gaming has gotten much easier over the years.
I've also never had much trouble with XP. I have it do the auto updates and I update my video drivers maybe once or twice a year, if I even remember. It's definately gotten much easier than back in the DOS days, when I used to have to mess around with the autoexec file to get a new game to run. I can't remember a game I've had trouble running in the last 3-4 years. I just install and play. I'm sure I've had a few games crash, but I can't remember any that caused me lots of problems. Hell, my 360 has locked up more times in the last year, than my PC has in the last 3 years.
01-29-07, 02:32 PM
#66
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Originally Posted by Ghym
I agree. I built a computer over 3 years ago. Just recently it started to run new games a little too sluggish for me, so I bought a 7600GT for under $200, and everything is running good again. That's the only upgrade I've made.
I've also never had much trouble with XP. I have it do the auto updates and I update my video drivers maybe once or twice a year, if I even remember. It's definately gotten much easier than back in the DOS days, when I used to have to mess around with the autoexec file to get a new game to run. I can't remember a game I've had trouble running in the last 3-4 years. I just install and play. I'm sure I've had a few games crash, but I can't remember any that caused me lots of problems. Hell, my 360 has locked up more times in the last year, than my PC has in the last 3 years.
I've also never had much trouble with XP. I have it do the auto updates and I update my video drivers maybe once or twice a year, if I even remember. It's definately gotten much easier than back in the DOS days, when I used to have to mess around with the autoexec file to get a new game to run. I can't remember a game I've had trouble running in the last 3-4 years. I just install and play. I'm sure I've had a few games crash, but I can't remember any that caused me lots of problems. Hell, my 360 has locked up more times in the last year, than my PC has in the last 3 years.
I have had just as many problems playing games on my 360, especially with backwards compatible games like Black which is only 1 year old. Full Auto also froze on me a couple times.
01-29-07, 02:49 PM
#67
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I can't think of a PC game I've had trouble with in years. Civ4, UT2004, BFME1 & 2, CnC Generals, Guild Wars, all problem free. Even EA's games were mostly stable (minus the BFME2 crash-to-desktop issue which occurred once a week or so for me).
01-29-07, 03:00 PM
#68
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So where do you guys get a gaming PC that isn't something like an Alienware monster? Do you buy all the parts, OS, etc. yourself and assemble it or are there midrange kits like Dell, Gateway, etc. that aren't garbage for gaming?
The reason i ask is i'm sitting on a PC i have probably had for 9 years and done hardly anything with as far as upgrading. I would love to at some point just use it for email and to hold music to stream to my 360 and buy a new PC to do some gaming on. I however, know absolutely nothing about building a system. Is it possible to get something that could run quick, play most games (i'm not concerned with bleeding edge graphics and the like - i prefer turn based strategy games and RTS on the PC) for under 800$? Or should i flatout plan on a fair amount more than that?
The reason i ask is i'm sitting on a PC i have probably had for 9 years and done hardly anything with as far as upgrading. I would love to at some point just use it for email and to hold music to stream to my 360 and buy a new PC to do some gaming on. I however, know absolutely nothing about building a system. Is it possible to get something that could run quick, play most games (i'm not concerned with bleeding edge graphics and the like - i prefer turn based strategy games and RTS on the PC) for under 800$? Or should i flatout plan on a fair amount more than that?
01-29-07, 03:05 PM
#69
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PC games have become far more stable in recent years which is super cool. The problem I have with PC gaming is that the games preceed the hardware far too often. A game will come out and sure your PC will play it but in order to get the full experience you will need to purchase the nvidia/ATI xxxxx card that's coming out in a month. They fkn produce these games without any real restraint in mind, not even trying to maximize what's already out there but continually pushing the graphics technology.
I'm perfectly comfortable with building PCs. Does that mean I want to build a new one once every six months to keep up with the games that are coming out? Shit No! Every couple years I find myself with a graphics card that just won't play the newest games anymore, then I just have to wait till I feel like dropping the cash on a new one again. Rinse Repeat.
I'm perfectly comfortable with building PCs. Does that mean I want to build a new one once every six months to keep up with the games that are coming out? Shit No! Every couple years I find myself with a graphics card that just won't play the newest games anymore, then I just have to wait till I feel like dropping the cash on a new one again. Rinse Repeat.
01-29-07, 04:54 PM
#71
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Originally Posted by kakihara1
PC games have become far more stable in recent years which is super cool. The problem I have with PC gaming is that the games preceed the hardware far too often. A game will come out and sure your PC will play it but in order to get the full experience you will need to purchase the nvidia/ATI xxxxx card that's coming out in a month. They fkn produce these games without any real restraint in mind, not even trying to maximize what's already out there but continually pushing the graphics technology.
I'm perfectly comfortable with building PCs. Does that mean I want to build a new one once every six months to keep up with the games that are coming out? Shit No! Every couple years I find myself with a graphics card that just won't play the newest games anymore, then I just have to wait till I feel like dropping the cash on a new one again. Rinse Repeat.
I'm perfectly comfortable with building PCs. Does that mean I want to build a new one once every six months to keep up with the games that are coming out? Shit No! Every couple years I find myself with a graphics card that just won't play the newest games anymore, then I just have to wait till I feel like dropping the cash on a new one again. Rinse Repeat.
For 15 years, I have noticed the biggest weak along PC Gaming industries is they pushed the envelope in latest technology instead of making a game that can meet all average PC. They forgot about the people who cannot afford to upgrade their PC.
The question "Is PC gaming dead for real?" I will have to say no.
01-29-07, 05:02 PM
#72
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Originally Posted by kakihara1
Nope It can be done for $800 xmiyux, no problem.
I do miss playing RTS games and both the new Civ and Age of Empires looked sweet as hell.
01-29-07, 05:15 PM
#73
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Originally Posted by Tracer Bullet
Playing an RTS on a console is masochism.
Playing an RTS is masochism.
01-29-07, 07:28 PM
#74
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Originally Posted by porieux
Personally I think the sentence could be shortened to
But, hey that's just me.
But, hey that's just me.
01-29-07, 08:46 PM
#75
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Originally Posted by kakihara1
PC games have become far more stable in recent years which is super cool.
Playing an RTS on a console is masochism.