Home
Artists
Search Recent Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register
Partychan Telegram ThePornDude
Home Artists Posts Import Register

What Caused, and Ended, the PC Gaming Renaissance? (Die Shrink Telegrams) (Patreon)

Published:
2023-11-01 21:28:20
Imported:
2023-12
Tags:

Content

This is one of those episodes that was heavily influenced by discussions on the MLID discord - namely the constant pricing discussions involving Nvidia SUPER, CPU Price/Performance, and the death of truly entry gaming cards - we think it's fair to say the "PC Gaming Renaissance" is over!

Now, that doesn't mean we think this new era is "bad" by historical standards, but it is VERY different from 10 years ago for sure!  In this "new era" we have GPUs with the performance of Super Computers, people complaining if their "Gaming" PC can't get 12 Cores for under $400, and Thin Laptops and pocket-sized desktops that genuinely can give you a pleasant gaming experience in nearly every game out if you just turn down some settings.  None of these things were remotely available 10 years ago, even relatively speaking...but to be fair we did have $80 Gaming GPUs, $70-$150 midrange gaming CPUs, and far less nickel and diming.

Times have indeed changed, but so...what ended that "renaissance" era?  And for that matter, what confluence of factors caused it?  Well, that is what we are going to talk in the next Die Shrink!  This episode isn't just about what's changed (although we'll touch on that), it's also about why it changed!

You have a little under 6 hours to submit below!  Be concise, use good grammar, and be respectful to be considered! 



Interesting links for context:

https://www.cnet.com/culture/are-we-at-the-beginning-of-a-pc-gaming-renaissance/

http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/118/1186000p1.html

https://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/why-the-pc-gaming-renaissance-is-a-great-for-all-gamers-1281784

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/amd-hd-6670/

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-titan-gk110-review,3438.html

https://www.techspot.com/review/464-modern-warfare-3-performance/page7.html

https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/2jwnoa/question_from_a_console_gamer_thinking_about/

https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/1735jxe/is_pc_gaming_becoming_unaffordable_relative_to/

https://www.reddit.com/r/XboxSeriesX/comments/j18ff0/switching_to_console_after_8_years_of_pc_gaming/




Comments

Anonymous

Is it possible for consoles to ever support a broad & deep mod ecosystem the way PC does? And could that ever be effectively monetized by publishers? Outside of more niche genres like deep simulation/strategy games, it seems like PC's main advantages are (1) backwards compatibility, (2) the diverse ecosystem of indie games, and (3) mod support. #s 1 and 2 have become less and less of an issue over time with digital distribution, but #3 seems to be a PC exclusive for now.

Anonymous

Possibly a controversial take, but I don't think PC gaming renaissance was a hardware phenomenon. It was a software phenomenon. It happened because of Steam. Prior to Steam, independent PC game developers were often blocked from selling their games at all by AAA publishers and console platform owners who equated PC with piracy, and who wanted more control over their customers. Steam gave them a market to sell their games, and Valve opening their storefront up to any game, including competitors' games, helped it thrive. As for why it ended: time. A renaissance, by definition, can only last so long. Explosive exxponential growth can only happen early in the life cycle; as the ecosystem matures, things have to level off. And that's where we are: level and stable. The AAAs are struggling, as their unsustainable business models come home to roost, but independents are still putting out terrific games, and Steam is still selling them. The latest hardware is pretty good, too; someone wanting to dip a toe into the world of Steam, and the Epic Game Store, and GOG, and Humble Bundle, and itch.io, can get started for just $350 US ($499 CAD)., by buying a Steam Deck. And yes, that's Valve again, keeping PC gaming affordable, after kicking off the PC gaming renaissance in the first place. There's a reason why their customers are so loyal.