Microsoft snub PC Gaming

Page 3 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

Anubis

No Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
78,712
427
126
tbqhwy.com
Crysis come to mind. Notice that nothing has surpasses Crysis even though its 3 YEARS OLD at this point. Thats when you know that developers look at the PC as an afterthought.

No i think developers realized that making a game with shitty gameplay and graphics that still cant be played at high rez 3 years later is a stupid idea
 

Maximilian

Lifer
Feb 8, 2004
12,604
15
81
No i think developers realized that making a game with shitty gameplay and graphics that still cant be played at high rez 3 years later is a stupid idea

Whats this game your talking about? Cant be crysis thats for sure as it has amazing gameplay, running around a jungle with a nanosuit, cant top that. Plus i can play crysis and crysos warhead at 1920x1080 with everything on high easily, with some "very high" thrown in.
 

Stas

Senior member
Dec 31, 2004
664
0
71
Microsoft makes more money of royalty fees on console games and accessories with xbox live then they do on Windows licenses purchased just for gaming. Besides, they would have to make really good games to sell on PC, crap people buy up on consoles won't fly here. Especially at those prices. That said i do have xbox360 that I paid $100 for, it's flashed now and all I play is Skate 1/2. Consoles in general are a huge fail IMHO.
 

WaitingForNehalem

Platinum Member
Aug 24, 2008
2,497
0
71
Games I'm currently playing:
The Witcher (PC Exclusive)
Operation Flashpoint 2 (console port)
Fallout 3 (console port)
Company of Heroes (PC Exclusive)
Mass Effect (console port)
FEAR 2 (console port)
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (console port)
Far Cry 2 (not a console port)
Civilization IV (PC exclusive)
Team Fortress 2 (not a console port)
and others I can't think of right now.

Games others are playing, but I haven't started yet:
Dragon Age (not a console port)
Left 4 Dead (not a console port)
Left 4 Dead 2 (console port)
DiRT 2 (not a console port)
The Sims 3 (PC Exclusive)

I fixed the list for you.
 

MStele

Senior member
Sep 14, 2009
410
0
0
The reason gaming on Windows is so important is because gaming is the primary advantage Microsoft has over competing operating systems such as OSX and Linux. Because it is so universally accepted, Microsoft doesn't have to try as hard to keep Windows in the majority. PC gaming directly affects their bottom line. It is true that they don't make much money from PC gaming itself, but it is important to them as a company.

I think people will find that Win7-64 is going to be a catalyst for great things to come in PC gaming. These things are cyclical. I think PC gaming is going to be take off again soon in a big way.
 

Oyeve

Lifer
Oct 18, 1999
22,066
882
126
So you're not the least bit concerned that the company who makes the platform you use to play games doesn't really care about PC gaming? I don't think the sky is falling either but i'm also not going to just stick my head in the sand.

Um, Microsoft did not make the PC or the "platform", They just fucked it up, IMO. They are primarily a SW company and right now their gaming interests are on gaming systems, their gaming system, not the PC. PC isnt even the right thing to say as Mac is basically a PC. I personally have migrated to consoles for gaming (mainly 360) and only play games that I know will be best on the PC. Lately that has been MW1 and 2, TF2, Witcher, Dragon Age and the like. Remember, MS is a software company first and foremost. They would be stupid to hype up PC products that is in direct competition to the Xbox....it's really a no brainer.
 

mindcycle

Golden Member
Jan 9, 2008
1,901
0
76
Um, Microsoft did not make the PC or the "platform", They just fucked it up, IMO. They are primarily a SW company and right now their gaming interests are on gaming systems, their gaming system, not the PC. PC isnt even the right thing to say as Mac is basically a PC. I personally have migrated to consoles for gaming (mainly 360) and only play games that I know will be best on the PC. Lately that has been MW1 and 2, TF2, Witcher, Dragon Age and the like. Remember, MS is a software company first and foremost. They would be stupid to hype up PC products that is in direct competition to the Xbox....it's really a no brainer.

You're right. They didn't make the platform, just the OS that is used for most games available on the PC.

I have a 360 and a PS3, and sadly i've migrated to those systems for pretty much most of the gaming I do as well (at least for big budget games). I find myself buying the console iterations since they end up getting butchered or delayed on the PC end if they're cross platform or ported. It also seems that most big budget games are designed specifically for consoles and the PC is an afterthought.

Sadly, you are right. Promoting the PC is direct competition to their 360. This is unfortunate since they could always make sure both platforms were equally promoted and make money on both, but we all know which side they chose.
 
Last edited:

Liet

Golden Member
Jun 9, 2001
1,529
0
0
Wow, people will bitch about anything. I don't find this significant, and I'm sick of the "sky is falling" attitude people have toward PC gaming lately. Get over it - PC gaming is in great shape. I don't need a MS executive to comfort me on that front.

hahahahahaha. How long have you been gaming on the PC?
 

bullbert

Senior member
May 24, 2004
717
0
0
Yeah, gayner would rather just stick his head in the sand. Everything looks pretty good from down there.. lol

MMMmmm [drools], sand crabs..... -Homer Gayner Simpson

Maybe his 360 got banned, and he has nowhere else to go. Virtual homelessness, society's next "disease".
 

TehMac

Diamond Member
Aug 18, 2006
9,976
3
71
Idk guys, gaming seems to be going downhill because everybody is talking about how awesome Supreme Commander is.

It has robots ejaculating other robots, why are there no more AoE games? Age of Empires has only sold 20 million copies.
 

MStele

Senior member
Sep 14, 2009
410
0
0
Idk guys, gaming seems to be going downhill because everybody is talking about how awesome Supreme Commander is.

It has robots ejaculating other robots, why are there no more AoE games? Age of Empires has only sold 20 million copies.

There are no more AoE games because Ensemble was officially shutdown by Microsoft last year along side Aces and a others. Microsoft owns AoE so there might be another one, but unless they open more studios we might have to wait for a developer to free up in order to make it. Blame the recession for this one.
 

BladeVenom

Lifer
Jun 2, 2005
13,365
16
0
There are no more AoE games because Ensemble was officially shutdown by Microsoft last year along side Aces and a others. Microsoft owns AoE so there might be another one, but unless they open more studios we might have to wait for a developer to free up in order to make it. Blame the recession for this one.

Blame MS and their Xbox. ACES studio was doing fine, and AoE was a best seller. MS did it solely to screw over PC gaming, because PC gaming is a competitor to the Xbox. Flight Sim has been around longer than Windows, and survived other recessions.
 

Liet

Golden Member
Jun 9, 2001
1,529
0
0
Probably longer than you. I'm just not a lugubrious, pessimistic cry-baby.

Oh, great, I'm glad to hear you were around to play older games like Nethack, Moria, X-Com, MOO, Tie Fighter, Planescape Torment, Fallout, Warcraft, The Dig (etc. etc.) when they were released, and that you feel current releases are their equal or betters in complexity, length, depth, powerful storylines, enthralling gameplay, mouse/keyboard input support, and continued support in the form of free patches and downloads.

Wait a sec... you can't possibly believe that, because it would prove that you're absolutely insane and show that you don't belong in any serious discussion on PC gaming.

Oh wait, that IS actually the case, and you DON'T know what you're talking about. Whew, glad we got that cleared up.
 

bullbert

Senior member
May 24, 2004
717
0
0
Oh, great, I'm glad to hear you were around to play older games like Nethack, Moria, X-Com, MOO, Tie Fighter, Planescape Torment, Fallout, Warcraft, The Dig (etc. etc.) when they were released, and that you feel current releases are their equal or betters in complexity, length, depth, powerful storylines, enthralling gameplay, mouse/keyboard input support, and continued support in the form of free patches and downloads.

Wait a sec... you can't possibly believe that, because it would prove that you're absolutely insane and show that you don't belong in any serious discussion on PC gaming.

Oh wait, that IS actually the case, and you DON'T know what you're talking about. Whew, glad we got that cleared up.

where is the little smiley icon eating popcorn?

<- insert here
 

bullbert

Senior member
May 24, 2004
717
0
0
Blame MS and their Xbox. ACES studio was doing fine, and AoE was a best seller. MS did it solely to screw over PC gaming, because PC gaming is a competitor to the Xbox. Flight Sim has been around longer than Windows, and survived other recessions.

Yes, that did not make any sense to me either. Maybe there was a buried legal dispute. Maybe some misguided bean counter's spreadsheet indicated that the IP/genre had run its course. Maybe some executive had just one insane.
 

MStele

Senior member
Sep 14, 2009
410
0
0
Blame MS and their Xbox. ACES studio was doing fine, and AoE was a best seller. MS did it solely to screw over PC gaming, because PC gaming is a competitor to the Xbox. Flight Sim has been around longer than Windows, and survived other recessions.

Blaming the xbox makes no sense because if that were the case Microsoft would have retasked Ensemble to develop for it instead of getting rid of a prime developer. I think it was purely about consolidation. Microsoft chose to shed overhead and retask the money toward other projects, which would help them keep the stock holders happy in case they got hit too hard (they are a business after all). RTS developers are a dime a dozen, so i wasn't overly suprised about Ensemble getting axed, especially considering they kept their best people and moved them to other developers. What was surprising was Aces. I think it was very foolish on Ballmer's part. Gates would have never done that as CEO. Aces made a unique product and consistantly made money. Maybe not the largest profit margin, but they were in the black at least.
 

Liet

Golden Member
Jun 9, 2001
1,529
0
0
Hell, I'm still upset that they closed down the Sidewinder division. That was one of the few divisions that made top-notch products at reasonable prices. The MS FF2 is still one of the best joysticks around, and most people I know have a backup stick (including myself, hehe) in the closet against the day their current FF2 dies.
 

MStele

Senior member
Sep 14, 2009
410
0
0
Hell, I'm still upset that they closed down the Sidewinder division. That was one of the few divisions that made top-notch products at reasonable prices. The MS FF2 is still one of the best joysticks around, and most people I know have a backup stick (including myself, hehe) in the closet against the day their current FF2 dies.

I'm a CH person myself. I used to be a huge Thrustmaster fan before they went mainstream and starting making crap. I still have an old FCS somewhere...best joystick ever. I've never been found of MS sticks myself, but thats only because I loathe force feedback and that was some of their best stuff. Don't know much about Saitek, but they have a new $400 hotas out that uses pressure sensors similar to the F-16 G-stick. Looks cool.