No fixed path for the PC.
No fixed path for the PC.
The titles you label as "mediocre" might actually belong to someone else. ICO and Shadow of the Colossus certainly stood out, as people purchase consoles mainly for specific games like Halo or Gears of War. Without third-party software, the PS4 and XBONE would likely disappear by tomorrow. However, first-party games play a crucial role in helping consumers decide which console to choose. Let's be real—most buyers aren't focused on PC gaming. Their main concern is: which console should I get? That's why first-party titles remain important. The community will flock to XBONE because they expect exclusive content in the new FIFA update, halo fans will purchase it, and many will opt for an XBONE just to get early access to the CoD DLC. The same applies to PS4—people buy it for its stronger performance at a lower price, for the promise of a next-gen God of War, and for its resemblance to Last of Us. They tend to base their decisions on exclusive releases before expanding with third-party titles. This is why you can launch a first-party exclusive game at a loss, driving console sales and future content.
Most major titles have faded in recent years, and the upcoming releases aren’t generating much excitement. The growth in PC earnings and player numbers mostly stems from a lack of incentive to purchase new consoles. While some games catch attention, they don’t match the breadth of previous offerings. Take Shadow of the Colossus as an example—back then, the variety and depth of titles mattered greatly. Today, both Sony and Microsoft have released fewer exclusive games, with many people citing third-party releases like The Last of Us or Uncharted as reasons. Consoles are also losing their earlier advantage; PCs remain a fun, accessible option for social gaming. The ease of setup and fewer hardware issues make PCs just as appealing. PC gaming isn’t the inevitable next step, but consoles are proving they don’t have the edge either. Plus, it seems many titles will be remastered soon, yet people still pay a premium for basic upgrades.
I totally agree with you on everything you just said, as a PC gamer. I didn't buy a next gen console and I doubt that I will for the next year or so. But there is a huge number of people who simply don't care about PC gaming. Some people don't even know that you can play games on a PC, and they would never think about putting one of those huge, beige boxes next to their TV. Some people don't want to be bothered with driver updates, they don't want to spend more than 400 bucks and they don't want to fiddle around with graphics settings. Most of these issues are being tackled with stuff like Geforce experience, downloading the newest drivers and optimizing your games for you, but most people don't even know that this stuff exists. There still is a huge barrier to entry when it comes to PC gaming and the "brand" of PC gaming doesn't really exist. People are not informed enough to see that PC gaming is the overall better solution, and they don't really care. I think I'm just starting to repeat myself now, sorry. Anyway, I think we're actually of the same opinion, but I still see the gaming world dominated (at least sales-wise) by console gamers that don't even consider building/buying a gaming PC. We'll just have to wait and see how well this generation does and if people realize what has happened to console gaming. I think consoles will survive because of the stupidity/laziness of the average gamer, while you think that they're smarter than this.