• Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

Edward

▲ Legend ▲
Avenger
Oct 30, 2017
5,104
Because PC gaming is a completely different mindset

Cloud gaming, like console gaming, is melt on couch and click play and you are done.

PC gaming is sitting in the pc chair, closing browser tabs and downloads, installing, changing the configurations, starting the game, seeing it is not on the optimal settings, changing settings, restarting the game because it needs for the settings to take effect and repeat 3 times. And then you discover that your controller stopped being accepted by the game after the 5th restart
I've been using my PC as a steambox in my living room for years. I plop down, turn it on and start the game and go. I can't remember the last game where i needed to restart 10 times to play.
 

GhostTrick

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,305
Many PC gamers are willing to go to war for being told they need to open this window to play a game instead that one. I don't see streaming making a dent in that audience.



Many console gamers are willing to pay for useless subscriptions such as online play with P2P servers or renting "free games". I can see streaming making a dent in that audience.
 

Amnixia

▲ Legend ▲
The Fallen
Jan 25, 2018
10,411
In the long run, yes. Mostly because most PC gamers live abroad and it will take time for these services to expand internationally.

You can bring up mods, or accessibility or whatever but the truth is most PC gamers are just looking for the cheapest way to play, which is currently PC but will become cloud gaming some number of years from now.

Exactly, a lot of console players are invested in a certain eco system and mobile games are a different beast.
 

cnorwood

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,343
Its because PC gaming has been around longer than console gaming and well there is a reason why Rockstar makes their big budget releases on PC as an afterthought to consoles.
 

AshenOne

Member
Feb 21, 2018
6,086
Pakistan
Honestly speaking, ease of convenience matters to console gamers most rather than to PC owners. Console gamers want that high quality entertainment experience without spending a lot of money while at the same time be very convenient to play. If anything it will make a dent in that market rather than the PC market. Console gamers also gobble up subscriptions by these companies easily without any protest while the PC crowd doesn't really do that unless its something like XBOX game pass.

PC gamers game on PC due to the customizability and how you can update your PC component by component. That the general PC gamer mindset right there.
 

Keyouta

The Wise Ones
Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,193
Canada
PC gaming is sitting in the pc chair, closing browser tabs and downloads, installing, changing the configurations, starting the game, seeing it is not on the optimal settings, changing settings, restarting the game because it needs for the settings to take effect and repeat 3 times. And then you discover that your controller stopped being accepted by the game after the 5th restart
As if my girlfriend (and others) even bother with any of that stuff, or even knows how to do that. PC gaming isn't hard to get into. On Steam and other launchers most games are download and click play.
 

ShinUltramanJ

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,949
Ok just looked at the survey.

The percentage of people with GPUs that can comfortably do 4K is like 10%.

So my point is still broadly right. Most PC gamers are not enthusiasts.

Your point is your level of enthusiasm is based on what you can afford to put in your PC?

Right.

Every single time we have a thread asking about preference, console gamers will tell you how they just want to sit down and play. They can't be bothered with the tinkering that PC gamers enjoy. They can't be bothered with building a system. They just want to sit on their comfy couch with a plug and play box, and for those people streaming will offer that same hands off approach they enjoy.

PC gamers are totally different. They want the hands on experience of building and maintaining a machine. They don't mind tinkering, setting games to how they choose, using whatever controller they want, and installing mods.

Streaming offers nothing to PC gamers, but it offers the same experience as a console. It's easy to see why only one platform is truly threatened.
 
Oct 25, 2017
10,714
PC Gaming is an incredibly diverse hardware ecosystem that often overlaps with high end productivity work. Also the companies involved have very diverse product portfolios that aren't fully Invested in just gaming. So in writing up an article about what cloud gaming is targeting, it's easier to focus on console game platforms that have high lilac awareness as opposed to specific units of specific pc hardware manufacturers.
 

NoKisum

Member
Nov 11, 2017
4,913
DMV Area, USA
With consoles, you have tangible media to make sure the game is yours.

With PC, you can DRM-less versions of games, or with at least very minimal DRM like Steam.

With cloud gaming, well, there is no security. If a game you bought on a cloud service is gone, it's gone. And you can't do anything about it.
 

electricblue

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,991
I can't make the case for it on console with a straight face let alone PC
Game streaming might as well be the definition of "sounds good to publishers"
 

closer

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,165
I don't think it's farfetched to consider that streaming services will buy exclusives
I think streaming is considered more of a threat because of its low barrier to entry. Consoles are convenience kings and streaming is a threat to that. The amount of money you have to spend to justify gaming on a PC primarily over consoles is just too much to consider it ever being a real threat to consoles.

there is also a precedent (not a neat comparison obviously) of entertainment service shifting towards streaming (cable-/dvd>video streaming, cds/mp3s->streaming), so part of the low-barrier would be how there are many ppl used to using and paying for such services.
 

BlueManifest

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,317
With consoles, you have tangible media to make sure the game is yours.

With PC, you can DRM-less versions of games, or with at least very minimal DRM like Steam.

With cloud gaming, well, there is no security. If a game you bought on a cloud service is gone, it's gone. And you can't do anything about it.
Not an issue for me i rarely replay games anyway, I don't see that happening very often either
 

closer

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,165
it's wild to think that there is a possible future where playing a game on a gaming pc or console could be akin to playing a vinyl record
 

Deleted member 1849

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
6,986
Because PC players typically like the freedom to mod, and everything else which comes with having direct access to the files.

Ok just looked at the survey.

The percentage of people with GPUs that can comfortably do 4K is like 10%.

So my point is still broadly right. Most PC gamers are not enthusiasts.

That's a real fucked up definition of enthusiasts you have there.
 

BlueManifest

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,317
I'm realizing that some see games themselves as disposable. Play one then off to the next. You're probably the perfect market for Stadia and xCloud and whatnot.
I'll replay certain ones sometimes not very often though, there's always more new games to play, rather play stuff that has released recently than stuff I've already played and finished
 

Fishook

Member
Dec 20, 2017
810
You only have to look at Steam's most played games list , PC gamers aren't always interested in AAA games which is streaming main selling point. Even though I have a high end PC I am more interested in playing more niche titles I suppose. Even though I enjoy nice single player AAA once in a while.

The only way I could be tempted with Streaming is with a Game Pass model, but even that is flawed in the long run.
 

thomasmahler

Game Director at Moon Studios
Verified
Oct 27, 2017
1,097
Vienna / Austria
Who said it's not? A lot of you guys don't factor in how important convenience is TO EVERYONE. I love PC Gaming, always have. I love overclocking my machine and squeezing some more perf out of it. But I'm a dad now and often times I don't get to play on my comfy couch or can stay in the office to play a game. Recently I've been looking at some games through GeforceNow, streamed to my Macbook on my balcony. Worked really nicely, I played through a good chunk of Dragon Quest XI that way and still had nice 60fps and a portable setup. Even worked very nicely for Dark Souls III :)

Convenience trumps everything. Allow me to play my games at 60fps everywhere with good IQ and low latency and I'm happy.
 

BlueManifest

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,317
Who said it's not? A lot of you guys don't factor in how important convenience is TO EVERYONE. I love PC Gaming, always have. I love overclocking my machine and squeezing some more perf out of it. But I'm a dad now and often times I don't get to play on my comfy couch or can stay in the office to play a game. Recently I've been looking at some games through GeforceNow, streamed to my Macbook on my balcony. Worked really nicely, I played through a good chunk of Dragon Quest XI that way and still had nice 60fps and a portable setup. Even worked very nicely for Dark Souls III :)

Convenience trumps everything. Allow me to play my games at 60fps everywhere with good IQ and low latency and I'm happy.
Yep, and if you could replace your pc completely with the cloud you could save a lot of money over the rest of your life

Not possible yet for people that need a pc for work but maybe someday cloud could replace pc for that too

I only needed a pc for gaming so it can replace it for me easily, never buying a pc again
 

BlueManifest

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,317
Are you just trolling here or what?

Streaming offers the exact same hands off experience as consoles.

PC players want options and freedom, which consoles and streaming don't offer.
I feel like I have just as many options when I use steam on GeForce now for how I play games on pc so not sure what you mean

I can change my games graphical settings
I can play with mouse and kB or controller etc
 
Last edited:

Aztechnology

Community Resettler
Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
14,134
Cloud gaming provides choice in the how, of where you play and on what device. But you lose a ton of features of PC gaming in an open ecosystem. I mean the benefits lost are pretty huge.

Here's a few

Third party applications
Mods
Multi-monitor usage
Storefront options
Multi-tasking
Streaming/recording

Games streaming is more or less still a closed ecosystem console experience, just delivered in a different wrapper with more fidelity for less. It's very exciting, but a PC it is not.
 
Last edited:

Sampson

Banned
Nov 17, 2017
1,196
Because PC players typically like the freedom to mod, and everything else which comes with having direct access to the files.



That's a real fucked up definition of enthusiasts you have there.

Ok please provide a better one.

People that use mods? That's also a very small subset of the PC gaming population.

The average PC gamer is a Chinese guy playing league of legends in an internet cafe. Not a poster on Reddit.
 

CurseVox

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,356
Massachusetts (USA)
Cloud gaming offers an inexpensive way to access high end experiences. Since hardware is no longer a limiting factor, you are no longer locked into the typical generational hardware constraints and limitations. This means access to high fidelity gaming on the cheap. That is a huge threat to the future of traditional console gaming. PC gaming is expensive. A high end video card alone is like buying 2-3 PS4's.
 

BlueManifest

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,317
Cloud gaming offers an inexpensive way to access high end experiences. Since hardware is no longer a limiting factor, you are no longer locked into the typical generational hardware constraints and limitations. This means access to high fidelity gaming on the cheap. That is a huge threat to the future of traditional console gaming.
not as long as consoles have exclusives which is what a large amount of people buy consoles for esp Nintendo
 

DaciaJC

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
6,685
Because the people who game on PC primarily and spend money to build computers won't sacrifice performance or latency just to be able to play on a Mac.

Boom

You can't mod a streaming game.

Bam

The idea is that with PC you always have options and choices.

Bop

PC gaming is all about options, and cloud gaming is the opposite of that.

Bada

PC gamers are accustomed to a level of control that game streaming services probably aren't willing and definitely aren't able to provide.

Bop

The enthusiasts who play PC are doing so because of what PC gaming provides. Streaming can't offer that.

Boomp

it's like asking why aren't self driving cars seen as a threat to the car modding and racing enthusiasts

POW
 

Aztechnology

Community Resettler
Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
14,134
Cloud gaming offers an inexpensive way to access high end experiences. Since hardware is no longer a limiting factor, you are no longer locked into the typical generational hardware constraints and limitations. This means access to high fidelity gaming on the cheap. That is a huge threat to the future of traditional console gaming. PC gaming is expensive. A high end video card alone is like buying 2-3 PS4's.

PC gaming outside a relatively small subset isn't about hardware lol. Most PC gamers, contrary to popular belief, don't have very expensive computers. It's because

1. It is in fact a computer and serves many purposes beyond gaming, gaming is a value add.

2. They have tons of choices in how they would like to play games, how many monitors they have. Are they watching something on a second screen while also chatting in discord/Reddit/era etc.

Will some people from PC switch over too? Absolutely!!! Does it directly target the market of PC gamers as heavily as console? I don't think so. Fidelity is important, but it's generally not even the biggest reason people play on PC.
 

BlueManifest

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,317
PC gaming outside a relatively small subset isn't about hardware lol. Most PC gamers, contrary to popular belief, don't have very expensive computers. It's because

1. It is in fact a computer and serves many purposes beyond gaming, gaming is a value add.

2. They have tons of choices in how they would like to play games, how many monitors they have. Are they watching something on a second screen while also chatting in discord/Reddit/era etc.

Will some people from PC switch over too? Absolutely!!! Does it directly target the market of PC gamers as heavily as console? I don't think so. Fidelity is important, but it's generally not even the biggest reason people play on PC.
Phones and tablets can replace a pc for most part for most people for that kind of stuff, like me for example lol
 

SixelAlexiS

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,720
Italy
Stadia is basically a console but in streaming, with its custom game versions and no control on any aspect of the game and stuff.

Geforce Now is a bit different, at least is a real PC version of the game but still you don't have a lot of freedom other than integrated Steam features.

PC is just PC, you do whatever you want so you can't change that with a streaming service.
 

Wulfram

Member
Mar 3, 2018
1,478
As a PC gamer I'm interested in cloud gaming as a way to play the limited number of hardware demanding AAA games I'm excited about while saving money by delaying upgrades.

I don't see it as a threat to PC gaming because it should be a complement.
 

Kyougar

Cute Animal Whisperer
Member
Nov 3, 2017
9,354
That's not point of consoles, you are only looking at specs, a lot of people buy consoles for exclusives

Esp Nintendo consoles, you think Nintendo people care about specs? Lol

Pc has 100 times the exclusives than consoles. I play PC because of Dwarf Fortress, Aurora 4x, Mount and Blade, Civilization, X-Series, Factorio, and the thousand other exclusive games. Just look at the Metacritic year-end-overview, just with reviewed games, Pc always has the most exclusive games and only like <2% of the games get over 4 reviews to even count.
 
Oct 31, 2017
3,287
Because PC gaming Is about options while cloud gaming is the opposite of that. PC gamers that are into building gaming PCs aren't necessarily looking for to the easiest/convenient way to game, they are looking for the best way possible way to game that fits their budget. Performance, latency, game settings, modding, store options, etc. are far too important to PC gamers for them to give all that up for the convenience of gaming anywhere. You'll find gamers more receptive to streaming in the console market and that's why streaming is a threat to consoles.
 
Last edited:

BlueManifest

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,317
Pc has 100 times the exclusives than consoles. I play PC because of Dwarf Fortress, Aurora 4x, Mount and Blade, Civilization, X-Series, Factorio, and the thousand other exclusive games. Just look at the Metacritic year-end-overview, just with reviewed games, Pc always has the most exclusive games and only like <2% of the games get over 4 reviews to even count.
Never even heard of these games are they on steam?