1y ago

PC is the most 'dominant' it's been this decade as two-thirds of devs say they're targeting the platform

www.pcgamer.com PC is the most 'dominant' it's been this decade as two-thirds of devs say they're targeting the platform

Well, naturally.

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1: you get to own your games
2: the graphics are way better
3: you can do other shit with a PC like work or school
4: All games from forever to now are compatible.
5: You can emulate any games from older non-pc systems.
Did I miss anything?
- Mods? Unless consoles these days have that too, I've admittedly not used console since the ps2.
  
  I know Skyrim has a limited selection of mods over on Xbox, but it's really tiny compared to the PC offerings, due to hardware and file size limitations. I think Fallout 4 has some, too?
  Nothing on Sony or Nintendo's side, as far as I'm aware.
  
  This reminds me of so many Japanese dev only release their games on Switch because they don't want people to mod them.
  ...especially for family-friendly games or something based off popular IP (e.g. SPYxFAMILY).
- you usually don't own your games, you just own a license; they can't take away a console disk, but they can revoke a digital license
  I agree with the rest, and here's a few more:
  games are typically cheaper because of 4
  lots of form factors - can use controller, kb+m, handheld PC, etc
  repairs are easy - if my PS5 breaks, I need PS5-specific parts; if my PC breaks, I can get anything off the shelf
  streaming is easy peasy (related to your 3) - I don't stream, but on PC, you just install something and click "go," on console, you need hardware capture cards and whatnot
  storage is a non-issue - can have multiple TB of space and store every game I own if I want to, whereas I'm stuck with whatever capacity the console comes with
  All in all, it's a way better experience for me, though it is a bit more complicated. It's hard to beat "plug and play" like with a console.
  
  If you buy DRM free games. you effectively "own" them not in a legal sense, but in a practical sense.
  
  they can’t take away a console disk,
  Technically not but you still only own a license and those walled garden platforms of consoles can easily be used to block you from using that disk for anything meaningful.
  
  you usually don't own your games, you just own a license; they can't take away a console disk, but they can revoke a digital license
  This is partially offset by the fact that most PC games are purchased through Steam, which stands above all other digital storefronts as the most trustworthy and customer-focused. Playstation is certainly no longer trustworthy after the whole Discovery debacle, Xbox is owned by Microsoft, so you know you can't trust them, and Nintendo has infamously outdated online practices and subpar customer support.
  
  Streaming is easier on PS5. You hit the button on the controller, link your YouTube or Twitch account, and go.
  You can also retroactively save a decent bit of gameplay and put it on your phone via the mobile app.
- You can choose whichever input methods suit you best. I’ve always been a controller kind of guy. As someone left handed I always struggled with keyboard and mouse setups.
- streaming games to other devices too.
  you can make your phone into a poor man's steam deck
  
  I first streamed from PC to a portable device with my PSP way back when. It did not work very well, but it was a neat proof of concept.
  That said, Playstation consoles have had this ability since the PS3 as well.
- I think you missed the biggest one which is PCs don't have a profit driven life cycle. You update hardware when it no longer suits your need. Not when some predetermined life cycle expires and its time for the brand new thing.
- Life/support expectancy between console and PC, PC wins hands down. Consoles release the next $500+ish version every 8ish years where a PC can pretty easily outlive at least 2 generations of console with minor upkeep and maybe some minor upgrades that cost less then the shitty controllers you have to replace every 6-12 months for $50 - $80
  
  Life/support expectancy between console and PC, PC wins hands down. Consoles release the next $500+ish version every 8ish years where a PC can pretty easily outlive at least 2 generations of console with minor upkeep and maybe some minor upgrades that cost less then the shitty controllers you have to replace every 6-12 months for $50 - $80
  And they can get 'downgraded' into other purposes, such as a childs first PC (take that mf'r apart and make them build it again), or a home server, or a media console.
- You can also emulate a lot of newer games and they run better than in their native hardware.
- playing online games for free and not needing subscriptions is a huge one. these days they try to justify it with attaching free games or some other kind of live service so i don't discount the value of them nowadays but it's still mind blowing to me how for almost two generation they got away charging for online play without barely doing anything but being the monopoly man.
  the great thing about PC is its flexibility and if you don't want or need flexibility consoles are a good choice but i think more and more people are appreciating the flexibility PC platforms have.
- You don't own your games on PC, unless you mean gog. Which you likely do not. You have an account and you pay to add games to that account. That is all.
- 1: you get to own your games
  *Citation needed.
  You absolutely do not. Even GOG is just a license to the game.
- You don't own games on Steam. You licence them - at any time they can be removed from your library.
- How is point 1 in favor of PC? A physical console disc gives you far more ownership than a steam game. PC would be equal to consoles, but not better than them, if you exclusively buy games on gog. But then you miss out on most new games.
- And it’s only marginally more expensive.
  
  The hardware, yes. You can build a console-equivalent system for only a little bit more. It is far cheaper in the long run though. Games cost less, after all.
- Flexibility. Huge and/or expensive with glitter and better than every console in games, smaller than half a shoebox for everyday tasks, mobile and batteries included as notenook and/or touchscreen as convertible, with huge storage as a server. Can even run on other platforms like smartphones (PostmarketOS & co.).

scout gaming

COVID Lockdown may have helped. PC has finally got a strong grasp on the eastern market over the last couple of years and the companies have followed suit. I think suggesting it's due to the boom of vtubing may be a bit too specific but there seems to be a trend

The PC is the most important because everything else sucks and if you don't make a Port of your stuff for it, some pirat will.
- Pirates aren't porting anything. The closest you could say are the decompilation projects, but they weren't made with pirating in mind.
- Pirates would probably just emulate it instead of going to the bother of porting.
  Games like BOTW look pretty great in CEMU on a decent PC.
  
  I mean in the end it does the same...

Well thanks PC Gamer, for that unbiased news.
Until GPUs get a sane price again, I'll stick to my PS5 for anything that I want to look good.
- Are there games for which you need a current GPU for to be able to play it with more than acceptable graphics? If you want to turn on all the fancy dongles to maximum, then there might be a few, but realistically, you don't need that maximum fanciness to be able to enjoy the gameworlf.
  
  There's definitely games where my 1060 really struggles even at minimal graphics. I even had to play Talos Principle 2 on PS5.
  It's rather telling that the most prominent PC exclusives (MMOs, etc) can run on a potato.
  The Intel Arc GPUs looked interesting, but the lack of compatibility on older titles is off-putting. AMD lack the raytracing oomph and support isn't as good as it is for DLSS. PC gaming has thrown all it's chips in with Nvidia, and now it's at the mercy of their pricing.

77 comments