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The gaming industry is, currently, on the forefront of media. There's nothing else like it -- nothing else endowed with its far-reaching potential. Gaming is the future, so I guess it makes sense that gamers' gazes are aimed unflinchingly forward, never braking for the past -- or even the present. Our news always involves what's "Coming this holiday season" and our real-life heroes, when not piecing together the latest triple-A titles, rack their brains over how tomorrow's games will work. Why can't we stop for a breather every once in a while?
But no, our breakneck pace continues today. We'll rest when we're dead or when we practice what we preach. Into the crystal ball I've gazed, and I've seen things, man -- things like Unreal Engine 4, PC gaming's death, and, ack, Cammie Dunaway! Consider this crystal ball retired!
Read more, if you dare.
"We've got Unreal [Engine] 4 in production right now," Epic President Mike Capps said at a Gamefest panel. "It's going to be in the next console generation - our rough guess is 2012 [to] 2018."
But that's merely the gristle of this meaty story. Capps continued:
"Version 4 will exclusively target the next console generation, Microsoft's successor for the Xbox 360, Sony's successor for the Playstation 3 - and if Nintendo ships a machine with similar hardware specs, then that also. PCs will follow after that."
In Epic's eyes, the PC is a square, old third-wheel -- no longer cool enough to stand on equal footing with the youngsters Microsoft and Sony are popping out. Will the next-next gen be a console exclusive?
A recent study conducted by Parks Associates found that most "leisure gamers" would rather play free MMOs based around microtransactions than bite the bullet and subscribe. A whopping 14% would actually drop their issues of People Magazine and pick up an MMO if it were free, whereas only 2% would do the same for a subscription-based MMO.
I can see where they're coming from, too. Why spend $15 per month on something that, in all likelihood, you might mess around with on the weekends while slipping in and out of post-work week comas? Plus, microtransactions provide an easy method of getting ahead in the game world. Pay $3 for new armor and watch your friends don their green hauberks of unquenchable envy. Sounds better than slaughtering 300 boars, doesn't it?
"You have seen the extent of Nintendo's 2008 holiday lineup."
With that one line, Cammie Dunaway pierced straight through the hearts of millions of Nintendo fans. Sure, it smarts, but Nintendo isn't hurting in the slightest. With Wii Music and Wii Sports Resort, I think they'll pull through. And then Mario and Zelda will rush in and save the day in 2009.
Really though, is this holiday season so awful for Nintendo fans? Look at the Gamecube's lineup around this same time period in its life cycle. Comparatively, I'd say the Wii's stash of top-tier titles is much larger than its stout, purple counterpart's. Sure, this holiday season will be a lull, but it's always darkest before dawn, right?
This is starting to look fishy. It's fairly obvious that Ubisoft decided Sam Fisher's latest outing was doin' it wrong, but what changes are they making? Is the game in for a total re-tooling? With its release date now set between April 1, 2009 and March 30, 2010, signs point to yes.
How can you say no to this? First Blizzard greases up leveling through the Stranglethorn doldrums, and now they're making sure players will blaze through the Burning Crusade. I'm not sure if I'll be able to stay strong for much longer. You know, I have this rogue, right...
I don't need to, because I already know what he'll say. "Yes!" No! PC gaming is dead! The sky is falling! AIIIEEEE! DOOOOOOOMED!
Comments are closed on this article
whisp
July 25, 2008 at 10:27am
develop exclusively for console? make me vomit in my mouth :x
"we Plan for Tomorrow, but we Live for Today"
nduanetesh
July 24, 2008 at 9:32pm
Why do none of you idiots understand sarcasm?
You can bad mouth MaxPC all you want, but if you need a [joke] or [sarcasm] or [we're not serious about this part] tag on an article just so you can understand when someone's not being 100% literal, then...
YOU, SIR, ARE THE FUCKTARD.
Please think before you comment.
Vahn16
July 24, 2008 at 11:19pm
Of course it was sarcasm. Didn't the EXTREME USE OF CAPS kind of imply that? Nonetheless, thanks for sticking up for me, nduanetesh and whoever else stood up for me. (I'd thank you by name, but Max PC's commenting system only displays the name of the person you're replying to.)
FleshWound
July 24, 2008 at 8:32pm
Wow I can't believe this guy is preaching the death/inferiority of PCs compared to Consoles not once, but twice in this article.
Epic says: "Version 4 will exclusively target the next-gen consoles... PCs will follow after that"
This guy says: "In Epic's eyes, the PC is a square, old third-wheel -- no longer cool
enough to stand on equal footing with the youngsters Microsoft and Sony
are popping out. Will the next-next gen be a console exclusive?Wtf? What happened there? Did you just leap to a ridiculous conclusion routed in either a lack of understanding of the insane popularity of the unreal engine on the PC or did you not understand the context of his adverb 'exclusively'
And then the second blurb which links to an article which supports not the death of PC gaming, but of the continued success of companies like blizzard. I don't know whether you regularly use really convincing sarcasm in your article, but I hope thats what it was, and not your actual opinion.
I hate flaming but this is the one website I never want to hear anybody spouting the ridiculous myth of the "death of pc gaming"
Its called maximum PC, not maximum console fanboy service, so please, in the future, try post informed opinions.
sirphunkee
July 24, 2008 at 8:53pm
I think Nathan was just trying to highlight how rediculous it is for a company to take steps that show it obviously undervalues the PC gaming market in comarison to consoles...and he used Gabe's comments from that second article to reinforce that. He was right for calling a dog a dog when it comes to Epic's decision, and the other quote said it best: "Is PC gaming dead? Ask Blizzard!".
While MaxPC contributors and interns may be a little skittish, malnourished, and suffer from low self esteem and Helsinki Syndrome, they're not stupid (rule of thumb, anyway)...they wouldn't even dream of trying to slip some actual anti-PC-gaming rhetoric into the articles they submit/post.
AndyYankee17
July 24, 2008 at 5:29pm
the reason why so many people think PC gaming is dead is because you can see numbers for XB360, you can see numbers for PS3 but you can't see numbers for PC. PC is an open format, no company owns it, many people build there own computers and it's impossible to calculate how many people play on them. One thing you can look at is games like HL2, which sold better PC or console? CS? UT3? PC is bthe greatest and cheapest gaming platform as long as it remains an open platform free from greedy corporations who want to ripoff developers.
sirphunkee
July 24, 2008 at 4:35pm
the truth is that if pc gaming ever did "die" (and I think it's obvious that it's still far from that), it would still take me 3 years or so to get through all the backlog of games I've been waiting to have time to play
Scapegoat
July 24, 2008 at 4:12pm
What I really don't get, and what ticks me the hell off, is why all these companies are jumping to hit the consoles first. Why are all these games being released onto consoles prior to being released on PC? Us PC users are very loyal, and must of us have been gaming there long before we could afford our own consoles, or something other than the family computer. Why not reward our loyalty and keep bringing it to the PC fairly? I just don't understand. If someone knows what's up, please inform me. Thanks.
-The Goat
Digital-Storm
July 24, 2008 at 4:14pm
Because tard companys like Maximumpc.com now spread shit like this. That pc gaming is infact dying when it is stronger now than it has ever been. I am waiting till those patents take out the consoles now.
Digital-Storm
July 24, 2008 at 4:08pm
SHUT THE FUCK up with this fucking pc gaming is dead, its fucking retarded, seriously.
Vahn16
July 24, 2008 at 5:31pm
It was a joke. I know that PC gaming isn't dead, and fully believe that consoles will die out long before PC gaming ever does.
Digital-Storm
July 24, 2008 at 8:27pm
Alright, if you could, would you please put something like (Joke) in there.
Netram
July 24, 2008 at 4:08pm
Yeah, PC Gaming is really dead:
Stats from ETQW's site:
329,975 PC Accounts
82,539 Xbox 360 Accounts
31,280 PS3 Accounts
Now, fair enough the PC version has been out longer, but if PC Gaming was "dead" wouldn't the console numbers dwarf the PC version? Even both consoles together come no where near PC figures..
whisp
July 25, 2008 at 12:56pm
This is one game tho? I mean im sure u could do the same for halo and itd make consoles look supreme
"we Plan for Tomorrow, but we Live for Today"
