Microsoft: We Need to Step Up PC Gaming
Microsoft Game Studios admits its not the industry leader it should be.
With the recent release of Halo: Reach and the upcoming launch of Kinect, it seems that PC gamers are pushed aside in favor of their console comrades. Even worse, Microsoft's Windows OS dominates the PC sector, yet Games for Windows - LIVE isn't exactly the thriving community Xbox 360 gamers have enjoyed for years--subscription or not. Microsoft Game Studios sees the perceived prejudice and plans to do something about it.
"There’s been a fair bit of criticism aimed at Microsoft that we were spending a lot of our focus on console, and we need to be putting resources behind PC as well," Microsoft Game Studios’ general manager Dave Luehmann said in an interview. "Other companies should look to Microsoft for leadership, but I’m not sure they do. It is our job to lead the way on PC. And in some ways we are doing that and in other ways we are not. So we need to step up."
The studio's renewed focus will start with three big titles--Fable III, Age of Empires Online and Microsoft Flight--which will use Games for Windows - LIVE. Luehmann reassured PC gamers that more big titles were on the way, however the studio plans to test new ideas. After all, it's Microsoft's job to experiment with new business models that will inspire 3rd-party publishers worldwide.
"I think it is the responsibility of first parties to push the business models into new directions," he said. "We will test some ideas--some will work and some won’t."
What Microsoft needs is a new, genre-defining game like Halo for the PC, something so mind-blowing addictive that console gamers will drop their controllers and buy new PC gaming rigs with Windows 7 pre-installed.
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Microsoft: "We need to step up PC gaming"
PC gamers: "Kill the Xbox then"
If Microsoft think im going to PAY to play online mode in games I already bought they have another thing coming. How about you piss off and leave the PC development to the real PC developers.
Its the money aspect that makes them spend the time on xbox, people pay for that so they put allot of effort into it, unlike GFWL witch is to be honest - total crap. They should take a long hard look at steam a totally free system that really hits what PC gamers want from content delivery.
Catch up time again Microsoft, innovate and maybe you'll succeed.
Seems they finally realised that there are no games out there that are a must play and push Hardware enough for people to be itching to upgrade their PC's to play them, Thus depriving them of sales of new systems.
Its a pitty really both ATI and Nvidia should be getting together with M$ and setting up a development studio to make PC only games. That would have the potential to take the experiance to a new level.
I think it's more of an issue that PC gamers generally want a different kind of product than console gamers. Consoles support mainstream, easily-accessible, and if I may put it bluntly, simple games, and the PC market is more into complexity. A broad generalization, sure, but basically accurate. Neither is technically better, they are just different kinds of product, and this applies to the platforms themselves. Xbox live, for example, provides matchmaking, a one-stop-shop for inter-game connectivity, and an attempt at cheating prevention, and most of the people that pay for it feel that these are worth paying for. The PC market, on the other hand, generally takes the "We'll do it ourselves" approach, favoring just selecting a server, using skype/steam/vent/xfire to keep things organized, and handling hackers with administrator bans.
Microsoft could argue that the integrated system is "the future", as it does generally accomplish the same tasks, but it gives no choice to the user and handling anything automatically will result in a non-perfect system. On top of this, you have to pay for Microsoft's combined solution.
The PC market could benefit from a form of integrated service, but for it to be successful, it would have to be non-intrusive, support nearly everything on the market, and still provide users with choices. A tall order, but with one of the largest companies in the world behind it, it could probably be done.
I guess MS realized
1)that people playing on Kinect look retarded
OR
2)They realized, that other than companies, nobody will buy Windows for their PCs, cause ppl won't have PCs, if there are no good games for it, and well supported too. So they just buy consoles. -- Im not saying PCs are only good for gaming, nor that they are meant for gaming, but gamers DO buy their expensive PCs for gaming
Doesn't exactly roll of the tounge, "Games for Windows - Live" compared to "XBox Live". Sorry but generally PCs make batter games machines and I can upgrade as technology advances, rather then having to wait for the next machine.
Take away games for windows and I suddenly won't feel any need to use windows ever again. The lack of gaming on FOSS has been an Achilles' heel for many who want to switch, this wouldn't be an issue if M$ neglect windows as a gaming platfrom and thus give up an important trump-card. M$FT may be raking it in with the 360, but they should consider how this might affect the future of their core business.
Microsoft: We Need to Step Up PC Gaming
Jamie: Yes, Yes you do!
MS will never jumpstart PC gaming like they did with consoles.
PC's are expensive and most console players are in the younger age range and get bought consoles for xmas, b'day etc. Just listen to the inane babble you get when trying to play halo etc...
A lot of console players are also not so literate when it comes to the PC, they dont want to resolve BSOD's from a new driver update, tearing using xfire, etc etc. With a console generally you turn it on and play. Easy. (Not trying to start a console / pc war here but its different platforms for different types of people.)
.... But, if only MS, sony, nintendo could work together and create "Gamernet" where we could all play together. Would be fekkin awesome, and my "super 1337 hax0r" pc mouse keyboard combo would rule the day