Nvidia: Console Software Sales are Flat, PC on the Rise

[dconnors]

PC gaming is dead? Not so fast...

Nvidia: Console Software Sales are Flat, PC on the Rise : Read more

 

[aftcomet]

I hope they don't consider Farmville a game.

This isn't likely unless good PC prices come down as the casual market doesn't build their own PCs.

 

[reggieray]

Haven't bought a PS3 game in long time but have several I plan on for my gaming rig, especially on 11.11.11

 

[burnley14]

This doesn't surprise me as mainstream graphics are becoming more capable these days. Once an integrated GPU can play most titles on decent settings, I imagine that console gaming will take a really hard hit. If you can buy a mainstream laptop for everyday use and it also serves to play the latest games, why spend the ~$300 on a console as well?

Since this hasn't been the case yet, and only higher-end machines that cost substantially more than a console have played games well (and often require upgrades to keep up with graphics progress), the tides will be changing very soon. Consoles have been successful for their convenience of playing everything well, without worries of compatibility or unplayable framerates. Once mainstream PC's can do the same, consoles will largely disappear. Just my two cents . . .

 

[mobrocket]

what is considered a "pc game" cus i think they are considering everything that isnt nintendo, msft, or sony...

 

[rjq]

Games availability is also a key factor besides computer prices going down by the years.

 

[snwkill]

Yea this data doesn't suprise me... New shiny console comes out, pc sales slump as the console hardware becomes dated, people want to go back to the PC. I do believe things like direct to drive and steam have given the PC an edge, as people can impulse buy a lot easier at their desk than they can getting in the car and driving to the store...

I would be VERY suprised if the next gen consoles don't try to do this themselves, if I were Microsoft I would install a 500GB+ harddrive standard and either make a deal with steam or come up with my own internet store.

 

[house70]

Poetic justice would be to have Gruener write this article....

 

[beardguy]

In Asian countries PC gaming is much more popular than console gaming. For every Karaoke bar, there's a PC lounge for gaming.

PC's aren't going anywhere, even if in the US it seems like they may be dying.

As consoles become more like computers, there may not be much difference between the two anyway. Perhaps all that "console" will mean in the future, is a standard set of hardware tucked inside a nice little case.

 

[leandrodafontoura]

This speculation is ridiculous. The chart shows that console beats PC in sales, has been for the last 3 years and may continue to go on that way. Nvidia cant predict a result 4 years from now, specially when there will be a console refresh in 2 years.

Not saying PC gaming is dead, not saying we need a console refresh either

 

[delbrugge]

who cares who is winning. there are so many factors playing into both the console and pc world that neither is better. all i know is that building a gaming pc compared to buying a console is cheaper and all my friends are on xbox. that's all that matters to me.

 

[jecastej]

Gaming on a PC may be growing, not the general use for consumer desktop PCs, that is going down. Bur al least it looks the PC gaming is recovering and I feel good about it because the current PCs are much more powerful and I don't have to invest more for gaming.

Give me an upgradable console option, some hybrid and I will consider that console, but with 5-7 years cycles in the latest years the hardware is too outdated. The Playstation may have longer legs. Also not everyone will want to pay extra for upgradeability.

 

[clonazepam]

Facebook saves PC Gaming? Who'da thunk it. jk

Hopefully we continue to see a steady stream of awesome $5 indie games. In this economy, $5-$15 is probably the sweet spot in pricing where people are willing to take that gamble on a game that might suck.

I have to think really really hard and review and study a title as much as possible before dropping $50 or more. For example, say I want to buy the combo pack of Crysis and Crysis Warhead on steam for $30. I was still unsure about it until I checked Origin's price and they want $30 for each.

Hollywood takes old IPs and re-releases them all polished up, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. There's a million old titles I'd love to see given the fresh new AAA title attention. The gaming industry would at least save money by only re-touching the original story and not have to do a complete re-write.

Steam FTW!

 

[back_by_demand]

[citation][nom]aftcomet[/nom]I hope they don't consider Farmville a game.This isn't likely unless good PC prices come down as the casual market doesn't build their own PCs.[/citation]
[citation][nom]mobrocket[/nom]what is considered a "pc game" cus i think they are considering everything that isnt nintendo, msft, or sony...[/citation]
One would assume that as nVidia had something to say then the games in question are those that require a discrete graphics card
...
So no, not Farmville or other casual browser based games.

 

[KelvinTy]

Old days, stupidly expensive computers to play games and not everyone needs a pc for work.
Modern days, middle-class computers become a hell lot more affordable and almost every single job would pretty much include a little bit of computering, email, facebook, netflix, itune, skype and other useful softwares?
This is especially true when the consoles are getting very old...

 

[Guest]

Good news imo, pc building is becoming easier and easier. When I first built one it was damn hard. Soon it may become so easy that everyone is doing it.

 

[traumadisaster]

Consoles are mainstream and easy for the masses. Which is where the money will always be. Pc gaming is such a niche hobby in comparison, albeit one we enjoy obviously since we are on this website. But all of my friends are blind to this sub-hobby they wouldnt fathom spending the effort, time or money on pc gaming. I'm constantly rationalizing the extra work it takes to be a pc gamer. It must be bliss to live in ignorant console world, But I'm glad I know the truth about jaggies!

 

[bystander]

[citation][nom]jecastej[/nom]Gaming on a PC may be growing, not the general use for consumer desktop PCs, that is going down. Bur al least it looks the PC gaming is recovering and I feel good about it because the current PCs are much more powerful and I don't have to invest more for gaming.Give me an upgradable console option, some hybrid and I will consider that console, but with 5-7 years cycles in the latest years the hardware is too outdated. The Playstation may have longer legs. Also not everyone will want to pay extra for upgradeability.[/citation]

I think you fell victim to sensationalistic journalism. The PC market is still growing. What you read was a journalist saying that it's not growing as fast as it used to, but it is still growing.

 

[brucek2]

Ignoring the 5 years in the future, which at best is an estimate, this article is based on 3 years of data. And that data shows console sales being both well ahead of PC sales and moving in the same direction.

I'm a PC gamer and rooting for its supremacy (fewer console ports please!), but for this article to be taken remotely seriously it needs a lot more explanation about where those 5 years of estimates came from.

 

[Soma42]

The only reason consoles can have a 7+ year lifespan is the graphics are pretty much stagnant after the first few years of a consoles' life. I haven't touched my Xbox in years, for many reasons really, but mainly because the games look like crap compared to my PC.

PCs are constantly improving visuals, which is why titles like Skyrim and BF3 will be visually brilliant on a PC and merely mediocre on consoles.

 

[clonazepam]

[citation][nom]Soma42[/nom]The only reason consoles can have a 7+ year lifespan is the graphics are pretty much stagnant after the first few years of a consoles' life. I haven't touched my Xbox in years, for many reasons really, but mainly because the games look like crap compared to my PC.PCs are constantly improving visuals, which is why titles like Skyrim and BF3 will be visually brilliant on a PC and merely mediocre on consoles.[/citation]

I'm with you 100%. My xbox 360 hasn't been turned on in ages. If I ever do turn it on, it'll be to finish Gears of War 2 and Final Fantasy XIII. Neither is likely to happen though.

 

[kinggraves]

It hasn't been the "other way around" for a long time, consoles have enjoyed more commercial success compared to PC gaming for years. Nvidia's bread and butter is on PC gaming so their opinion on the matter is biased. You might as well ask the head of Exxon about the benefits of fossil fuel. I don't see any facts to back up their projections, only assumptions that because there is a current trend, that trend will just keep going. The expectation that console sales will remain stagnant over the next few years is plain idiocy. The current generation of consoles have run their course and the new generation of consoles will be out over the next few years. This WILL invigorate sales for them. You have to take Nvidia's opinion with a whole cup of salt, since the first of the next gen offerings, the Wii U, uses parts from their top competitor, AMD. It wouldn't be surprising for Sony and MS to go with them as well, AMD APUs are a nice fit for the needs of console hardware.

Now, PC game sales are rising. Most of the old problems that kept people from PC gaming like expensive hardware and DRM are no longer the issues they once were. One could also point out that the lines between PC and console are greyer than they used to be. Consoles have PC style networking, and services like OnLive present console accessibility for PC gaming, so by 2015 it may not be an issue of PC vs console, but rather general sales across all platforms. Nvidia is just trying to drum up PC business like the floundering fish they seem to be these days.

 

[amishrabbi]

wow, that graph is all predictions....wish it would show more than a 2 year history. side note: pc > console

 

[stingstang]

Tom's, stop with the "Is PC gaming dead?" Bullcrap. I'm really getting sick of hearing it.

 

[drwho1]

I only own a PS3 as the only console of this generation, for which I only buy ONE game every year, the same game that I have bought since the PS1 days.

For the PC however I always end up getting a few more games per years than on console.

The games I buy might not be the "most popular games" nor I care, I just get what I like, I don't buy any shooter (which most popular games seem to be).