The move to consoles by PC developers

[David Wright]

A very interesting article on the move to consoles by PC developers. Blows away a lot of myths.

http://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_1.html

[BernL]

Wall Street wants consoles, and lots of em. Engineering the Mommy factor. $ 69.99 designed to keep the attention for roughly 3 months. Lots of promotion, little substance. Frankly, the only reason to have PC formats is for R&D. What would video look like on console if it where not for the PC end pushing the limits all the time.

GTR2 without arcade on console would not sell well as half the market out there do not have the patience to do lap after lap on mear times. Yes I'm ranting. This fear of piracy. There will be pirates in everything from here to the end of time. Lawyers love it. I'm older and wiser to this. Simbin should be targeting real racers so as to give them track time without the huge expense tied in with getting the hole show to the track. And we should be subsidizing it to so degree. The real passion for driving will never be found on the console. Why i like PC racing games, because on day, they might get it right, and i might get the real feeling of pushing the limits without the huge expense it represents.

In my opinion, there was never real money in PC games.

Research $ development somewhat subsidize by you and me

For the records....I own 2 copies of GTL, 2 copies of GTR2. one copy of GTR, one EVO and bought the other addon from Steam.

Wonder how many Lawyers have tunes downloaded?

Im sure the EAGLE's dont mind.

Oh and by the way, the war on drugs will never be won ether, there is to mush money in it for( BOTH ) sides at your stupid expence.

Teaching people that spending money in what they believe in and why they should do so might be a better way to go, but that my friends cost money too

[eric_r]

Excellent article. Thanks for the heads up David!

[Zoomie]

An excellent article indeed.

I would encourage people to read the article in it's entirety before posting comments, and not just the thread title ;-).

[RC45]

I read it - and while the numbers may appear astonishing, they do not in any way correlate to lost sales.

For every game I have bought (and they number in the hundreds) if there has been any kind of CD check or proteciton, I have dowloaded the cracked version.

Add to that the fact that many many of the people who have downloaded software would have never had any intention of buying the product so there again is no lost sale.

Take fo rexample the person who downloads MS Project yet never ever manages a project with the software, of the person who downloads an MS OS, say Server 2000, and installs it and maybe never uses it for anything after "checking it out". No lost sale there.

[Zoomie]

The author acknowledges that many times in the article.

[RC45]

The author acknowledges that many times in the article.

Yes, but the charts of numbers overshadow his statement pretty much.

The reader (at least I was) is left with the impression that the sheer volume of business crushing piracy is the real problem.

I honestly feel the real problem is the FAKE Chinese DVD's, BluRays and Games being sold around the world as "real" but are in fact grey market copies.

These def. steal revenue form the authors/publishers.

[Zoomie]

It should be noted that the charts of numbers could have been greater if the author chose to delve more deeply into only the bittorrent downloads.

He did not even go into usenext and p2p programs.

He just used numbers that were easily available for all to access. And a limited sample at that

[Sidewinder16]

Its a very well researched and written article, well worth the read.

[BernL]

Excellent article indeed...

[AMAjr455]

Add to that the fact that many many of the people who have downloaded software would have never had any intention of buying the product so there again is no lost sale.

Surely, you don't really feel this justifies the end result, do you!

I for one have only a few times mostly older games, and after reading this article will not again, downlaoded a few old, old racing games. Never do I take/steal/downlaod a game that I can buy.

BTW, quick question! How do developers get much money from say brand new sales from old stock, like those found on Amazon, get any money? I guess from the original sale, right!

I recently bought older games, off Amazon for less than 4-5 us doallars.

Just my thoughts
jr

[RC45]

Surely, you don't really feel this justifies the end result, do you!
Way to put words in my mouth.

The person who downloads a pirate copy of say, "Engneering Modeling for Asronauts and Evil Genii" would have had no intention or need to buy it.. and after they install and realise it doesnt work on their Linux system delete it have not impacted revenues by a single penny.

Pretty much like looking in a restaurant and smelling the food.. is that stealing a meal? ;)


I for one have only a few times mostly older games, and after reading this article will not again, downlaoded a few old, old racing games. Never do I take/steal/downlaod a game that I can buy.

Key is "can buy" - there are a numebr of ancient titles that are only available as downloads or used buys at 2nd hand book stores and eBay.


BTW, quick question! How do developers get much money from say brand new sales from old stock, like those found on Amazon, get any money? I guess from the original sale, right!

Corrct - te publisher sells the stock on day 1. This stock finds its way through the retail channle, and eventually you might see it for sale on day 1,500 for $5. By then it has probably been resold and overstock merchandise 3 or 4 times... and the publisher would have paid the developer his/her royalties years before.


I recently bought older games, off Amazon for less than 4-5 us doallars.

Just my thoughts
jr
It wont be long before DRM outloaws nused sales, as the dev/publisher never see royalties from used/overstock resales.

[polepositiondriver]

I think the biggest thing against PC games is their simple ability to be downloaded and installed so easily. Nothing to be copied, a small crack can have you gaming in no time at all. You don't need any patches, if you had a decent connection and download limit there is no reason (except moral and legal reasons) for anyone to have to buy games. No need for mod chips either.

As a developer i'd be more willing to develop for a console due to that fact, I would believe consoles would have less piracy than PC software/games

[Kongo]

I think the biggest thing against PC games is their simple ability to be downloaded and installed so easily. Nothing to be copied, a small crack can have you gaming in no time at all. You don't need any patches, if you had a decent connection and download limit there is no reason (except moral and legal reasons) for anyone to have to buy games. No need for mod chips either.

As a developer i'd be more willing to develop for a console due to that fact, I would believe consoles would have less piracy than PC software/games

It's not just that, this generation can perform better than a PC.
For the games they are making now...jesus it's expensive!
Take Fallout 3 for example...my GOD does it LAG on a top spec PC with stuff turned down...yet on PS3 it works wonders and everything seems to be turned up alot higher than I could on PC.

Consoles only do one thing, play games (although this generation does think a bit in the background) but PC doesn many things and thus, needs more power.

Alot of people notice this and console sales are rocketing...but lets not think the way of the Wii, that it's all family and kids...that's Nintendo...and Microsoft are following...but they still have hardcore games and SOny are hardcore all the way.

So as well as piracy, the cheaper-ness and overall easier accessability makes it that bit more appearling to PC develepers...Bethseda for one have noticed that PC style games can now run on consoles...many more are following.

That said though...PS3 itself runs on a Linux based OS and the PSP the same...so Piracy is not a complete no-no...
Anyone here remember Homebrew? It's still around.

[BernL]

FAKE Chinese DVDs, Blue Rays and Games being sold around the world as "real" but are in fact grey market copies.

RC45 has a point
And don't think for a minute that there(Chinese) government will crack down..... more for to undermine other country 's . Like drugs, always someone there to profit. Give it up, piracy always has been, always will be, and to think otherwise is wishful thinking.

go to any retail stores today, console rules on simple ground formula.....great paint job, no motor. Do you really think the market is over 18 years of age. Observed 40 parents buying little jimmy's game last weekend, not fully understanding what they where buying. That's what wall street wants. PC will drive the market in research and development pushing video and processing power, witch will trickle down to the next generation console ....look at credit card fraud, most banks could no give a _ _ _ _ , all the money generated from legitimate sales Carrie the frauds and then some.

Piracy= supply and demand....and the Asians have figured out where the demand is.......

Putt piracy in the lose columns and move on. Consumers will pay for it, always have in the past
W5

[roddypoddy]

It's not just that, this generation can perform better than a PC.
For the games they are making now...jesus it's expensive!
Take Fallout 3 for example...my GOD does it LAG on a top spec PC with stuff turned down...yet on PS3 it works wonders and everything seems to be turned up alot higher than I could on PC.

Consoles only do one thing, play games (although this generation does think a bit in the background) but PC doesn many things and thus, needs more power.

Alot of people notice this and console sales are rocketing...but lets not think the way of the Wii, that it's all family and kids...that's Nintendo...and Microsoft are following...but they still have hardcore games and SOny are hardcore all the way.

So as well as piracy, the cheaper-ness and overall easier accessability makes it that bit more appearling to PC develepers...Bethseda for one have noticed that PC style games can now run on consoles...many more are following.

That said though...PS3 itself runs on a Linux based OS and the PSP the same...so Piracy is not a complete no-no...
Anyone here remember Homebrew? It's still around.
http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/
The only homebrew i,m interested in.:thumbup:

[RafaelBR]

It's not just that, this generation can perform better than a PC.
For the games they are making now...jesus it's expensive!
Take Fallout 3 for example...my GOD does it LAG on a top spec PC with stuff turned down...yet on PS3 it works wonders and everything seems to be turned up alot higher than I could on PC.

Consoles only do one thing, play games (although this generation does think a bit in the background) but PC doesn many things and thus, needs more power.

Alot of people notice this and console sales are rocketing...but lets not think the way of the Wii, that it's all family and kids...that's Nintendo...and Microsoft are following...but they still have hardcore games and SOny are hardcore all the way.

So as well as piracy, the cheaper-ness and overall easier accessability makes it that bit more appearling to PC develepers...Bethseda for one have noticed that PC style games can now run on consoles...many more are following.

That said though...PS3 itself runs on a Linux based OS and the PSP the same...so Piracy is not a complete no-no...
Anyone here remember Homebrew? It's still around.

The PC versions blow the consoles out of water when it comes to performance and visual graphics. Gamespot has an article comparing the graphics of a few games (Fallout 3, Call of Duty 5, Dead Space and GTA IV) between the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. The PC versions are way better graphically than the consoles, and PS3 versions are the worst of the lot.

And I don't think PC gaming is way too expensive. If you have a mid-range PC in your home, wich nowadays is almost a necessity, you can spend an extra US$ 230 and buy a Radeon 4870 or a GTX 260. These VGAs can run any game better than a console. Of course, if you build an entire PC just to game, its expensive. I have a home PC that consists of a E6750 Core 2 Duo (a mid range processor), 4 Gb cheap DDR2 memory and a cheap Intel mobo. I bought a GTX 260 (paid US$ 240,00) last month, and I can play all games I have (Far Cry 2, CoD5, Fallout3) at max. settings w/ excellent frame rates.

[RafaelBR]

FAKE Chinese DVDs, Blue Rays and Games being sold around the world as "real" but are in fact grey market copies.

RC45 has a point
And don't think for a minute that there(Chinese) government will crack down..... more for to undermine other country 's . Like drugs, always someone there to profit. Give it up, piracy always has been, always will be, and to think otherwise is wishful thinking.

go to any retail stores today, console rules on simple ground formula.....great paint job, no motor. Do you really think the market is over 18 years of age. Observed 40 parents buying little jimmy's game last weekend, not fully understanding what they where buying. That's what wall street wants. PC will drive the market in research and development pushing video and processing power, witch will trickle down to the next generation console ....look at credit card fraud, most banks could no give a _ _ _ _ , all the money generated from legitimate sales Carrie the frauds and then some.

Piracy= supply and demand....and the Asians have figured out where the demand is.......

Putt piracy in the lose columns and move on. Consumers will pay for it, always have in the past
W5

:thumbup: I can't agree more, and I'll add this: DRM is not to make games piracy-proof. Its just to stall the crack. If a game is cracked 2 weeks after its release, its DRM is a complete success. Most sales occur in the week the game is released, and first month sales figures is almost all the industry cares for.

[dadada1]

A very interesting article on the move to consoles by PC developers. Blows away a lot of myths.

http://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_1.html

Thanks for the article, very interesting.

Piracy, economics, and profit margins.

[Kongo]

The PC versions blow the consoles out of water when it comes to performance and visual graphics. Gamespot has an article comparing the graphics of a few games (Fallout 3, Call of Duty 5, Dead Space and GTA IV) between the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. The PC versions are way better graphically than the consoles, and PS3 versions are the worst of the lot.

And I don't think PC gaming is way too expensive. If you have a mid-range PC in your home, wich nowadays is almost a necessity, you can spend an extra US$ 230 and buy a Radeon 4870 or a GTX 260. These VGAs can run any game better than a console. Of course, if you build an entire PC just to game, its expensive. I have a home PC that consists of a E6750 Core 2 Duo (a mid range processor), 4 Gb cheap DDR2 memory and a cheap Intel mobo. I bought a GTX 260 (paid US$ 240,00) last month, and I can play all games I have (Far Cry 2, CoD5, Fallout3) at max. settings w/ excellent frame rates.

Gamespot is inconclusive and biased at times.
I don;t take evidence from there.
But the PS3 worst of the lot? Never!
Fallout 3 looks and runs better than on my High end PC and that's the truth!
Same for COD4...But COD4 is better console anyways.
No-scoping and prestige and the like.

I was console, then PC...but this gen of consoles? Does it for me in every way...
I ain't no snob, I know the difference...been there done that and PC ain't the best of it all...they are all good and bad in areas.

As a veteran gamer...I know where it's at...So as you can see, if PC games companies make foe consoles...oh well the more the better...If companies like Bethseda can do it, along with all the old PC traits and glitches :-D then good for us!

[polepositiondriver]

What i find really embarassing is that hardly any video stores rent out PC games anymore.

Gone of the days of renting some to try before buying them. Its a really big pity

[Kongo]

What i find really embarassing is that hardly any video stores rent out PC games anymore.

Gone of the days of renting some to try before buying them. Its a really big pity

Yeah but think about it for a sec, renting out a PC game is asking for trouble these days.
Some games don't even need the CD / DVD ROM after installation and thus, your £5 jus got you a full game rrp £40!

Hell...these days it's hard to return a faulty PC game...You have to remind the shop to be careful of what they say cause often they will accuse you of potentially stealing...That's when ya got em and can get your money back or an exchange.