Microsoft leads by example... where's the PC love?

[rudedog]

Wow, I can't fathom that for once, IGN has a great article about the state of PC gaming.
And, of course, no feature about the possible shape of E3 would be complete without a parting shot at Microsoft's near total lack of support for the platform. Despite being the company in charge of the Windows operating system and the DirectX programming interface, the company's claims of support for PC gaming gets harder to swallow with each passing year. This year, we expect to see the PC platform entirely neglected in their presentations, with the possible exception of ports of Halo 3 and Fable 2.
- Full article here (http://pc.ign.com/articles/982/982434p1.html)
I can attest, as a Microsoft MVP for Games for Windows, there has not been one blog post, article, press release or new products geared towards the PC customer all year. With that said, I have not purchased a single copy of PCGamer (don't even bother with their podcast..),a PC upgrade, or the purchase of a new PC game.

Microsoft better beware, for the most part, the only thing going for their new Windows OS is PC gaming (businesses tend to wait before implementing a new OS in their respected companies). I've started switching over all my boxes, including the wife and kids to Macs. Hell I'm writing this on a iMac 24" and only swing over to the PC when I feel the need to play a game, which TBH is not much anymore.

Then there are the developers who while still releasing products on the PC platform, lack what we call support. Their cries, we make more money on the console side of things so we support them first and better. Well that is all well and good, but you sold me a product, now support it. I don't care where you make your money. If the PC platform was not marketable or you did not make any money, then you damn well know you would not have released that last title.

I will say one thing, thanks Microsoft. If it was not for your lack of support for the gaming platform I choose, I would not have started switching to Macs, picked up my old hobbies of photography and bike riding. Every time I have a few hundred bucks to spend, I buy some new photo or bike gear. Hell I haven't purchased a PC hardware upgrade in 11 months, which in itself should be a bad sign for MS, Nvidia, Intel, AMD.......

Microsoft, you're the biggest reason why the PC platform is starting to go down hill, with the developers a close second. Please don't blame the decline of the PC gaming platform on piracy, blame it on the lack of support by you and the software developers and publishers.

Signed a Microsoft Games for Windows MVP......Rudedog

[Pendragon]

I'm not sure we need something new and shiny every few months, but the lack of communication is of concern. We know that MS have their own console. They are working hard to make it a success. I really don't think that they believe that there is an issue. Games is games is games! They simply can not or will not see what we are upset about. They are making games and delivering a platform that will play those games. In their mind "we the players" should be happy. "Here is a great game! and a device to play it on. What more could you want?"

They see the model that we are a part of and say, "where is the money in that? It's old, this is new, we control every aspect of this, it's the future!"

I'm not sure if we have reached the tipping point or passed it. How much money does MS make out of the whole console thing, compared to how much money they make from PC gaming? Just remember the one most important fact about any company, It's sole reason for it's being is to make money for it's shareholders.

PC gaming is not dead, well not yet, and I believe not for some time. It will be smaller, well our bit of it will. It will become more specialised, and may become harder to do.

As for the Mac thing I can understand, and understand well. For me it's not Apple that has tempted me but Linux. I'm not typing this with MS-Windows, I'm using Firefox on Ubuntu. The only reason I use Windows is because of the friends in the clan. They are my very last tie to the conventional PC gaming scene and the very last tie to MS. Without those friends I would have binned MS years ago. I would still be playing games but they would be different ones. Games made by the people that play them, something like the PC gaming of old, a bit crap but I would be part of a community.

[rudedog]

The problem we have is it's Microsoft or nothing when it comes to PC gaming.

Where does this leave Intel, Nvidia, AMD, and all the other high end parts catering to the PC gaming market. If it was not for the PC enthusiasts, we would not have the state of the art PC equipment we have now.

In the past 6 months, I've put about $2000 into photo gear that I normally would have put into my PC's . Add to that another $2000 for Mac gear all taken away from Microsoft and the platform for their OS.

I'm now looking at replacing my Mac book pro, adding another mini and moving the wife completely off her PC. Again all $$ taken away from MS thanks to their lack of support for PC gaming. I can see them loosing a lot more money then they make on their console division when they do not support PC gaming.

I also feel that Microsoft has too much invested in PC gaming on Vista with it's exclusive DX10 support. Because Vista was terrible when it was first released, Microsoft's dirty ploy to get us to upgrade (DX10) and it's failure to actually support any real benefits for PC gaming on Vista, has drove Microsoft away from our platform or choice.

Then add the childish community management and marketing styles from the PC side of the developers and publishers (Save it for the console customers please), you have a disaster waiting to happen. But hey we can also blame that on piracy.

I also think the other problem is, these publishers don't like it when the grown ups start causing problems by calling them out on 1/2 assed products they tried to sell their customers in the first place.

[Misnomer]

The problem we have is it's Microsoft or nothing when it comes to PC gaming.

Where does this leave Intel, Nvidia, AMD, and all the other high end parts catering to the PC gaming market. If it was not for the PC enthusiasts, we would not have the state of the art PC equipment we have now.

.

Perhaps your complaint isn't with MS then, it is with MAC and Linux. They need to work harder to create a real competition for Windows in the PC gaming market. The closest you get to playing most games on Linux is running WINE and then putting the games on them. Even then the graphics drivers for Linux are not quite up to snuff.

Macs. What a joke. They only make the programs they have to and when they do decide to get in on that software it costs you a bundle more because it is Mac-riffic. Can you imagine the support line for handling thousands of Mac users trying to play games? Everytime the answer would be....you need to buy a new computer.

What killed PC gaming on Vista early on? Largely it was a lack of drivers and games programmed to work without Administrator privileges from Third Party developers. MS provided a quality platform, gamers were shafted by the hardware and game providers.


The funny thing about Windows as a gaming platform is that the middle ground it establishes between Open Source platform and licensed technology is nearly perfect for PC gaming. We need the licensed tech to provide a baseline, but the Open part makes it far easier to tweak, mod, and experience in deeper ways. Linux requires too much depth and Mac would be as shallow as a console.

As much as I would like to see more gaming support from Windows, I don't really feel like I have been left out in the cold. Vista has worked well for me and I have enjoyed the few dx10 games that the Developers have attempted to make. I don't want MS to start making games for me and I don't want them to tell developers exactly what to make, but when greedy developers refuse to advance gaming at all...I am not sure what to say.

If anything, Microsoft tried too hard. Nvidia and Ati tried to sell dx10 cards, but who cares about DX10 when all your major games work well on DX9. Even the few games and companies that MS could bribe to make dx10 were not going to go out of their way to advance PC gaming. The producers at id even stated that they saw no reason to ever use dx10. Has anyone ever checked to see how DX10 would run on XP? I am sure someone hacked it. I have to think it was part of their ground up OS. Somehow it always was in my mind like the sound stack thing. The Vista sound stack was completely new and all old sound cards were pretty much obsolete. Creative had a heck of a time getting drivers out and sound cards that would run well in Vista partially because it was completely new. Even onboard sound caused issues for gamers since it developers were just learning how to deal with the new tech.

I can tell you though, if I could play every Crysis Wars game in dx10 I would. Having real physics on the server is quite fun and would have really done something for FPS gaming if it had become a baseline, but the dx9 kiddies won out the day.

So, if I had to pick a place where I thought MS failed PC gaming, it was in not making the Xbox 360 more like a PC. GFWL live failed on the PC because it came from that closed world of consoles and dx10 might have done better if the 360 was dx10 capable so cross-platform games might use it more.

We should be asking MS for a better Xbox. Better OS's and better support for games won't make developers any more likely to make better games for us.

[bacon]

Misnomer that would only work if linux would actually get their act together on the DT. There are way to many things that need to be fixed before DT linux is anything other than a enthusiast base.

Listen to why Brian says here (http://lunduke.com/?p=429) linux sucks, and if you actually use linux you will have to agree with what he says.

For Mac to ever take any position in the gaming market they will have to open OSX to run on what ever hardware we choose to put it on.

Then add the childish community management and marketing styles from the PC side of the developers and publishers (Save it for the console customers please), you have a disaster waiting to happen. But hey we can also blame that on piracy.

I also think the other problem is, these publishers don't like it when the grown ups start causing problems by calling them out on 1/2 assed products they tried to sell their customers in the first place.

Agree with those two statements, if my pitiful game doesn't sell well on the PC it's because of those bleepin pirates.

When we actually do call them out they are quick to point out they have to put their resources in the console because that is where the money is. We should be grateful they still make PC games. :hand:

[Pendragon]

I feel I must defend Linux, If the game is written for Linux then it's just fine. I can happily run ET:Quake Wars on my Ubuntu PC. I have this PC duel booting between Vista and ubuntu so I can make direct comparisons. Gaming with Linux is fine just so long as the game is for Linux not a Windows game. OpenGL3 is a match for DirectX10, just need the developers to use it. OpenGL 2 looks and feels just like DX9

The issue is not with Linux but the game developers for not supporting it.

The Mac situation is different, there is no problem with OSX but they do insist on fitting crap low spec hardware in the very expensive shiny boxes.

If MS really does turn it's back on Pc gaming completely, Apple can respond by fitting descent hardware. Game makers can make Linux versions of their games.

[bacon]

I have been a linux user for many years, but what you said isn't true if an update gets pushed out that breaks X. Which happens several times a year in many distros. You are then spending time fixing stuff that worked fine before, but now is fubar'ed. Also any dev will tell you that opengl isn't even in the same league as DX. In fact opengl is riding the short bus.

You have to have support from the closed source vendors as well. (Nvidia) Without stable video drivers gaming is teh suck.

Things need to be more uniform across distros, as Brian said very talented devs are spending to much time on package management. Time they could be improving other things.

[GaSplat]

Considering the Xbox is a crippled PC and would never have existed if PC Gaming hadn't been popular enough to drive the hardware upgrades, the whole thing now appears to be terribly ironic.

[Dirtynap]

I agree fully with the Dog on this.

I have not upgraded my gaming rig since before COD4 was released, (I can't even run DX10). Infact I have not played a gaming on my PC for 15 months +. I totally gave up on PC gaming, and I mean gave up.
I still read this sight and a few others I once contributed too but as for actually gaming on the PC its a thing of the past and at the moment I don't see me jumping back in anytime soon.

Funny really Rudedog's words had me take a look at what I have been doing instead. Like him I have spent money on other hobbies. The several grand I would normally have spent on servers and high end PC's plus lots of games, is now in the hands of Giant and Commencal (makers of mountain bikes), apple and the makers of good quality alcohol.

So why did I give up on the PC. Basically I just got sick of buying games that were broke, sick having windows issues and just plain sick of having to mess around all the time when all I wanted to do was turn on the PC and frag the hell of some buddies. I do still game but its on consoles (booo hiss maybe but they work).

However I recently did start playing the odd game back on the PC. Some old ones that actually work, the PC is not dead to me yet for gaming. Its badly wounded but theres life in it still.