PC gaming hardware market to remain strong through 2014

[Shawn Knight]

A new report concerning the PC gaming hardware market indicates that computer-based sales will continue to grow at a rate of 11 percent from now until at least 2014. These figures are primarily based on the fact that over 250 million game-capable PCs will ship in 2011, compared to only 230 million PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 consoles that have shipped since 2005.

Despite the onslaught of competition and the ongoing economic recession, Jon Peddie Research believes the PC gaming hardware market will generate $19 billion in sales in 2011. The research firm estimates that half a billion people regularly play PC games, an increase of about 3 percent in their 2011 forecast.

It’s no secret that PC gaming has seen its share of hard times in the past few years and there are several factors in play that have brought about the current state of computer gaming. Despite the comparatively low numbers mentioned above versus gaming-capable PC shipments, console popularity has exploded in recent years. Online multiplayer gaming has transformed the competitive landscape. More adults and females are gaming than ever before.

New markets like social networking and mobile gaming on tablets and smartphones continue to threaten the PC ‘s gaming reputation, a phenomenon that senior gaming analyst Ted Pollak noted in his research.

"We are starting to see mobile computers dig into the sales of low end PCs a bit. Consequently this has actually increased the average gaming purchase motivation for mainstream desktops and notebooks because some people with very low computing requirements have been taken out of the denominator, and the potential customer base for desktops and notebooks is more concentrated due to their superior performance in graphically intense applications."

Regardless of new markets or trend changes, there’s still plenty of reason to love PC gaming. Even mid-grade computers offer more powerful hardware than current generation consoles, resulting in superior graphics, largely in part to increased resolution capabilities. Some games are also much easier to play with a mouse and keyboard, such as first person shooters.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/46022-pc-gaming-hardware-market-to-remain-strong-through-2014.html

 

[RH00D]

I always try to educate my friends about PC gaming who don't know a lot about it. I've finally converted my older brother to a hybrid of console + PC gaming as I'm selling him my current gaming PC. I'd suggest others here who are PC gamers to do the same.

I think it's fair to say that a lot of people simply *don't know* how to get into PC gaming with a *good* PC or they think it's over-complicated, but a little bit of your time to educating them will help boost PC gaming hardware sales and game sales.

Personally, most consoles gamers I know don't actually have anything against PC gaming, they just simply don't know much about it, thus, no interests and it's not like most people are going to go out of their way to research PC gaming and how to build a good gaming PC.

 

[amstech]

PC's will always be untouched, thier visual and graphic ability with the latest hardware always steamrolls whatever the top console is, its not even close. PC games look, run and play so much better on a PC most of the time its a wonder they attempted to port it to consoles, but this is all about money and thats were games still sell

Current consoles have trouble with games at 720p while the PC Gaming market is already starting to move on from 1080p into 2560 X 1600 IPS panels and triple monitor super high resolution eyefinity-3D Surround setups.

Midrange to Highend GPU's still bring in millions each year, proving the commuties and the market is still strong, if not getting stronger with Origin and Steam really digging their toes into the sand. I've been doing this since my first graphics card a Voodoo Banshee and since then I've been hooked.

I am a big on graphics, clarity, new visual features like tessellation/PhysX and you simply can't have these game/experience changing features on a console.

 

[Cota]

because some people with very low computing requirements have been taken out of the denominator

*A joy tear drops from my cheek*

 

[darkzelda]

RH00D said:
I always try to educate my friends about PC gaming who don't know a lot about it. I've finally converted my older brother to a hybrid of console + PC gaming as I'm selling him my current gaming PC. I'd suggest others here who are PC gamers to do the same.....

That's absolutely right. Just counting this year I introduce 3 friends of mine to become PC gamers, We started playing the L4D2 coop campaign and right now all of them have at least 10 games on Steam and good gaming rigs. Pc gamers should help create more pc gamers so that our beloved platform keeps getting the attention it deserves!

 

[fimbles]

Quote "Even mid-grade computers offer more powerful hardware than current generation consoles, resulting in superior graphics, largely in part to increased resolution capabilities"

Its a shame most developers ignore this fact and give us substandard console ports, Take rage for instance, john carmack himself has admitted the current generation of pcs has 10 times the power of the currrent gen of consoles, His decision to optimise the game for consoles was purely financial.

Windows 8 will supposedly allow us to play xbox 360 games on the pc, I have a feeling this will be the final nail in the coffin for purely pc game development.

 

[fimbles]

John carmack interview:

http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/06/08/e...age-the-pc-and-gamma-corrected-anti-aliasing/

 

[Guest]

I disagree about Win 8 putting the final nail in the coffin. The reason being is that eventually consoles are going to get replaced by newer consoles, instead it could actually be the saving grace. If they can scale games up and down, they should be able to add "PC" grade graphics, this will merge all media into one format that both console and PC share, and everyone will be happy.

Its all about the graphics, PCs are dynamic and can become stronger through the users wallet. Consoles are static, if they become dynamic then it would defeat the purpose. PCs will always have an advantage, developers just need to find a way to deal with piracy that pleases the consumer.

 

[Butch]

Yup. PC gaming has really taken a hit in the last few years thanks to the kiddie-console money machine. It's funny how for some people the perception is that PC gaming hardware is too expensive. Many of the gamers I know (or their brats) play console instead of PC not because of cost, but because their teenage kids screw-up their PC's with viruses and adware so often they get tired of either bothering me to fix it or paying somebody else to fix it. We have to remember that most of us reading the articles on this site can tear down and rebuild a PC blindfolded so these seemingly simple problems like viruses and adware are not too much of a problem for us. But to the laymen these types of issues are devastating and render their PC's useless until fixed. And so, we have the "easy buttons" called XBOX and PS3.

 

[Guest]

"...console popularity has exploded in recent years."

imo propaganda.

in fact, i would venture to say that PC gaming has always taken top spot and that console manufacturers mold news outlets to suite their own best interests - making people believe consoles are superior and thus increasing sales.

 

[treetops]

Until they make a new console pc gamers will continue to increase, consoles are old and out dated 6 year+. Computers get better all the time, look at metro 2033 it makes the ps3 and xbox 360 look like nothing.

 

[ramonsterns]

I can't play consoles any more with all the aliasing. I could cut myself on all those jaggies.

 

[Sarcasm]

I'm just a gamer period. I'll play any console as long as the game is well made and fun. However, I go to PC gaming for the best possible graphics. Its just too bad the market doesn't have more PC priority instead of console ports. But hopefully things will change in the future as PC Gaming is becoming more mainstream.

 

[CryVer]

I always play games on PC, but it is not primarily because of the graphics. It primarily because of the superior game play. On consoles I feel extremely limited. If I compare the number of operations I do on the keyboard and mouse vs a console player, I believe the number of operations I do on a PC is many times what consoles players do (even pro ones).

 

[godrilla]

Consoles are not untouchable either, with the platforms like supersmart phones on the rise, and tablets, the handheld console business will eventually end ( eg. Ds & PSP)
Android has the potential to become and next big nitch in gaming, because it way more open than anyone else. And android devices become more powerful by the quarter!

Android also has usb support, mouse and keyboard, and game control support, with hdmi display port for 1080p resolution already beat consoles 720p resolution.

Don't get me wrong I love my high end pc with i7 980 @ 4.4ghz and dual fermis with c 300 ssds and will always love pc platform I just want the console platform to suffer or change for the better!
In change I mean more innovation, better quality games, better singleplayer campaigns, and better visuals that tax hardware!

 

[Guest]

the fact is gaming desktops is the way to go if you got the money. low end desktop are worthless now as laptops has wiped them out. i work in a computer shop and we have been told not to take any desktop pc even if people giving it a way.

 

[lipe123]

I wish I had this guy's opportunistic view.

Consoles have dominated game developers with their easy "everything is the same" platform and all new games are developing for consoles first and then release a watered down crap version on PC later.
In the last years games like call of duty modern warware 2/black ops and the coming MW3 all have been console ports with graphics similar to Crysis from the early 2000's with numerous bugs and problems for PC users.
The latest BF3 is also a prime example of how the PC version of a game got the short end of the stick.
Then there is the hardware, AMD just launched their brand new CPU that runs at the same speed as prev Gen Intel chips and Intel motherboards only have 2xSata2 ports on them.

Things seem really in limbo at the moment, there isnt a solid well rounded hardware platform at the moment. Games are buggy and mostly terrible.

I'm a dedicated PC gamer and I cry myself to sleep every night!

 

[treetops]

Guest said:
the fact is gaming desktops is the way to go if you got the money. low end desktop are worthless now as laptops has wiped them out. i work in a computer shop and we have been told not to take any desktop pc even if people giving it a way.

I hope no one I know ever enters your shop.

 

[Guest]

Given that something like 70% of games in the US are pirated, can you blame developers for targeting consoles? If PC gaming dies the only people to blame are gamers - the pirates at least. Stop leeching!