Is PC gaming dead then?
Alienware and its PR people have put together some video clips featuring messieurs Ampzz McDonald and Prawny Beaumont talking about the pros and cons of PCs versus gaming consoles, which may or may not interest you.
As it happens, I had an Xbox 360 Elite here for a while and can appreciate the slick user experience. The Xbox 360 just works, is quiet, doesn't look too ugly and anyone can use it. Plus, it works as a media extender and provides a platform for games publishing houses and Microsoft as well, with subscriptions. Lots of games come out on consoles first or even only. would like to check out Red Dead Redemption for instance, but without an Xbox or a Playstation, I don't think that'll happen. Then there's all the kinetics stuff too.
Gaming consoles are pretty damn cool, in other words, and they're cheap. The new Xbox 360 can be had for $449 in Auckland which is pretty good but you do need to add a screen - ideally an HD TV- to the price.
With that kind of pricing, you have to wonder why anyone would bother with a big PC. Get a console to play games on, and a cheap-ish laptop, maybe an inexpensive DLNA/Bonjour enabled NAS box for storage and backup, and that's probably all the IT gear most people need.
No wonder then that specialist PC vendors such as Dell's Alienware are getting worried. Alienware makes high-end "enthusiast" PCs aimed at gamers - they do that job rather well I'm told (no, I've never tried out an Alienware box so don't know if they're any good). They're not cheap though, especially if you want top of the range performance. Take the Alienware Area 51 ALX monster, with motorised vents and Intel's quad and hexacore processors:
It's an impressive enough machine, albeit with very low spousal acceptance factor design. Looking at the specs of the hardware available for it, has ample performance to do just about anything. But, the starting price is US$4,000 and once you start adding on a fast HD monitor and the usual drool-worthy features, the cost of the Area 51 ALX starts creeping up towards the US$10k mark. There may very well be people out there who can justify that kind of money to play games, but I can't imagine there being very many.
Myself, I wouldn't like PC gaming to die. It'd be a dull IT world without the regular competitive updates from the likes of Intel, NVIDIA and AMD fighting each other for the fastest and best value top spots, and coming out with new features that push the enveloper even further. The closed, controlled proprietary nature of consoles is what makes them work so well, but jeez. it's boring stuff for someone used to the relatively open nature of PCs and the ability to hack them into shape and break them spectacularly. Yeah, so I'm a dinosaur.
Now for something related: while it's still relevant for PC users, here's some random DX11 Tessellation goodness to feast your eyes on.
Update Harry McCracken over at Technologizer has a story that makes a very good point: accuracy. Mouse and keyboard controls are more accurate than the console controllers. PC gamers, even mediocre ones, were able to wipe the floor with Xbox 360 ones. If that's so, it might explain why some games don't cross platforms so to speak…
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Intel Nehalem coming out tomorrow
Comment by Scott, on 16-Jul-2010 15:54
The thing you miss out is that PC prices have been going down and that the system you quoted is the best of the best, its not a system most gamers would buy.
2k would get you a very good system today, you can get a console equivalent (graphics wise) for 1k-1.5k.
Yes it costs more, but no it is not a huge amount more and considering you can do so much more with a PC its a worth while investment. Not to mention most games are cheaper on the PC anyway.
Comment by dasimpsonsrule, on 16-Jul-2010 18:48
The reason alienware is getting worried is not because pc games are dying, its because gamers usually build their own computers. That US$4k would probably be around 1-2k custom built. Also look at the customisation options, $250 to overclock?!?!? are you serious?
That computer sucks tbh, its obvious why gamers custom build
Comment by Richard, on 18-Jul-2010 15:45
Agree with the above, the article sort of misses the point. PC is also more cost effective in many cases, eg if you need a new PC anyway. Then of course there's mods...
Comment by J. Donner, on 19-Jul-2010 20:27
I get sick and tired of that "Consoles are cheaper" argument", because anyone who says that conveniently forgets that pretty much ALL console owners also own a PC (desktop, laptop and/or netbook) and a console + PC is still a lot more expensive than a descent gaming that doesn't have to cost more than $700-$800, unless you prefer super high resolutions.
Comment by kiwisoccer, on 20-Jul-2010 13:00
The reason the pc games are dying is because you still have to install and play around with drivers with certain graphic cards, OS (trying to LAN) etc, where as the console games you just shove the disc in and away you go
The only pc games I will play on pc is Starcraft and Diablo
Comment by Linuxluver, on 20-Jul-2010 14:53
Last week it was ActiVision talking about bringing back PC gaming because they are tired of the limitations - hardware and financial - that the closed console platforms impose.
I never bought a console. I don't like them. Won't game on them....even if that means no gaming at all.
Comment by dman, on 20-Jul-2010 17:56
As said above,the key factor most people forget in the "price argument" is that virtually EVERYBODY has a computer.
Even if it is a very very basic computer that only cost $800, when you compare that to the cost of that PLUS a console it becomes about $1,300 we shall say. Which is then equivalent to a fairly decent computer these days. When put that way you would have to be mad to want to get a console and a computer when you could have just a much better computer instead.
And then you stack on top all the benefits of a computer: versatility, upgradability, etc etc... the choice for PC gaming over consoles becomes easy.
Comment by Budd, on 21-Jul-2010 21:50
pc gaming isnt as people friendly as console gaming,i find pc gaming puts alot of people off due to the fact that its easier to hack/cheat when playing pc games especially online where most people seem to favour over say campain..still pc gaming will never die but the huge pc upgrades will slow down somewhat..besides theres always gonna be some rich prick who just craves the latest hardware because its the latest hardware..those w!@#%@! Haha
Comment by Skolink, on 22-Jul-2010 14:54
A friend bought an Alienware gaming 'laptop' for a rediculous $9000. While very powerful it was badly designed and kept failing due to heat related issues. Maybe that's why Alienware are in trouble
Comment by Ragnor, on 25-Jul-2010 01:58
As mentioned a solid gaming pc shouldn't cost you more than $1500-2000. Cost-wise, consoles turn out a lot more expensive after you add in the cost of buying games over time.
Steam, Impulse, GoG, Direct2Drive have been a revolution for PC game pricing.. it's moved the whole economy to a long tail (Amazonesque) style affair post release prices fairly quickly and weekly weekend specials with top calibar games for <$15 are frequent.
There are still entire classes of games that can't effectively be played on consoles eg: any strategy game, rpgs, mmorpgs etc.
Also it's not a zero sum game, the gaming market has expanded significantly with many games owning a PC and multiple consoles.
Comment by J. Donner, on 26-Jul-2010 20:04
Ragnor said: "As mentioned a solid gaming pc shouldn't cost you more than $1500-2000."
That's way too much money for a gaming PC, pure overkill.
A configuration that will play all games at highest settings:
Csse + PSU: $50
Motherboard + 4GB memory: $250
Core I5 (quad) $200
Good video card: $250
1TB Hard drive: $75
Total: $825
Comment by JCC, on 5-Aug-2010 14:04
Only advantage of console gaming over pc I can see is that you can lay on the sofa while you play. A CHEAP pc will give you better than console quality graphics. And the games are a lot cheaper. I'll agree with people who say driving games are better on console. For everything else, the mouse-keyboard setup rules. PCs just take a little more thought to configure for gaming, and face, most people aren't that amenable to thought.
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Comment by heavenlywild, on 16-Jul-2010 14:47
The only reason why I still want to have a gaming PC is for Flight Simulator X, which is not playable on PS3 etc.
Also, what still makes me buy computer games instead of a gaming console is that I don't need two different devices. A PC can play games as well as surf the net. I realise gaming consoles can do the same these days but they can't do everything:)