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A few weeks ago, we took a not-so-fond look at the console portion of the grotesque, unruly mass (in some circles known as a “family”) that is the gaming world. As we often do with those with whom we share any sort of relation, we proceeded to list off all the ways they've wronged us. We find it to be a good ice-breaker. Now, though, we've been struck with some strange and debiltating malady that top scientists are calling “civility,” and we've realized there's plenty of good mixed in with the bad. No, seriously. Consoles, we may not always get along, but we'd be remiss if we didn't give you due praise for having our backs every once in a while. Now go! Jump past the break before we change our minds.
The past few years have seen the emergence of an odd phenomenon: an MMO gets announced – often with a decadent press release full of words like “highly anticipated” and “a videogame” – for PC and consoles. Then time rapidly passes via the slow-moving montage that is life, and the game finally comes out. Problem is, something's missing. Yep: the console version. For example, even the mighty Conan couldn't drive consoles before him and hear the lamentations of their women, nor could Champions Online. And of course, Blizzard's said on multiple occasions that it has no intention of getting in on the console war action with WoW – despite potentially huge profits waiting in the wings. But why? Well, input devices are obviously a big part of it. The lack of a mouse-and-keyboard setup makes traditional skill mapping difficult and communication quite the hassle. There's also console certification infrastructure to consider. On PC, pushing out a quick patch (an MMO's lifeblood where stability is concerned) is only as difficult as you make it. On the other hand, consoles (especially the Xbox) give developers a minotaur maze of red tape, which renders any sort of quick fix nearly impossible.
Consoles have something of a burgeoning indie scene, but that's nothing compared to PC. Ours is thriving, and is it any wonder why? Huh, it is? Oh, we suppose you'll be wanting details, then. How pedestrian of you. At any rate, this is another instance of consoles' red tape maze (and associated minotaur – you have no idea how thrilled we are to mention minotaurs twice in the same article) rearing its ugly (and minotaur-shaped – that's three!) head. Getting a game onto a console takes money, some form of publishing deal, dev kits, etc. Sure, initiatives like the Xbox's indie channel are easing the process a bit, except, you know, when they're not. At the end of the day, then, it's simply more appealing to develop on PC and skip all the hassle. The end result? Mountains of amazing games waiting just around the corner to (pleasantly) surprise the hell out of you. Don't believe us? Go to IndieGames.com and never be sad again.
Ever tried controlling an RTS with a gamepad? Did you enjoy it? Hah, that was a trick question. If you said “yes,” then you don't exist. Again, given the current state of console input devices, there's only so much developers can do to keep their game's fun factor intact during the frightfully bumpy transition. New input devices like Kinect, Move, and the Wiimote could – in theory – present a solution given their pointing prowess, but even then, it's hardly optimal. As a result, we get the Shogun 2s of the world – tailored to our platform of choice, no less – while console gamers won't even touch the genre when Master Chief's leading the charge.
With the exception of a console cycle's earliest days, PCs tend to have at least a slight technological advantage (if not the 30 million lightyear lead we're currently enjoying), and developers understandably take advantage of that. Granted, for a while, they just threw us little, dust-coated bones here and there; slight graphical upgrades, higher resolutions, half of an extra player in multiplayer matches – that sort of thing. Now, though, the trend appears to be turning around. At the head of the pack is Battlefield 3, with its 64-player matches (compared to consoles' 24), dedicated server support, and PC-first mentality. Similarly, games like Deus Ex: Human Revolution are touting DirectX 11 support and even AMD Eyefinity, which is the silliest name we've ever heard for a really cool (and expensive) technology. Big-budget PC exclusives may be few and far-between, but we think having the absolute cream of the crop is an adequate console consolation prize. Wouldn't you agree?
Comments are closed on this article
Reiles
May 17, 2011 at 5:44pm
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article (and its subsequent comments) and I have had my PC gaming spirits lifted.
I still worry that the battle is shifting in favor of the console for many reasons. The sheer ability to steal PC games very simply dissuades many game developers from investing in new PC specific games. The lack of knowledge of console gamers in the theft and modding of consoles reduces the loss in revenue for the investor. The incredibly large amount of hackers and botters in the PC gaming scene is minimized in consoles. The fact that it costs "Joe Six Pack" 300 Bucks for a console system and a bunch of games. It costs maybe double that for a superior PC build, but the average gamer is not going to be able to build his/her own PC from scratch and will most likely have to buy off a pre-built computer site, which is much more expensive. Not to mention that most gamers have the parents buy the machine and we all know how knowledgeable parents are when it comes to buying gifts. "Which one is the least expensive and does what my kid wants?"I have high hopes for Battlefield 3, but I will no longer pre-order games thanks to the lack of support in games such as Bad Company 2(and many others).
I hope to see PC gaming survive this era, but I have my doubts.
mastertmg3
May 13, 2011 at 1:11pm
the article is called "how consoles help PCs" and you just spend two pages bagging on consoles.
nathon grayson you suck as a journalist and writer.
ironic that you complain about juvinile behavior on XBox live, since what you've done here is no better.
Oh and number 1 should have been "controllers that don't suck"
congratulations your sh!t writing has finnaly convinced me to never come here again.
Corwynder
June 08, 2011 at 7:39pm
I guess word of this article got to the Xbox crowd. lol He didn't complain about behavior on the XBox Live. He was thankful that most of that kind of behavior stays there. That being said he's thankful for it. Oh, and yeah, I'd have to say you are right Controllers that don't suck should have been number one. They can be used to do sooooo many things on computers that when you see what you can do with them on a console you begin to wonder if they were designed for the computer world or consoles.
sarkli
May 15, 2011 at 8:01am
@mastertmg3 And here we have folks the shining example of those 12year olds( or grown men with the same mentality) that are mostly found on consoles. Thank you mastertmg3 for proving true some of the valid points made in the article. Oh and go troll somewhere else.
Marthian
May 13, 2011 at 11:39pm
I'm sorry what? This site isn't really here to promote consoles in the first place (hence the name MaximumPC), and second: every single bit of information is true. Consoles as of now are vastly inferior to today's computers, and they will always be such. Also, Xbox Live is filled with a lot of Juvenille behavior, and by juvenille, its stuff like "lol t-bagged you noob, lololol suck my d*ck," seriously.
AnglicDemon00
May 11, 2011 at 8:44am
But no matter where you go you will still have trolls and kids (both in console and PC mutliplayer)as well as kids. Though what I am understanding is the difference between consoles and PC's. Sure there is the huge hardware gap between the two, but what else. The reason I am asking is because everyone seems to play the superior hardware card, but what about software side of things. Sure you can build a great PC with decent parts with a limited budget, but without the software to maximize the potiential for the hardware, they will just function as is without any large drastic changes to performance.
AnglicDemon00
May 11, 2011 at 8:47am
Yes I understand as well that there is a lot of red tape for a dev to go through on a console, before anyone bring that up. My question though more direct to the devices in question though. Not the process of how things are done between the two.
sarkli
May 15, 2011 at 8:11am
Well im not entirely sure of what consoles have as far as RCON abilities but most PC games that are still quite popular have RCON and allows you to kick or ban those trolls and kids if they start acting up and then you never have to hear from them again.
DDRDiesel
May 11, 2011 at 6:40am
I LOL'ed at STFU n00b, and I'm proud to admit it. I f*cking hate those brats. Example:
A friend of mine and I were talking about an experience we had with a kid on Halo 3 New Year's Eve 2008. I ended up winning a Lone Wolves match, and the kid was so butthurt about it, he decided to start complaining and making excuses. Normally, I would have just left the lobby, but this was going to be the most glorious 15-second wait time of my life.
I used the usual, "Get over it, you lost. Don't make excuses and learn from it." Well, he kept going. I didn't really pay attention to it, because after the first few seconds, I realized it was going to be the same blubbering, yelling, screaming, immature nonsense that happens when you play against 12-year olds. It eventually ended with me screaming into the mic, "It's over! Face it! You have school in the morning, so I don't want to hear your shit! Have your mommy wipe your tears, change your tampon, and tuck you into beddy-bye! YOU LOSE, GOOD DAY SIR!"
Most amazing moment in XBox Live. The last couple seconds of silence before the lobby was disbanded was broken by him starting to cry. I wish I could have listened to the rest of it
Kinetic
May 15, 2011 at 12:57pm
That crap annoys me so much. Whats worse to me is when you do Co-op style games and people start whining and complaining when they can't pull their own weight. Or worse, telling you how YOU should be playing while they're dragging everyone down. I didn't used to see it as much on the PC, but it seems like it's been getting worse this past year.
maleficarus™
May 11, 2011 at 6:01am
PC gaming will always be the leader, and in fact it has been since ID's Quake2 hit the market! Next month PC gaming gets Duke Nukem Forever which every PC gamer should remember! I pre-ordered my copy off Steam already as well as BF3 which will show every console gamer what they are truley missing. Console gaming just isn't what it used to be these days...To everyone that says consoles are great for sitting on the couch on the big screen, well guess what? I hook up my PC to my 46 inch 1080P LCD via HDMI and play using my cordless mouse and keyboard!!
0ly1r3m@1ns
May 11, 2011 at 11:58am
same here my freind kept going on about how console where made fomr gaming so hence better and better graphics i pluged my pc into the tv put black ops on maxed every thing out and we compared never herd a pep out of him since
Teh_tourist
May 11, 2011 at 5:11am
Are you sure you didn't accidentally post your "Eight Ways PC Gaming Is Better Than Console Gaming" article instead?
Marthian
May 13, 2011 at 11:41pm
no, because the list for how better PC gaming is than console gaming is longer than 8 things.
Gumby
May 11, 2011 at 1:53am
The STFU, n00b section is so true.
Matchmaking instead of dedicated servers prevents admins from dealing with those types. A well run server on a PC game is priceless to me because I know that if any idiots show up, they will be delt with quickly. There are many servers out there that encourage teamwork, communication, and team wins instead of K/D. Many will even do things like kick you for not following the call on CS:S or not following squad orders on BF2. Play on those for a while and you will never want to return to the random matchmaking again.
Rush12049
May 10, 2011 at 5:50pm
@STFU Noob section:
I am an online console gamer. I have been for about 2 years now. And everytime I join a lobby on COD, there's little kids who like to scream at the top of their lungs. It's so annoying. And everytime, I tell them "you sir, are not civilized. This is a civilized lobby." And most of the time they shut up.... for about 5 seconds. Then the mute button happens. I try to be a civilized person, and make civilized friends. So I am in that exception that you mentioned. When little kids, and dumbasses aren't involved, it can be really peaceful.
I've always wanted to PC game, join the "elite", but none of my friends like to, and I've never had a good enough PC. I have games like Call of Duty 1, and BF 1942 Complete, but it gets boring talking to no one. I just recently got BF2 Complete off steam for $5. Time to see how my non existant keyboard skills are. =D.
theimmortalmoo
May 11, 2011 at 5:17am
Best of luck with working with the keyboard!, My Brother has always been a console gamer and It has been a challenge for him to play on my computer, but as they say Pratice makes perfect!
Change your button schemes and mouse sensitivity if it suits you better, WASD is not for everyone.
GTFHercules
May 10, 2011 at 5:33pm
PC gaming is too unstable, and the fact that you need about 3000 to start and you need to upgrade every year turned me off.
LatiosXT
May 11, 2011 at 8:32am
I assert that anyone who makes this claim has no idea what they're talking about when it comes to PC gaming.
Which I guess would be a runner up for this article. Multiplatformed games on the PC help keep the requirements down. Since those games are expected to run on 4-generation old hardware, you can pick out midrange parts for PC and it'll still kick a lot of ass over a console any day of the week. And you can build a hefty midrange computer for about $600-$800. And the only time you "need" to upgrade is when you feel like it. Are you still okay playing games with reduced quality? Then you're golden!
Also keep in mind that PCs are general use devices with "plug and play" hardware and freedom. Whereas consoles, you bend over to the will of the manufacturer with what's in it. Like you know how Sony killed the OtherOS function? Well you agreed that Sony could do whatever they wanted to that PS3 with updates. I use consoles purely for gaming. I use my gaming PC for other things beyond that.
theimmortalmoo
May 11, 2011 at 5:19am
Oh Really, I can build a low end gaming pc off newegg for about 320$, a Mid rage for about 600$.
Troll, please find a new thread
Rush12049
May 10, 2011 at 5:41pm
Funny guy alert. I can't tell if your being sarcastic or not.
I can build a pretty good rig for $700-$800 dollars. So you sir, are stuck in 2004.
kixofmyg0t
May 10, 2011 at 4:11pm
Good article.
However you really could've just put "consoles dont have/can't play Crysis 1" and the mass of PC fanboys would've been pleased with just that.
kevaskous
May 10, 2011 at 3:57pm
I hate to say this. While we have better hardware. We still can't compete with consoles ability, and it has absolutely nothing to do with the hardware in either of them. Direct X is a -HUGE- limiting factor in our ability to go head to head with consoles. There are games made for consoles that by design cannot ever run on a PC, of any magnitude.
Do some research on it, it's quite interesting, and if your responce is consoles are DX9, then you clearly do not know anything of which you talk about, as DirectX is a API, and has little to do with the hardware, the API is the problem in the first place, consoles have no API, period. (Yes I know there are shader model differences, but that is HARDWARE, and has nothing to do with DirectX, we don't -NEED- directX for use of our hardware, it just makes it easier for smaller inexpereinced dev teams, but at a huge, huge cost.)
stradric
May 11, 2011 at 7:41am
You're spouting nonsense. Just about everything you've said is completely and totally false.
Marthian
May 13, 2011 at 11:47pm
I don't even get it either. Also, last time I checked, the Xbox 360 used DirectX 9 (As you have said), which is pretty outdated by today's standards, with essentially any computer that would be used for playing games already supports it already. DirectX 11 is the latest APU, and there are other options that PC's are more than happy to support (OpenGL is used on some Playstation 3 games, PC's already support it.)
APU's have nothing to do with it, its easier to develop for pc's than it is consoles. might I add that video games are created on computers?
*may be nonsense too, but computers really are more capable of video games than consoles, and its a fact.*
kevaskous
May 11, 2011 at 12:53pm
Um, no it's actually not, the fact that you had no content to back-up your claim proves that. Big game Devs WANT direct hardware access that they currently do not have with DirectX, they do have it with consoles. Right now Drawcalls are a major limiting factor and are a major factor in poor performing console ports as far as graphically goes. There is no API, at all, on a console and there is a huge overhead with one on PC, DirectX is only capable of doing several hundred drawcalls at once where having hardware control allows more then several thousand.
Please do your research before making a post, thanks.
Edit: I also have only played PC games since xbox original so, yeah, not a console fanboy at all, have been playing comeptitive FPS since UT99 and CS1.6 it's just a fact that DirectX's time is very limited on PC, as is any API, atleast for the big game devs and as it is now.
Edit 2: I'll save you having to actually type something. http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2011/03/16/farewell-to-directx/2
cpuking2010
May 10, 2011 at 3:42pm
"As for allegedly “consolized” games like Crysis 2 and Portal 2, we have three words for you: get over it." Thank you someone besides me had to say it!
Marthian
May 13, 2011 at 11:50pm
well Crysis 2 is argueable (I was kind of dissapointed it didn't support DirectX11, but its still a good game nonetheless).
As for Portal 2 being "consolized", I fail to see how it is. the only arguement I see is price, and I can get it for $30 from some places, and then there's custom maps that add a HUGE amount of replayability to it. Its not trying to push graphics boundaries either, nor is it super buggy.
