2005 UK Sales Review Comments by Kristan Reed

I have virtually given up on PC gaming. I couldnt really afford to keep up with all the HW upgrades I needed to play games properly and there are less and less titles I want to play.

I mean, you can buy a 2nd hand 360 for the price of the GFX card you need to play most of the new games well.

I loved the summary at the end. Good article

Wii: We prefer to mis-pronounce it "why" as in Nintendo: Why? Actually, sod it, let's rebel and continue to call it the Revolution. Everyone liked that name.

Now that's just unprofessional. Its name is Wii.

...and many will point to the system[Dreamcast]'s poor marketing and the failure to command key third party partners such as Electronic Arts as the real reason for its failure.

And many will point to piracy and homebrew.

I've been to the US twice this year (New York in February and Orlando last week) and both occasions I've been amazed by the lack of PC Games in the gaming stores. All the stores I visited (EB etc.) had a tiny shelf for PC Games, mostly old games and it was hard to find the new ones, while the consoles had the rest of the store.

The only stores I found a bit more PC Games in was Comp USA and Circuit City. But even there the consoles were much more displayed.

Of course people can get their games over the net but it certainly makes it harder to get the average joe to buy your new shiny game when you hardly get any exposure in the dedicated gaming stores.

Here in Sweden it's better although I've seen the consoles gotten lot more space than before.

Top articles, all 3 of them. Very interesting reading indeed.

And many will point to piracy and homebrew.

In some quarters, its believed one of the reasons the PS1 sold by the bucket load was that it was the first console that had easily accessable pirate games. Same with the Xbox.

But, yeah, on the DC it almost insultingly easy to play copied games.

Good articles. A shame there are no European figures (not blaming the EG guys, of course), only those for the UK. As long as its that way we'll never have a clue who is ahead of whom in Europe, as the UK is AFAIK only a fifth of the European gaming market.

At the end of the day it doesn't matter anyhow, but I certainly would be curious.

Good read, thanks EG.

Amped sold less than 5K?

What a vast shame.

oerhört - "Now that's just unprofessional. Its name is Wii".

You have a wii sense of humour.... Revolutionise your thinking ; )

Great articles EG!

Nice articles - you've put in a lot of hard work. Bravo sir.

PC games needs to have better gamepad support. They put too much emphasis on using the keyboard and mouse, and while most of the games can be played using a gamepad, there are always something you HAVE to use the mouse or keyboard for. I would like to play my games on my big telly, but still have the advantage of fast loading times and simple saving.

Dreamfall managed to do this. Everything can be controlled via an Xbox 360 gamepad which I'm using, and it works fantastic. Even saving and messing around with the settings can be used from the controller. And an otherwise excellent game like Beyond Good and Evil doesn't even supprot controllers, and that's a typical console game!

Oh, and Dreamfall rocks, btw. I love it and captures the feel of The Longest Journey perfectly. The fighting was pretty bad, but the rest is way above decent. Makes me proud to be norwegian.

Here in Sweden it's better although I've seen the consoles gotten lot more space than before.

Same in Germany - shelf space for console games has grown, and it's about 40% PC to 60% consoles (all console formats including handhelds however) in most shops, unless it's an indie specialised in one or the other, so it looks as if PC game sales are still going strong.

I'd love to see sales figures for Germany.

Yep, let's continue calling it Revolution. What was the rest of the text about? PlayStation, right. Rules.

Tomb Raider 2 and Final Fantasy VII were worldwide phenomena. Write it out 100 times.

Nice set of articles.

I've practically given up on PC gaming due to it being stucck in a rut for some time now. There's only so many FPS or RTS one man can take. Smaller shareware titles interest me more these days. That and Starforce killing one of my DVD drives has left me with rather a bitter taste in the mouth regarding PC games.

Nice articles. Lovely closing paragraphs. Insane starting paragraph by Tom? ;]

can you play first person shooters on consoles? how on earth can people have this attitude about the pc... mouse control trumps pad control every time, which is why the wiivolution... (hehe i just made that up and makes me giggle) may turn things upside down.

The UK is teh doomed

@SwedBear: You don't need to use the US as an example....look at shops here in the UK - - Game, Gamestation, HMV, Virgin.....they all have vast shelf space for console games and very little shelf space for PC games.

@Psi : You are right about mouse control, but it is perfect only because shooters evolved around the mouse-keyboard setup - it is something of a closed circle. There are many console shooters which at least make the process of aiming painless enough to make you forget that you are using a pad (for me those are Halo and Black, since those are the two console shooters I have played).

So the gap is closing.

Excellent closing summary. Interesting to see quite how complete the Sony dominance is.

Its pretty sickening really when you think what happened to the Dreamcast. If you look at MSR that still looks good by todays standards and is a 5 year old game. You can only really hazard a guess as to what devs might have squeezed out of the hardware given the same amount of time they've had with the PS2. As usual though everyone seemed to believe Sony's hype.

Kb/mouse is not perfect at all. Pads also are not perfect. All comes down to what you're used to really. I prefer not worrying about having to have a full OS in the way, just chuck a disc in and play, and while I found it tricky at first, I won't touch kb/mouse with a 10 foot pole anymore. PC gaming is a fading memory/misery. I think the 360 particularly is going to keep taking little bites out of the PC market - it's an easier logical step to make than PC -> PS3.

Edit: and stop whining about the Deadcast ;-) Cool machine, terrible terrible control pad, poorly marketed and with a regionally weak software lineup. Don't blame Sony because Sega dropped the ball (twice in a row - the Saturn was an awesome system).

No person has EVER enjoyed an FPS unless they were playing it on a PC with mouse and keyboard.

Those who thought they were enjoying playing FPS's on consoles were merely deluded.

And playing games isn't about having FUN either.

It's like watching the History Channel! Yeah, Sony was great in its heyday but typically usurped by the largest software company in the world, after gambling on a proprietary media format consumers were not ready for. Experts say that before Sony's decline, lessons could have been learnt from other proprietary media formats they had strongly backed, however, ultimately failed to make any noticeable impact with consumers.

Dreamcast failed for one reason only - it didn't have the games that people wanted to play.

(And that's not the same as saying it didn't have any GOOD games.)

The Dreamcast failed because of a number of factors, not just one.

Curious to know if the cost of keeping a leading edge PC leading edge has gone up over the years. Base machines have dropped in price but have the top spec gaming machines?

"...and many will point to the system[Dreamcast]'s poor marketing and the failure to command key third party partners such as Electronic Arts as the real reason for its failure."

And many will point to piracy and homebrew.

It took them about 18 months from the Japanese launch to get past the copy protection. Its fate was sealed by then, even though the likes of VT, Shenmue and MSR hadn't been released.

It's odd when I think that: a). I've been a PC gamer now for well over a decade, have went through numerous expensive hardware overhalls since my original P133 and b). that the only game I have consistently played on a weekly basis through all that time is still Quakeworld :D

Still suck though... o_0

I wish they'd make a follow up to Theme Hospital

I read that up to this year, PC games outsold the console games on the dutch market.

"I wish they'd make a follow up to Theme Hospital"

EA destroyed Bullfrog and sits on the licence like it does with other non mainstream IP. No chance of that ever happening. Even if they did, it will just be unimproved shit.

Sega's Dreamcast launched in a blaze of publicity in 1999, but despite the lure of arcade perfect ports such as The House of the Dead III, Virtua Tennis and exclusives like Shenmue, MSR and Sonic Adventure, ...

EG just a note House of the Dead III(Xbox) is not a Dreamcast title, I think you meant House of the Dead II.

I loved the '96 Formula 1. I'd still rate it in my top 5 ever, although I would hesitate to load it up now, as I'd inevitably be disappointed.

Apparently some people can get a decent performance out of playing a FPS with a joypad, I wouldn't know, I play so few FPS' that even m+k is a mess, I wouldn't want to know what a joypad is like (though if it's like aiming in GTA, then it's not for me) However, there are some games I can't possibly imagine being played well with a joypad. Strategy games springs to mind (both RTS and turnbased) but also certain simulations games.
I don't know, but I think it's a real shame if the PC dies as a gaming platform. I certainly would play fewer games if that happened.

After being a hardcore PC gamer in my youth I turned to consoles and haven't looked back, owning PS2, GC and X360. However, recently I've bagged a Dell and eagerly set about making up for lost time...or so I hoped. All the old problems were back again: the need to patch and fiddle with settings and good old random crashing. I also spent around 30 minutes configuring my 360 controller to work with 1 game - wahey - plug and play-tastic! And all this sat hunched in my office chair in my office/spare bedroom, squinting at my 15" monitor whilst 360 Oblivion beckons to me from the comfy confines of my living room.

The problem with the PC market is that it needs one organisation to whip the PC gaming world into shape, somehow standardising gamepad support and incorporating some kind of quality control testing in order to ensure games work straight out of the box. And that said organisation could then use some...I don't know - let's call it an 'extender' device...in order to pipe these games into the living room...let me see...which company could possibly bring that about? MS.

IMHO the PC gaming world can never break out of the rut that it finds itself in because quite simply MS doesn't have the inclination to bring this about. Not that I've got any problems with MS's gaming alternative. The consoles have always benefitted from having one particular coordinating organisation behind them, ensuring their well being. The PC world can never hope to match this without a similarly coordinated approach and will always be a little shambolic, the way it is today.

Some people simply don't care about the common issues you (still) get with PC gaming. Patching. Drivers. Crashes. Upgrades. Cost. It doesn't matter, they swallow these and enjoy their RTS's, their FPS's, their MMO's.

What gets my goat is when you have people claiming that you cannot, cannot play an FPS on a console. Or if you do, you're probably a bit shlt and a PC Gamer is still vastly superior to you, because you clearly don't take gaming seriously.

Screw all of that.

Valid points are still to be made about how MMO's and RTS's are still better suited to PCs, but the gap is closing...... and you could argue that far more genre's can be played on a console.

The problem with the next gen consoles is that they seem to be having the same issues that have plagued pc's - crashes, necessary post-launch patching and reliability issues.

As for the keyboard+mouse argument, it's simply a case of one control method being easier than another. I'm quite fond of the controller+mouse combo (oblivion on pc works well with it), it's all about how much action each hand can do within human ergonomics. And before anyone preaches about a 'level playing field', you get joysticks for flight sims, steering wheels for racing games, light guns and all manner of different control devices.

And all this sat hunched in my office chair in my office/spare bedroom, squinting at my 15" monitor whilst 360 Oblivion beckons to me from the comfy confines of my living room.

Spot on. I dont know about other people, but im an IT consultant, so the last thing that I want to do when i get home is spend another god knows how many hours staring at a monitor in a back spasm inducing IKEA hell chair.

I dunno....PCs just arent a novelty any more. Sure everyone has them and a lot of people have broadband, which has opened them up to a world of possibility that doesnt include games. I mean, years ago before dial-up and while dial up was a penny a minute, all you could really do on a PC was work or play games. Now I can spend just as much time farting around on the internet as I ever did playing Quake or Command and Conquer.

@asandbrook

"The problem with the PC market is that it needs one organisation to whip the PC gaming world into shape, somehow standardising gamepad support"

Well that will be Microsoft then with Windows, Direct X and all sorts of other plug and play support. Given the huge variety of hardware out there it amazing anyting works and I think think they do a pretty good job.

"and incorporating some kind of quality control testing in order to ensure games work straight out of the box"

That will never happen on any open platform. What you talking about there is licensing the compiler so that only officially licensed products can be released on Windows. It simply won't happen, which is good and bad. Bad for the reason you gave, but good insofar as it allows the homebrew and mod scene to exist on the PC platform. Which is a string to its bow that no current console can match and one of the reasons it stays alive as a gaming platform. I honestly believe that licensed delivery would kill the PC as a games machine.

"Against this backdrop, can you blame them?"

Most definitely yes, asking for internet authorisation for a singleplayer game (at release) must have been the most silly decision ever, it's very unpractical for consumers also. I think Valve just got scared of Gabe's 'little' leak and they wanted to push Steam way too soon.

About PC: keyboard/mouse is fine and still the best way to fully enjoy an FPS and an RTS if you ask me, even other genres like RPG's, Turnbased Strategy games are still very suitable for this platform. There is simply so much more you can easily do with keyboard/mouse. And there is always an option to add a good(!) gamepad, steering wheel or joystick. RTS's on consoles have never been worthy of mentioning actually so I definitely don't see a 'closing gap', even in the area of console FPS's there hasn't been much progression since Goldeneye. There are the patch issues for PC titles and such but I guess it has been proven already that that isn't a PC-only problem anymore. I am willing to accept those problems any day just for the advantages and more possibilities of this platform. The price might be steep at times but with enough patience and the right time to buy your hardware I find it not that much of a problem.

Still, if you truly need a big company to promote your gamesmachine, to hold your hand and to ask for more money per game, then be my guest. It's your loss. Each platform has its own strengths of course but someone saying that PC gaming in general is dead right now simply because of lesser sales and about specific platform problems that are known since decades, just proves he/she knows nothing about the PC's worthwile gamesportfolio at all.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I play Dreamfall on my PC, but connected to the TV and resolution set to 800x600, so that the text is viewed properly. Also using the X360 controller.

Then suddenly I realized... why do I do this? Why not just use a console? Only two things came to mind... pc games cost less, and they are quicker to load and save - mostly. I don't know how Dreamfall is for the Xbox or PS2, but I'm pretty sure the PC has faster loading.

So the fact is, I turned my PC into a console for me to thoroughly enjoy a game. What does that say about PC gaming?

I'm interested on seeing how much of a challenge Nintendo and Microsoft put up to Sony this Gen. Personally I really think Nintendo have the strongest challenge at the moment. Looking at the phenominal success they have had with the DS worldwide and the current interest in the Wii and its controller I truely feel Nintendo are taking the right steps to truely competing for dominance. I think the DS inparticular has convinced alot of 3rd party to support them again. The biggest worry is their lack of support for the European market. If Nintendo can sort out their PAL support then I think the Wii could be a winner.

As for teh Xbox 360, its got the potential. But it needs the games. And it needs them in numbers before the hype train starts for the PS3. But with Halo 3, Gears Of War, Lost Odessey and Lost Planet (to name a few) on the horisen not to mention the surprises obviously waiting at E3 I think Microsoft can put up a healthy challenge. But thats only if these titles live up to expectations and they come soon. The 360 needs an extremely strong 2006 and more importantly it needs to dominate E3. It could happen...but time will tell.

@Ryuken

"asking for internet authorisation for a singleplayer game (at release) must have been the most silly decision ever"

I guess your definition of silly includes making a sack load of money. I'll have a piece of that silliness, no question.

"Now that's just unprofessional. Its name is Wii."

Learn how to take a joke.

Last year my spending cut back a lot as my WoW addiction grew. At the moment the majority of my gaming time is spent on it, with the rest spit evenly between 360 and other pc games. Certainly it has reduced the appeal of other games to me.

Example oblivion (which i have bought). Whilst others rave about it I just find the world to be strangely dead. I even kinda miss the beggers.

MMOs are not for everyone, but my 2 cent is that I think (as the article suggests) that they are begining to distort the market for the pc.

And as for the price of a gaming pc - It is cheaper then ever. (Really - put a 7600 gts in a standard beige box and you can play pretty much anything up to 1280x1024 which is the res of most LCDs)

"I guess your definition of silly includes making a sack load of money. I'll have a piece of that silliness, no question."

Would it have been that much of a difference if they didn't do the authorisation just to be able to play the game? HL2 got cracked anyway you know and in the end an online key is temptive enough just for the updates. And it's not like they never had a big commercial success prior to HL2, Valve ain't Ritual or so. The whole digital distribution-, boxes without goodies-, too short episodical content-things are just ways to squeeze more money out of us. Worst thing of all is that they, as a big company even, get praise for it while EA gets the slack. In the end, it's all an evolution for the worse.

"Would it have been that much of a difference if they didn't do the authorisation just to be able to play the game?"

Well I agree it was a bit of a pain when you had the install disc in your hand, but its all part of a longer term plan that involves delivering content direct rather than on physical media. I know that HL2 got cracked eventually, but most people didn't want to wait so the longer the security holds the more sales are made. Valve might have a bit of spare cash these days, but they got it through hard work producing quality products, so I don't begrudge them their profits. EA I view slightly differently in that respect...


"boxes without goodies-, too short episodical content-things are just ways to squeeze more money out of us"

We don't have to buy stuff, we always have the choice. Again I agree that in some cases episoidal content is not priced competetively when compared to full packages (Oblivion add-ons being the current and prime example), but again I say that we hold the power. If we don't like the deal we don't have to take it and if bad pricing affects sales the prices we be adjusted in the future.

All businesses follow the same basic principle. You charge the very maximum you can without impacting profititability. You have to charge AT LEAST your costs or you go out of business, but that is known as breaking even and no business wants to operate on that line. If you charge too much people stop buying your stuff and your profits fall. Its a balancing act that eveyone follows, games are no different.

I do agree with you that the new delivery models don't always give us the best deal. But if we just keep buying whilst grumbling quietly then we get what we deserve. Lots of people slated Steam, but they bought HL2 all the same.

I actually think Steam is a good idea, but its first version had a few issues. Name me a technology that hasn't had some problems first time around.

"In the end, it's all an evolution for the worse"

It will only be that way if we let it be. As customers, we are the dangerous world that newly evolved products have to face. Just like species evolution, if the new product can't survive us (by making us buy it) it will die. Valve know that and they will want to respond to customer concerns as Steam evolves, 'cos they know they rsk losing our cash if they don't.