Games piracy aside, is the PC gamer/enthusiast and PC gaming as a whole heading for a disaster? While AMD/ATI and nVidia are all trying to bruise each others egos and bank balances, PC gaming is suffering because of this fight. All SLi and Crossfire has ever done for PC gaming is push the price of PC gaming and 3dmark scores, to new highs. While more and more PC games move to either be multi-platform releases or console exclusives with late releases on PC, all nVidia can do is shoot their mouths off at everyone, while AMD/ATi tells people to buy the under performing, expensive, spider platform. PC gaming is at the heart of graphic card sales. Without any PC gamers/enthusiasts and PC gaming, ATi and nVidia would not be the companies they are today. So why do they continue this pissing contest instead of securing PC titles? This will not only make it attractive for developers financially but PC games will become a showcase of game engines, graphic engines, etc. In turn they will sell more cards. But the wisdom that is in the PC GPU industry has left the door wide open for either PC gaming to disappear completely and with it the PC gamer/enthusiast or for Intel to completely dominate the PC market with its new CPU/GPU combo’s.
:shadedshu
PC gaming is as healthy as its ever been, the only thing that has changed is the sheer volume of things. The console market has diluted the impact of the PC for gaming due to the number of different consoles out there. I personally own a NES, SNES, Genesis, N64, Dreamcast, PS1+2, and an Xbox. Yet only have a single PC. Combine every game that I own for all those consoles, and it would easily fit on a single HD. There's a different appeal for console gaming vs. PC gaming. Console gaming is done on a couch, in front of your TV, at horrible resolutions, and usually with friends in person. It's a social aspect that has always been a part of it.
If anything, the Wii, 360, and PS3 have finally gotten something almost right with online gaming. Now you can sit on your couch and play
with other people. More often than not, the Wii is still a social IRL system though. It's about entertaining friends and family, or the quick and casual games. PS3 and 360 are much close to the PC market, essentially copying their strategy of high detail, immersive games, and online playability. PC's generally excel after the "Next Gen" consoles have hit their wall in graphics and capacity. It's not surprising that they're under question considering how much power you can get from a console. Or can you?
Consoles play in 1080p if you're lucky, have a HDTV, and the right cables to hook it all up. Drop any PC game down to that resolution, and you'll get a lot better gameplay than the reviews you see where everything is benchmarked at 1600+. PC's have a vast advantage in downloadable content, customization, online play, adaptability, and upgrades. Want better graphics on your console? Wait a few years
. Want better graphics on your PC? Done! Shipping in 3-5 business days.
Compare next-gen consoles to the PC, and it doesn't look so bad. Compare ALL consoles, and its significantly worse. People don't buy PC after PC after PC when they want better performance. It's more often than not a gradual upgrade path, and can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be. GPU companies aren't hurting for consumer level sales either, GPU's are not made for gaming. The ones that are, are downgrades of the GPUs made for business CAD and rendering. They do work, very necessary work. Not gonna disappear anytime soon, if ever.
Is PC gaming dying? No, not at all. Games development is slowing down due to the enormous amount of time it takes to fully utilize the current technologies. Pick your poison, want more games of lower quality (i.e. games only rendered up to 1080p, designed for 20 hours of playtime), or less games of high quality (i.e. opposite of above)? I'll take both, and they can be had for the PC. Sony, M$, and Nintendo are marketing monsters. PC's don't have anything to rally around, and they never have because they don't need it. Don't let the man pull the wool over your eyes, they just want you to buy their crap that can't last more than 3 years without feeling dated.