Hi all just thought i'd start an interesting topic.
Ive been a long time PC 1st and console 2nd kinda guy. I guess it comes from being a Gen X'er growing up in the 80's and 90's when consoles couldnt dream of doing the things that PCs were doing back then.
Through the late 90's and particularly into the 00's console was taking away market share as preferred gaming platform, I know I even had a break away from PC and IL2 in 2005 getting into Xbox Live online gaming from the comfort of my lounge.
Thing is, most of the console games arent doing anything particularly new these days and for every console game Ive bought on PS3 or Xbox over the last few years, Ive probably spent less than a dozen hours on any of them. They just arent challenging or varied enough in game play to keep my interest.
So... apart from my bias to PC gaming I was doing some research and it looks like PC gaming is up for a resurgence this year.
Online stores, (love or hatem) like Steam, Origin, Battle.net etc give access to such a large range of gaming content. (at better prices than console too)
Decent Gaming rigs are getting cheaper, console kiddies are grown up now and looking for something more and realising the enjoyment in building your own system, or even building custom to order machines online...
The best games are most certainly coming out on PC, with more features, better controls, better looking graphics than their console releases, with many studios going back to a PC build designed for console port instead of the other way around. (like I believe 1C did with the change from OpenGL to DX to make it possible to port the CoD engine to console in the future to help recover development costs)
Its funny you hear that this year is supposed to be the death of PC with tablets and handheld gaming predicted to kill the PC. (as I type this on my ipad with BT keyboard in a coffee shop!) But on the other hand Intel had a record year last year and is predicted again this year...
So where does that leave us?
Apart from my zombies & angry birds addiction on iPad, I just cant get into anything else gaming wise on this form factor. iPhone is even worse in that regard, but its ok for a very casual game while for instance you wait for the missus to try on that 14th pair of shoes while out shopping!
My PS3 is pretty much a Bluray player and media centre, GT4 was such a let down and hardly anything else keeps my interest for more than 20mins.
The PC however... Its fun to build, modify, overclock (as you guys would know from my obsessive build)
I can watch my Tivo recordings on one screen, access email and social media on another, while I surf the net or game on the centre monitor... ok maybe not all the time and all at the same time, but you get the picture. The PC is replacing TV viewing habits and has for years. Even my missus has 2 screens setup with her laptop, 1 for Tivo recordings and the other for her "study" and online social life and research.. See using a PC is just so much more productive where consoles have limited abilities and tablets lack the ergonomics for long sessions without neck, hand, eye or back aches!
So that my friends is why PC is still king, and the king aint dead yet!
What do you think?