Brad Wardell of Stardock Tells Us Why Co ...

As we well know, the PC is an incredible machine for gaming. It has a huge number of high-scoring exclusive, outdoing any single console, and it's possible to play games on it going back decades. So why wouldn't people use it, even in competing genres such as FPS games? Brad Wardell is the CEO of Stardock, makers of the hit strategy game Sins of a Solar Empire, and recent co-writer of the ''Gamer's Bill of Rights''. In a recent interview, he related that this Bill of Rights arose from his curiosity as to why gamers would switch from PCs to consoles to play multiplatform titles.[QUOTE=''Brad Wardell'']The genesis of it was.. a friend of mine, who's been a hardcore PC gamer, bought Oblivion for the Xbox 360. And I asked him, ''Why did you do that? You're a PC guy. Why would you want a..'' I'm not anti-console, but I wouldn't want, I couldn't imagine--I was really surprised. And he says, ''I'll tell you why. I buy it for my Xbox, it's gonna work. Period. It's just gonna work. I know it's going to be finished, and I know it's going to work.''[/QUOTE]The Gamer's Bill of Rights, and Stardock's Impulse platform are efforts to address these concerns, but it's difficult for them to go away. With numerous potential hardware incompatability problems, rapidly advancing system requirements, and plenty of potential glitches and bugs, the act of buying a PC game is fraught with peril. Why should consumers face these concerns and headaches when they can put a game in a console and be certain that it functions properly? Brad Wardell of Stardock Tells Us Why Co ...
The funny part is that Oblivion on the 360 had performance issues. Brad Wardell of Stardock Tells Us Why Co ...
[QUOTE=''Kantroce'']The funny part is that Oblivion on the 360 had performance issues. [/QUOTE] :lol:
[QUOTE=''Kantroce'']The funny part is that Oblivion on the 360 had performance issues. [/QUOTE] and no mod, worse graphic...
Old.. and the article is much bigger than that.
[QUOTE=''Franko_3''][QUOTE=''Kantroce'']The funny part is that Oblivion on the 360 had performance issues. [/QUOTE] and no mod, worse graphic...[/QUOTE]You think that hardcore PC gamer doesn't know that?Maybe it has some performance issues. Maybe it won't work with mods. But it will certainly run on his Xbox 360 right out of the box, with no headaches required.This is a problem for PCs, and it always has been. And most people would rather not put up with headaches, when all they want is to be entertained.
open platform > closed platformmods > no modsupgradabilty > none.........pc > consoles
[QUOTE=''sonicmj1''][QUOTE=''Franko_3''][QUOTE=''Kantroce'']The funny part is that Oblivion on the 360 had performance issues. [/QUOTE] and no mod, worse graphic...[/QUOTE]You think that hardcore PC gamer doesn't know that?Maybe it has some performance issues. Maybe it won't work with mods. But it will certainly run on his Xbox 360 right out of the box, with no headaches required.This is a problem for PCs, and it always has been. And most people would rather not put up with headaches, when all they want is to be entertained. [/QUOTE] I would argue that a PC Gamer that is not willing to put up with that is not hardcore. That's neither here no there. It's understandable that some people don't want the hassle. I personally don't mind because the issues don't come up that often.
i did the same thing. i had a terrible experience with morrowind on the PC....it just wouldnt stop crashing. so i got the GOTY version for the xbox 1. although it was alot more stable, it wasnt perfect and it had some nasty performance issues. but what really bothered me and the reason i got the xbox version was because bethesda flat out refused to fix it and no solution ever became apparent (it was the famous CTD (crash to desktop) problem). i can understand games being a bit buggy on release on PC but i expect them to get fixed.i also got oblivion for the 360 and, although its great on 360, i wish i got the PC version. the 360 version has some woeful loading times and its not exactly a smooth performer. it also likes the odd lock up.i will be getting fallout 3 for the PC if i decide to get it. as for the consoles...that ease of use and reliability is being eroded away. it used to be a case of putting the disc in and ure off. now its usually a case of putting the disc in, getting a patch and then ure off. on the PS3 its a more and more becoming a case of putting the disc in, waiting for an install, then a patch before playing.
[QUOTE=''Espada12'']Old.. and the article is much bigger than that.[/QUOTE]Sorry if you found it old. I just found the interview today, and thought it to be of interest.My topic title is definitely sensationalizing Wardell's stance, but he definitely believes that the various headaches that consumers run up against playing PC games are a huge problem for the platform, and he's working to fix them.The interview is certainly worth a read.
I agree a little with what he said. PC gaming isn't as expensive as people say, and games look fantastic on them than any console, however, too many things could go wrong. When I first got my PC, I could run FEAR on high with little to no problems. Now, the game crashes whenever I try to play it, and I get framerate problems constantly on medium (all background programs turned off).
[QUOTE=''Legendaryscmt'']I agree a little with what he said. PC gaming isn't as expensive as people say, and games look fantastic on them than any console, however, too many things could go wrong. When I first got my PC, I could run FEAR on high with little to no problems. Now, the game crashes whenever I try to play it, and I get framerate problems constantly on medium (all background programs turned off).[/QUOTE] I disagree. It might not be as expensive as claimed by many in the US. But everywhere else, it's more expensive. Way more expensive. Atleast in most west-european countries. On topic. I get what the guy's saying. Running games on PC compared to consoles can be a pain in the ass. You go through too much hassle. Especially playing online with most PC games is an annoyance. Punkbuster, looking at you.
[QUOTE=''Benjamin19''][QUOTE=''Legendaryscmt'']I agree a little with what he said. PC gaming isn't as expensive as people say, and games look fantastic on them than any console, however, too many things could go wrong. When I first got my PC, I could run FEAR on high with little to no problems. Now, the game crashes whenever I try to play it, and I get framerate problems constantly on medium (all background programs turned off).[/QUOTE] I disagree. It might not be as expensive as claimed by many in the US. But everywhere else, it's more expensive. Way more expensive. Atleast in most west-european countries. On topic. I get what the guy's saying. Running games on PC compared to consoles can be a pain in the ass. You go through too much hassle. Especially playing online with most PC games is an annoyance. Punkbuster, looking at you.[/QUOTE] It depends how many games you buy. The games are significantly cheaper than their console counterpart.
[QUOTE=''Dante2710'']open platform > closed platformmods > no modsupgradabilty > none.........pc > consoles[/QUOTE]But simplicity (especially turnkey simplicity) = time savings = money savings (after all, time is both money and precious).
[QUOTE=''HuusAsking''][QUOTE=''Dante2710'']open platform > closed platformmods > no modsupgradabilty > none.........pc > consoles[/QUOTE]But simplicity = time savings = money savings (after all, time is both money and precious).[/QUOTE] you get what u pay for, you get more on pc, regardless of how u spin it
[QUOTE=''sonicmj1''] And most people would rather not put up with headaches, when all they want is to be entertained. [/QUOTE]



Is that why people game on PCs more than any console?
[QUOTE=''Benjamin19''][QUOTE=''Legendaryscmt'']I agree a little with what he said. PC gaming isn't as expensive as people say, and games look fantastic on them than any console, however, too many things could go wrong. When I first got my PC, I could run FEAR on high with little to no problems. Now, the game crashes whenever I try to play it, and I get framerate problems constantly on medium (all background programs turned off).[/QUOTE] I disagree. It might not be as expensive as claimed by many in the US. But everywhere else, it's more expensive. Way more expensive. Atleast in most west-european countries. On topic. I get what the guy's saying. Running games on PC compared to consoles can be a pain in the ass. You go through too much hassle. Especially playing online with most PC games is an annoyance. Punkbuster, looking at you.[/QUOTE]It depends on how you run your games. Personally, even if my PC could do higher, I run all my games at medium settings, etc, so I know that it will run right, and I still think that games such as Quake 4 or Empire at War look great on it. Also, wasn't there a Pc that the Crysis company built that's suppossed to be uber for around 700ish?
[QUOTE=''br0kenrabbit''][QUOTE=''sonicmj1''] And most people would rather not put up with headaches, when all they want is to be entertained. [/QUOTE] Is that why people game on PCs more than any console?[/QUOTE]Exactly.Online flash games, and more widely focused titles like Bejewled or Peggle don't suffer from hardware compatability problems and crash bugs. You don't have to fiddle with your files or settings to make them run properly. You boot them up and they work.Many 'hardcore' PC games fail to meet this standard.
When I bought Crysis it worked right awayWhen I bought World in Conflict it worked right awayWhen I bought Halflife 2 Episode 2 it worked right awayWhen I bought Spore it worked right awayWhen I bought Portal it worked right awayWhen I bought GRID it worked right awayWhen I bought Rome: Total War it worked right awayWhen I bought sins of a solar empire.......you see where I'm going with this. This isn't a problem with pc gaming.
[QUOTE=''DAZZER7'']When I bought Crysis it worked right awayWhen I bought World in Conflict it worked right awayWhen I bought Halflife 2 Episode 2 it worked right awayWhen I bought Spore it worked right awayWhen I bought Portal it worked right awayWhen I bought GRID it worked right awayWhen I bought Rome: Total War it worked right awayWhen I bought sins of a solar empire.......you see where I'm going with this. This isn't a problem with pc gaming.[/QUOTE]So why does Brad Wardell feel this is a big enough problem that it's worth creating a Gamer's Bill of Rights, worth trying to rally other companies around this document, and worth fitting functionality into their Impulse platform to ensure that these problems don't occur?When I got Bioshock, I needed to update my drivers. Same with Orange Box (it would intermittently crash), and they weren't far apart. And you have no idea how much of a headache it is trying to update laptop video card drivers. Your experience doesn't apply to everyone, and if you expect the hardcore PC gaming market to continue to thrive, those concerns can't be ignored.