PC Gaming Alliance Formed [Feb 20, 2008, 10:29 am ET] – Share – Viewing Comments
Top technology companies form gaming alliance (thanks Mike Martinez) officially
announces the formation of the gaming alliance first revealed last week
(story) to help promote/revive the PC gaming scene. Here's word:
Some of the top technology companies, including Intel, Microsoft, Dell, and Advanced Micro Devices joined forces Tuesday to form the PC Gaming Alliance, which will try to promote the PC as a gaming platform.
The alliance will bring hardware makers, software companies, and game publishers under one roof to "accelerate innovation, improve the gaming experience for consumers and serve as a collective source of market information and expertise on PC gaming," the alliance said in a statement.
The companies will work together on challenges facing the PC gaming industry, including piracy and the establishment of hardware requirements for PC games, the alliance said. PCGA also hopes to accelerate growth of the PC gaming industry and standardize the development of gaming PCs and software by developing and promoting guidelines.
The alliance comes at a time when PC video game sales are falling. PC games sales in the U.S. were $910.7 million in 2007, down from $970 million in 2006, according to research from NPD Techworld. PC game sales in 2007 dwarfed in comparison to the sale of software for video game consoles like Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo's Wii, which were $6.6 billion.
Unit shipments of PC game software totaled 36.4 million in 2007, compared to video game software unit shipments of 153.9 million, according to NPD.
The U.S. gaming industry already has the Entertainment Software Association, which represents vendors that publish games for both computers and consoles. About 90 percent of the $7.4 billion revenue of PC and console gaming software in 2006 belonged to ESA members, giving the association a dominant presence.
Other PCGA members include Acer, Epic, Nvidia and Razer USA.
The announcement comes during the Game Developers Conference, which is being held in San Francisco. During the show PCGA member Intel launched a new gaming platform formerly code-named "Skulltrail." The Intel Dual Socket Extreme Desktop Platform includes two quad-core microprocessors, totaling eight-processing engines, and supports graphics cards from ATI or Nvidia.
Unit shipments of PC game software totaled 36.4 million in 2007, compared to video game software unit shipments of 153.9 million, according to NPD.The above quote is a text book case on how to mislead using statistics. There is one "PC" type of game and it runs in windows. And there are half a dozen plus consoles. The PC is a platform, just like the various consoles. Why lump all the consoles together and paint a false picture. This is like comparing one orange variety to half a dozen or more other types of fruit and saying oranges don't sell as much as the other fruit combined. Duh.
This comment was edited on Feb 20, 15:17.
Target
??? Every Target I have been to has an end cap on the MAIN ISLE with the new games, and *gasP* walk down that aisle and there are all the PC games.
This is always BEFORE you get to the consoles - by books, movies, and music. Across from the meds.
/edit: But I can agree on Circuit City - they have all but quit selling PC games. Their shelves are crap - and over priced.
Best Buy: This is what is confusing about them, they have the floor space devoted to PCs, could easily market gaming PCs with demo machines and setups. oh well.
we walk the streets at night
we go where eagles dare........
This comment was edited on Feb 20, 14:56.
It would help more if developers would start making games that actually take advantage of the PC's superior control scheme and generally more mature and demanding player base.
Not only did you hit the nail on the head, you punched the fucker clean through the wall.
We need PC games for PCs. Of course they aren't going to move a lot of merchandise when their games are shitty console ports.
What reason do I have to buy the PC version of most games when it is available on my Xbox360? Not much. Mouse aiming is about it, and if the game has a bunch of problems it isn't worth the trade off.
Do you have a single fact to back that up?
It would probably help if retailers would bring the PC games back up front instead of keeping them in "PC Software" next to MS-Word and Norton Anti-Virus on a shelf in a back corner that's completely disorganized. Target and Circuit City are the worst offenders I've seen.
you can blame M$ for the lack of support. it is coop money that buys floor space and display location. games for windows initiative from M$ (which controls all windows games regardless of dev/publisher) is not giving enough money to gain floor space. that is why circuit city is putting new release of pc games behind the counter. out of plain view.
you can blame M$ for the lack of support. it is coop money that buys floor space and display location. games for windows initiative from M$ (which controls all windows games regardless of dev/publisher) is not giving enough money to gain floor space. that is why circuit city is putting new release of pc games behind the counter. out of plain view.
It would help more if developers would start making games that actually take advantage of the PC's superior control scheme and generally more mature and demanding player base.
It would probably help if retailers would bring the PC games back up front instead of keeping them in "PC Software" next to MS-Word and Norton Anti-Virus on a shelf in a back corner that's completely disorganized. Target and Circuit City are the worst offenders I've seen.
PC games should be out in the front with the same presentation that the consoles get. Get the latest games running in a demo mode of some kind running on a state of the art PC. Controlling them would be easy since all the Games for Windows certified games can use an XBox controller. While they're at it, they can post the specs of the machine with brands and SKUs and sell some of the parts. That may not work for Target, but it would have to move hardware at a place like Circuit City or Best Buy.
PC games should be out in the front with the same presentation that the consoles get. Get the latest games running in a demo mode of some kind running on a state of the art PC. Controlling them would be easy since all the Games for Windows certified games can use an XBox controller. While they're at it, they can post the specs of the machine with brands and SKUs and sell some of the parts. That may not work for Target, but it would have to move hardware at a place like Circuit City or Best Buy.
You're wrong. It may take you a while to realize it, but you're just wrong.
o rly? On what point? Care to explain?
This thread is light on facts and heavy on unsupported generalizations.
I hope PCGA does something that actually benefits consumers in some way instead of hurting them.
This comment was edited on Feb 20, 14:17.
I hope PCGA does something that actually benefits consumers in some way instead of hurting them.
This comment was edited on Feb 20, 14:17.
Unit shipments of PC game software totaled 36.4 million in 2007, compared to video game software unit shipments of 153.9 million, according to NPD.
that 153.9 million unit shipments has to be divided to at least 5 different (active) consoles which averages out to 30 million unit shipments each. the 36.4 million units shipped for pc games alone is better than the average console. it is not a fair comparison if they combine all consoles against the pc.
that 153.9 million unit shipments has to be divided to at least 5 different (active) consoles which averages out to 30 million unit shipments each. the 36.4 million units shipped for pc games alone is better than the average console. it is not a fair comparison if they combine all consoles against the pc.
Not too realistic.. not too simplistic.... gimme gimme
Adventures of a video game mercenary
http://virtualmerc.blogspot.com
http://virtualmerc.blogspot.com
Two things here: 1) If playing those genres on a console appeals to you, you obviously aren't a hardcore PC gamer.
2) All those genres are heavily compromised when they are designed for the console due to inferior hardware, a greatly inferior control scheme and generally retarded audience.
You're wrong. It may take you a while to realize it, but you're just wrong.
I think "revive" is a good word for the Alliance to use as I think that PC gaming has been unconscious for years now.
I think it has tried to wake up several times before, but when it opens its eyes and sees nothing but a bunch of Sims games and an MMO or two crowding around it, it just rolls over and goes back to sleep.
I think it has tried to wake up several times before, but when it opens its eyes and sees nothing but a bunch of Sims games and an MMO or two crowding around it, it just rolls over and goes back to sleep.
I'm hoping that the current state of PC gaming is just a rough spot, like when the industry went from DOS to Win '95. It was also a tough time, nothing worked, and we saw massive defection to the original PS and Nintendo consoles. Then again, it's a lot easier and more rewarding to come home, push one button and start playing Gears or something on a giant HD screen.
Wonder if PC gaming will pick up again once we have a few BADLY needed Vista service packs and DX10+ improvements.
Innovation has been lacking (on consoles, too but less so for sure) which has really hurt PC games. Some exceptions that I have a lot of fun with are TF2/Portal/Orange Box, the Battlefield series, and some strat games like Civ4 and such. WoW too.
Wonder if PC gaming will pick up again once we have a few BADLY needed Vista service packs and DX10+ improvements.
Innovation has been lacking (on consoles, too but less so for sure) which has really hurt PC games. Some exceptions that I have a lot of fun with are TF2/Portal/Orange Box, the Battlefield series, and some strat games like Civ4 and such. WoW too.
The companies will work together on challenges facing the PC gaming industry, including piracy and the establishment of hardware requirements for PC games, the alliance said.
I'm not going to put much stock into this "Alliance" at the moment. Sounds more to me they are doing this for themselves rather than for what's best for PC gaming and gamers.
----------------------------------------------------
Currently fragging in The Witcher, Burnout Paradise, Company of Heroes, Crysis
Join the "Blues News" Steam Community Group. http://steamcommunity.com/groups/bluesnews/
Look at the games being released on consoles now, the kind of games they simply couldn't deal with before, are being released and in development - RTS's, RPG's, MMO's, FP's... The console has finally come to appeal to even hardcore PC gamers like myself, because what I want they either have, or are creative enough, and knowledgable enough to now bring to the console.
Two things here: 1) If playing those genres on a console appeals to you, you obviously aren't a hardcore PC gamer.
2) All those genres are heavily compromised when they are designed for the console due to inferior hardware, a greatly inferior control scheme and generally retarded audience.
I even played STALKER without a single crash or bug.
I highly, highly doubt you played a bug-free STALKER since such a thing doesn't exist.
I like that a middle man like Dell is involved (never thought i'd say the words liking a middleman involved), atleast their motives should be more in line with what the consumer wants without some side agenda to cell GPU's, CPU's, Vista, etc.
Ummm... you do realize that Dell spent quite a little fortune on acquiring Alienware not too long ago, right? Dell very much has a very profound interest in selling all of these thingies that you mentioned up there.
I sincerely hope that you also realize that every single company entering into any type of alliance always is pursuing one form of agenda or another.
Or what kind of fairytale world do you live in that you seriously believe in what you wrote up there? Or are you four years old and still have this romantic vision of everyone in the world being buddies? Then you are excused, of course...
PC gaming needs to use the hardware that consumers have rather than designing for what they want them to buy. I don't see myself spending money on new hardware for my PC anymore so if it won't run on a 7800 GTX then don't bother because I won't buy it.
The best thing the gaming alliance can do for PC gaming is encourage developers to stick with a common denominator that will work for the most possible users. If that means designing your game on a ATI Radeon 9800 Pro, P4 3.0GHZ, 1 GB RAM...so be it.
Seeing how popular the cartoon style graphics are in TF2 should make it clear that consumers will buy something that looks fun but doesn't have the flashy graphics ofFarcry Crysis.
This comment was edited on Feb 20, 12:37.
The best thing the gaming alliance can do for PC gaming is encourage developers to stick with a common denominator that will work for the most possible users. If that means designing your game on a ATI Radeon 9800 Pro, P4 3.0GHZ, 1 GB RAM...so be it.
Seeing how popular the cartoon style graphics are in TF2 should make it clear that consumers will buy something that looks fun but doesn't have the flashy graphics of
This comment was edited on Feb 20, 12:37.
Incompatibility issues, DX10 sucking badly, Vista woes, ongoing driver troubles...
there will always be major problems with simply running the damn games!
You mean like the absolute lack of problems that I have with my computer and the games I run? All of those non-existent problems. Yeah, they're tough. Really time consuming stuff.
You know, sometimes I get this system tray notification that I have new updates waiting to be downloaded and installed. I click it and then install the updates. Oh and every couple months I have to go to the Nvidia driver download page I have bookmarked and update my video card driver - it takes like 2 minutes, I can't believe how time consuming this all is!
Man, I wish I was cool like you and incapable of maintaining a computer.
/sarcasm
Honestly though, I don't see what you're talking about. My stuff works. My games work. I even played STALKER without a single crash or bug. Crysis had a couple bugs where after reloading a quicksave, the dead enemies would be standing up, but I just hit quickload again and everything goes back to normal. No different than the bugs and glitches found in console games.
This comment was edited on Feb 20, 12:31.
- The Hamster Alliance
http://www.hamsteralliance.com/ (music)
http://twitter.com/hamst3r | http://www.facebook.com/hamsteralliance | http://www.youtube.com/hamsteralliance
http://www.hamsteralliance.com/ (music)
http://twitter.com/hamst3r | http://www.facebook.com/hamsteralliance | http://www.youtube.com/hamsteralliance
During the show PCGA member Intel launched a new gaming platform formerly code-named "Skulltrail." The Intel Dual Socket Extreme Desktop Platform includes two quad-core microprocessors
Yes, this is what will save PC gaming.
The problem with gaming is that all progress so far this decade has been on textures and polygons and not the actual games. I can count the number of innovative games since the turn of the millennium on one hand.
Copyright © 1996-2024 Stephen Heaslip. All rights reserved.
All trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
Privacy Policy. Manage Cookie Settings.
News CGI copyright © 1999-2024 James "furn" Furness & Blue's News. All rights reserved.
Chatbear v1.5.0/blue++: Page generated 4 December 2024, 20:56.