2013-01-10, 03:34 | Link #43 | ||
Pretentious moe scholar
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Age: 37
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http://forum.beyond3d.com/showthread.php?t=46241 Quote:
In terms of stuff carried over from the PC side, it looks like a certain degree of platform openess (ie. mod support) is in but they're going with a conventional controller rather than something Phantom Lapboard like, so PC control schemes are out (significantly reduces the appeal for me but probably not for some). That and probably the hardware itself. Rumours are that Sony and MS are using PC derived AMD CPUs and GPUs in their next gen so I can't imagine Valve doing much different. (BTW, I have to say, I wish someone trusted in the gaming industry like Valve would launch a certification program for OEM PCs - ie. "this box has a decent GPU and no bloatware".)
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2013-01-10, 15:14 | Link #44 |
Kurumada's lost child
Join Date: Nov 2003
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While it is true that buying a PC is more costly than your regular $200 to $400 console the price for getting games is much lower on the PC. You can get games for free and other games for 20 dollars or less, not to mention modding the options.
You save a lot of money by gaming on the PC. Hopefully Valve will make the PC much more competitive at this time when it is losing so much business to the mobile market.
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2013-01-10, 22:44 | Link #46 | |
(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻
Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2006
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I wouldn't call either console a success for the companies bottom lines. People love to point at Nintendo and their few quarters of losses, claiming doom and gloom. Never mind that the Wii and DS made them a boatload of cash. Sony on the other hand has a junk credit rating and is bleeding money like crazy. The only reason the Xbox is still alive is because MS has huge coffers. The cost of bringing the 360 to market would have bankrupted most other companies. That's the reason neither have really dropped in price all that much either. They're finally turning a profit, and they need those consoles to recoup as much as they can before the next ones come out. Today is a much different world. I can state with extremely high confidence that neither next gen system will launch with specs higher than what a high end PC has today. Close, perhaps, if the companies stupidly throw their money at specs like they did last generation. Which I'm sure they will. However, in a few years time, PC will once again be a generation ahead, and mid-range gamers like myself won't mind spending the extra cash over a console because of all the advantages consoles don't provide. The best advantages of a console are this: 1. Plug and Play. Not really much of an issue with PC's anymore, but consoles are still superior. 2. Closed environment. This not only helps 1, but also means that lower specs can be squeezed for more power. The 360 runs on antiquated PC hardware, but you won't find a PC with those specs running Hitman Absolution anywhere close to the level a 360 can. Consoles, by nature of being locked down, are simply easier to push harder because you know everyone has the same parts and specs. 3. Exclusives. Fair enough. That's why I buy Nintendo systems. But yeah, people like their idiot boxes. That's why Apple sells so many products even when superior competitors exist. Market the "you don't have to know how it works, because there's a wizard in every box", and people who pretend they have no time to learn how shit works will line up at your door to pay overpriced amounts. There will always be a place for consoles as a result. However, the barriers that used to exist: high price, conflicting hardware, lack of plug and play, etc., for PC gaming are just not really there anymore. Even crappy laptops can play decent games now. It's not just that graphics cards have gotten stronger, but the technology has reached a point where it can be tiny, powerful, and good looking. Like Nvidia's Tegra line. Combined CPU/GPU processors. That kind of thing. The tools are better. The engines are better. The sales and support tools are better. Comparing PC's from a decade ago to now is just a night and day difference. It's just become a much more friendly environment for everyone, and overall the costs are about the same when you average it out. It just seems so different now because this console generation has lasted far longer than it should have.
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2013-01-10, 22:51 | Link #47 | |
blinded by blood
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Early adopters, though, end up paying $80-130 for the game and all the DLC.
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2013-01-11, 03:43 | Link #49 | |
Pretentious moe scholar
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Age: 37
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Quote:
(Of course, getting an OEM machine with a decent GPU at a decent price is a problem to this day, which is an entirely separate issue.) The main thing I've noticed about the next gen console rumours is that they suggest both MS and Sony plan to use PC derived CPUs and GPUs, rather than custom designs as were used for the CPUs of the current gen (and the GPU on the 360). So the main question is going to be what sort of power consumption/heat envelope they plan to work with. In the PS4's case, there's the even more specific rumour about dual graphics (AMD APU + discrete AMD GPU). Probably a dual-midrange GPU setup - not exactly high end PC destroying, but nothing to sneeze at either. To an extent though, I think this spec stuff (which I, as a geek, freely admit I love to discuss) is overrated in terms of what's important to a platform's supporters. Even were the spec advantage not present I think a lot of people would stick to the PC for mods (Oblivion mods are, IMO, were a "killer app" for the PC platform early in the 360's lifecycle), keyboards and mice, and not having to deal with 12 year olds on Xbox Live, as well as certain gameplay styles associated with PC-centric releases. If Valve approaches Steambox correctly, it will narrow that gap.
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2013-01-11, 05:07 | Link #50 |
(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻
Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2006
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True on the 8800gt. That was a damn good card. I used a 9600gt around that time, it carried me until I replaced it with my GTX460 about two years ago. Of course, things have changed since the PS360 were in the design stages. CPU tech is no longer about raw hertz, and GPU's are more integrated into the system. GPGPU tech is now more common too. The Wii U uses it, and I suspect the new HD twins will as well. In terms of graphics capabilities, my wager is they'll be one card series ahead of the Radeon in the Wii U.
Power consumption is the biggie. The Wii U uses a ridiculously low power consumption for what it packs, but I can't see Sony and MS being so cheap. I think specs are overrated, to a point. I certainly don't want a repeat of the gap between Wii and the HD twins. But if Nintendo had chased them this generation, that might have ended the company. I think they're in a better position now, specs-wise. At worst, I think it'll be SNES to Genesis in quality, but otherwise I see a repeat of the PS2/Xbox1/GC era. One thing I do think needs to happen, is the costs of games going down. The industry is pushing out the b-tier of games rapidly, which isn't healthy in the long run. I think PC's might have an advantage here, especially with Steam. I also think if Japanese developers want to recapture some of the Western audience, PC might be the way to do it. I know a few of the bigger publishers, like Capcom, are pushing into it, but I think the niche titles that probably wouldn't get many sales on a console would do pretty well on a PC.
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2013-01-11, 05:34 | Link #51 |
blinded by blood
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You can blame EA on the price of games. They've pretty much single-handedly raised the price of a new game from $50 to $60 and of Collector's Editions from $60-65 to $80+.
This isn't even counting their usual method of "DLC," in which pieces of the game are hacked off before release and then sold for $7-10 each at or shortly after launch... Hell, half the reason EA pushes Origin so hard (and had Dragon Age 2 et al yanked from Steam) is because they didn't like Steam Sales dropping the prices of their games/DLC. Edit: Speaking of niche Japanese titles on Steam, xseed has brought a few of the Ys titles to Steam, and I suspect they'll be releasing Trails in the Sky Second Chapter to Steam as well, especially considering how the Vita was pretty much a repeat of the PSP's failure in the West.
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