Console Games Up PC Games Down

June 23, 2002 - 9:00pm

The year we are currently in has undoubtedly been a breakthrough year for the gaming industry. The arrival of the so-called, next generation consoles has sparked unprecedented consumer interest.
A recent study by Informa Media Group, a British research company, suggests that the industry is headed for a record breaking year, with sales increasing by 12 percent to US$31 billion.
As most will easily guess, much of that increase is based on the recent release of Microsoft's XBox, Nintendo's GameCube and the knock-on effect those consoles had on sales of Sony's already well established PS2.
The aggressive competition between these companies has led manufacturers to a merciless price war, which in turn has created increased consumer interest. This is expected to result in combined hardware sales accounting for 70 percent of the market or US$22 billion.

Console Sales Figures

According to the same study all three major competitors are expected to have sold, a combined, 70.4 million units by the end of 2002. Sony, the best established of the manufacturers, will have 69 percent of the market, having sold 48.4 million PS2's. Trailing Sony by a year, Nintendo is expected to have sold 15.1 million GameCubes by the end of the current year while Microsoft will have circulated 6.9 million XBox units.
Although the current boom in console game sales is a recent phenomenon, the industry as a whole has enjoyed rapid growth in the past decade. It has become popular enough to be considered a worthy rival of the film and music industries.

According to Informa Media Group this current explosion in console sales will not die out quickly, The assumed launch of new console hardware in 2005 and 2006, and the resultant software boom, will keep the market buoyant, according to the study. The global market is forecast to peak again in 2008, with revenues of US$40 billion.

The Down Side

As can be expected however, sales of PC games will see a combined drop of 8.5 percent to US$ 8.5 billion this year. It is difficult to fully assess the total revenue generated from PC games however, since the recent success of MMOG's (Massively Multiplayer Online Games)
has clearly shown new ways in which games can increase revenue.

The same study goes on to claim that sales of online, interactive television and mobile phone games is expected to double this year to US$873 million.

Comments

Console Games Up PC Games Down

pOO i am not a pc fanboy, it's just my format of choice. And i will defend it like the rest of you will defend your platform of choice. My belief is that all systems serve a purpose. Except the PS2....(-: no, even the PS2. I only bag old school type games when people dwell on it. FF series was good...Hey i played Secret of Mana back in the day. I myself prefer to play games that are new and different. Like i said before, Shemmune kicked a** big time. I love innovative games. What would be good to see is FF series developed in a totally 3d realm with real time combat, with larger worlds to explore. less linear. Something different....And pOO, play some more of Dungeon Siege. Better yet, play some Never Winter Nights. Hey, and i have emotion, but i am a bastard too when a good debate comes along....And No Name, play a game like Black and White, or Jedi Knight Outcast online with your buddies and just duke it out with light sabres and tell me if that's boring. Or play Commanche online and dog fight with your buddies, especially if you have a good flight stick control setup. Play Never Winter Nights online....it kicks a**. The game play is top notch and the visuals are there too. And i do agree on one thing...we are spoiled when it comes to visuals. Pc gamers only expect the best. And want nothing less. And it's in my nature to post 50 line responses. And you know what? Textures and graphics do and will set itself apart from other games. In some cases it makes gameplay better. IE. Maxpayne for the pc and Maxpayne for the PS2. The textures and visuals for the PS2 version is soooo poor compared to the pc version and even the X-BOX version that you have a hard time seeing the bullet time properly. PS2 owners won't notice this unless they have played the other two versions. Then you see the difference. And since the bullet time is a big part of the game play for Maxpayne, it effects the gameplay. And this is the same with Medal of Honour Allied Assault. The visuals for the

Console Games Up PC Games Down

What?How could a non-reasoning dumb bot ever be compared to an actual human player. A good human player is 100 times more valuable and funner to play against then a bot. Your friend may not be sitting right beside you but i have friends over the net just as same. Online gaming is the top reason on my list that i am a hardcore PC person. Sitting in front of a Tv with some of my buds is very fun..(us pc gamers have something similiar called a lan party duh).....but it can never compare to the hundreds of extremely good players that are always there to play with you at any time that you have the urge to play over the net. Anyways.....if i have a shit console game then inviting some friends over to play it with me makes it funner.(note: focus on the actual reason you like and enjoy a game) The intensity of online games such as half-life takes a long time to die out when there are always ppl out there making new mods for it......and the best thing about it is that the mods are free. Anyways.....when it comes the time that consolers and PC gamers start playing games over the net on the same battlefields.....then we will be able to see if a mouse can offer more precision and speed as a joystick on a hand held controller.Anyways.......why are ppl saying that PCs arent as immersive than consoles........reminds me..Well ya know what pisses me off more than ever........is when im playing mortal kombat or something else and someone walks out in front of me....and i get my arse kicked......playing games on a tv is really distracting if you think about it. I would rather be sitting 1 or 2 foot in front of my computer monitor where crap like that cant happen......it gives me complete concentration on the game with no distractions. And oh.....i have my computer hooked directly into my stereo.....with 200watt subs........when i turn that badboy surround sound up on a game such as delta force(or any war game) then neighbors literally call the cops complaining of hearing

Console Games Up PC Games Down

I won't lie and say that there was no room for improvment on the PS2 version of Max Payne. Mainly the fps, but I think they could have ported it better than that. I played the PS2 version first and finished it 3 times before I played the pc version and when I did I still liked the PS2 version better. Not because of grafix but the control system. A mouse is quicker, but I could keep aim on a guy better with joysticks. Anyways, in the end I was more bothered that the game would always force you to watch cut-scenes than the inferior grafix.

Console Games Up PC Games Down

back to my original point about shitty pc games. pound for pound, the pc has more shitty games than all the crap games on all the consoles combined you inbred shits! the fact that you cant even remember O say about 95% of the f**king pc games released in this past year proves that point. I certainly cant remeber, can you? you stupid shits! all you inbred yokels that sit there bitchin that consoles suck and pc rules can get the f**k off this forum, last i checked, we're in a console forum, not pc! you stupid shits care so much about graphics that if doom3 was released and all it had was a dancing naked fat dude running around for 2 hours, you would still buy it cause JEEZ it has amazing graphics! f**k graphics should be a the bottom of the list, story/gameplay comes first.

Console Games Up PC Games Down

and im sick and tired of all you dumass faggots who try to defend that big black pile of shit xbox. did you even read this f**king article! xbox is in last place.... LAST PLACE! and it will stay that way untill the good gaming people put a nice bullet between its eyes. of course xbox is doing good in u.s, i ain't shocked cause americans got bill gates c**k wedged nice and deep in their ass. everywhere else people arent afraid to tell m$ to f**k off.

Console Games Up PC Games Down

Voice of reason......get some common sense......anyways didnt you already say most of that stuff earlier......First im pretty sure that if XBOX would have been released before PS2 then it may not be in last place now......common sense tells you that.And i would encourage as many games to be released as possible...becuz it allows more competitition...therefore better games. I admit PC probably does have more shitty games than all consoles combined.......but it may have just as many good games releaseed also.And by the way.......you say get out of the console forum if i dont like consoles anymore........well i say get the hell off of the PC that your so against......start using your console to browse the internet.

Console Games Up PC Games Down

as i said before I AM NOT AGAINST PC'S I AM AGAINST LITTLE SHIT PC FANBOYS LIKE YOU //if xbox was released before or at the same time as ps2 then its hardware would be the same or even shittier than the ps2 ---think dumbass, even then xbox would then have to fight against the playstation name and would lose either way. you think if xbox was released 2 years ago it would have the same hardware specs as it does now.. now thats f**king funny.//and how many games are released on the pc in an average year; hundred even thousands, maybe 10-20 stand out, who the f**k cares about the rest

Console Games Up PC Games Down

I'm not even sure what voice of reason is trying to convince us of other than Xbox is bad. I'm not a fan of Xbox, but if it's the reason that consoles are $50-$100 cheaper now, then THANK YOU Microsoft.PC does have a lot of bad games but those who understand the market know that it often takes a miracle to get a game sold in a store. Hundreds of games are denied shelf space at your local computer store. Suffice it to say that you're not seeing the "real crap" the PC has to offer.The cheap development cost of Game Boy games leads to some real crap games for the GBA, like "Shrek's Fairy Tale Freakdown" and such. It's the first console they turn to for a cheap merchandizing ploy. But with GBA's huge library (the biggest of all consoles) you can get the really good ones and not even care about the bad.If PS2 has plenty of bad games, so be it. But its amount of good games beats the other consoles. Nobody's forcing the consumer to buy crap. He can usually tell what the good games are.People shouldn't be aguing about who has more crap, they should be arguing about who has more good games and which console's good games beat the other console's good games.

Console Games Up PC Games Down

Through reading one certain response, i have found my prey that will last me for another lifetime.the particular dumbass that i am refering to is kemo.Clearly, he does not know jack about the industry."a INTEL P3......Microsoft OS....And internal Hard Drive......GOD DAMN THAT SOUNDS LIKE A COMPUTER TO ME .....ALL MICROSOFT HAS DONE IS RENAME IT!!!"Any sane person should know that this is a pathetic idiot who doesn't know what he is talking about.Firstly, many ppl make this mistake, just because the CPU is made by PC famous Intel, doesn't make it a PC. Why? let me ask, say if i make console CPUs, everyone gets me to do it, then suddenly, i move to PCs. Will PC people just go "Thats just a console in disguise". will u IDIOTS really do that?The MS OS is nothing. The Dreamcast even had a MS OS. every system has one, except they're not made by MS.Hardrive: Come ON. that doesn't make a single bit of difference. just think of it as a MASSIVE memory card that can not be moved.Plus both the PS2 and the GC are getting one so what are u complaining about?

Console Games Up PC Games Down

Arguements are getting smarter and smarter by the day. but still, the gaming world are being held back by jack asses like voice of reason, who probably just reached puberty so his voice of reason is a bit cracky. HE IS PISSING ME OFF!!!First of all, u forget that MS has to battle both Sony and Nintendo in terms of history. Sony has been a success with the PS and Nintendo has been around since the late 19th century. Now, if that doesn't set MS back a tiny bit then nothing will. Ofcourse it will be hard for MS since there are still a considerable amount of people unaware of the existence of the XBOX. Hell, the PS is even selling better than the XBOX in Japan so that really says something.u can't just blame US for having high sells of the XBOX, Japan is having higher sells of the GC. Its all natural. so all in all, the XBOX is doing bad, mainly because of lack of knowledge of the common public. Sales can't be decided around a systems launch, you can only really compare the sales figure in 2 years time.

Console Games Up PC Games Down

Oh and by the way, you f**king moron, we called peace because swearing at each other and picking each other's hair (ewwww) is boring. I think called peace mainly so we can really just talk about games. i mean thats all we want right? games. its not like my dad is Bill Gates or your boss is Shigeru. we just want to play games, and choosing different systems, just means that u like to play those particular games featured on that particular system better. thats how simple it is.By calling truce and peace, we can really just settle down and talk about the actual games and not the system its on.Plus no one wants to make enemies right, u f**kING MORON!!!ALPHABET FIGHT!!!Ka<udyB JKFHGkug ekutg3T7I3Q TB32IEKUFHFKUwghFKUQ

Console Games Up PC Games Down

Back and long time no see (omigod 2 days w/o a poo.... must b painfull....)Anyhow im readin all this crap and i wanna verify some stuff.1) DrDeath i know u aint a PC fanboy... u admitted u liked GC etc. Im just sayyin when u lost ur temper and started the insults.... u sounded like a fanboy2) Exactly rite Hitman, we should respect other systems and just respect the good games on it.3) Voice of Reason... i know u dont like many PC games.... but there are many good ones... more than there are on the consoles combined. I just LOVE Flashpoint and MOH AA etc. ANyhow stop bein an ass and just present a logical argument4) The reason y GC is goin well in the Jap has nothing 2 do with its audience. GC is almot even in sales in the US with X Box and PS2. Its just that Nin was popular in the US b4 M$ and M$ is havin a hard time crackin the Jap market cause its new and Japs have dif tastes 2 Yanks.Oh yeah every1 seen Eternal Darkness????????? Say goodbye to the Nintendo kiddy image!

Console Games Up PC Games Down

Isn't gamecube not doing well in japan. Aren't it sales almost the same as xbox? (If anyone has the link to the famitsu site where it shows how many units where sold in a week could they post it up please, I couldn't find the chart anywhere on the site). I mean is gamecube actually selling well in any part of the world? I don't want to seem negative towards gamecube and my sales figures are a bit out of date but i'm worried for Nintendo. Nintendo should start releasing some of those great games soon.

Console Games Up PC Games Down

hey don't bagg it. it is a new system and hardly anyone knows about it. i mean how do u expect them to when they don't put up ads? i only just found out a few days ago.I'm just spreading the news so the actual millions of XBOX owners will know.

Console Games Up PC Games Down

Well i dont waste money on mags but me aunty and uncle own a newsagent so ill read it there. Why wats in it???? Ever since the death of NMS i havnt boiught any game mags.....Oh and ED is realllllyy sweet. Check out reviews etc. Ur a fool if u say it dosnt look impressive.Yes Nintendo sales havnt been rock solid recently and they do need to bring out mre of those gr8 games soon. Were gettin Die Hard Vandetta and that looooks soooooo sweeeet!

Console Games Up PC Games Down

Have you heard, some retailers in Japan are taking xbox off the shelfs! How funny is that. And there seems to be a following in other countries as well. (i think europe)Anyways, I'm looking most foward to rachet and clank, sly cooper, and the getaway. The getaway has beautiful graphics and a gameplay mixture of GTA3 and Max Payne. And if you have a ps2, get the s-video cable(if your tv has it). It makes it look higher res and much sharper picture.

Console Games Up PC Games Down

I believe that when the PS3 comes out, it will most definitely be kick arse with new tech and all. But i am still with the XBOX 2. Better tech, my favorite games etc. And about the sales thing, how many times do i have to say this to u PS2 morons, back when PS came out, how good did they do? remember? Sony was once a newcomer in the business as well. They did shitter than the 64, but later on, skeptical d**k f**ks like a few here got less skeptical and joined in the PS crusade. it takes time to establish a new product. People needs to know it first, some people don't even know what it is. and once they know it, they need to trust it. Realise that it can last them for another 5 years. all this takes time. people trust Nintendo because they've been in the business for God knows how long (i'll get an exact date the next time we talk business) and people trust Sony because they generally make good electronics anyway not to mention their decade of console expertise.oh and p00_p00, this months hyper has got the best E3 coverage i have read so far, with comprehensive previews and a general description of the online plans. (HYPER is a multiplatform mag).Please also notice that in their mag XBOX has 28 exclusives, Nintendo has 12 and PS2 has 20. the PC has 19. and all the XBOX games look pretty tasty to me, apart from two kiddy games (not Blinx). but all in all, all the games featured looks kick arse for every system.

Console Games Up PC Games Down

In a fight between the ps3 and xbox 2, ps3 would win hands down. Sony has already talked to developers and asked them approximately how much processing power it would take to make real life video game images (I think they said something like 400x the power of a ps2). Now sony is already stating that ps3 will be 1000x more powerfull than ps2 - they might be overexaggerating but its not entirely impossible). IBM already has a processor clocked in at 100ghz a few months ago so they're not that far off. Its all a question of if they can scale it down to a reasonable console size. "Moore's Law is too slow for us" was the exact words of sony's representative. Now if xbox2 relies on a modified pc architecture as well, then according to Moore's Law, lets be frank, it would just stink. Now I usually say that graphics don't matter, but this would be a big leap no matter how you look at it.

Console Games Up PC Games Down

I must disagree with you God's Hitman with your comparison between psx and xbox. The original psx has more in common with the ps2 than the xbox in my opinion. The psx released 1 week after the saturn at the end of 1994 and impressed gamers with its sleek design and slightly more powerful processor, in comparison to the bulky looking saturn. Psx reigned supreme against its only competition at the time selling through 97% of its stock in japan while sega still had saturns collecting dust. When psx debuted at E3 in 1995 they were the best in show compared to the saturn and nintendo's virtual boy showing. When released in North America in september, retailing in at $299 it was $100 less than the saturn and quickly sold through. Psx was always popular right from the beginning. The n64 was never that big and at times even the saturn was beating it out (in japan). Psx *always* had the biggest userbase which gave them some of the best games of the time.Fast forward to present day. Xbox's competition is against not one but two console veterans which both have a larger fanbase than anything the xbox can muster. Its market performance is not at all comparable to the original psx. Now ps2 is performing even better than the original psx. It owns more than 60% of the market and is in the lead. Three consoles have never been able to coexist at the same time. With xbox in last place, its just not Microsofts day.

Console Games Up PC Games Down

And No Name, the Getaway looks mighty fine to me. I just hope all the rumors are wrong about it being linear because I am really expecting a very open-ended game. But I have an odd feeling that its not going to be as good as I hope.. Lets hope I'm wrong.

Console Games Up PC Games Down

Ain't nothing wrong with aiming for the sky, (1000x faster) but the latest news on megagames that confirms PS3 on the way said it's expected to be about 200x faster. That's fast enough for me. As for the getaway, I hadn't heard talk about it being linear. Certain linear games can be good, but the wide open playing field of GTA3 was my favorite thing about it.

Console Games Up PC Games Down

300mhz X 200 is 60 ghz, but I doubt that'll be the clock speed. 200x faster would be achieved by more ram, more powerfull video, multi cpu's, and many other factors. However they do it, I think they can reach 200x more total power. My idea of the perfect PS3 would also have LCD screen, DVD changer, linux OS, 4 controller ports(duh), and would be silver in color like Sony' high end electronics.

Console Games Up PC Games Down

Wow a lcd screen, dvd changer, linux os? I will settle for a system that just plays games on my tv. I don't want it to cost too much. I'll guess that ps3 will have a hardrive so it would be nice if they released it with a tivo like option. I would also like to see wireless controllers become standard by the time ps3 hits. Reportedly, sony is developing a new dvd technology called dvd-blue(?) which fits 30 gigs on a single disc, it might be interesting if the incorporate that into the ps3. I would also like to see the case for ps3 designed by the same guys who do the designs for apple computers, I think that would be excellent.I only mentioned the cpu speed because sony was talking about Moore's Law which relates to processor speed. If the rumors are true, then sony could do away with the gpu and have everything run off the new processor.

Console Games Up PC Games Down

Sloose, i figure by the time the PS3 hits the market and X-BOX2(if Microsoft is still in the console business) CPU'S should be running around 4-7 gigahertz. As for Sony creating a system that is 1000x more powerful then the PS2, i find that to be more of a marketing hype job. Now Moore's Law being to slow for Sony is also a marketing hype job. Now Sloose, this is ALWAYS and i mean ALWAYS the argument regarding next generation consoles and it's technology and the realm of PC technology. PC technology is ever evolving. Not a closed source. The fact that X-BOX might use modified PC technology will not make it "stink" Has it ever in the past? Has PC architecture stank? When s console comes out, it will be superior to hte PC for, at the most, 1 year. If that........

Console Games Up PC Games Down

IBM is set to revolutionize the development of processors using their patented system-on-chip design which will form the basis of the supposed "cell" processor on the ps3. If the speed of computer processors do continue to follow Moore's Law then the processer in the ps3 will far eclipse them.[url removed]

Console Games Up PC Games Down

Then you must realize that Sony or Microsoft or Nintendo will not put in it's future console the latest and greatest CPU AND GPU technology. Why? Because it would cost a bloody king's ransom to manufacture. The console company is in it to make the maximum amount of profit. And in doing so they cannot create a super console that would cost consumers a arm and a leg to buy. Look at the X-BOX when it first was released. It had so called cutting edge technology( for a console) and in that it will cost Microsoft profits until well into the life of the X-BOX. A console should just play games and not worry if it will play DVD'S, flat screen displays, yada yada yada....As for Sony running everything off the new processor...i doubt it. You will begin to see CPU'S and multiple GPU'S working together for increased performance. As games become more complex and life like. Computations will increase and you can't rely on your CPU to do all the work alone......

Console Games Up PC Games Down

I have read about this joint venture before with toshiba and ibm and the rest....It sounds interesting. Let's see if it will enter into the realm in which the average consumer can take advantage of.....

Console Games Up PC Games Down

Well I guess IBM, Toshiba, and Sony know they have a good thing on their hands since they are investing so many resources into the project. You'll see their new processor in everything from dvd players to cell phones at the earliest of 2005.

Console Games Up PC Games Down

DRDEATH is right, the newest and fasted CPUs never go into the consoles. I remember when the N64 was released it has I think a 93mhz processors during a time when computers had around 200mhz. The trend still follows today.But consoles don't need such fast processors. PCs are using their power on a lot of extra things that consoles don't have to worry about. The consoles have a bare-bones OS and are fully committed to games... which I like. Like other people, I don't need my console to play DVDs or wash dishes or anything.

Console Games Up PC Games Down

Hi, everybody! Gosh things has really gotten heaten up around here. ppl are actually beginning to type with their brains. All the facts (or so it seems) are put forward now sounding very...FULL OF CRAP.Sloose, i was once like you, back in 1999. All the crap that MS gave to the world i believed whole heartedly. But although it is still what they say in the US and Asia, PAL version XBOXs are margionally off what they promised.Now before i go on, could u please list some of the places where u get ur info? cause some of the stuff u said was just unheard of. but i'm willing to believe u since they seem very likely. but don't expect Sony to deliver word for word because it all sounds very much like DRDEATH said, hype. Pure hype to trick little kids. Hype or not, it sounds good though.But don't expect MS and Nintendo to just lie still while Sony rapes them. I'm sure they have already got their scientists back to work. And also, whats wrong with a PC archetecture? u saw how easily it is for developers to design games for it. i mean it would be great if MS is designing their own CPU and shit (which it seems they are) but what good is it if it is as hard as the PS2 to make games for?

Pages

Add new comment

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.