Companies such as Epic games now view the console market as more important and lucrative than the PC market, Why is this. It perplexes me since FPSs, Strategy games and MMOGs remain PC centric.

Because of the eevils of Piracy.

That's about it really.

Also, please don't use such a thread title again, there's been quite enough PC vs Console threads as of late to satisfy anyone for a life time.

Take the sales figures from Fallout 3 (FPS RPG) as example: 4,7 million sales, of which only 17% on the PC. The market for consoles simply seems to be bigger, for whatever reason they might be. So it makes sense to focus more and more on console game development as a game dev/publisher.

Amnestic:
Because of the eevils of Piracy.

That's about it really.

Also, please don't use such a thread title again, there's been quite enough PC vs Console threads as of late to satisfy anyone for a life time.

Sorry about the title.

Piracy has existed in some form since before the internet existed. It is logistically impossible to prevent software from being cracked and Pirated once it undergoes mass distribution yet companies such as Valve became rich by making PC games. Piracy may contribute to the PC markets suffering but it can not destroy the market on its own.

I guess it's a market in which everybody's console can most definitley run the game as smoothly and equally as everyone else.

Also, game companies who form bonds with console producers are pretty much guaranteed future popularity whereas it is quite easy for games and game companies to be forgotten, or to flop on PC.

I disagree with the fact that FPS' remain 'PC centric', recently the console industry has taken in this genre and made it one of the most popular console genres of all time.

I feel that most strategy and MMO's are still PC based, with a few exceptions, and until game companies discover a way to release a functional and fun strategy game on consoles that actually works well then the PC will always remain the strongest platform for those genres.

Title changed to reflect the topic.

As the people above me have already said, piracy is a issue for many developers. Epic have said that they won't be bringing Gears of War 2 to the PC for that very reason. You also have the issue of cost. Games are expensive things to make these days, so the number of cross-platform releases is increasing so that publishers can recoup the millions spent on making the game in the first place.

The example genres that you cite are a little off in my opinion. the Xbox 360 is known for having a lot of first-person shooters in it's library and Real-Time Strategy games are gaining a foothold as well. MMOs are the holdouts at the moment, but that isn't necessarily always going to be the case. You can already play Final Fantasy XI on the 360, and I believe the new Champions MMO is going to be available on consoles as well.

EDIT: Not all publishers are turning away from the PC however. Microsoft have recently revamped Games for Windows Live and are looking to make it a much more useful service in the future, including anti-piracy measures. More details can be found here.

I really wish that things would come out at a reasonable date, not two months after the release for consoles, like what happened with Mirror's Edge (that is unless they push it back again, thoes bastards...). I love my PC, but things don't come out for it as fast as they should.

Plain and simple: Game developers are paranoid over piracy. Seriously, game developers now are more paranoid about software piracy than the US government was about commies during the late 1940s and 50s.

Piracy.

The fact that every 360 (Any system but I need an example for this to work.) is equal in power.

The convenience of joystick control.

Affordability (Computers are affordable but you need a high end one to play newer games and those are pricey) means a larger market base.

Stop me any time here.

The convenience of joystick control.

???

Not to repeat old points, but A) as opposed to the convenience of mouse+keyboard control? and b) you can hook gamepads up to PCs, last time I checked.

Amnestic:

The convenience of joystick control.

???

Not to repeat old points, but A) as opposed to the convenience of mouse+keyboard control? and b) you can hook gamepads up to PCs, last time I checked.

I am entitled to my opinion and I find mice too unwieldy and keyboards too stiff and that is a very awkward combo.

Souplex:

Amnestic:

The convenience of joystick control.

???

Not to repeat old points, but A) as opposed to the convenience of mouse+keyboard control? and b) you can hook gamepads up to PCs, last time I checked.

I am entitled to my opinion and I find mice too unwieldy and keyboards too stiff and that is a very awkward combo.

Fair enough, but that doesn't account for my B) point.

for a game to have a strong following on PC it has to be PC exclusive. If a game can be ported to a console, and your company does so, then very few people will buy the PC version..

I think it has at least a bit to do with that a console is much cheaper than building a rig. Also it is a lot easier for all the little kiddies to go and attain a console from any general merch. store. Perhaps if "console exclusives" were phased out and all games were released for PC as well as 360 or PS3 (The game would still only be released for one console) more PC gamers would emerge.

Let's face it though aren't you a LOT happier not having to put up with all the little pricks of Xbox LIVE? I play 360, and I know, for the most part, the community is horrid.

Sewblon:
Companies such as Epic games now view the console market as more important and lucrative than the PC market, Why is this. It perplexes me since FPSs, Strategy games and MMOGs remain PC centric.

Also the fact that most people have a PC but not a console?

James Raynor:

Sewblon:
Companies such as Epic games now view the console market as more important and lucrative than the PC market, Why is this. It perplexes me since FPSs, Strategy games and MMOGs remain PC centric.

Also the fact that most people have a PC but not a console?

If you play games, you more then likely have a console

Richard Groovy Pants:

Souplex:
Piracy.

The fact that every 360 (Any system but I need an example for this to work.) is equal in power.

You're just asking for a console vs pc thread.
What you've said right there is just plain wrong. A mid-end to high-end PC is light years ahead of the Xbox/PS3 performance. That is not debatable.

I think he meant that all 360s are equal in power, so they (developers) don't have to take into account a whole bunch of different user configurations, just the one.

semaj1337:

Richard Groovy Pants:

Souplex:
Piracy.

The fact that every 360 (Any system but I need an example for this to work.) is equal in power.

You're just asking for a console vs pc thread.
What you've said right there is just plain wrong. A mid-end to high-end PC is light years ahead of the Xbox/PS3 performance. That is not debatable.

I think he meant that all 360s are equal in power, so they (developers) don't have to take into account a whole bunch of different user configurations, just the one.

well, directx is basically the PC middleman that lets gmae devs worry more about making a game then making it work on every system setup.

but this thread will be locked if it turns into a PC vs Console debate.

Sewblon:
...since FPSs, Strategy games and MMOGs remain PC centric.

Nope. Not true.

Souplex:
Piracy.

The fact that every 360 (Any system but I need an example for this to work.) is equal in power.

The convenience of joystick control.

Affordability (Computers are affordable but you need a high end one to play newer games and those are pricey) means a larger market base.

Stop me any time here.

I find the Keyboard and mouse format much more convenient than using 2 analog sticks because my thumbs are weak.

nilcypher:
EDIT: Not all publishers are turning away from the PC however. Microsoft have recently revamped Games for Windows Live and are looking to make it a much more useful service in the future, including anti-piracy measures. More details can be found here.

The plain and simple of it is that Microsoft knows full well that the most compelling reason to choose a Windows-based PC over a Linux-based PC or a Mac is the gaming. If gamers are pushed away from the PC, then there's nothing at all to stop them from using Ubuntu with OpenOffice (for example) rather than having to pay the Microsoft Tax to use MSOffice on a system with hardware that's there primarily to prop up the bloated OS. A 2003-issue Pentium 4 can run a good Linux distro more efficiently than a 2007-issue Core 2 can run Vista at the same initial price point.

Souplex:
Piracy.

The fact that every 360 (Any system but I need an example for this to work.) is equal in power.

The convenience of joystick control.

Affordability (Computers are affordable but you need a high end one to play newer games and those are pricey) means a larger market base.

Stop me any time here.

Don't state an opinion as factual evidence as to why the consoles are superior. The debate of keyboard and mouse vs controller is a matter of opinion.

So, you only have three points why the consoles are superior: Cost/Dedication, the standardization, and piracy. HOWEVER! Consoles are still not piracy-proof. Granted, yes, it is more complicated and much less of an issue, but there is still some piracy on the consoles. So consoles are superior in the sense that piracy is far less common.

Also, I'd point out that when you first get into console gaming it can be just as expensive as building a good PC. You forget the simple fact that, to get the most out of your next-gen console, you will need an HDTV. That will up the price to similar levels as a good gaming PC, but in the long run, PC gaming is indeed more expensive and requires more dedication as new and better parts allow developers to continually push games further. At the same time, this is a disadvantage because, since people can't upgrade, you will eventually get to a peak where you can't make games any better in terms of graphics and what you can pull off.

the simple fact of the matter is, if you have a console and a PC, you're more likely to buy for the Console.

For me, the reason for that, is mainly one of convenience. Being able to buy a game, and know when I buy it that that game will work with my system, and knowing that if i played it at a friends house on his console I can expect the exact same experience. Not having to tweak options to optimize my experience.

These are MY reasons for buying a game for a console rather then a PC. People who are REALLY into their PCs might see those as reasons to buy on PC - getting that better experience then you're friend's meager system, tweaking and modifying your game for the best experience.

I just value simplicity, and that's what console are - simple.

On topic, Consoles tend to sell more games then PCs (at least multiplatform), because a lot of console gamers feel the exact same way as I do, even if we have a PC. That's a big reason I would imagine developers would rather sell on a Console.

if you're confused by the options in console games, you should probably hang up your gamer identity and just fade to black. ;)

Eggo:

Altorin:
if you're confused by the options in console games, you should probably hang up your gamer identity and just fade to black. ;)

If you're also confused by the options in PC games, you should probably hang up your gamer identity and just fade to black ;)

Unless mommy and daddy set up your computer to go on the internet, all the things involved in posting on this forum is infinitely more difficult than figuring out if you want to invert your Y axis controls.

I know it hurts to be tied to a sinking ship.

just let it all out :)