so says the spyware developer at WildTangent

I don't like WildTangent, but I will say that PC gaming is far healthier than the press might make you think.

If PC builders ever got their shit together and provided consistent pricing, streamlined system components, cheaper overall design, and made gaming PC's as affordable as they really are (trust me, you don't have to spent 1500 dollars on a gaming rig, 600-800 should do you just fine), PC gaming would rule the world. It's a far more robust platform.

Right now, it's just too confusing for new gamers to know that their PC is good enough to run new games, and it's too expensive to build a gaming PC unless you really do your homework. The problem has numerous sources though. Microsoft needs to support the platform more (which would be bad for the Xbox), video card designers need to have some logical naming system and be more on top of bugs (logical naming system may hurt short-term profits, but if the PC gaming industry goes down the crapper so do video card designers), PC developers need to work harder on compatibility and stop expecting everyone to have a 3000 dollar PC (Crysis, I'm looking at you), and the industry, overall, needs to take a long, hard look at accessibility.

Yeah, they say this until they can come up with their malware for consoles.

I agree with BlackSheep; consoles are simple evolving into our PCs for the television. They are not far from it now.

Ah yes, because endless patches, driver incompatibilities, and expensive hardware is every gamer's first-choice.

At least he's trying to take a different approach than the PC-anits. It's just surprising to see genres like JRPGs (The Last Remnant) and franchises like Burnout coming to PCs ;)

I agree with BlackSheep. The PS3 and Xbox 360 are essentially specialized PCs that fit in a nice little box. They aren't functionally different for the most part (aside from the PC being hardware upgradeable). You can even load Linux on a PS3 (or any other supporting OS) and use a keyboard/mouse.

I like both PC and console gaming, but I'm really starting to lean toward console right now because I don't have to worry about not having the right hardware specs to run a game. I don't need to worry about driver problems, and I don't have to worry about draconian DRM measures (ala Mass Effect PC).

Ultimately, I think the console will continue to be the gaming king because it makes games more accessible to more people.

"Ah yes, because endless patches, driver incompatibilities, and expensive hardware is every gamer's first-choice."

Are you talking about PC's or consoles? :P

"What would really be an end to consoles is if the average gamer pulled their head out of their ass and learned that good video cards don't cost $600 and are simple to install."

Finally, someone with some damn sense around here.

"Ultimately, I think the console will continue to be the gaming king because it makes games more accessible to more people."

That depends on whether or not things will stay the same as they are now. I wouldn't count on it. I think PC's will get more accessible as PS360's become less accessible. Already, compare sticking the Atari cartridge into the slot and turning the power on to having/not having a hard drive, hard drive installation (a la MGS4), having/not having Live!, etc.

Consoles and PCs are clearly converging. The big difference now is that I own my PC and I decide what runs on it. I wouldn't want Sony or MS to decide that for me, as they do with consoles.

What we need is one single gaming platform, an open standard that can run on various hardware setups. In 2020 we might not have consoles as we know them today, but we're also likely not to have PCs as we know them today.

On top of the benefits a unified platform would have for all gamers, it will also kill all platform fanboyism, and that is a noble vision if I ever heard one.

"What we need is one single gaming platform, an open standard that can run on various hardware setups. In 2020 we might not have consoles as we know them today, but we're also likely not to have PCs as we know them today.

On top of the benefits a unified platform would have for all gamers, it will also kill all platform fanboyism, and that is a noble vision if I ever heard one."

Yeah, but it won't ever happened. If it did happen, it would probably result from something horribly evil move by Microsoft, which would lead to incredibly expensive games and shitty service.

The PC is pretty much the ideal universal platform. Developers freely admit they develop most multiplatform games for the PC whether or not they plan to release them for PC. It's just easier to make it for the PC and then port it. It also doesn't hurt any console's feelings, and Microsoft is, obviously, pretty cool with PC development. Still, it won't happen. To much money invested in consoles at this point... not to mention fanboyism.

"Consoles are easier to operate and are cheaper. You PC guys are nuts."

How much money have you spent on your consoles? I'm guessing the 360 and PS3 together cost around 800-1000 dollars. That's more than I spent on my PC. I guarantee you I have access to more games (this includes older games, mods, freeware, emulation, etc.). I'll freely admit its arguable over which has better new games. I'm a strategy game guy, so I go gaga over the PC. However, I also use my PC for internet surfing, work, music, other media, etc. I guess you can do all of that on the PS3 or 360, but I don't see how it could be nearly as easy or useful in any of those realms.

St. John's been watching too many Jetsons episodes.

I don't get why everyone always pits the 2 against eachother. It's either consoles or PCs? Why? We don't have TV or Movies. We don't have books or newspapers. They are 2 separate products, with 2 separate demographics. Developers and publishers need to realize this and stop trying to go after both at once. Very rarely do we see a movie come out and a TV show come out, that are almost identical other than what medium they're on. Make PC games for PC gamers. Make console games for console gamers. Don't try to bridge the two, and then complain that one of them sold less than the other. When will the industry finally realizes that programming for a PC and programming for a console are 2 completely different beasts, and trying to tackle both of them is an exercise in futility?

This guy is actually behind alot of the technology that you are seeing in games now. He was the creator of the DirectX technology at Microsoft and essentially helped shape what gaming has become today through technology.

There is alot of truth in what he says, PC gaming has experiened a massive boom in the past few years due to the emergence of online distribution, online games and MMOs such as WOW. In some parts of the world such as Korea and alot of Europe, console gaming is completely overshadowed by PC gaming. You can see consoles moving towards that more online connected experience that only existed on the PC say 10 years ago and if you think about it consoles are really just PCs with special software.

With the rise of online gaming consoles could start to feel the strain as the software cannot adapt and evolve in the same way PC software can. New online experiences such as Quake online, battlefield heroes and legions:fallen empire cannot be done effectively on consoles in the same way they can on the PC and in my opinion it won't be long before we see so called 'browser games' matching the graphical fidelity and gameplay of 'proper' pc/console games, these sort of games have massive appeal due to the ease of use and the playable anywhere mentality. The consoles will have to change to become more like PCs and eventually they will be PCs themselves. You can already see this starting to happen in this generation, especially with the PS3.

This cracks me up! If anything PC gaming will be a thing only for the elite. Wild tanget? They were the leaders in annoying spyware-sque programs of course they would like you to believe some rubbish as this.

@jkh13 He's still ignorant. There more than enough room for the two to share room. Also on the point of Korea and Asian countries preferring PC to console is only true because console games and even consoles themselves are so heavily pirated or bootleged.

Its far more predicting to say that since the console is starting to get on the internet with games that pirating and bootlegging will slow and allow for the expansion of consoles in these markets.

Also the whole reason for console growth is their cheap entry cost compared to a highend PC which can run up to 5k. With PC games these days often ported from consoles it makes no sense to purchase such a high end computer.

Even in the year 2020, the comp specs will still have such a large variance that the console will still be number 1, because the faster the PC changes and adapts. The slower the adoption rate of new PCs. Why because people are still attempting to get mileage on what they already purchased.

Right now is that very effect. The reason for the "slow down" isn't that people are not willing to purchase the games but people are not willing to adopt newer technology. By 2020 "HE" believes that will be the time when a younger generation along with adopters of the new technology will emerge. I believe he is wrong however, even if this happens it will increase PC sales and not necessarily increase software sales.

The console will always remain a steadfast strong sector so long as their are median to low income families or people without tech savvy.

To say consoles will disappear is to say poverty will disappear and everyone will get an IQ boost of 50.

I'm going to say maybe he's half right. I think if consoles are going to die, it wouldn't be until at LEAST 2020. But will the current generation be the last? Hell no, and I think we won't know the long term fate of consoles until we see how the next generation plays out.

As for PC becoming the dominant platform, I think it's possible for the reasons that were mentioned but it's really hard to tell. I think it's kind of unlikely due to the fact that the mainstream audience values convenience and low price of entry so much which are two things PC gaming is not exactly known for.

"What we need is one single gaming platform, an open standard that can run on various hardware setups. In 2020 we might not have consoles as we know them today, but we're also likely not to have PCs as we know them today. "

There will never be one console. To do that, the console vendors would all have to agree on a "standard". And each vendor will only agree with their own standard. It's like in Pirates of the Caribbean 3, where they are voting for the Pirate King, and Barbosa explains that no one ever becomes Pirate King because each pirate lord always votes for themselves.

@ killias2

I agree. Though I think ironically, the only way they could bring it down to a mainstream audience's level of tolerance is to make them into what essentially would be consoles. It would definitely broaden their market and be beneficial in general though if they did what you're proposing.

@Volotov: An entry level PC and a high end PC are two different things, and neither cost anywhere near $5000. An entry level PC is $4-500, similar to a PS3, that you buy in a big box at Walmart to take home and do homework and play WoW. A high-end PC you build yourself for $1500 or so at current prices to tackle Crysis.

*intelligencer

This is my opinion of Mr. St John's prediction, summed up in one word.

WRONG. :OP

All I remember WildTangent from is how they suck and how I keep uninstalling/killing their programs/processes. Do not want!

To anyone who says the pc market is too expensive just go and read youkilledmyguy blog (more than six months ago he posted some numbers), you dont need to spend 1000 dollars on a pc to game on it. And consoles are not that cheap either.
And stop talking about crysis, I made myself a new pc (no monitor of course), and it cost me 600 dollars, crysis is just fine folks, if you dont know what you are talking about because you know a lot about consoles and want to defend your investment, just dont say anything and try to learn something.

I keep having to clean up their shitware from my ma's and nieces computers.