IGN: The Death of PC Gaming – Again.
That will be the real test of the health of the PC platform, as digital sales represent an ever-increasing percentage of PC game revenue... but right now it's hard to say just how high that percentage is. While we may not have the figures, we do know the PC has by far the most mature digital marketplace, and has moved the furthest away from retail. Unlike the current consoles, all of which offer robust selections of smaller games and retro titles for digital download, but which – for the most part - don't offer 'full' games, the PC essentially offers its entire catalogue. When a PC game comes out at retail, you'll be able to pick it up at the same time online, while there are plenty of other PC games only available online. According to the Interactive Australia 2009 report, 19% of Australian gamers download games from online vendors, and that's only going to grow.
I really get tired of this made up "growing content, bigger than ever" that keeps getting tossed around as a defense to PC gaming decline. If that were true, I would still be using the PC. It's been turned off for 7 months. Stop counting rehashed old sh*t. It's just plain dead. Maybe when Rage and some of the Blizzard stuff comes out things will be better.
While we may not have the figures, we do know the PC has by far the most mature digital marketplace, and has moved the furthest away from retail. Unlike the current consoles, all of which offer robust selections of smaller games and retro titles for digital download, but which – for the most part - don't offer 'full' games, the PC essentially offers its entire catalogue.