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1337: Microsoft, Nvidia, AMD and Intel forming PC Gaming Alliance, Voltron photo

According to a San Jose Mecury News writer, Microsoft, Intel, Nvidia, AMD and others will be making an announcement at GDC next week that they will all be forming a "PC Gaming Alliance". The goal here is to revive the PC gaming industry and make it more competitive against the console industry, which in turn would hopefully get more developers to bring games onto the PC.

This along with the recent Ageia take over by Nvidia really shows that these companies mean serious business. Granted, Microsoft is going to win either way here. You PC gamers excited to hear that you haven't been forgotten about?  

[Via DevelopMag] 


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83 comments | showing # 1 to 50

Sadie G's Avatar
Sadie G at 02/13/2008 20:27
<3 Great Voltron reference :)
Samit Sarkar's Avatar
Samit Sarkar at 02/13/2008 20:29
Oh, man...that is one of the greatest header images (and captions) in recent memory.

WHY PENIS WHY???
big filth's Avatar
big filth at 02/13/2008 20:29
they still make games on PC's?

;)
Crunshii's Avatar
Crunshii at 02/13/2008 20:30
Holy !@$%!
Eschatos's Avatar
Eschatos at 02/13/2008 20:31
I'll be happy when they make Halo 3 for PC. Until then, I'm apprehensive.
SourGr8pes's Avatar
SourGr8pes at 02/13/2008 20:33
I was hoping that I would be the penis...
Spykron's Avatar
Spykron at 02/13/2008 20:35
i love pc games but id really rather just have full keyboard and mouse support for my 360. i treat my consoles and tv as if they were a PC and monitor anyway.
Neonie's Avatar
Neonie at 02/13/2008 20:36
I'm a foot?
MmhmBeer's Avatar
MmhmBeer at 02/13/2008 20:36
I don't think anything is going to save PC gaming until they start making it a little be more accessible on the monetary side. I mean think about how much you have to spend these days to have a rig that is capable of running most new games the way they are meant to fps wise and beyond.
njsykora's Avatar
njsykora at 02/13/2008 20:37
Mean business? Try running scared. Crysis may have done more harm than good to PC gaming.
Wookiee's Avatar
Wookiee at 02/13/2008 20:39
NOOOOOOO! Nvidia, how could you!? Getting together with those loosers?!
ArrestedDeveloper's Avatar
ArrestedDeveloper at 02/13/2008 20:40
PC Twin powers activate! Form of an adventure game.
CaffeinePowered's Avatar
CaffeinePowered at 02/13/2008 20:41
Ah, good to see. PC gaming always has and always will be top tier, the only people that don't like it are those who either don't have the money to blow on an alienware or the knowledge to put together a gaming box for the same price as a PS3.
Evil Cheese's Avatar
Evil Cheese at 02/13/2008 20:46
What?! I don't want to be the ditsy blond princess! I wanna be the red one!!! I'm not playing unless I get to be the red one!!!! *pout*
fps_ted's Avatar
fps_ted at 02/13/2008 20:50
Nvidia plus AMD? AMD = ATI... ATI and Nvidia would never team up.. Unless... Microsoft buys out both of them!
Aertyr's Avatar
Aertyr at 02/13/2008 20:50
Another reason why PC gaming will inevitably win the good fight. PC I love you. *Cuddles with Tower*
njsykora's Avatar
njsykora at 02/13/2008 20:55
@CaffienePowered

I can build a PC, I don't do it because nothing is released on the PC these days that isn't done better on the consoles. Seemingly as always, the killer blow is struck by a Penny Arcade comic from last week.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/02/06

Simply put, why would you go through all the bulls**t of installing a game and finding drivers when you have something that will do it right away?

Unless its made by Introversion of course.
Polish Hill's Avatar
Polish Hill at 02/13/2008 21:01
@njsykora

While I agree with console over PC for the most part that comic isn't about PC's at all. The DMC4 for PS3 installs itself onto your hard drive. So yea....kind of a stretch to use that comic even though it does have a lot of the same sentiments.
Drift64's Avatar
Drift64 at 02/13/2008 21:04
This is good news! The reason I do pc gaming is online is easy and free and the mods are what make them best as well. Also, pc version of the same game is cheaper than the console version.
Tragic Hero's Avatar
Tragic Hero at 02/13/2008 21:05
Back then you could make the argument that consoles were more thrifty but now you are paying 500+ for a system that might RROD or fail in some other way. Consoles are becoming more expensive and are becoming more faulty. FYI: Gaming PCs are about 1000 and run most games really well.
Dan CiTi's Avatar
Dan CiTi at 02/13/2008 21:08
Epic win.
WastelandTraveler's Avatar
WastelandTraveler at 02/13/2008 21:15
I am quite happy they are at least giving their attention back to the PC market :D, pc gaming will never die, nor will it be lower than the rest. And it really isn't right now either, the NPD doesn't track digital / subscription sales and that is a huge chunk of the PC gaming market, especially through valve's steam program. Just try to comprehend how many people are buying all of those damn games through steam these days.. and there are a SHIT load of games on steam now.

Another thing is, its hard to really compare 'consoles' to 'pc' in terms of sales.. consoles are multiple platforms and the pc is just one platform. Sales for PC games are all put together as one, where as sales from consoles come from every single console. So you can have Game A) sold on PC - and get its numbers from there.. but then you have Game B) which was purchased on console 1, console 2, console 3, and handheld 1 and 2. And they put those together with the 'console market' group. So ofcourse its going to seem consoles are 'dominating' and pc's are dieing but that really isn't the case at all.
manasteel88's Avatar
manasteel88 at 02/13/2008 21:19
I'm glad that these Voltron-esque lions are joining together to form something great...but I own an xbox 360 not a gaming PC so I want MS to focus on that instead of a PC game. But hopefully the standard ports will be there so I can have my cake and eat it to.

Gotta say though that the Voltron reference is fantastic...kudos
Sadie G's Avatar
Sadie G at 02/13/2008 21:23
....good point so that means AMD is a cheating wench :/
Poor ATI will have it's heart broken and so close to Valentine's Day too...
infinity's Avatar
infinity at 02/13/2008 21:24
@fps_ted

BLASPHEMY!
ghnvt's Avatar
ghnvt at 02/13/2008 21:33
Why do you call yourself VOLTRON....Umm, because it is super bad ass.

LAWL, Hot Rod Rulez!!!!1!
PrinceofCannedPeaches's Avatar
PrinceofCannedPeaches at 02/13/2008 21:34
It won't work. No, it will fail because the very market of personal computing isn't with it. It'll fall short of everything.

But even the token of it is nice. If AMD and its biggest competitors all have enough cojones to pal up and try to save... er, themselves - then, while it certainly won't save it, it should make the passing of PC gaming "as comfortable as possible".
The-Excel's Avatar
The-Excel at 02/13/2008 21:35
Next thing you know Nintendo, Sega and Namco are going to co-develop a new arcade board.
Crunshii's Avatar
Crunshii at 02/13/2008 21:44
I wished arcades could be revived... It falling into extinction category right next to the DoDo.

PC gaming will always be there for CC, MMOs, Starcraft, Diablo ect... But NCsoft wants to change that trend...
Cheeburga's Avatar
Cheeburga at 02/13/2008 21:47
Affordable PC partz?
sexycommando's Avatar
sexycommando at 02/13/2008 21:50
Note that these are mostly hardware manufacturers. Microsoft is the only software-side corporation in this Voltron Alliance (not sure what Penis is though, I think it can be hard or soft).

I'm not exactly sure what a bunch of PC gaming hardware manufacturers can do except lower their prices and pressure OEMs to be more price competitive with consoles. I mean, if they are trying to compete with consoles, they are aiming at consumers who will buy a Dell gaming machine, not build their own.

I mean, what else can they do on their own without game publishers helping out? They should have at least added Steam and Blizzard to the alliance, basically the only two companies that are keeping PC gaming alive.
DGX Goggles's Avatar
DGX Goggles at 02/13/2008 21:56
An alliance that breaks the norms of logic? Is dat sum Tengen Toppa?
Barcode's Avatar
Barcode at 02/13/2008 22:00
Either way - we WIN.
Jetsetlemming's Avatar
Jetsetlemming at 02/13/2008 22:04
One the one hand, teh PC gamer snob in me says that PC gaming needs no revival, and Microsoft is the fucking LAST company on Earth to lead such an endevour. On the other hand, the realistic, rational side of me realizes that these big of companies, especially MS and Intel, CAN actually make progress on pushing publishers to cross platform port.
Eh.
I guess I'll cross my fingers and hope for the best.
Josh Tolentino's Avatar
Josh Tolentino at 02/13/2008 22:05
PC gaming was never "gone". It just needed an influx of super-titles that tell console mouth-breathers what platform they're whining from.
taumpytears's Avatar
taumpytears at 02/13/2008 22:05
Voltron is relevant to all of my interests.
Kyousuke Nanbu's Avatar
Kyousuke Nanbu at 02/13/2008 22:21
@Caffeine

Or maybe people just don't like PC gaming, maybe they enjoy sitting down in front of a big HD with a controller, maybe they don't care to spend a lot of money on a gaming rig when a $300 dollar console does the same thing(all PC gaming gets is better graphics, controls is subjective).

Or maybe people just want variety in their games, what's been the big releases for the PC so far, shooters and a single RPG, what's next for the PC? And RTS game and more shooters.

Let me guess, you're one of those guys that looks down on console owners because we play inferior versions of games?

PC gaming is bottom tier my friend, its never gonna die don't get me wrong but it will never reach the lofty heights it had in the 90's.
vexed alex's Avatar
vexed alex at 02/13/2008 22:22
That picture is awesome on so many levels.
Imako's Avatar
Imako at 02/13/2008 22:27
I'm fine with it so long as they don't make all the new games vista only...also, AMD?!?
dtomek's Avatar
dtomek at 02/13/2008 22:27
I don't buy games to play them, I buy them to wrangle with them and make em work. PC fer life.
Murder64's Avatar
Murder64 at 02/13/2008 22:27
PC games are so easy to pirate, I don't see why they keep trying so hard.
mistic's Avatar
mistic at 02/13/2008 22:32
so in a few years we'll have the PC-console? where you'll be unable to 'choose' your hardware since 'Voltron' ( ow yeah ) has decided what should be the default PC-configuration for everybody and 'The gaming PC' will be degraded to a console with mouse and keyboard running a crummy OS that you can use to type letters/surf myspace with...

and you'll have to buy a new PC every year to be able to run the newest games since the 'new generation grafix chip' will be incompatible with 'last-gen hardware'...

I live in Belgium where there's basicly only 2 broadband-providers and they work together to keep prices jacked WAY up ( 8Mbps downstream with 10Gb limit/month costs you about 45/50 € ( 50/60$) ), if intel, nvidia and amd (ati) are going to work together there's 2 ways it can go, or it stays as it is where you have to buy a new GPU every 4 months if you want to stay 'top-of-the-line' and able to play ANYTHING that comes out, or they will slow the 'product-cycles' down ( they'll all be working together, so why would they try to hurt eachother by creating something that is WAY superior? ), and then instead of having to get a new system every 4 months like you guys do now, you can get a new one every year or so, while we just keep on buying new systems once every 5/7 years, while spending all that money that you are pouring down the drain on keeping your PC up-to-date on nice games for our consoles...

plus we'll be playing on 37" HDTV's versus you playing on 17"/19" screens, while we lay back in our comfortable seating arrangements and you bend over your desk...

damn I love gaming on consoles...
Triphoppin's Avatar
Triphoppin at 02/13/2008 22:45
about time, thank goodness!!!! great pic too
crunks's Avatar
crunks at 02/13/2008 22:52
Microsoft cannibalizing their own console business?
SanityMask's Avatar
SanityMask at 02/13/2008 23:16
alright I see alot of bullshit here. Point is, The mouse & keyboard is stronger than the pad.

every single games that are released on consoles can be released on a PC. which can support even those pads you're so fond of, ffs it can even use the wiimote.
unless consoles showed greater compatibility to PC working hardware, I'd be reconsidering.

All in all, whatever your PStriple does, PC does better. as far as I know, current consoles don't even support directX10 there goes your eye candy.

Vista is a huge steaming pile of shit though
Sharpless's Avatar
Sharpless at 02/13/2008 23:18
Dude, you should've gone with Devastator, instead of Voltron. Voltron is nothing in comparison.

mistic's Avatar
mistic at 02/14/2008 00:16
@Sanitymask:

alright I see alot of bullshit here. Point is, The mouse & keyboard is stronger than the pad.
well I don't think so, I'll agree with you that it has a higher precision in FPS/strategy games, but I'll beat anyone in a racing/fighting/sports-game with a controller over a keyboard...

Also as mentioned in my previous reply, the keyboard+mouse just is not a comfortable way to play games compared to a gamepad...

at first I wasn't convinced about playing FPS on consoles either but eventually the feeling of comfort and a screen that's at least twice as big as my PC-screen won over the 'feeling' of precision...

gaming is my hobby, as in what I do in my spare time, I work on PC's at work the whole time and I thank god that I can just come home, throw myself in a comfortable seat and just play within the next minute ( contrary to having to boot my PC into a horribly slow OS ( compared to Linux/MacOsX ), thus also making it vulnerable to any 14-year-old script-kiddie in this world... and then having to start the game)
MrEeeds's Avatar
MrEeeds at 02/14/2008 00:43
Sharpless-you are my new hero. Devastator rules!! Yup, PC gaming can get silly-patches, drivers, upgrades, etc..and I wouldn't have it any other way. Just old school I guess.
Ratcliff's Avatar
Ratcliff at 02/14/2008 00:44
What the hell, I'm the BLUE lion? The one piloted by a chick?
Ratcliff's Avatar
Ratcliff at 02/14/2008 00:44
What the hell, I'm the BLUE lion? The one piloted by a chick?
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