The Death of PC Gaming for Windows

It has long been said PC gaming is dead, mostly meaning the consoles like the Xbox and Playstation have taken the fight out of the PC gaming industry. This is true in part to most PC games being made today as ports of games designed to consoles. They are "Xbox Clones" - games that are scaled down in graphics and use engines that do not allow the customizations Windows PC gaming users have come to rely on.

Some game developers like Bethesda manage to pull this off well with their titles like Oblivion, Skyrim and the Fallout series but sadly, most other devs get it wrong. There are very few games being developed today for the PC with the features we want.

Microsoft has it's Games for Windows Live division - which ironically does not publish games developed for PC, but rather it's XBox ports to PC.

Now both Steam and GOG (Good Old Games) have announced support for Linux and are introducing lots of re-worked Windows PC games to work in Linux. GOG will start releasing the Linux versions this fall.

However, you can get lists of current GOG games that do already work natively in Linux. Here, let me Google that for you. lmgtfy.com...


Together these two gaming giants along with Linux's new gaming development platform Leadworks (www.leadwerks.com... available on Steam) and the popular Unity 3D's gaming development platform now with Linux support - can be the catalyst that marks the beginning of the end for Windows PC gaming.

Developers like Microsoft need to decide if they want Windows gaming to survive. If they do, they need to change and give PC gamers the games with the features gamers want running on engines that are flexible enough for user configuration. Linux gaming is about to have a huge growth spurt and making games for consoles will not combat that.

If the market doesn't change, Linux will win and that will be a Glorious day for many of us. Linux can do everything Windows can do sometimes easier and faster as in OpenGL vs the slower DirectX for example. Gaming is one thing holding millions of Windows users from switching to Linux. Companies like Microsoft have to be aware of this and adjust accordingly.

They are more than aware, and do not care. At least, that's my take on it.

I welcome Linux to the gaming world (I've been waiting for a LONG time), as I would love to get Bill Gate's Frankenstein out of my home as soon as possible.

reply to post by JohnPhoenix


I have a PS3 that is serving as nothing more than an expensive ass blueray player!

Perhaps "some" games might be pushing towards the console direction, but I just don't see the PC being taken out of the picture.

I just beefed up my pc and I am happy as hell with the improved performance. Hell, all I even play anymore is Neverwinter......

ProfessorChaos
I would love to get Bill Gate's Frankenstein out of my home as soon as possible.

Me too! Though I wouldnt always have said that.
I think we all owe ms a little, because in the early days they forced both software and hardware manufacturers to get their act together, this meant we could pull a card out of one machine and put it into another and it would still work, same with software too.
Since Bill gates quite MS they seem to have lost their way, though I dont know if his leaving is the reason.

I'm on linux (mint) now and I love it!

Every thread created by any Linux user anywhere on the Internet us always the same thing.
A support discussion be a use that user is trying to get software that works on windows, to work on linux.
Or updates that won't take. Or driver solutions. Or the millions of workarounds that Linus users need to ultimately use their computer just as it was still with windows.

For all the greatness we always hear about the o's from them. They sure do spend countless hours just running emulators for windows software.
I'm still waiting to hear about the benefits. I only ever get told about skmefay. Skmeday. Someday.

I got games to play. Windows seems to be holding users in that community just fine.

I have a ps3 right now, hopefully have a ps4 soon, but I was never much for PC gaming. Windows PC to me, just costs too much money to beef up and get the performance I want. I think the next gen platforms are going to phase out Windows gaming really quick, personally.

On the other hand, my Windows laptop is perfect for my retro gaming. I have emulators on there for psx, n64, SNES, nes, and Sega Genesis, and they all work like a charm.

Basically, I think ps4, Xbox one, and Linux are going to be the main line of gaming nowadays, and the only people holding on to windows platforms are going to be people like me, who enjoy sitting back now and then and playing some 007 GoldenEye

Bisman
Every thread created by any Linux user anywhere on the Internet us always the same thing.
A support discussion be a use that user is trying to get software that works on windows, to work on linux.
Or updates that won't take. Or driver solutions. Or the millions of workarounds that Linus users need to ultimately use their computer just as it was still with windows.

For all the greatness we always hear about the o's from them. They sure do spend countless hours just running emulators for windows software.
I'm still waiting to hear about the benefits. I only ever get told about skmefay. Skmeday. Someday.

I got games to play. Windows seems to be holding users in that community just fine.

I have a thread on ats where I'm preaching the wonders of windows!

BUT then I tried Linux Mint. No driver installations needed! It worked...straight out of the box, something that windows does NOT do!
I use Wine to run any windows progs that I still use, and no, Wine is NOT an emulater! For the odd rare occasion that I want to use windows I jusr fire up virtual box.

Linux has not just caught up with windows, its now overtaking it!

And despite all the announcements, Linux users are STILL waiting, and have been for decades. And if Linux users do manage to get a game ported, their conversation will be overwhelmingly on how to get drivers to work with their video card and all manner of issues on how to get Linux to work with, umm, anything useful at all.

The death of the Windows gaming PC has been greatly exaggerated by all three Linux users still wanting to play graphic games. Don't worry, though. I hear Adventure is still available for your OS.

JohnPhoenix
Some game developers like Bethesda manage to pull this off well with their titles like Oblivion, Skyrim and the Fallout series but sadly, most other devs get it wrong. There are very few games being developed today for the PC with the features we want.

Skyrim got a console interface, too.

Whenever a new console is released, people scream its the death of PC gaming.
Then a few years later, when the PC has moved on, the PC crowd scream its the end of consoles.
Back and forth.

It comes down to the games. Gaming companies tend to have favorites. mmo's for instance are all about the PC. Same with products put out by companies like Bethesda/Zenimax with their focus on user content (modding) and ever increasing PC intensive software.

Same ole, same ole. Steam has their wallet soaked fully in PC gaming, and tons of indie companies that otherwise would have nothing instead have their roots firmly planted in PC.

Indie games..bah..who needs those.
Well, except that games like minecraft, GTA, etc started off as little indie games. With game making tools becoming cheaper and easier to use, more and more startup companies are releasing ever increasing powerful and original games for PC.

As far as Linux gaming..meh, niche audience unlikely to effect any change..and Linux based console systems, same issue with any other console out there. no upgrade potential, so has a very limited shelflife before the gaming technology simply moves on. PC will always be a easy porting...the only thing that the PC community is becoming insistant on now is the ability to mod it..if only to fix their terrible porting

This past Christmas proved it to me that Linux is "gamable". I opted for the Left 4 Dead 2 giveaway and tried steam. WOW!!!
Yup... Linux is READY.

GNU and FREE solutions are coming for every hole that extreme capitalism and restrictive licensing creates.

The only niches I can't completely fill on Linux now are Cubase and Logic which require me to run a windows and mac os instance once in a while. But Cubase & Logic, both, are very very close to being redundant with open source solutions for me. The kernel has good enough audio support now so applications are fast catching up. Rosegarden, Ardour, Reaper are pretty damn good along with hundreds of other audio apps.

I used to spend a ton of money on half ass audio & graphics software. I haven't bought Photoshop since the first CS release. Gimp is doing everything I need. Seriously, the insane amount of options on the software managers for Linux feel like pirating on the pirate bay or browsing your first 90's shareware site. Amazing times to be alive and a techie.

Some version of Linux is going to dominate, eventually. Ubuntu is the most likely, so far, but I have a feeling another will take this. Maybe Steam OS or Debian.

reply to post by SaturnFX


I wholeheartedly agree with Schuyler and SaturnFX.
This has been a forever debate and always will be a forever debate. There are the console lovers, the PC gaming lovers and I guess Linus gaming lovers. We all love our own choices for our own reasons.

I'm a pc gamer and do have consoles too. Enjoy both equally, but I do appreciate the modding abilities on PC. Can't do that in consoles. I'd add 'yet', but heh, I'm unsure if modding could be possible on consoles really. Maybe in a few more years.

I don't think there is a market for consoles releasing strategy games such as C&C

It is here where PC gaming is still very much alive

Console gaming is great for shoot em ups such and COD battlefield Halo etc but for strategy games you really need to be sat at a desktop with a keyboard and mouse, It just not the same on console

JohnPhoenix
It has long been said PC gaming is dead

I read technology and gaming news every single day and I've never heard this claim. PC gaming not only is not dead, it's about to get a boost here very soon.

Since the new XBox and PS4 are using normal PC hardware, PC ports from consoles will be extremely easy and virtually painless. Which will take a lot of work off of the devs so that they can concentrate on other things instead of re-writing the game to port it to another platform.

JohnPhoenix
"Xbox Clones" - games that are scaled down in graphics and use engines that do not allow the customizations Windows PC gaming users have come to rely on.

I'm not sure where you got this information from. Most games ported over to PC have always had better graphics due to better PC hardware. There are numerous images all over the net comparing console games to the PC port version, and the PC port wins every single time graphically.

As far as customizations, that's solely up to the developers whether to add those customizations into the ports or not. They've recently ported over "State of Decay", and the devs have worked very hard adding full PC keyboard/mouse support, and other options that PC games have requested on the forums. If all devs for other ports reacted like this, then people wouldn't be so disappointed with the PC ports of other games.

JohnPhoenix
Microsoft has it's Games for Windows Live division - which ironically does not publish games developed for PC, but rather it's XBox ports to PC.

I've played games that were not ported, but used the Windows Live service. However, Games for Windows Live is scheduled to be shut down on July 1, 2014, so that is on its way out anyway.

Current games using Windows Live service have either removed Windows Live from their games, or have started using the Steam service (Steamworks).

JohnPhoenix
Gaming is one thing holding millions of Windows users from switching to Linux.

This is correct. Once gaming becomes native to Linux, and I can play any game I want without having to rely on Windows for gaming, then that will be the day I fully switch to Linux. Until then Windows will still be my main operating system.

For the record, I do have Mint dual-boot on my server PC, and on a USB stick for my main PC and laptop.

JohnPhoenix
Developers like Microsoft need to decide if they want Windows gaming to survive. If they do, they need to change and give PC gamers the games with the features gamers want running on engines that are flexible enough for user configuration. Linux gaming is about to have a huge growth spurt and making games for consoles will not combat that.

Depending upon which numbers you choose to use Linux accounts for anywhere from 1% to 2.5% of the PC market. That means that no one is going to spend a lot of time and money developing new games for that OS. Even if some publishers/developers do bother to port the games over to Linux MS still has a huge advantage and will continue to due to their OS coming pre-installed.

The only thing Microsoft has to worry about is the death of the PC itself because when it comes to phones and other mobile devices MS is not dominant...in my humble opinion that is

PC online gaming is huge.I don't really know where you've been lately but have you ever watched a match of League Of Legends on twitch? There are literally millions of people who play this one game and it's followed and watched by many millions more.The money is huge. This is just one online PC game out of thousands that are growing in popularity.I have gamed since the very beginning when the first Atari came out right through all the consoles and then in '98 I decided to stop the console race and just move to straight PC gaming and I've never looked back since.
My son is an avid online gamer and is part of a massive online community where people have PC's that are strictly built for gaming by companies that only built computers for gaming. I game daily with my PC and because of PC game optimization PC games can be played on computers of all qualities and sometimes I don't need to do any upgrades on my computer for years.
For Microsoft not to see the wave of popularity in online gaming via PC and the vast amounts of money it generates over longer periods than consoles do, would be silly. They know what's going on and they will adjust I'm sure of it because the money and support they would lose through many channels would be huge.
PC gaming will never die....Microsoft on the other hand might.....

I'm a pc gamer, have always been a pc gamer, and will continue to be a pc gamer until they rip the keyboard from my cold dead hands.

My PS3 makes for a nice decoration on my tv stand though... and the odd netflix/blu-ray movie.

IMO PC gaming is, was, and always will be the grandaddy of gaming. Performance wise is no contest. No need to upgrade consoles (albeit maybe a video card or RAM every now and then) Much cheaper in the long run since PC can serve ALL entertainment varieties you like.

Star & Flag anyway, Good thread Thank You.

Proud PC gamer here. I have had consoles but I have never enjoyed them like I have PC games. Last console I purchased was a PS2. I think Atari and Sega Genesis were the only two consoles that I played the games on a regular basis. I would rather spend the money on upgrading up my computer.

reply to post by JohnPhoenix


I think Sega foresaw this when they made the DreamCast. It was made to accept Windows games (the logo was right there on the console, even). It wasn't huge but it was at least a nod in the direction of "Hey, we want games made like they are now but we want them on DreamCast" as opposed to how we do it now.

I think the gaming culture made a huge mistake by leaving the DreamCast on the table.