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[pr0cs]

Literally no one has bitched about that.

Maybe not in this thread but read every other thread regarding 360 'exclusive' content. In fact it's almost a rarity these days to see a 360 game thread that doesn't have at least one post on the first page:
"Is this coming to PS3"
"Will there be a PC version"

It sucks that Alan Wake might not make it to PC but it's pretty obvious that Microsoft is trying to make people buy a 360 to play their top tier published games.

 

[epmode]

Yeah, people definitely bitched about it. Doesn't make sense (I'd love to see every console game in existence with a PC port) but it wouldn't be a gaming form without platform warriors.

 

[borghe]

the worst part of this decision is I imagine only a small fraction of gamers will get it for 360 now INSTEAD of for the PC, and an insignificant number will actually BUY a 360 just because MS is killing the PC version.

This basically comes down to extortion from MS and in no way benefits gamers. By having it on both platforms everyone is happy. By having it only on 360, anybody MS hopes to get to pickup a 360 as a result will see this as a dick move and likely not pick one up... in the end all it will do for MS is give them (probably) $10 extra dollars per copy sold FROM 360/PC owners who are now forced to buy the 360 version who would have rather bought the PC version... and on a game that will likely sell maybe 300-500K at most in NA and Europe, how many customers do they really think that equates to?

IMHO this gets the award this year for poorest marketing effort by a company.

and adding all of that BS about comfy couches and quality control is just insult onto injury.

I'll be honest, I wasn't really interested in this for either system... but this is clearly a slap in the face of PC gamers with ZERO benefit for 360 gamers and probably a wash for MS financially at best. that makes it a big "WTF???".

 

[M°°nblade]

Doesn't make sense because every game is first developed on the PC.

A PC game still need optimalisation and configuration tests. Not releasing a PC version at all means less work.

I think a lot of people would accept a delay of the PC version however MS has shown a precedence recently of just not releasing a PC version.

It's possible they only stealth-delayed it to promote the xbox360 as a gaming platform.
Or maybe because they're afraid that the announcement of an upcoming PC release will cause gamers to hold out for an illegal PC version instead of buying the xbox360 release.

 

[Lonely1]

You obviously haven't been reading NeoGaf for long then as it used to be a 'classic' talking point when someone most innocently would ask what exclusives MS would have for any given year.

Any mention of a 360 game which was also on PC would more often than not be labelled not an exclusive.

That only matters for console lists wars at forums...

 

[Thunder Monkey]

When a titles market is limited that is a bad thing.

But part of me just hopes for a great game after all the waiting.

 

[Windom Earle]

So from now on, whenever the PC camp makes fun of stupid console kiddies fighting the warz, we can just link to this thread and laugh?

Anyway, I think it went down like this:

MS: Hai guys
Remedy: Jo MS, hows the publishing going?
MS: Not bad, not bad. So what about that latest milestone?
Remedy: Ah, missed it, sorry.
MS: Ain't the first, ain't the last, huh?
Remedy: Yeah sorry, you know how it is.
MS: Remember that PC version you wanted to make?
Remedy: Yeah sure, it will be awesome and we owe it to our fanbase
MS: Enough of this bullshit, your project is getting way too expensive. The last straw we can offer you is making it exclusive to 360.
Remedy: That sucks. Ok.

 

[Facism]

MS abandonment of the PC platform is forcing me to become a Sony fanboy. Maybe Sony will release their own gaming OS to compete with Windows, that would be fantastic. :lol

Feels more likely for Microsoft to make their next PC Windows OS just to do PC things, whilst evolving GFWL into a "gaming" OS.

 

[Lonely1]

It's possible they only stealth-delayed it to promote the xbox360 as a gaming platform.
Or maybe because they're afraid that the announcement of an upcoming PC release will cause gamers to hold out for an illegal PC version instead of buying the xbox360 release.

That didn't stopped AC2 to outsell the first one... people holding for that are more likely to buy it used, renting it or just pirate the 360 version.

What this movement screws more with is with people like me who doesn't live in the big 2 gaming distribution centers. A game for PC, I can buy it at the same time it releases in the USA, for the same price and I get the sales discounts too. For a console game, they go for $80+. If the game is a popular one it releases about a week later. If it's niche, is highly probable that it won't be released at all. Games hardly recieve price cuts or can be found for rent. And the situarion here is much, but much better than countries down the south...

 

[hamchan]

You obviously haven't been reading NeoGaf for long then as it used to be a 'classic' talking point when someone most innocently would ask what exclusives MS would have for any given year.

Any mention of a 360 game which was also on PC would more often than not be labelled not an exclusive.

So now we can blame PS3 fanboys for this :lol

 

[epmode]

Anyway, I think it went down like this:

The PC version of Alan Wake was dead the instant Microsoft stopped publishing PC games ~three years ago, Remedy just didn't know it yet. (The fact that Remedy still owns the IP means we may see a port months/years down the road but I wouldn't count on it)

Anyway, this thread sucks again. I like refuting silly notions of SUPER COMPLICATED PCs a lot more than rationalizing this crap. The only people who got anything good from this news are either employed by, or own stock in Microsoft.

 

[Vagabundo]

lol, dont worry lads, this is a timed exclusive - trust me...

PC4evar....

 

[Windom Earle]

The PC version of Alan Wake was dead the instant Microsoft stopped publishing PC games ~three years ago, Remedy just didn't know it yet. (The fact that Remedy still owns the IP means we may see a port months/years down the road but I wouldn't count on it)

"Didn't know it" doesn't work out. There are strict contracts between studio and publisher when starting a project of this scale. I am pretty sure that the PC version was part of this contract, but Remedy lost it by severely violating the agreement throughout the development process. (aka delaying the game over and over again)

 

[BobTheFork]

So from now on, whenever the PC camp makes fun of stupid console kiddies fighting the warz, we can just link to this thread and laugh?

Anyway, I think it went down like this:

MS: Hai guys
Remedy: Jo MS, hows the publishing going?
MS: Not bad, not bad. So what about that latest milestone?
Remedy: Ah, missed it, sorry.
MS: Ain't the first, ain't the last, huh?
Remedy: Yeah sorry, you know how it is.
MS: Remember that PC version you wanted to make?
Remedy: Yeah sure, it will be awesome and we owe it to our fanbase
MS: Enough of this bullshit, your project is getting way too expensive. The last straw we can offer you is making it exclusive to 360.
Remedy: That sucks. Ok.

I've been skimming the thread and I have an honest question, do you think they "owe it to their fans" to make a PC version?

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

the worst part of this decision is I imagine only a small fraction of gamers will get it for 360 now INSTEAD of for the PC, and an insignificant number will actually BUY a 360 just because MS is killing the PC version.

This basically comes down to extortion from MS and in no way benefits gamers. By having it on both platforms everyone is happy. By having it only on 360, anybody MS hopes to get to pickup a 360 as a result will see this as a dick move and likely not pick one up... in the end all it will do for MS is give them (probably) $10 extra dollars per copy sold FROM 360/PC owners who are now forced to buy the 360 version who would have rather bought the PC version... and on a game that will likely sell maybe 300-500K at most in NA and Europe, how many customers do they really think that equates to?

We have no idea how good the game is, how it will be received by 360 owners, or how MS will market it. In all honesty, GAF has a poor history of projecting what 360 console exclusives are interesting to 360 owners.

The fact that they went out of their way to cancel the PC version indicates that they at least believe it has some console pushing power. It's the only real reason to make any potentially multiplatform game exclusive.

If Viva Pinata 3 has a day and date console/PC release, no one would care, but if Halo:Reach did, they would.

lol, dont worry lads, this is a timed exclusive - trust me...

PC4evar....

I think it's clear by now that MS would cancel even their XBLA games being ported to PC to stop this kind of talk. It simply isn't going to happen with MS as the publisher, maybe further down the line if Remedy can get out of the contract like Tecmo did with Ninja Gaiden 2.

 

[Windom Earle]

I've been skimming the thread and I have an honest question, do you think they "owe it to their fans" to make a PC version?

Of course not, this is business.

But I honestly think that Remedy would have liked to produce a great PC version (taking their successful PC history into account + also to see their product perform in the best possible way) and that the decision of canning it was forced upon them by MS.

 

[dionysus]

A PC game still need optimalisation and configuration tests. Not releasing a PC version at all means less work.


It's possible they only stealth-delayed it to promote the xbox360 as a gaming platform.
Or maybe because they're afraid that the announcement of an upcoming PC release will cause gamers to hold out for an illegal PC version instead of buying the xbox360 release.

True, there is additional work for bug fixing and optimization for the PC version. But since all the previous development is sunk costs, the additional work to bring the PC version to market I am sure would be covered by the sales by quite a large margin. Not having a PC version for a 360 game is, in most cases, not a financially driven decision. It is a market strategy decision.

 

[kodt]

I've been skimming the thread and I have an honest question, do you think they "owe it to their fans" to make a PC version?

I think MS owe's it to all the people who bought Vista just so they could play this game.

... now Windows 7 is out, is far superior, and Alan Wake isn't even coming to PC.

Alan Wake was literally the ONLY reason to purchase Vista.

 

[quickwhips]

lol, dont worry lads, this is a timed exclusive - trust me...

PC4evar....

lol indeed. PC version isnt coming. I hate 3rd person shooters on pc anyways. If it isnt day and date I'm pretty sure of it. Rent it on xbox or hate on it as the worst game ever and never play it.

 

[LosDaddie]

So I'm guessing it's safe to assume that the official Alan Wake thread will be a troll-fest...at least initially just like the MW2 official thread.

 

[Stallion Free]

Alan Wake was literally the ONLY reason to purchase Vista.

And Halo 2 :lol

 

[pr0cs]

So I'm guessing it's safe to assume that the official Alan Wake thread will be a troll-fest...at least initially just like the MW2 official thread.

considering this thread hasn't been euthanized I think we consider that a great big YES!

 

[CrazedArabMan]

Eh, I much prefer gaming on consoles as to gaming on PC

I enjoy the fact that I am connected to all my friends via XBL and PSN, and many of you guys may laugh at "LOL, COMFY COUCH," but I just like the ease of use of a console.

I do own a gaming PC, but I barely ever play on it, just some Team Fortress 2, Civ4 and Red Alert 3 every now and again.

I'm pretty much on the same boat except, I play in a computer chair with both my computer and xbox within arms reach. Yet I still prefer my console over playing games on my laptop even when my laptop can run any game just fine. Plus I will probably get heat for it but gamepad > M and KB, just more comfortable for me.

 

[LosDaddie]

I'm pretty much on the same boat except, I play in a computer chair with both my computer and xbox within arms reach. Yet I still prefer my console over playing games on my laptop even when my laptop can run any game just fine. Plus I will probably get heat for it but gamepad > M and KB, just more comfortable for me.

Same here, except that PC Gaming never really interested me much. I played some PC games (Half-Life, Team Fortress and BF1942) in college, but I guess I've always preferred the ease-of-use of consoles. Now that I have a comfy couch, 61" 1080p LCD and home theater system, I don't think I'll ever go back to PC gaming....and I only own a laptop currently.

 

[brain_stew]

A $600 dollar PC in no way would destroy console performance except in few cases like Dragon age and Mirrors edge e.

A $600 PC buys you a quad, 4 gigs of RAM and a 5770, so yes it would and by a huge margin at that, we're talking3-4x better performance in your average multiplat. Usually as much twice the framerate @ 1080p with the graphics settings cranked higher than in the console versions. That's a huge leap in performance.

 

[pr0cs]

A $600 PC buys you a quad, 4 gigs of RAM and a 5770, so yes it would and by a huge margin at that, we're talking3-4x better performance in your average multiplat. Usually as much twice the framerate @ 1080p with the graphics settings cranked higher than in the console versions. That's a huge leap in performance.

hardware wise but what about the OS? or you're talking linux only games?

 

[SmokyDave]

hardware wise but what about the OS? or you're talking linux only games?

I was just trying to do quick sums on cases and power supplies and OS etc but then I realised A; I'm in the UK where $600 ain't buying shit and B; We had this topic before so I'm pretty sure brain_stew is bang on the money. Still sounds crazy to me though.

 

[epmode]

Now that I have a comfy couch, 61" 1080p LCD and home theater system, I don't think I'll ever go back to PC gaming....

Let's pretend that you already read this thread and

1. found the 91723679236 instances where people posted EXACTLY THIS
2. also noticed the people who responded that a PC is compatible with all of those things
3. then saw the people who said "yeah but that takes time and I don't want to spend time on it"
4. decided not to post

 

[see5harp]

To be honest, now that the video cards are starting to use HDMI with bitstreaming audio, I think the idea of a gaming/media PC in my living room is a great idea. I still don't understand the "I already have a PS3/PC which is good enough" statements....bitch don't you want the world? I'd have a white tiger and a bowling alley in my basement if my budget allowed it. There are enough exclusives on every platform that make them worth owning. You are worth it.

 

[LosDaddie]

Let's pretend that you already read this thread and

1. found the 91723679236 instances where people posted EXACTLY THIS
2. also noticed the people who responded that a PC is compatible with all of those things
3. then saw the people who said "yeah but that takes time and I don't want to spend time on it"
4. decided not to post

Let's just pretend you decided on #4 and we never had this convo.:lol

 

[brain_stew]

I got a question to the PC-crowd, since I see the k+m argument thrown around. But, what about the PC-players who get's really pissed about no 360-pad support and stuff for some games? Wouldn't they be happy that one can use the better k+m instead? (I agree that keyboard and mouse is the more precise control though.)
.

The PC is a platform about options, its great because you can play games on your own terms. Anything that arbitrarily restricts that is bad in the eyes of any sensible PC gamer, I like to have the option of using my PC as an "uber console" as and when it pleases me even if it isn't often. You can ofcourse hack in controller support into any game and often with very good results but nothing beats native support.

The integration of the 360 controller in a lot of modern games is so seamless that I find myself switching between control methods within the same game, and its awesome as hell when the button prompts even update in real time. Its perfect for something like GTA4, where I like to use my pad for driving round town or navigating obstacles, but I'll quickly switch to the kb&m for drive bys and major shootouts and the game will alter the targeting modes, button prompts and auto aim instantly as soon as I touch the keyboard. You can't begin to imagine how awesome having that amount of freedom is and once its something you get used to, you don't want it taken away.

For me, the PC is about being all things to all men, it can do anything a console can so much better than any console can and it can do a whole lot more besides, so yeah I'm going to be pissed when something gets in my way of that. Sure the flexibility of the platform usually lets me get around it but just like your average console gamer I much prefer things to work seamlessly without configuration first time, who wouldn't?

 

[brain_stew]

hardware wise but what about the OS? or you're talking linux only games?

Its a fair point but so many people have access to either free or low cost versions of Windows (W7 X64 Professional only cost me as a student £40 for instance) that I don't like adding it as a standard cost. More than that, who in the hell doesn't have a Windows license these days? Its a pretty damn essential purchase for most households so adding it as a cost that affects gaming exclusive is a little arbitrary, its akin to adding the HDTV cost to a console in some ways, which is why I keep out the monitor cost as well. These are essential items, but the cost is so variable depending on circumstance and they're necessary items for all manner of other tasks so its a little silly to add on.

I'd never claim that the $600 figure includes an OS.

I was just trying to do quick sums on cases and power supplies and OS etc but then I realised A; I'm in the UK where $600 ain't buying shit and B; We had this topic before so I'm pretty sure brain_stew is bang on the money. Still sounds crazy to me though.

You're looking about ~£425 for similar sort of kit in the UK, so still pretty reasonable. You can of course spend less but skimping on parts rarely pays off, you'll get much more mileage staying within that "sweet spot". I plan to update the UK configs in the 2010 PC thread within the next few days so keep an eye on that for an idea of the sort of machine you're looking at. Its very easy to spend a lot more and/or get a lot less performance for your money, but buy parts that are in the priceerformance sweet spot and you really will be surprised with what you can get for your money.

Like I say PC gaming absolutely works out cheaper for me and that was one of the major draws (who doesn't want to reorder brand new releases for £17?) but its very easy to have your costs spiral out of control and for that matter PC gaming "on a budget" only ever works out for those that are willing to make it work for them. It can definitely be done but not everyone will manage it, I wouldn't claim otherwise.

To be honest, now that the video cards are starting to use HDMI with bitstreaming audio, I think the idea of a gaming/media PC in my living room is a great idea. I still don't understand the "I already have a PS3/PC which is good enough" statements....bitch don't you want the world? I'd have a white tiger and a bowling alley in my basement if my budget allowed it. There are enough exclusives on every platform that make them worth owning. You are worth it.

ATI's work on making that a standard feature on all their cards really is bloody awesome. It makes connecting a PC to a HDTV and getting full 1080p resolution and 7.1 uncompressed audio as easy as hooking up a console. All done through one cable, its an awesome and elegant solution and definitely makes hooking up a HTPC so much simpler and more viable.

 

[jlh]

But for $100 more than that $600 pc I can have all three consoles and never again worry about platform exclusives ruining my day...

I’ve done the pc only gaming thing in the past and the only thing it accomplished was me missing out on games that I would have liked to play. So I will never go platform exclusive again because it makes no sense for a gamer to not have every system.

This whole thread is just one big whine session of overly entitled grownups acting like babies because a company (which just wants your money, not your love or your respect) decided that they could make more by putting their game on one platform instead of the one you prefer. Get over it. If you want to play Alan Wake buy a 360 (or dust off the one you already own) and buy the game or don’t.

MS are not going to change their minds because you whined for 30 pages on GAF; they didn't change their minds for Gears 2, Halo 3 or Fable 2 so what makes you think they are going to change their minds this time.

 

[PopcornMegaphone]

A $600 PC buys you a quad, 4 gigs of RAM and a 5770, so yes it would and by a huge margin at that, we're talking3-4x better performance in your average multiplat. Usually as much twice the framerate @ 1080p with the graphics settings cranked higher than in the console versions. That's a huge leap in performance.

Its tough to realize those gains without an operating system or gaming input devices.

edit - beaten.... way late.

edit2 -

Its a fair point but so many people have access to either free or low cost versions of Windows (W7 X64 Professional only cost me as a student £40 for instance) that I don't like adding it as a standard cost. More than that, who in the hell doesn't have a Windows license these days? Its a pretty damn essential purchase for most households so adding it as a cost that affects gaming exclusive is a little arbitrary, its akin to adding the HDTV cost to a console in some ways, which is why I keep out the monitor cost as well. These are essential items, but the cost is so variable depending on circumstance and they're necessary items for all manner of other tasks so its a little silly to add on.

I'd never claim that the $600 figure includes an OS.

This is kinda BS. Most people have an OEM liscence that can't be transferred to a different PC. I think windows (and gaming inputs) aren't included because not having an extra 125-150 to the cost helps your talking points.

 

[BravoSuperStar]

As this gen continues and the shortcomings and drawbacks of consoles get more and more prevalent I imagine we'll see more and more of these console warriors in the official PC thread asking for help with a new build.

PC gaming will always win, in the end.

 

[Windom Earle]

But for $100 more than that $600 pc I can have all three consoles and never again worry about platform exclusives ruining my day...

I’ve done the pc only gaming thing in the past and the only thing it accomplished was me missing out on games that I would have liked to play. So I will never go platform exclusive again because it makes no sense for a gamer to not have every system.

Who needs games if you can play at 3800p with 48xAA. Grow up!

 

[Green Biker Dude]

i like how in the beginning of the generation, when the ps3 was losing exclusives, the xbox buyers were all "the more people that get to play the game, the better", "exclusives are a bad thing" etc

now that it's the xbox getting exclusives it's a whole different story, huh

bububu we needs exclusives so people buy our poor man's gaming pc

 

[brain_stew]

But for $100 more than that $600 pc I can have all three consoles and never again worry about platform exclusives ruining my day...
.

Well the PC probably has more exclusive than all three console put together, so no I don't see how that works.

 

[see5harp]

ATI's work on making that a standard feature on all their cards really is bloody awesome. It makes connecting a PC to a HDTV and getting full 1080p resolution and 7.1 uncompressed audio as easy as hooking up a console. All done through one cable, its an awesome and elegant solution and definitely makes hooking up a HTPC so much simpler and more viable.

At the moment, I still find it easy enough to stream the content from my PC to my living room using the PS3, but I'll never get uncompressed 7.1. The max my wired connection + Core 2 Duo can handle is 1080p with DTS. So glad the sound card industry is dissolving and lack of standards is really one of the reasons I sorta delegated my PC to productivity and media library duties. It's tough though...technology keeps making strides. Stuff like the Boxee box just throw more factors into the mix. I really don't know how I will use the device until I get it in my hands.

 

[KAOz]

Keyboard and mouse and pad stuff

Ah, really nice write-up there. And I didn't know that you could switch between pad and k+m on the fly either. Makes alot of sense there and then.
Really nice to know all that, specially for future reference.

 

[ghst]

i'd have thought by the attitudes towards stale, homogenised console ports and developer fuck you's displayed by pc gamers in here would mean this thread would be on fire by now.

when a company makes a pc exclusive that's visually on a par with crysis, employs a setting and mechanics like nothing else on any platform, produces free post release content like this (just released today) and still can't bolster a healthy community while dross like mw2 burns up the pc charts, i start to wonder how much of the pc gamer rhetoric is just for the masturbatory satisfaction of sitting on top of the pile

 

[epmode]

Well the PC probably has more exclusive than all three console put together, so no I don't see how that works.

If the publisher's advertising budget isn't over $2 million, they don't want to hear about it.

edit: Shattered Horizon is indeed fuckawesome, although it's a little rough on my system. I'll be upgrading soon so I'd like to get into it.

 

[belvedere]

As a console and PC gamer, I have to say, the console only gamers are really making themselves look bad in this thread.

It's pretty clear Microsoft is going out of their way not to bring this game to a wider audience, even if that difference is marginal.

The main justification for not bringing it on multiple platforms should be obvious, especially when considering the history of the publisher.

I don't see how pointing out such a blatant notation is "PC elitism" in any way.

 

[Hari Seldon]

As this gen continues and the shortcomings and drawbacks of consoles get more and more prevalent I imagine we'll see more and more of these console warriors in the official PC thread asking for help with a new build.

PC gaming will always win, in the end.

I go PC first on everything. Console gaming is always chasing the innovation done on the PC. They probably plan on selling some dumbass DLC crap that could be easily modded into the PC version for free.

 

[Hari Seldon]

i'd have thought by the attitudes towards stale, homogenised console ports and developer fuck you's displayed by pc gamers in here would mean this thread would be on fire by now.

when a company makes a pc exclusive that's visually on a par with crysis, employs a setting and mechanics like nothing else on any platform, produces free post release content like this (just released today) and still can't bolster a healthy community while dross like mw2 burns up the pc charts, i start to wonder how much of the pc gamer rhetoric is just for the masturbatory satisfaction of sitting on top of the pile

Except that game is not any good.

 

[Scipius]

i'd have thought by the attitudes towards stale, homogenised console ports and developer fuck you's displayed by pc gamers in here would mean this thread would be on fire by now.

when a company makes a pc exclusive that's visually on a par with crysis, employs a setting and mechanics like nothing else on any platform, produces free post release content like this (just released today) and still can't bolster a healthy community while dross like mw2 burns up the pc charts, i start to wonder how much of the pc gamer rhetoric is just for the masturbatory satisfaction of sitting on top of the pile

A multiplayer-only, DD-only, DirectX10-only shooter with mixed reviews is not going to appeal to the whole of PC gaming, surely that should be obvious? They should never have fallen for Microsoft's Vista ruse.

 

[ghst]

A multiplayer-only, DD-only, DirectX10-only shooter with mixed reviews is not going to appeal to the whole of PC gaming, surely that should be obvious? They should never have fallen for Microsoft's Vista ruse.

yeah, multiplayer, direct distribution and progressive architecture are all pretty much dirty words to pc gamers who'd rather make their minds up by glancing at meta-critic.

 

[Scipius]

yeah, multiplayer, direct distribution and progressive architecture are all pretty much dirty words to pc gamers who'd rather make their minds up by glancing at meta-critic.

Not really, but it's not good for a game when those features are the only thing it has going for it, if mass appeal is the goal. They willingly limited their audience to a small subset of PC gaming.

 

[see5harp]

I don't see how pointing out such a blatant notation is "PC elitism" in any way.

It's not that statement that bugs people, it's the extremists on both sides getting their feet tangled. It's not all that hard to see or understand both sides of the coin. This is a publisher decision that sucks in the end, but there are other fish in the sea for PC gamers so it's not really that big of a deal.

 

[ghst]

Not really, but it's not good for a game when those features are the only thing it has going for it, if mass appeal is the goal. They willingly limited their audience to a small subset of PC gaming.

those aren't the only things it has going for it.

and a small subset of 8 bajillion people is more than 50 active participants a night. especially when you put your game up on sale for £3.50.