They are the main things that make a platform standout. Otherwise, there's not much reason to get them over a PC. Exclusives, especially first party ones, should matter more now that PC gaming is more accessible than ever. And in this regard, the PS4 and Xbox One have been lacking.
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Why is there so much obsession over exclusives?
- Thread starter Circinus
- Start date
There's also the idea an exclusive game will fully exploit the capabilities of the console we own, i.e. back on the PS3, Uncharted 1, 2, 3 & the Killzone games pushed the console to its limits, whereas some multiplatform games featured somewhat hideous graphics by comparison (Assassin's Creed 2, Red Dead Redemption & F1 2011, among others).
Exclusives aren't always about console wars, there's a quality factor which also plays some importance.
Exclusives aren't always about console wars, there's a quality factor which also plays some importance.
I think its a good thing.
Like many have mentioned exclusives usually utilize the hardware to its fullest or are the most polished.
I dont get it either. Unless the port is a bad one. Hell, some in the Project Cars canceled for Wii U thread said they wouldnt mind if it was scaled back, down graded as long as they could use the unique gamepad features. There are some arguments for why that would and wouldnt be good idea....but to each their own.
For this I agree with those saying its fanboyism. Unless you look at it from the view that exclusives are usually using the hardware to its fullest. Someone made a good point about the online MP aspects. I wish more games could be connected cross platform for MP. Then that might cause issues because of input choices, online quality of some consoles, etc.
sixteen-bit
Member
post-purchase rationalization
I agree, and it really shows how out of touch some PC gamers are here...
On the console side, the Wii U has loads of exclusives considered to be the best, unique games of their particular genre Smash Bros, Bayonetta, platformers, etc. The PS4 has the TLoU and will soon have Uncharted 4, which I'm sure people will pour hundreds of hours into.
There's nothing like TLoU on PC or any other console. The game is critically acclaimed, a grand experience, has great multiplayer and is very popular. Therefore if someone desires that game and will spend hundreds of hours on it, it makes sense they buy console for it.
People have actually done the same thing with Destiny since launch and it works out great for them because they play with their friends on Xbox Live/PSN.
Also, it's not like people only use the console for exclusives. There's a lot of convenient features packed into consoles that make it easy for anyone to use.
This is coming from someone who recently completed a gaming rig, which can run older and current games better than PS4 or Xbox One.
AtomicShroom
Member
And consumers should do what? Massively boycott a console because a game they want is exclusive to it? Not buy that game?
Maybe consumers should also boycott NBC for having exclusive Superbowl broadcasting rights this year?
Maybe consumers should boycott Netflix for exclusively having Orange is The New Black?
Let's just end all forms of copyright and capitalism while we're at it!
Exclusivity is *everywhere*. It's the very definition of capitalism. It's not going away.
I think you just reinforced the point he was making? He said he would only buy a console for great exclusives, which I'm sure are the kind you listed.
As an aside, I find it funny though that so many posts impugning PC gaming/gamers in some way end with some form of "I also own a great PC".
Conkerkid11
Member
I'm not entirely sure how posts like these are reinforcing the idea of exclusives, unless I didn't go up far into into the comment chain here?
Can you give me a good reason why I shouldn't be able to play Destiny on PC?
Yes, I'm agreeing with him with my post and adding my own thoughts.
I don't have a good reason why you shouldn't be able to play Destiny on PC. I know that Bungie typically hasn't done much PC development of their games, but I'm not sure that would be to relevant here as I'm sure that they are capable of developing a solid PC port of the game. That's probably primarily a publisher decision? (EDIT: maybe check out the post below me?)
My post is wasn't trying to support exclusive games and I shouldn't to explain why Sony or Microsoft place value on them because it's pretty damn obvious why. I'm saying that exclusives exist and many of them end up being considered the best games in their genre, so yes people will want to buy a console for it if the game appeals to them.
AtomicShroom
Member
Because it's not profitable enough for Activision to bother with it? That seems like a good enough reason to me. You might as well wonder why console manufacturers don't release consoles in the African market.
The PC market is like 5% of the sales market, yet requires considerably more resources to develop for considering the wide variety of hardware to test on, more options to support, keyboard/mouse specific menus, etc, etc... the ROI is negligible at best. It's a miracle some devs even bother at all.
Ah, okay my bad. I thought you were calling him out of touch. Though I think most PC gamers acknowledge that consoles have plenty of worthwhile exclusives. Perk all I don't have the time to get through even a portion of the games just on PC that I want to play, and I feel like I game a lot.
Theognosis
Member
Console exclusivity matters to PC gamers. If a game is also on PC, there's very little sense in buying one for a console since in most cases the PC version is superior. I'd like to add that these games become so cheap on Steam after a couple of months that buying the console versions at a premium isn't the wisest of decisions for game collectors.
Meantime, 1st party games on the Wii U aren't available anywhere else and given that these games are of very high quality and polish plus the fact that they don't decrease in value, I want them all in my collection.
Meantime, 1st party games on the Wii U aren't available anywhere else and given that these games are of very high quality and polish plus the fact that they don't decrease in value, I want them all in my collection.
Huh?
Wow you sure pulled that statistic right out of nowhere.
Here's Ubisoft's 2015 Q1 sales statistics:
PS4 - 27%
PC - 23%
Xbox One - 11%
PS3 - 11%
Xbox 360 - 11%
Wii and Wii U - 3%
Source
And that's just Ubisoft's sales.
Just so you know: Outside of NA, PC is the leading platform.
AtomicShroom
Member
Well don't take my word for it...
When you look at that as a game publisher... why do you even want to bother with PC? How is it surprising that publishers who do churn out minimalistic shit ports?
The only games that do well on PC are games that are exclusive to PC!
That's the retail PC market, which is effectively dead for obvious reasons...
And that's Ubisoft, who has a terrible reputation in the PC space.
AtomicShroom
Member
That's wholly invalid because those stats are not exclusively comprised of multiplatform AAA games. Show me the sales for FarCry 4, for example. The PC stats probably contain a whole bunch of Facebook games, F2P games, and such.
Well don't take my word for it...
When you look at that as a game publisher... why do you even want to bother with PC? How is it surprising that publishers who do churn out minimalistic shit ports?
The only games that do well on PC are games that are exclusive to PC!
1) That's retail. Nobody on PC buys retail.
2) You brought up Call of Duty sales as an example of low sales on PC. That's like showing Counter-Strike Global Offensive sales on the PS3 as an example that nobody buys games on the PS3.
Well don't take my word for it...
When you look at that as a game publisher... why do you even want to bother with PC? How is it surprising that publishers who do churn out minimalistic shit ports?
The only games that do well on PC are games that are exclusive to PC!
Retail PC is only alive in parts of Europe. The vast majority of the market uses Steam or GoG or Blizzards thing, or the LoL client, or or or. These stats were useless with regards to PC in 2010/2011 and are even more useless now. And publishers are thankful for that since they don't need to pay for discs to be stamped.
Effigenius
Member
We absolutely do this. It's interesting that the last three GAF game of the years have been exclusive (bayo2, the last of us, journey)
Astral Dog
Member
Otherwise the PS4/Xbox ONE/NX would be already "lost".
Not that it matters much, as some games are almost considered exclusive to one system (SE games on PS4) in a way, but exclusive content not only drives sales, but interest too.
And of course, Console Warz.
Not that it matters much, as some games are almost considered exclusive to one system (SE games on PS4) in a way, but exclusive content not only drives sales, but interest too.
And of course, Console Warz.
AntiFacebook
Member
What's so great about you having to buy 3 platforms in order to not miss anything?
Exclusives made by a company for their own system is fine with me. You wouldn't expect the ability to play Sony games on Nintendo or vice versa. Just like you wouldn't expect your Netflix subscription to also allow access to Hulu Plus, y'know? That kind of exclusivity makes sense. Content from the hardware creators for their own stuff.
Third-Party with co-funding is different, but I think they also have reasonable leeway for keeping the stuff exclusive. Unless we're talking something HUGE like Minecraft, splitting profits from a game to another company who put no funding in wouldn't be a sensible move. There wouldn't be much in it anymore.
But I am fully with you on the confusion over why anyone wouldn't want the rest on every platform, power willing. I like being able to play the same game wherever I feel like at any moment.
Third-Party with co-funding is different, but I think they also have reasonable leeway for keeping the stuff exclusive. Unless we're talking something HUGE like Minecraft, splitting profits from a game to another company who put no funding in wouldn't be a sensible move. There wouldn't be much in it anymore.
But I am fully with you on the confusion over why anyone wouldn't want the rest on every platform, power willing. I like being able to play the same game wherever I feel like at any moment.
Exactly. It's what I was also implying in my OP.
alexandros
Banned
I don't think that's true.
Resident_UA
Member
It is for me. I spent $400 on console and spend about $100 a year on rentals + $50 on PS+. The only way PC would match that would be if I waited a year before playing games that come out.
alexandros
Banned
I see, but I don't see how that is a particularly good deal. You spent $150 and you don't actually own anything except the console itself. It may fit your usage scenario but it is in no way indicative of the real-world cost of owning a console vs owning a similarly-specced PC.
chromatic9
Member
I can understand the frustration when a big multiplatform game goes exclusive. You have a decade or two of multiplat, tens of millions sold and then it goes exclusive.
Not particularly arsed myself though. I expect exclusives to differentiate the platforms.
Not particularly arsed myself though. I expect exclusives to differentiate the platforms.
the_batman
Banned
because "my dick is bigger than yours", and so on.
I don't think exclusives are better than multiplatform games just because they're exclusives. That's just silly. I do however think that exclusives are important. I'd play everything on my PC if I could, but I can't, so that's why I buy consoles. Exclusives are the only reasons I buy consoles, so if one doesn't have exclusives that appeal to me, there's no reason to buy it.
Obviously other people buy video game consoles for different reasons. The failure of the Wii U has proven that much. But for me, if I'm going to put down several hundred dollars for hardware, it had better do something that my current equipment can't.
Obviously other people buy video game consoles for different reasons. The failure of the Wii U has proven that much. But for me, if I'm going to put down several hundred dollars for hardware, it had better do something that my current equipment can't.
barneystuta83
Member
How else can you differentiate platforms?
I mean, back in the day, the Genesis/Mega Drive was a very different console to the SNES.
Different games, even under the same licence. And it varied between games which one was deemed better. In some circumstances, a game under the same name was very different, and were equally as good for different reasons.
Now though? Most of the big third party hits come out across different consoles and PC. The only difference is pixel counting, graphical effects, and/or frame rate.
The gaming market has changed dramatically post the PS2 really. Before then, the PS1, Saturn and N64 had some different versions of games.
Post PS2, bar first party exclusives, third party games had little differentiation. All consoles used discs, had similar architecture and make up, or at least made so that games could be close to par with competitors.
This generation, the PS4 and Xbox One are basically living room PC gaming machines. The Wii U is different, but failed.
If you want to play Mario? Get a Nintendo console. Halo? Xbox. Uncharted? Playstation.
The big change is third party and/or indy exclusives.
These are either funded and would never happen without support (Bayonetta 2), or co-marketed like Street Fighter V and Tomb Raider.
It is disappointing due to my console choice I may not get to play SFV or Shenmue (I still backed it). But, that is where console gaming is now.
The two main Consoles are unable to differ on architecture. They do differ slightly in terms of raw power. But you are ultimately playing the same third party games.
Therefore, exclusives matter.
I mean, back in the day, the Genesis/Mega Drive was a very different console to the SNES.
Different games, even under the same licence. And it varied between games which one was deemed better. In some circumstances, a game under the same name was very different, and were equally as good for different reasons.
Now though? Most of the big third party hits come out across different consoles and PC. The only difference is pixel counting, graphical effects, and/or frame rate.
The gaming market has changed dramatically post the PS2 really. Before then, the PS1, Saturn and N64 had some different versions of games.
Post PS2, bar first party exclusives, third party games had little differentiation. All consoles used discs, had similar architecture and make up, or at least made so that games could be close to par with competitors.
This generation, the PS4 and Xbox One are basically living room PC gaming machines. The Wii U is different, but failed.
If you want to play Mario? Get a Nintendo console. Halo? Xbox. Uncharted? Playstation.
The big change is third party and/or indy exclusives.
These are either funded and would never happen without support (Bayonetta 2), or co-marketed like Street Fighter V and Tomb Raider.
It is disappointing due to my console choice I may not get to play SFV or Shenmue (I still backed it). But, that is where console gaming is now.
The two main Consoles are unable to differ on architecture. They do differ slightly in terms of raw power. But you are ultimately playing the same third party games.
Therefore, exclusives matter.
intheinbetween
Member
PS2-OG XB and last gens were even worse than this, now we have less third-party exclusives.
you should know some years ago XB owners couldn't even enjoy PES, Final Fantasy, DMC, Star Ocean, Metal Gear, Silent Hill, among others
and not to talk about console games on PC, it was frustrating
you should know some years ago XB owners couldn't even enjoy PES, Final Fantasy, DMC, Star Ocean, Metal Gear, Silent Hill, among others
and not to talk about console games on PC, it was frustrating
An absolute exclusive can have the advantage of being fine tuned to the console's cracks (not necessarily, but the potential is there). Otherwise, gameplay wise (the important part), the game has to accomodate for each and every platforms bottlenecks (e.g., at any given time, you could have 10 enemies attacking the player on one platform, but 8 on the other, but in the end you go with 8). Differences in AF and resolution and AA is trivial.
Does it change much? Probably not, because the architectures are pretty much the same this gen, whereas you could do crazy stuff with spu's on PS3 (e.g. GT6's dynamic tesselation, etc.) whereas Xbox360 had 3 proper PPU's over PS3's single PPU with a stronger GPU on the Xbox. So the type of things they could pull better than each other was in different areas. That's why true exclusives where platform's particular strengths could be put to good use was more important. This gen, not as much.
Does it change much? Probably not, because the architectures are pretty much the same this gen, whereas you could do crazy stuff with spu's on PS3 (e.g. GT6's dynamic tesselation, etc.) whereas Xbox360 had 3 proper PPU's over PS3's single PPU with a stronger GPU on the Xbox. So the type of things they could pull better than each other was in different areas. That's why true exclusives where platform's particular strengths could be put to good use was more important. This gen, not as much.
exclusives are the only reason for me to purchase and get excited for a system. Exclusives generally makes me aware of the game's existence while multiplatforms are generally just there getting less attention.
My PC is not a beast by any means but as long it runs the games I really don't care as I'm not one of those "master race" thinking people. And most people here on GAF has a PC.
ps. focusing only on 1 specific platform does make the game potentially better than if it is not in most cases.
My PC is not a beast by any means but as long it runs the games I really don't care as I'm not one of those "master race" thinking people. And most people here on GAF has a PC.
ps. focusing only on 1 specific platform does make the game potentially better than if it is not in most cases.
ForsakenLotus
Member
Re: People getting upset when a former exclusive goes multiplat - that's just console wars. It's really disappointing. I want a great game to have as much success as possible.
Silent Chief
Member
Do games do that? Expend? Final Fantasy is about the only game that would give me a negative reaction and that's mostly because of the way Square-Enix chose to announce it. Btw, it looks like FF XIII sold 6.6 million, the same as FF X and only 0.6 million more than FF XII. The market for that series has not grown.
They receive more marketing. Some of them are really great.
Usually a port is an old game. You should look up GAF's demographic.
With PS+, Vita is an incredible value even if you have a PS4.
Consumers massively buy horrible games and let good developers go under. Why would I care about the customers?
I don't know if we'll see multiplat VR games. On the PC, 1 format might eventually win. Or none. On PS4, it's no different than what Nintendo has been doing or MS with Kinect. I'm wiling to give Morpheus a try even if it might not take off.
axisofweevils
Holy crap! Today's real megaton is that more than two people can have the same first name.
I know I'm a severe minority, but exclusives are the reason I buy consoles. I have a PC. Why would I buy a console that only plays the same games at a worse resolution and frame rate? That's why I find both the XB1 and PS4 lacking so far and I haven't jumped in yet.
metareferential
Member
Exclusives are what justify purchases, both in a good and a bad way.
"I want a WiiU 'cause Splatoon is awesome and I can't miss out".
vs.
"I don't need Splatoon cause *insert game X* is better".
That's it. Lack of money / open mind = console wars.
"I want a WiiU 'cause Splatoon is awesome and I can't miss out".
vs.
"I don't need Splatoon cause *insert game X* is better".
That's it. Lack of money / open mind = console wars.
alexandros
Banned
Then console gaming needs to change. In my opinion gamers have the power to bring about that change, but they don't use it because a significant part of them celebrates when a game is not available on other platforms. You see, it is a "win" for the console they support. If every third-party moneyhat was met with disapproval from all sides, then both publishers and console makers would be forced to drop that practice. Moneyhats will exist as long as we approve and encourage them.