PC games, once down, show signs of rebound

Titles for PCs had slumped in recent years, overshadowed by a new generation of game consoles. Now they are showing signs of a comeback.
The New York Times

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[thedreaming]

PC Games

I started out like everyone else, paying games on a console, but as soon as I could get a game loaded on a PC, I never went back to consoles.

[`WarpKat]

Indeed - And Console Games are the Same

I've been a casual PC gamer for about 15 years, but the reason I like PC games more than the console games is the versatility and the virtually free online play.

I'm not tied to any one particular service like you might be with Live - and I don't pay for virtually demolishing monsters or people online.

The versatility of PC games also brings about adding new components to the game that you aren't able to get on a console - maps, new weapons, and other customizations - and this is an infinite thing.

Granted, adding a harddrive was the natural evolution for the console - as is the ability for storing information on a standardized SD card, however, I think it's a case of 'too-little-too-late' for the console.

Don't get me wrong - the console is great if you're into Final Fantasy and other exclusive games, but the PC is unmatched in the versatility arena. Besides - most console games tend to be the same, over and over - just different graphics and sounds.

[C_G_K]

M$ pretty well killed the PC game market

For the average non-geeky person, running a PC based game is a huge pain in the rear. Trying to figure out if your PC meets the requirements is the first challenge... pixel shader versions and the like are over the head of most. Then, try to get the controller to work with a game (or figure out a confusing keyboard configuration for controls), or try to change the graphics settings. Then there is the cryptic errors that pop up. And, if your new game doesn't work, forget about taking it back to the store. I blame M$ for not creating a better environment for PC games to thrive, and why would they care? They have their own console anyway. Not holding my breath that things will be any better with Vista.