@chuffhoncho:
"I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of [Canadian] voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced..."

DigitalHero

Regardless of whether PCs are better or worse, consoles are easier to an outsider, because if you buy a PS3 game, it is guaranteed to work on your PS3.

Pombar

Cue the people complaining about the need to spend $1500 every 3 months to be able to play PC games.

Even though I spent less than a thousand on my system almost 2 years ago, and it still plays everything coming out right now very well.

jeembomb

@Foxstar Sixtail: Ive just finished reading his article in last months edge, as I understand it he got money from MS so yeah you are right! However he comes across as incredibly arragont which I hate.

aphexmalus

Oh boy, there we go with the PC X Consoles crap.

TM-Oliveira

Did I just hear another small Canadian city cry out in horror?

chuffhoncho

@malio: I think 2 years are still too short for the casual gamers. I say casual as in gamers that play casually, not Wii-casuals.

You may scoff at this idea, but the average consumer find assembling a gaming PC themselves too hard to do. And pre-made gaming PCs are expensive. So we're talking about a very limited market penetration here compared to consoles.

AokiShinya

From a dev point (I'm not a game dev) of view Console distribution represents extra overhead vs PC distribution. You have to license to each console, meet licensing criteria, and you have to deal with the console licensee which may reject you for a number of non quality related issue. The advantages are a stationary hardware target, and built in anti-piracy of varying effectiveness.

But from a consumer point of view consoles are a much better bet in general. You don't have to worry about requirements, don't have to worry incompatibilities, don't have to worry about broken products as often, don't have to worry about DRM and bugs which may destroy your computer. Quality is generally better, and the control schemes mroe standardized (look at the control scheme for X3:reunion. . . You need a reference card simply to play the tutorial).

kingmanic

@Foxstar Sixtail: Stranger's was awesome!

excel_excel

@malio:
Looks aren't everything. You can have a beautiful gal with IQ of a small dog. Where are the Shadow of the Colossus caliber innovative PC titles? They disappeared after the first MMO. Every few years you get a gem like Spore. That's not enough.

(No I don't hate PC, been playing since 1991)

DigitalHero

@AokiShinya:Damnit, if I hadn't already submitted my picks to Hyper Multitap, you would be on it.

@aphexmalus:I could have sworn Oddworld got a money hat from Microsoft for Munch and Stranger.

Foxstar Sixtail

Good seeing someone reasonable in a world of Dude Huge.

Major_Higgins

It might be easier on the pc if your a developer but that kinda gets negated when most people don't have the money nor the want to have to upgrade and update like you do for pc gaming.

Neo-Senku: The World's Finest Pervert

@XeroKool:

You are woefully misinformed. I upgrade my rig every 2 years or so, and can play all but the most graphically intense games (i.e. Crysis), and they still look better than any console.

malio

@XeroKool: No offense, but if you're updating your rig every three months, you're doing it wrong.

antialias02

@XeroKool: lol, every three months, if you put forth intelligence in the parts you buy just like everything in life you can make it last.

Mr.DuckSauce

I dunno - I don't do any development for PCs *or* consoles, so it's hard for me to say what would realistically be 'easier' to develop for without hearing devs on both sides of the issue go back and forth about it.

@Pombar: That really depends. It's pretty darn easy to get PC games whose developers have done Digital Distribution well. And I play more games on PC than on consoles anyway; if given the choice between PC/Console, I buy the title for PC hands-down.

antialias02

In other words he feels he should'nt put alot of work in. No disrespect to indie devs, because most of you work pretty hard to earn respect. But lanning comes across as a arragont twat.

aphexmalus

@XeroKool: Precisely. A dedicated games machine is always simpler for the consumer. And shouldn't he be making games with the consumer in mind, not how he can make it easier on himself?

Pombar

"consoles are a problem"

Live it, learn it, love it. Viva la PC!

malio

@AokiShinya:
Awesome post. ROFL.

DigitalHero

Welcome to reality. lol

SpearXXI

what about the difference in the architectures? he could be referring to the "creative" programming necessary for working on PS3 projects or the absolute weakness of the processor in the wii which requires more delicate programming to maximize output. but you're probably right.

jamesb2147

Let this be a lesson to those of you that did not buy his Xbox title - your actions have repercussions :P

All these former console devs turned PC supporters remind me of actors that couldn't cut it on the big screen and now "love" doing infomercials and Sci-Fi original series'...

Footix

Miyamoto: WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THE SOUND OF THE BULLLDOZER TRYING TO CLEAR MY HALLWAY OUT OF $500 BILLS SO I CAN GO TO THE BATHROOM.

AokiShinya

Consoles are also a blessing for those 'consumers' who don't have the cash to update their rig every 3 months. Just throwing in my 2 cents.

XeroKool

PCs may be easier for the developer, but what's easier for the consumer?

Pombar

I think he is just upset that the Oddworld game failed to capture the sales of the original.

DigitalHero

Graohics. Just pointing that out.

tooji

@ReadNLearn: Hey, if you can afford it, more power to you.

Pombar

Sure, programming for PC is easier, but in another way it's also harder than making a console exclusive. With PC you have to cover all your ends; making sure it's compatible with this and that hardware, software. With a console it's straight forward, no variations.

Badassbill

I love it when people like this talk about the PC as if there's no reason that it's the weakest platform with serious games. Like it's just the will of god or something, and the innumerable weaknesses of PC development and distribution don't exist.

Moonshadow101

Maybe this would be more apropos if it came from someone who didn't completely fail in the console industry and hasn't released a game of note since the original playstation ten years ago.

Burguois, Teabagger of Olde

@Erwin:Thank you, I knew there was a reason I rolled my eyes so hard that they popped right out of my head when I read Lanning's tripe and lo and behold there it is.

Foxstar Sixtail

@XeroKool:
This seems to be a common misconception. A game that is made and optimized from the ground up for the PC will look great even on systems that are years old. You may not be able to run everything at max everything, but even on lower settings they often still look equal to, if not better than their console version.

Bayshun

@Pombar: Actually it should be AND, not OR. No reason not to have both other than finances. True gamers scoff at such trivialities though. ;)

ReadNLearn

I hate PC gaming, to be honest. I say down with PC gaming. It's for trouble than its worth, and there is less of a profit to make, anyway.

Xemnas

@ReadNLearn: Buying online from a good site is usually cheaper and if you build it yourself you can save tons of cash.

-Hairball-

I can see where he's coming from, but that won't change how many people are already committed to consoles and the more accessible nature of them when it comes to gaming. PCs may be better for smaller games and better looking games, but those damn kids love the console's ease. This is really nothing more than saying "war is bad." Yeah, it is, but you can't change that right now, can you? Eh, whatever. Steve Buscemi's got a point.
@Foxstar Sixtail: Did I hear money hat? Take your pick!

Erwin

@ViridianGames: Amen. Developers do have a hard time, though. On the other hand, the extensive reviewing by XBLA/PSN ensures that the games that do show up are (in most cases) worth your money.

Also, I don't think the niche-market really search for unique games over XBLA/PSN. If you are into a niche, you will definitely have a better chance finding it on the PC, and the nichemarket knows this very well. The problem is non-existant.

Hawko

@XeroKool: Since when do you have to update it every few months, for around €600 (or $600, damn you America and all your cheapness) you can get something which can rival a current gen console in terms of power and will probably be able to play nearly all games fairly well untill that console goes out of date. Especually now with so many cross platform games.

-Hairball-

@AokiShinya: Actually, you can buy inexpensive gaming PCs from local shops. Basically the same as doing it yourself but they charge a bit for the labour time to put it together for you. I imagine not every town has a shop like this with capable people and reasonable prices, but I would think most major cities would. No reason to buy AlienWare for a gaming PC if you don't want to build it yourself.

ReadNLearn

@Hafgrim: Better, Faster, Cheaper, Easier - pick two. Because that way, you can choose either PC or consoles! Which is (shock horror) how it happens in real life.

Pombar

This Penny Arcade sums up my feelings about Lanning.

ViridianGames

Consoles are a problem because there is no standards between them. With the increasing complexity of games in this generation, having to re-write, tweak assets, and debug your game on 3+ platforms is very costly.

And, of course, you have separate certification for each console - and have to have development kits for each console.. etc.

Bael

Better, Faster, Cheaper. Pick two.

Hafgrim

But what's easier for the consumer? The only PC games I buy, if ever, are stuff like Age Of Empires or Diablo which don't ask for a freakin' Alienware from 2 years in the future. I just dont have the time and money to be upgrading my rig every year, its embarasing!
So that's why I stick to consoles I have to buy once every 5 years. This is why consoles have taken over PC gaming. This is why if you, developer, get stuck in the 90s only developing for PCs chances are you´re going to bite the dust. Get on with the times!

Alex_Mexico

I have bought every Oddworld game in existance. I love Oddworld.

Refused

@Placentasaurus: Well, not no money, but your point's a good one.

Pombar

"anything that makes development more expensive, rather than better, faster, cheaper, I think is a step backwards."

complete truth.

@Pombar: true, but if you don't have a ps3, you have to go out and buy one. most households have a pc.

pasquinelli

It's not so much that there are multiple graphics cards to support, Stuart. When you're making a game you do it on the newest GPU drivers, under the assumption that it should work on most of the GPUs that can run that driver, though you still have to test it, of course. That's why PC games only officially support the newer cards.

@mustang: So basically a standardised mid-range PC connected to the internet.

Ginnsberg

It is easier to make games for the pc, but if I build a full computer with all the good stuff not the best stuff im going to be behind in a couple years and I will need to start running at lower resolutions or upgrade. consoles are set in stone until another console comes out it allows users to know user a gets the same experience as user b without variables. This means more people can enjoy the experience without hitting the pocket book.

lilaliendog

He seems to be forgetting the PIRATES. Defeats the entire purpose of making non-subscription PC games. Sure, it costs less, but it doesn't matter because they'll all just pirate it. No money will be made.

Placentasaurus

Sorry, that should have been "...redesigning graphics engines from the ground-up to support the PS3." Not PC.

dLMN8R

The development cost to support multiple graphics cards is easily surpassed by the cost to optimized code to a ridiculous degree, allowing games to run withing 512MB limits, and the cost of developing or redesigning graphics engines from the ground-up to support the PC.

APIs like OpenGL and DirectX make PC development a whole lot more standardized across the platform. Yeah, there are small optimizations you need to make for various cards, but the vast majority of that optimization comes from the manufacturers of graphics cards, not game developers. It's not like game developers need to create vastly different render paths for different video cards anymore like they used to.

dLMN8R

@kingmanic:

The answer is clear. Game developers get together and make an open console themselves like EA suggest they would be willing. No more extra overhead, no more restraining licensing criteria, no more closed online services, low cost hardware from 3rd party manufacturers, etc.

A platform like this would have all advantages of the PC and console and none of their weakness.

mustang

Hmm.. I thought he said Stranger would be the last of Odd World, before working on a movie or mini series. I'd love to see more of it, or at least remade versions (Especially Stranger since it came out during the last legs of the Xbox, when everyone was already anticipating the next iteration)

Kaizuden

He's not wrong, it's a lot easier to develop to PC, you have no limitations..

The problem is that most people can't understand PC specs, there are so much variables there.. Graphic Cards, CPU, Memory.. this things should be easier to compreend.. and nvidia and ATI releasing a new one with a more complex name every 2 month only makes this worse.. Ten years ago it things were easier, you knew that a Pentium 200Mhz was better than a Pentium 100Mhz.. today we have dual cores, quad cores, 64-bit processors.. that's too complicated to the general public! Also, incompatibility with Vista, different Direct X versions, drivers, patches, instalations.. consoles don't have all that.. Hardware and OS developers should talk more with game developers to make some standards to that stuff.. only then the PC will be a good platform for gaming :/

CockroachMan

@malio:

i think the operative words in your post were "all but." some of us want to play all the games and not worry if we'll have to spend an hour turning bloom off and lowering the anti-aliasing until we get a reasonable frame rate.

@Bael:

what about all the different configurations you can have for your pc? video card, driver, sound card, ram...

youareivan

Tell this guy about XNA. Quickly...

Edge of Blade

@Mr.DuckSauce: @antialias02: @malio: lol here we go. I was being sarcastic about the whole 3 months thing guys. I was trying to express the fact that consoles on a whole are more accessible for the average consumer. Unlike us, the majority of people are not into configuring and optimizing their PC to play the latest game. They want to be able to pick up and play, and not the get dreadful, your PC does not meet the following requirements blah, blah, blah.

XeroKool

@Kia: Amen. I've been able to afford PSP, DS and 360 games over the last two years solely because of trade-in value.

Pombar

Blah blah blah, digital distribution, blah blah.

F digital distribution, honestly. Sure, the devs don't give two shits about it, but I'll be damned if I ever see consumers as a whole welcoming it.

No secondhand market, no reselling or even trading in, no collectors' worth...NO THANKS.

Kia

I'm still amazed he's actually being listened to. He creates two games that were good but among the large amount of PS1 games, they can be easily overlooked. Then he makes more news because he decided to develop for the Xbox and makes a game no one bothers with. I mean come on, is Lorne even a one hit wonder?

www.ogmaster.com

wait, didn't this douchebag leave the video game industry forever to start some amazing new film production company about 4 years ago? Were we supposed to be in awe of his epic CG masterpiece by um... last year?

AoE

Whatever, just give me another Oddworld you bastard!

Tietsu

Lorne lanning could possibly be a bit bitter about replacing his eye balls with dollar signs when the xbox came out and instead of sticking with his core audience and eventually the more successful console, he chose to accept microsofts money and in doing so, the games didn't do so well. If anything because of that, peoples respect for him has gone down and the amount of pressure he is under now to make a good game could be too overwhelming for him, maybe thats why he quit for a bit

lucky_7s

@Pombar: people always say that, but i've never had that issue, and i always have an obsolete pos. it's a rule i live by ;)

now, to be fair, i don't keep up on the latest pc games, but i do play plenty of games on the pc.

pasquinelli

@mustang: that's a beautiful dream...

pasquinelli

"I'm more excited about what I see happening on PC because I see it allowing for more smaller games to be sold that can be delivered to anyone who's connected at much lower price points."

Sometimes at much, MUCH lower price points. Probably lower than Mr. Lanning would appreciate.

I've been a PC gamer since the end of the N64-PS1 era, but I just bought a console this year and I forgot how much I missed 100%, immediate, full functionality as soon as I put my rear in the chair. No configurations, no incompatibility, no finding cracks for broken DRM, no annual upgrades, no console ports that look awkward and control like feces.

Of course, I still put up with these things because I still use my PC. I'm just conscious that I wouldn't need to put up with it if I was playing the game on my console.

BobDelli

@pasquinelli: But probably not a PC capable of running most games, let alone the cool one you read about on Kotaku.

Pombar

I love when these posts come up on Kotaku because it allows me to see how truly ignorant most people are when it comes to PC Gaming. It's nice to see a developer acknowledge facts about the whole console/PC argument, even if only to be "lol'd" away by console people who just don't understand what they're talking about.

PC's were, are, and will always be where it's at for video game creativity, evolution, and options. Consoles are a kids toy, where as PC's are the adult version. Period.

The amount of ignorance when it comse to PC Gaming astounds me, truly. Anyone who thinks you need to spend anywhere NEAR $1000 every year on PC Gaming to keep up is an absolute uninformed moron on the subject. You look at all the prices of the newest video cards and you let that entirely effect your view on the matter, and you are so unbelievably wrong I don't know where to start.

It is nowhere even close to necessary to spend more than $150 on one PC component, ever. Motherboard, CPU, RAM, video card, you name it. And those 4 parts right there are the only 4 that you would ever even NEED to upgrade to keep up. Everything else, you could buy it once and never purchase an upgrade if you really wanted to.

I seriously am just amazed when it comes to consoles vs. pc arguments. If you people just want to openly admit that you personally prefer consoles because all you have to do is put the disc in the drive and play, go ahead. But if are SERIOUSLY trying to convey that you think consoles are a overall better gaming platform than the PC, then you are seriously mistaken on the subject. It's not even close. It's funny how whenever games are released on both,, the reviews always mention that the PC is the superior version. Oblivion, Bioshock, Orange Box, Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed, and the soon-to-be released GTA IV. Any rational thinking person knows the best experience is had on teh PC. If you choose not to educate yourself on the platform, or are just admittedly too lazy to get into PC gaming, that's not the fault of the platform.

mva5580

Console development is much, much easier on the developer and the consumer. The consumer can buy a console and know exactly what they are getting out of the console. The developer can develop for a console like the 360 and not have to worry about any other hardware configuration unless they're going multiplatform, in which case they worry about 2 or 3 configurations. With PCs, you have to worry about an almost endless number of hardware configurations and operating systems, etc. Essentially, the only thing that PCs have above consoles in terms of convenience is for indy game developer, but I would say an indy developer has a much better chance of getting his game seen if he manages to get it on Xbox live arcade or PSN, etc. ... yeah, he hasn't put much thought in to this I don't think.

Poojipoo

"...anything that makes development more expensive, rather than better, faster, cheaper, I think is a step backwards."

That's like saying car companies should be designing cars to be easier and cheaper to produce and easier for the mechanic to fix. Not more comfortable or with more of what the consumer wants. That's not progress, you make products for the *end consumer, not for your own ease of use.

Also, "better" is a relative statement, how does making a game for PC instantly make it "better"?

RaepGoblin

At my previous company we would call Lanning and most of the OI team cry babies.

"Waaa! This is SO hard! Why can't we have more ram in this console!"

"Waaa! Why can't the console create effects like what we used to make in movies!"

Work with what you have, strive for the best, and STFU.

No wonder he went back to movies and "multi-media". He should probably stay there.

JohnnyLA

Right, smaller, cheaper, more accessible games that are sold for less on machines that everyone has, and run well on all. Like Crysis. And Spore.

Let's be realistic. The PC is a platform that only exists anymore to push technological boundaries. Money cannot be easily made there, and people committed to playing those games need to buff out their computers for hundreds of dollars every time the next big thing comes out. Not everyone can play even the old games. I have a friend who has no consoles, and can only play PC titles. She can't even get Portal or the HL2 episodes to run on her computer, and she got it in 2006.

Neither PCs or consoles are "the problem." The PC is very specialized, and the console is very standardized...that's all there is to it.

TheHeartless

9800 for hl2 i guess. i thought it was different people who wrote to me, well it´s really late here.

basseman

@NotTheGuy: That's the best pro-PC argument I've read on this entire forum. The PC-focuse companies that do well are the ones that don't try to push the requirements to the near-latest tech.

Personally, I own both a console and I have a gaming-rig. I find merit in both platforms. Neither one is going anywhere. The consoles are more main-stream friendly while the PC has a strong enough core audience to keep it alive as well as being the major platform in some countries. Having a monopoly on the MMO market doesn't hurt either.

As much as some of you may cringe at the idea of digital distribution though, it's going to become the standard for all platforms eventually. It'll take a lot longer on consoles but it will happen. They'll follow the PC's example and start with giving you the option of either buying a retail version or downloading straight to the console. So long as they make a big enough profit off of DD, they'll gradually shift until they won't have to worry about discs ever again.

deadjesterx

@sixonedoesitall:
on a controler! i have nightmare to use an fps with controler usually.. Not really but i don´t like it. why is the multiplayer broken with a mouse? cause people are usually very good?

basseman

"lights PS3 on fire"

MY GOD HAS SPOKEN TO ME!!

Thorax

@basseman:

I bought a radeon 9800 just to play it.

HL2 was so awesome... I still play CS:Source all the time.

sixonedoesitall

@sixonedoesitall:
really ugly? just played the demo on about medium. Didn´t think it looked bad. Actually don´t think most new games looks so bad. to me it´s mostly "it looks good" not like the good old times with wow! crysis was along the wow! lines.

basseman

@Footix: some sci fi original series are actually very good.

has anyone considered that maybe he's not interested in big IP's and would like to do smaller, indie style games?

jp182

@AokiShinya: BULLLDOZER

Superlocke

@basseman:

Cod4 controls and plays much better using a gamepad... It's a 360 game that got a lazy pc port....

To add insult to injury, the multiplayer is horribly balanced because it was designed to be played with a joystick, which is far less accurate than a mouse.

I think cod4 is a great game, but it's broken when played with a mouse and keyboard.

sixonedoesitall

they ran on my old computer 2ghz radeon 9600 768mb ram... some stuttering, but nothing that really made it unplayable.

basseman

@Footix: lol. well said :)
he made some amazing console games, and 2 of them sold incredibly well. the other 2 were marketed exclusively on an unpopular console, leaving behind the majority of the existing fanbase who made the series an initial success on the Playstation.
seems to me he just made a bone-headed business decision in sticking exclusively with MS last generation. if he had seen success with those console games, he would have gotten a HUGE budget with which to make his dream game on one or more of the current consoles. he could be making critically and commercially successful games on one or (ideally) more consoles this generation, and then i bet he wouldn't be so sour on consoles.
in fact, looking at the styles of games the first 3 oddworld titles- they were totally platformers (a console mainstay)... they would have crashed and burned commercially if they were originally released exclusively for PC in the late 90's. he owes his entire career on his past console success. i think the dude is jaded and maybe a little bit delusional.
As it stands, i don't expect we'll ever see a proper conclusion to the Oddworld saga... :(

laser beams

@basseman:

Crysis looks really, really ugly when you start turning the settings down, since, apparently Nvidia paid them a hefty fee not to allow players to adjust the draw distances.

sixonedoesitall

"Cod4 with botched controls and no gun sway?"
What is botched about that? I just played the pc demo, and it played like any other fps. No gun sway? i really don´t think it matters, that much the gun wasn´t as still as some other old games so it´s ok.

basseman

@NotTheGuy:

HL2 and CS:Source didn't run well on 1-2 year old machines when they released.

In fact, they didn't run at all on those machines.

sixonedoesitall

crysis is demanding, just don´t use the highest on everything. Like lowering the res and a bit less alliasing and filtering.

basseman

@AokiShinya:

lol... it hurts.

sixonedoesitall

@XeroKool: I've been PC gaming for a long time. I make mods for games. I only upgrade my pc every 3-4 years.
The kind of games he's talking about don't need an up to date machine.
Most of the big pc game titles (valves games, the sims, wow) work well on 4-5 year old machines.

NotTheGuy

finding patches
DRM issues / anti piracy making games not work,
drivers
upgrades
extra cost
compatibility issues
viruses
spyware

the list of reasons that PC gaming is more tedious and time consuming than console gaming goes on, and on, and on, ad nauseam.

I'm a pc gamer, but it gets harder and harder to justify building a new one every single time...

There are so many games, multiplatform games out for consoles right now that'd I'd like to play that are never going to come.

GTA4 half a year late?
Cod4 with botched controls and no gun sway?
Force unleashed
dead rising
skate
gears a year late
gears 2 not coming

Making matters worse is that microsoft is stealing pc exclusives... why halo 3 and gears don't get same day launches on PC when windows is a microsoft platform is beyond me.

When a company it attempting to kill it's own operating system, what can you do?

sixonedoesitall

on the pc it was said to be more levels. And why is it always said that you have to upgrade very often, on a pc? You don´t have to pe on top all the time. You could have the same config for 2-3 years without uppgrading. If you want the most topnotch grapics all the time, sure uppgrade. with a console you usually don´t have the topnotch. it´s a bit under but people doesn´t care, well it still usually looks good.

basseman

I understand what he's saying, but I feel development prices will drop again after this tech has more fully explored and the tools are refined. Right now we are on a huge cutting edge with physics animation, high definition and high resolution visuals, and online integration. It's going to take some time before this tech is cheap to use.

Ryodestined

@jeembomb:

That's obviously a lie.

I spent 2k building my own pc 3 months ago and Crysis still lags like a bitch.

sixonedoesitall

Bionic commando was 5$ more for the pc than it was for consoles.

Explain that bullshit for me.

sixonedoesitall

@mva5580: bitter much? how in the world is a console a kids toy, when there are plenty of intelligent, mature, "serious" gamers out there that prefer consoles due to certain game types. i personally dont like the genres that get the most exposure on the pc, and thats why im a console gamer. i have no problem with a diy ethic to play my games if thats what i had to do. my personal belief is that the arcade (although its sad that scene is nothing in america) is the absolute purest form of gaming (FOR MY TASTES).

anyone that belittles pc or console gaming as superior to the other because of reasons like "its a kid's toy" needs to grow up and get over people not liking what you prefer. i like the competition of fighting games, and the thrill of doing speed runs in action games. i like the skill it takes to perfect 16 bit classics, and run through stages without a single strike against my character. if i had to go to a pc to play street fighter 4, tekken 6, virtua fighter 5, soul calibur 4, and whatever other fighting games.. id be a pc gamer. but im sorry, crysis, world of warcraft, fallout, and starcraft just arent my cup of tea.

get over the elitest attitude.. youre not better than me for liking different games.

shouryuuken

Whoops, that first @ should be @Placentasaurus:

dLMN8R

@dLMN8R: Yeah, look at how Crysis and Sins of a Solar Empire made no money due to piracy

*laugh*

@Poojipoo: Incorrect. The only difficulty in supporting lots of hardware is allowing textures and other details to scale down. When it comes to programming, almost any differences programming between graphics cards is left up to the hardware manufacturers' drivers. Ask any developer and they'll tell you that compromising and optimizing around ridiculously limited amounts of ram with no guaranteed hard drive on the 360 is far, far more difficult to accomplish.

@sixonedoesitall: Capcom wanted to rip off PC gamers. Nothing more to it.

@sixonedoesitall: What the fuck does any of that have at all to do with what Lorne Lanning is saying?

@sixonedoesitall: Proof of NVIDIA's involvement here?

@TheHeartless: If you can't get Portal to run on a computer from 2006, then it's because it has shitty hardware in it that wasn't at all meant to play games in the first place. It's like buying an original XBox or a fucking toaster and wondering why you can't play Gears of War.

dLMN8R

what happens when the developers hit the graphics wall?
when there isn´t any more to do to make it look more realistic?

basseman

@AokiShinya: Silly Lanning, haven't you heard? It prints money!

WittyUserName

"I think what he is getting at is that you can just write a game for a PC and release it - you don't have to negotiate with LIVE or PSN, for example - and use the Internet to get the code out to whatever niche audience you like." <-- he's also talking about the 5-10 bucks off every game that he loses to the console company.

Akin

@DigitalHero: Hell, I'm sure upset about that. It's a damn good game series, the only reason I don't have Strangers Wrath and Munch's is because I never had a original XBox.

toejam316

This must be because the Oddworld games just came out on the Steam about a week ago. Seeing how easy it is to just give the game to them and say "sell this!" and it works does come off as an easier alternative then all of the requirements and classifications and certifications consoles make you jump through.

Talleh

You buy a PS3 game, it plays on your PS3. You buy an Xbox 360 game, it plays on your Xbox 360. When you buy a Wii game, it plays on your Wii.

You look at a PC game, turn it on its side and deal with the system requirements.

The fact that there is so much money in the console software business is testament to the fact that people much prefer a standardized format than to have to deal with what kind of system they have when looking at a game every year or so. There is much more to system requires than your GPU; Sooner or later you run out of slots for memory and your mobo is out of date to support the latest graphics card. And not everyone has to know how to replace their mobo/gpu/memory.

element7

Yes, Yes, Yes, very nice Lorne. But where is a new Abe's Odyssey. . . . where, Lorne, WHERE.

Sniper_Zegai

I still think that contrary to the general feeling going around, PC is the future of gaming and to be honest, i still have a lot more fun playing games on a Pc then a console.
Call me old school, or whatever, but PC still has a lot of untap potential, while for me the consoles kind of hit the "we are in this to make a lot of money, no matter what" wall. And that is never good.
Specially for the ones that really matter in all this crap, the gamers.

Krumm

Most people in this thread seems to think PC development is the same thing as writing assembler code for every single GPU and CPU in the world, it's not. You don't have to consider every single combination, API's like DirectX handles that for you (and if you want to optimize for certain hardware you do that).

Seriously, who cares, get the consoles for the console games, get the PC for the PC games.

tozz

"Consoles Are A Problem", Replace "A Problem" with "Printing Money".

NESSter

@sixonedoesitall: "DRM issues / anti piracy making games not work,
drivers
upgrades
extra cost
compatibility issues
viruses
spyware"

spyware and viruses? isn't that something that makes using a computer tedious, not just playing games?

extra cost seems questionable, considering most people will have a computer in their house anyway. the extra cost is what more you'll spend for a decent videocard, pretty much.

upgrades? do you mean keeping your system up to date? because that's the same thing as "extra cost".

drivers - i've only ever had one flaky video driver issue. ymmv, but you make it sound like a huge hassle.

pasquinelli

@element7:

If you actually care about PC games you probably have a PC that can run every game without issue.

If you actually have to look on the box to see if you can run it then you should just stick to the fisher price consoles.

But like many have said, why have to choose. Just buy what you want. You are allowed to own more than one gaming system.

arcum

@basseman: They go to holography and start at the bottom of the realism scale again.

@sixonedoesitall: Is it broken because people are better with a keyboard and mouse than with thumbsticks?

Ginnsberg

Odd World isn't that good of a game. It was pretty immature. I thought that when I first played it, and I was a "kid" back then. It seemed like a little attention whore of a game...

Let it be on PC. Who cares?

Nubius

Of course Lorne wouldn't be dissing consoles because no one wanted his last game would he? And what has he done lately?

wheezo