If I were to say that by shifting the emphasis from PC gaming to Xbox gaming, Microsoft pretty much took away the PC's sex appeal, and hence, reduced the need for the neverending desire for bigger, better, and faster, enthusiasts would argue that PC gaming is still a significantly better experience than on any other platform. Or, they might point to Doom III and Half-Life 2 as examples of stuff that can only be experienced optimally on a PC.

However, what enthusiasts feel have become isolated emotions. I prefer to see enthusiasts as early adopters, the people who point the way for the rest of the world, and as technology leaders, but they are being marginalized, through no fault of their own, by a number of factors:

Xbox II and PS3 will probably go a long way towards offering about as much computing power and applications as an average household needs. Hence, the early adopter PC buyer isn't driving anything into the mainstream when the mainstream is a set-top box from Microsoft or Sony. The fascination with gaming is broader than it ever was, and that dilutes the impact of any single game, or gaming technology. There's just too much competition for the digital zeitgeist these days. So, if you are fanatical about a particular title or genre of gaming, you are marginalized by the sheer breadth of options available within the gaming universe. Most importantly, game companies have become very adept at managing cross-platform launches. You could argue, in the past, that the PC gaming experience, and I emphasize experience over technology, would not find its way onto another platform for a few years. Cutting edge. Maybe it still is cutting edge from a technological point of view, but the experience finds its way into all kinds of boxes. In other words, titles make their way from PC to console, and vice versa, with relative ease and very little time lag. The early adopter advantage is dissipated.

Other than the facts that I find sport in raising the hackles of certain fanatical elements within the enthusiast community and am a misanthrope, my problem is not with the enthusiast community, as such, but rather with its present incarnation. I would much rather concentrate on the possibility of a revolution in thinking in the enthusiast community before it becomes an anachronism. But, enthusiasts need a driving force to make that happen, and that has to come from the software community. Ironic as that may be.