Famicom Dojo Podcast: Console Versus PC

@google-3ce801b12aa7d2937e3565980fa48d79:disqus – I kinda agree with some of what you said.  Thing is, we got a lot of multi-purpose console and handheld systems right now.  The PS3, PSP, and DS have web browsers built in (although why anyone would use those over a pc browser or even a smartphone is beyond me), along with netflix, while the Xbox 360 is introducing apps such as Hulu, ESPN,  youtube, last fm, that give multimedia capabilities on the console.  While it’s far from perfect, there is a certain charm of being to watch movies on a $300 console over a PC which could cost hundreds or even thousands.
As far as portables are concerned, it’s basically a matter of different markets, but they could be merging in the future.  Reason I say this is that with tablets, mobile gaming is getting more advanced in terms of gameplay and graphical capabilities.  As recently as three or four years ago, cell phone gaming was little more than having tetris or bejeweled or some other stuff you played with the number pad while waiting for the bus.  Overtime, though, it advanced to where android phones are able to download arcade-style games and complex RPGs.  Even today, the iphone has games like Infinity blade and Mass Effect Infiltratior which make use of PC-style graphical engines.  However, hardcore gamers are always going to flock towards handheld systems which are dedicated to gaming, especially considering you can get a 3ds for less than the cost of an IPad.  Another major issue as to why smartphone gaming hasn’t taken over is gamers’ reluctance to use touch-screen controls as the primary input.  The DS isn’t so bad with a stylus, but having to rub your thumb on the screen for %100 percent of the time tends to be a detriment to the hardcore crowd.

As far as service-based game services, I think they are a blessing and a curse depending on how well they are implemented.  For instance drm and online validation tends to be a turn-off for gamers, and Games for Windows Live and Ubisoft are two of the worst offenders.  I even had problems with Steam when I first started using it, but downloadable services like Steam, Origin, or Impulsedriven can be more of a boon, because you have access to your library on a server.  This comes in handy when you have to get a new computer or reinstall your game, and you lost your disk or your validation code.  All I have to do is re-download my game and I’m good.  Even with Gog.com which is DRM-free (and a site all of you really should be checking out BTW), all I have to do is log back in and download my games.  

My only major concern is size getting bigger and bigger.  Some of the newer games are weighing in at well over 15+ gigs.  Even the new Total War Shogun 2 and it’s expansion is a 29 gig download!  Even with my fast internet, I gotta wait several hours to download my game before I play it.

I agree with the whole ‘PC gaming being the same’ argument, but I’d go so far as to include crowd funding sites like Kickstarter. I like to see what they have available in the Gaming category, but last time I checked, it was MMORPG titles, 1st person shooters, zombie games, and ‘retro’ titles that just looked like 8-Bit games, but where designed for modern computers. Even the table top games, that usually have some variety, were basically a game of ‘How Close Can We Come To Popular Licensed Properties Without Getting Sued?’. Don’t get me started on the IMMENSE amount of playing cards that need a huge amount of money, just to pay off the people that own popular stuff like Game Of Thrones.