You have games that are available online as well as at retail, so there is an excuse that they are selling online which explains the low retail sales. But what about titles that are available only on retail? Their sales aren't being eaten online, so why aren't they selling so well?
Still I stand by the statement that hardcore PC gaming will never die as long as the European market thrives. Crysis has sold a million in Europe, and only taken 2 months. It is still no1 in most of Europe, and is predicted to sell at least 4 million by the end of the year. That's just evidence enough that PC gaming isn't going anywhere.
You're still able to get a graphically superior experience on PC, but that gap has closed to the point to where its almost nonexistant.
hahhahahaa wtf?? I completely disagree with you here. I also have to disagree with your earlier statement from that other thread, about cross platform releases being better on the consoles. In fact I am not even sure where you've come up with that. I've seen this question asked on other forums like 1up and Penny Arcade, and you are most definitely in the minority in your opinion. I am not just talking PC fans here. I've seen most 360 fans comment on how games look and play better on a PC.
So yea I don't know where you'd come up with that, and I can say without doubt that you are wrong.
360 gamers quit PC gaming because their console was an incredible deal, and highly convenient. Today, if given a free exchange, most 360 owners would swap their consoles for a high end PC in a heartbeat.
Like Bill Gates said,"Console gaming will always be but a snapshot of PC hardware."
While consoles at launch look comparable to high end PCs, they don't get any better with age.
The 360 was great deal at the time when the 8800GTX was $600, it isn't really anymore. An 8800GT is about $220 and is 95% capable of what an 8800GTX can do, and is quite capable of outclassing a 360.
Let's start with the game you talked about, Oblivion, which I think you are the first person I've seen say is a better is a better experience on the 360. Again, I can't express my surprise enough, and I am just wondering if you've actually been exposed to PC gaming enough. You don't have to even take my word for it, just ask the question on the general 1up forums, where you will easily find more 360 owners.
So lets start:
Oblivion performance and visuals:http://www.gamespot.com/features/6147028/index.htmlCheck out that link.
A medium spec PC with a decent processor and a mid-range DirectX 9 video card like a GeForce 6600 GT allows you to enable a few more graphics settings like view distance and some shadows. Take it easy on the view distance settings since they will lower the frame rate. The Xbox 360 version of the game looks slightly better overall, though not by much. It also runs smoother, though you can't see that from a still image. You can tweak a mid-range PC to look just as nice, but don't be surprised if frame rates dip into the teens.
There you have it. A 6600GT which is less than an entry level PC video card, especially today, is able to run Oblivion on near 360 levels.
Oblivion looks better on a high-end PC than on the Xbox 360. Note the additional foliage visible in the background. We matched up resolutions for screenshot comparison purposes here, but a high-end PC with an AMD Athlon FX-60 CPU and GeForce 7900 GTX graphics card can enable all the settings and take resolutions up to 1600x1200 or more and still maintain smooth frame rates. We noticed that the Xbox 360 version had better antialiasing since our PC version couldn't enable HDR and antialiasing at the same time. Of course on the PC version, you can get rid of jaggies the old-fashioned way by jacking up the resolution.
The 7900GTX outclasses the Xbox 360. This is an old article, from a time when the 7900GTX was top of the line.
With an 8800GT (which is twice as fast as a 7900GTX), you can play at a higher resolution than the 360, and can run at
three times the grass density,
twice the view distance,
double the environmental models, and
three times the AI population density -- yet still play at 60 fps.
I am not making any of this up. It is actually how I play Oblivon.
PC: 1 XBOX 360: 0Oblivion controls: On the 360, you play Oblivion with the 360 controller. On the PC, you can also play with the 360 controller as well as the far superior keyboard/mouse combination, that allows more precision and a lot more keys for more interaction and immersion.
PC: 2 XBOX 360: 0Modifications:Remember the drubbing the PC gave the 360 in the visuals department? Well after you install some of the free and easy to install visual modifications, the PC version of Oblivion looks just far more fabulous. I can't even put it into words. You have to see for yourself:
http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?id=41&view=Articles.DetailIt isn't just the visual quality. You've got a far better map, interface, and inventory system. You've got a huge overhaul in sound as well.
And then there are the many numerous gameplay flaws in Oblivion that are fixed. I mean the list is really endless.
What about the 360? Well you have mods, but they suck
and they cost money, so -1 to the 360 here.
FINAL SCORE:PC: 3 XBOX 360: -1
