According to North America’s chart-tracking NPD, people who’re predominantly PC players are a bunch of tight-fisted wallet-protectors. While PC gaming is far from dying, it’s also far from being the platform that makes most multiplatform developers the most money.
While console gamers are generally happy to throw down full retail price for games upon release, PC gamers are much more content to wait for games to go cheap. And why are PC gamers such cheapskates? They’re all waiting for sales, all the time and those who purchase games digitally are far less likely to purchase games at full price.
“Consumers’ expectations may be the greatest barrier to maximizing spending in the PC gaming space,” NPD analyst Liam Callahan said.
“Since half of PC gamers who play digital and/or physical games on the computer are expecting there to always be a sale right around the corner, publishers and retailers alike need to better manage these expectations.”
This is based on results from a survey of 6,255 individuals, which found that half of them would wait for one of the inevitable sales before plunging. It’s this sort of behaviour that’s led to a number of developers and publishers’ condemnation of the things, which they feel cheapen the value of games.
I know quite a number of you PC gamers would rather wait for a game to go for cheap before picking it up, whereas I know many, many console gamers who fork out full price. Have Steam sales and the like bred a miserly gamer that doesn’t know the value of games – or is the more polite word “frugal” more applicable?
Last Updated: September 10, 2014
Valshen
September 10, 2014 at 09:12
“I know quite a number of you PC gamers would rather wait for a game to go for cheap before picking it up, whereas I know many, many console gamers who fork out full price.” Or mayuube PC gamers are just better at dealing with that silly fomo that happens every time the hype train reaches full speed.
The ‘value’ of games is interesting, as they are deciding that price (albeit with many hard costs to cover etc) but there are cheap independently made games that offer as much a) enjoyment, b) good story, c) hours of fun as some of the biggest AAA titles out there.
My 2c. 🙂
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 09:17
Well, your 2c is worth quite a bit! Well said!
I’m quite happy on missing out on release day and day one dlc and poef like that, since I know I’m getting a better deal later on.
I do this with many things, not only with gaming
Hammersteyn
September 10, 2014 at 09:31
Maybe that’s why games like Destiny skips the PC for now and GTAV takes extra time to reach you?
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 09:32
I don’t mind paying LESS for those games, I’m SO over the hype anyway
Skoobaz
September 10, 2014 at 09:48
Perhaps, but then PC gamers get the better experience out of the like of GTA right? Look at the modding capabilities of the previous iterations, never mind the extra eye candy
Hammersteyn
September 10, 2014 at 09:53
At a special price
Skoobaz
September 10, 2014 at 10:45
What’s the price, time?
Hammersteyn
September 10, 2014 at 11:01
When it costs as much as steam?
Anon A Mouse
September 10, 2014 at 10:05
But there is already a huge day 1 patch. So not only do you pay full retail for the game, you actually have to pay more just to get the game working “properly”. It’s an insane way in which this industry works.
Hammersteyn
September 10, 2014 at 10:34
I couldn’t play last night, so I tried this morning and t works fine, then it was off to work >:(
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:36
Yes, BECAUSE YOU STAY SO DAMN FAR FROM WORK!!!
#VeryBitter
Hammersteyn
September 10, 2014 at 11:01
LOL!
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 09:20
The publishers determine the price, based like you said on costs & whatnot, but customers determine value. If the value we assigned to something is equal to or greater than the price, we buy. If it’s less, we don’t. I hate publishers talking about value – not their place.
Hammersteyn
September 10, 2014 at 09:34
Indeed, when publishers mentions value they try to sound like they are doing you a favour. Hence you should pay a season pass because “value”
Skyblue
September 10, 2014 at 22:53
And hence the cost of Destiny starting at R900 going up to R1200. I refuse to pay these prices for games so bring on the 2nd hand market. Screw them and the “not their place” comment is priceless.
Hammersteyn
September 10, 2014 at 09:32
No, they’re cheap. Simple as that. At least once a week we hear the Master Race beat their chests about Steam specials or Humble bundle deals. But then it’s Steam specials and Humble bundles fault for selling games so cheaply
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 09:35
I use the same approach when shopping. WHY must I pay serious premium for something I can pick up later for quite a discount.
Take TVs. New tech, new release, R120k. Wait 1 year and it drops down to 20 or even 10k
Anon A Mouse
September 10, 2014 at 10:02
Or you go down to the local pub a watch for free.
Weanerdog
September 10, 2014 at 13:36
No and at least with retail you get to remember it
Skyblue
September 10, 2014 at 22:56
A man after my own heart but alas, my local pub owner won’t go HD because he’s:
a) a fucking moron
b) an uneducated fucking moron
c) an allround bad human being
It’s okay though, I’m talking to his landlord, looks like I might own a pub soon.
Valshen
September 10, 2014 at 09:39
If Humble bundle and Steam are such issues, surely the publishers should nix them and use other retailers? Think of it this way: Why does Steam offer these super games which are ‘worth’ $60 for so cheap?
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 09:41
Economies of scale.
Hammersteyn
September 10, 2014 at 09:43
Dunno, if I was a publisher I would ask them, but look at the comments. Most people would rather wait. Because they are clever and not cheap apparently. They are beating publishers at their own game and if publishers stops making game for PC then so be it.
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 09:48
Publishers do everything they can to reduce cost when making a game, thus maximising profit when selling, but when gamers do it they’re cheap? No.
Hammersteyn
September 10, 2014 at 09:52
True, but the fact remains, PC gamers would rather wait for a special than pay full price
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 09:53
Correct. With gaming, the wait-and-see approach these days is the wiser choice!
Hammersteyn
September 10, 2014 at 09:54
On PC yes. Diablo 3 ,Wolfenstein and Watchdogs worth the day one buy on console
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 10:07
Sure, but what is “full price”? Increased competition brings prices down. There are more things now than ever vying for your entertainment spending. One of the things to attract a consumers attention is pricing. Yes I’m a PC gamer, but I also read, watch movies, all kind of other stuff.
Buying something full price now when you get exactly the same thing a few months later with additional content, and on PC probably patched to better condition, cheaper makes no sense – unless you absolutely can’t wait for it. Cheap is skimping on paying more to get something better, not paying less to get something better.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:13
In other words: WISDOM
MakeItLegal
September 10, 2014 at 12:53
pc gamers = more brains 🙂 thats why we build our own rigs 🙂
Skyblue
September 10, 2014 at 22:58
Come now, at least we have those horrible ports we beg & plead for like Dark Souls…
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 09:41
Of course we beat our chests about sales. We get to own the games that aren’t good enough to be bought at full price.
I’m got tired of buying new “AAA” games at full price and ending up with a bad taste in my mouth. If a game is good I’ll buy it new. But let’s face it, this is the gaming industry’s fault. If they stop making sub-par games and releasing titles that aren’t complete then we’ll have the confidence to spend bigger amounts of money on games.
SargonTheGreatPandaOfAkkad
September 10, 2014 at 09:48
This
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 09:50
My upvote, you must have!
Hammersteyn
September 10, 2014 at 09:51
Most people own 95% of their games at half price. How many people on this site bought Skyrim on a Steam sale with all the DLC. Is that not good enough for day one?
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 09:54
I actually bought Skyrim twice. Once when I first discovered it (which was epic) and the second time to get all the DLC’s. I have about six games that I’ve bought twice like that.
Hammersteyn
September 10, 2014 at 09:55
Good on you then.
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 09:58
😀
I have suffered from FF 12 on my PS3 though, that sh!t ain’t never going to be forgotten.
Hammersteyn
September 10, 2014 at 10:08
It’s like a bad taste in your mouth that you can’t get rid off.
Anon A Mouse
September 10, 2014 at 10:13
You people should stop eating the games and rather try and play them. Maybe the bad taste will disappear then.
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 10:00
I preordered Skyrim. Then I bought the legendary edition on special to get the DLC.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:01
Same here. NO REGRETS
Hammersteyn
September 10, 2014 at 10:08
Nice
Anon A Mouse
September 10, 2014 at 09:59
Typical PC gamer, only offering an outdated 2c.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:03
Coming from a PC gamer that 2c is worth quite a lot more!
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 10:16
That’s almost enough for a Steam trading card!
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:18
NOUPRAJYMOS!
Skyblue
September 10, 2014 at 22:50
*slow clap* well said Valshen. Pure AWESOME right there.
Viking Of Science
September 10, 2014 at 09:16
It’s a catch 22, As a PC gamer, I’ll happily drop Full retail for a game, IF it’s developed for PC. Like RTS’s and CRPGs. But I’ll be damned if I pay Full Price for a sloppy Console port…. and because people like me don’t pay full price for those ports, they stay sloppy…..
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 09:18
Nothing worse than sloppy seconds
Hammersteyn
September 10, 2014 at 09:37
Yeah way to many console ports that turns out kak. They should porting games or do a better job. Guess which one they’ll do?
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 09:17
Yes & no. I prefer to wait until all the content is out before buying a game because I want to play the whole game once, not the main game now & an hours worth of content 6 months later while having to redownload the entire 20GB game for it. Invariably when that happens the game is on special because it’s a year later. I used to preorder. Blame your stupid season passes & dribbles of DLC for my purchasing habits. I preordered The Witcher 3 because I know I won’t have to deal with this crap, and that’s the only real reason I did – it would kill me to wait because I love the series, but I would if they were releasing DLC.
I find it amusing when companies bitch & whine about this. Instead of insulting people, who’re your customers, spending their hard-earned money on your ENTERTAINMENT product, which isn’t that different from many other entertainment products and far less important than say I don’t know… food, how about giving them incentive to buy it at full price. But that would be too difficult right? We’re all ingrates, instead of worshiping at your feet & showering you with money for your beneficence. FUCK OFF.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 09:19
Pffff, what do you know, you like your steak medium well!
😛
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 09:33
My steak is braaied with all the coals at once, not with half the coals at half the temperature 😛
Fish can be raw, meat must be cooked.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 09:36
Doing it wrong, HIGH temp, low time!
😛
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 09:42
That’s EXACTLY how I braai lol. As much as I enjoy it, it’s boring to just stand around a slow fire.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 09:43
PLENTY heat, 1min, 1min, 3min, 3min, rest, NOMNOMs
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 09:43
Then you’ve got the wrong drink in your hand and probably Rince as company. Trolololo
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 09:43
Bwahahahahahahahaha
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 09:46
You saw how it goes 😉
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 09:48
He sommer gets undressed and there weren’t even any girls 😛
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 09:49
Maybe your eyeliner confused him? 😀
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 09:49
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 09:50
True, but I thought the beard would clarify it though.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 09:52
I’ve seen some bearded ladies, your argument is invalid!
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 09:54
The circus is always in town at my house then.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 09:55
Blanket/duvet over/under beard?
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 10:00
All of the above. XD
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 09:58
Is that why you call it Snor-toria & love living there? O_o
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:00
I love living in the north-east, people are good people. However I have not yet seen a bearded lady in my glorious city.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 09:49
O_O
Hammersteyn
September 10, 2014 at 09:38
http://img-9gag-lol.9cache.com/photo/aYbORox_460sa.gif
HouwGobz
September 10, 2014 at 09:18
Well I don’t know. When the right game comes along, I happily pay full price because I just can’t wait. If anything all the sales mean I pick up games I might not have otherwise so these people are actually getting more money from me really. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 09:19
Good point, however I’m VERY skittish on paying full price for something new, I am not a gambling man
HouwGobz
September 10, 2014 at 09:26
Yeah after you’ve had an experience like pre-ordering Diablo 3 (as an example and all), you start to become a lot more wary.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 09:26
I got D3 and RoS only recently, but I have a friend that had quite the 37 rages at that game
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 09:20
Behold, butcher boy has spoken!
Mike
September 10, 2014 at 09:21
I still spend the same amount on games then I usually do, but I just get more games for that money. I don’t see it as cheap, but as smart. I have bought new games at full price in the past, but then due to work or something else I either don’t get enough time with the game or it can take me months to actually play it. By then the game is a lot cheaper. So I wait. I also wait because of some buggy bad releases. By the time it’s all fixed the game is already becoming cheaper.
WarframedSquirrel
September 10, 2014 at 09:25
I’ll pay full retail soon after release but ONLY IF the game is working properly. So, of course I wait for reviews and user reviews before purchasing.
Anony PC Gamer
September 10, 2014 at 09:26
Its there fault, with content spread across dlc, seasons
pass, and pre-order exclusives, not waiting year for a goty is plan stupid, and
the fact that budget retailers have a habit to remove some of the drm doesn’t
help either.
Here some interesting numbers:
Skyrim goty R450 with R400 DLC’s
Dishonoured goty R350 with R300 DlC’s
XCOM EU with XCOM EWI for R450
They wonder why we are cheapskate’s O_O
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 09:27
Indeed, when on sale you get Skyrim with all DLC for R130, and XCOM EU with EW for R100
Anony PC Gamer
September 10, 2014 at 09:29
Indeed got Fallout NV goty for R150
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 09:31
Aye, another gem that one! (got mine for R75, kept me entertained for quite some time)
Uberutang
September 10, 2014 at 09:30
Yup Skyrim legendary edition was R160 for me.
And since it was not brand new there were day 1 mods for me start with, instead of the vanilla game.
Viking Of Science
September 10, 2014 at 09:33
I woudn’t use those examples, Skyrim’s Dragonborn DLC was more like a Full expansion, same with Enemy Within for XCOM.
Expansions, in the PC space have more intrinsic value than comsmetic or “game mode” DLCs.
Uberutang
September 10, 2014 at 09:29
Full price day 1 makes no sense at all, esp on PC when the same game ‘sold as the goty or de’ will be half price or less with all DLC a few months later.
Combine that with bundle/steam/sales and you have enough games to play for the price of a coke and pie, so why would you spend R500 on day one?
Moving from console to mobile and PC has really changed my spending habits around gaming.
Unless you play as a pro gamer for money (and then your sponsor buys your game anyway (or more likely the game is f2p ) then it makes almost no sense at all to be the first one to wait for a patch 🙂
FoxOneZA
September 10, 2014 at 10:17
^THIS.
I always buy my games on sale whether I’m on console or PC. New games are buggy and following the hype train is more for fanbois and immature individuals that succumb to marketing gimmicks.
L337J1MB0B
September 10, 2014 at 11:50
No.. simple case of low risk on consoles. Some new gaming coming out, looks somewhat interesting, I can pre-order it and if its shite then sell it on the second hand market and lose very little cash. On PC you basically can’t pre-order because if it’s a terrible game then you’ve taken the full R600+ hit.
L337J1MB0B
September 10, 2014 at 11:48
Console gamers have the second hand games market to fall back on, so its
easy to commit to anything that comes out. If a game turns out to be
shite then you can easily flog it and recover R400-R500 on the thing. I haven’t spent more than R300 on a game and I buy all my games as new releases. I get all the latest games and I’m spending less than PC guys who wait for GOTY editions.
Sk3tz0
September 10, 2014 at 09:35
“And why are PC gamers such cheapskates?” Because they spend all their money on Upgrades and watercooling/Large IMBA Towers and kak to afford the games.. OH LOOK ! Steve got a monster of a Gaming PC.. too bad the fucker too poor to actually purchase any new games.. better wait for the Steam sale to get the new games when they old games..
Mike
September 10, 2014 at 09:39
Old games, but patched, cheaper and most if not all the DLC included. I’ll wait. Old does not equal bad. New too often equals bad.
Sk3tz0
September 10, 2014 at 09:44
8 out of 10 times the DLC is kak anyway..
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 09:41
While you save money buying your sponsored hardware while paying more per game to make up the difference for your masters. Different strokes.
Skande
September 10, 2014 at 09:37
I own over 350 Pc games.. 50% on sale probably. I own around 40 Xbox games, 1st 10 on special of R100 each the very next day I got my Xbox, 10 free via my xbox live subscription….. Simple math I would say…
Ross Woofels Mason
September 10, 2014 at 09:38
I jumped off the hype train on new releases ages ago now.
Be it console or pc I will wait for the game to become cheaper, go on sale or come in second hand. Unless it’s something I am actively a huge fan of the series, as an example guilty gear. I am buying the Japanese digital release when it hits because I don’t want to wait, thats just how much I enjoy that series.
90% of new titles though are out of what I am willing to fork out amount that’s asked these days.
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 09:38
PC gamers are much better informed customers. Not cheapskate. We know the inns and outs of our pc’s. We know what every single part costs. Ask that to any console gamer. They just think magic happens inside that plastic box that makes games work 😉
Hammersteyn
September 10, 2014 at 09:39
And you know the next special is around the corner.
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 09:42
I like for them to surprise me. 😉
Viking Of Science
September 10, 2014 at 09:39
“Ima put this here plastic circle in thar there black box, and shoot me some terrorists hurrdurr”
-Gross generalisation of the average console gamer.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 09:42
BWHAHAHAHAHA hurrdurr
Anon A Mouse
September 10, 2014 at 09:51
Wow I must be below average then, don’t have that swanky accent. ;-P
Sk3tz0
September 10, 2014 at 09:41
You know people who wait for Games to get cheaper remind me of.. They remind me of that Salsa Guy from the Ster Kinekor ad.
SargonTheGreatPandaOfAkkad
September 10, 2014 at 09:43
Steam sales are all good and well – I’ve picked up a shit ton of games that way. But I think it’s really really unfair to hate on PC gamers for this. My housemate is a console only player and he picks up almost all his games second hand and rarely forks out the full retail price for day 1 release. I have a MUCH bigger Steam backlog to get through, because I get games at such good prices on Steam. Yet I have also forked out the full price for day one releases that I have wanted (I’m looking at you, Borderlands and Diablo). I’ve even forked out over $100 on FREE TO PLAY PC games (DotA). So these 6000 people are obviously a ridiculously small sample size.
In addition… I had to wait like seven months to get AC: Black Flag on sale via Steam and then it was max 50% off. By then it’s already making the rounds second hand on consoles, no?
HouwGobz
September 10, 2014 at 09:44
Yep. The console gamer in my family exclusively buys second hand. In many ways he’s cheaper than I am.
SargonTheGreatPandaOfAkkad
September 10, 2014 at 09:46
This is my point exactly. How does this make console gamers not cheap? Because the same physical copy earns people money over and over and over again? So PC gamers are cheap because we do not like to get ripped off?
EDIT: PS – we also do not have the option to sell second hand either…
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 09:45
BUT PC GAMERS ARE TEH EVOLS! They must buy locked-in consoles with inflated game prices like all the good, honest folks do!
SargonTheGreatPandaOfAkkad
September 10, 2014 at 09:47
If I want to be ripped off, I’ll just go buy an Alien laptop KKThnxBai. 😛
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 09:49
lol
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 09:49
Then play Alien: Colonial Marines on it.
DOUBLE WHAMMY!
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 09:46
You think if there was a “steam” for consoles things would be any different?
Anon A Mouse
September 10, 2014 at 09:49
The last time I’ve purchased a game at full retail for my console gaming was for the PS2. I buy all my games second hand at far reduced prices and only when I’ve finished with the current game I play. I’m sure I can show these “frugal” PC gamers a thing or two.
As a side note: I do actually think these PC sales help sell games. If a PC player only has $100 to spend it seems only fair that they wait for a special to buy 50 games, rather than paying full retail and only buying 2. Then developers will bitch and moan because their games don’t sell.
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 09:53
I’ve bought a crapload of games on sale or as part of indie bundles that I otherwise wouldn’t have bothered with.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 09:54
Same here, my horizons are as broad as Martha’s afro
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 09:55
lol
Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora
September 10, 2014 at 10:54
yoh
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 09:52
Speaking of cheap games. I got The Swapper on a humble bundle. Indie game. Damn that game it such a cool concept. Puzzler side scroller, but man is it cool.
SargonTheGreatPandaOfAkkad
September 10, 2014 at 09:53
Dude I got Warlock Master of the Arcane for FREE on Monday and it’s AWESOME. It’s like Civilisation for Fantasy nerds. I love it. I love Humble Bundle – for just GIVING it away. But I’m so cheap because I got it for free! YIPEEEE!
EDIT: PS I’m happy that I’m cheap. SUCK IT CONSOLES.
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 09:56
I bought Warlock (yes people, BOUGHT it). So now I have a free copy if anyone is interested. It’s a flippen great game.
SargonTheGreatPandaOfAkkad
September 10, 2014 at 09:58
I had never heard of it, tbh. So now I’m going to probably buy all the dlc as my next to do item on my Steam shopping list. But it is seriously cool. Someone who missed out on the deal should pick that up from you. Zoe should play it is she hasn’t already picked it up. Hahaha.
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 09:59
It’s Medieval CIV, with fewer features. I’ve spent a bit too much time on that one. But now this has awakened my interest in the game again. I actually told Zoe a while back to get it, I’ll keep the copy for her.
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 10:13
I’ve also got a gift code if anyone missed out.
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 10:35
Suckup 😉
Weanerdog
September 10, 2014 at 13:49
I missed out unfortunately, I will offer a couple of beers as reciprocation.
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 14:45
Drop me a message on Steam, I’ll send you the code.
Weanerdog
September 10, 2014 at 14:47
Thanks
HouwGobz
September 10, 2014 at 09:54
The Swapper is gorgeous. It really doesn’t get enough love.
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 09:56
Agreed
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 09:54
Speaking of cheap… how’s PS+ going for you? All those “free” games.
Hammersteyn
September 10, 2014 at 09:56
Bad lately, very bad.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:01
SHOTSFIRED
Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora
September 10, 2014 at 10:34
you forgot the #hashtag
#ShotsFired
Greylingad
September 10, 2014 at 09:55
This is a debate that’s going to continue until the end of time, in essence, how much is your time worth to you? If you decide that a game is worth full retail price, no one can argue with you, but, if a game is as hyped as, I don’t know, a few titles released this year promising to be the best games known to human kind and they essentially end up being scraped from your boot on your way into your friends house…. Well then you’ve wasted money on something that didn’t deliver, right? The whole interactive entertainment industry is based on what is expected of a title, that is why reviews are so important, if a game scores 9 or above(depending on the reviewer) it’s usually a justified buy, where as if it scores below that it usually isn’t something that would draw as much attention… Essentially, if a developer decides to charge full retail price for a game, what justifies that cost? Is it really worth the 4 to 8 hour campaign? or is 25 to 30 hours better? And of what quality is the time spent? Buggy? then I’ll rather pass….
Skoobaz
September 10, 2014 at 09:56
It’s all backward isn’t it? We’re “supposed” to buy full games new on release at full price right? Only the game is buggy and we all KNOW dlc i still on it’s way. So in my case I WAIT. And a funny thing happens. I might not get said game upon release but down the line I will purchase the FULL game with ALL the content that makes said game COMPLETE, and here’s the kicker.. I get it at a FRACTION of the original cost. Yep. I end up buying the full game 6 months after release at a fraction of the RRP. Who wants to keep up with the Jones’ anyway??
MakeItLegal
September 10, 2014 at 10:02
so we ARE expected to pay full price for buggy as shit , no servers on day one and less graphics ? these ppl should learn to suck a D…before talking smack like that
CypherGate
September 10, 2014 at 10:06
They spent all their money on upgrades and upgrades and more upgrades on their pc’s so since cash is low they have to wait on sales. PC games are already cheap as it is. lol (Please note: just felt like pulling some vocal strings lol)
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:08
This old chestnut again? Need I remind you that your statement is obviously silly. If you need to do “upgrades and upgrades and more upgrades” then you are either doing it totally wrong, or buying a jet-car when a Ferrari will do
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 10:09
Everyone knows a Ferrari will never do. Not when the reality of hoverboards are just around the corner.
MakeItLegal
September 10, 2014 at 10:10
THIS 🙂
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:13
And DAT hoverbike!
CypherGate
September 10, 2014 at 10:14
Lol I see I caught your attention! Dont worry i do know that you don’t need to constantly upgrade to get great gaming on a PC. I just said that cause that’s usually what people usually say. You must admit though that PC parts nowadays costs a lot more than they did before. Like im wanting to build a decent Mini-ITX entertainment and gaming pc and the the main parts being GPU and Motherboard is the most expensive parts of a PC. The PC im building can only accommodate an MSI 760GTX Mini-ITX GPU that costs R4300. The motherboard alone costs R2900 and the CPU is going to cost me R3100. Lets not forget my RAM which would be gaming ram cause of obvious reasons is going to cost me R3000 for 16gig. So you can see how it adds up in the end. I do know that once bought it can last me a good couple years cause i dont upgrade often.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:17
Surely there are different options, have you shopped around?
CypherGate
September 10, 2014 at 10:43
yup been shopping around and have decided that this is going to be a long term build. Cause i want it to be completely wireless. Keyboard, mouse and audio. I have quite a couple of different supplier lists as well and thats where im getting my prices as well. So its been a mission.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:45
If you are going with a full build, have you had a look at Evetech’s custom builds? They come with a decent warranty, burn in and discount!
CypherGate
September 10, 2014 at 10:53
I checked out Evetech’s stuff and Rebeltech’s parts as well. Will go and have a look again at Evetech.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:54
Look at the custom builds. Their individual parts are quite expensive. Rebeltech’s individual components are cheaper by comparison
CypherGate
September 10, 2014 at 11:03
Will definitely have a look again.
Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora
September 10, 2014 at 10:46
Send deets of spec requirements man. Let’s help you. I am sure we can reduce the cost by swopping out some of the too expensive parts with similiar parts that will perform as good without the price tag.
Especially the CPU 0_o. You don’t ever need to fork out R3.5k for a CPU. You aren’t trying to run a server or overclocking testbed here
CypherGate
September 10, 2014 at 11:02
Chassis: Lian Li PC-Q03B, Mini-ITX Tower, Black, Mini-ITX
Power Supply: Cooler Master eXtreme Power, 725w
Motherboard: Caught between these two ASUS Z97I-PLUS, LGA1150, Intel Z97 Chipset, Mini-ITX INFO or ASUS MAXIMUS VI IMPACT, LGA1150, Intel Z87 Chipset, Mini-ITX INFO
RAM: Corsair Vengeance Pro, 16GB Kit, DDR3-1600, CL9, Gold
Hard Drives: Samsung 840 EVO, 120GB, 2.5″, SATA6G, 540/410MB/s & Western Digital Caviar Green, 3TB, 3.5″, SATA6G, 5400-7200rpm
GPU: MSI or ASUS GeForce GTX 760, 2GB, DDR5, PCI-Express 3.0 (Mini-ITX GPU)
CPU: Intel Devil’s Canyon Core i5-4690K, 3.50GHz, Quad Core, LGA1150
Optical Drive: ASUS Blu-Ray Writer, Internal, 16x (3D)
Keyboard: Logitech TK820, Wireless, Nano USB, Black, with Touch Pad
Mouse: Logitech T620, Wireless, Optical, 1000dpi, Nano USB2.0, Black, with Full Touch
Audio: 2x Creative ZiiSound D3X, Wireless, SoundBar, BlueTooth + 3.5mm, Black & Creative ZiiSound DSX, Wireless, Subwoofer, BlueTooth, Black
Monitor: Still looking at various ones. Looking at a 2K monitor at 27 or 29inch
There are other parts i have on the list that I would opt for if i cant get these specific ones though.
Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora
September 10, 2014 at 12:54
Wow, this is quite the enthusiast type build? (By this I mean aesthetics wise + performance). Is there a reason you require all these high-mid items?
I just want to understand the purpose of your build. Don’t get me wrong this is going to be a beautiful build
CypherGate
September 10, 2014 at 13:13
Since its going to be 95% of the time in the living room Im looking at a minimalistic look for the living room since ill be using it for Movies, Gaming, Graphic Design and Video Production so if I do need to somehow take it elsewhere it will also be easier to carry around. Thats why im making sure everything is wireless. Moving away from wires as i think my current PC (which is 6 years old if not more) has enough wires to replace the stolen cables from Telkom/Eskom. Side Note: Thanks for the comp. It really will look like a stunning machine hence why its been moved to being a long term build and its my first fully custom built PC im doing from scratch. Last i built a PC was about 6 years ago lol
Matthew Holliday
September 10, 2014 at 10:27
the days of buying a new cpu or graphics card for R1500 are gone.
everytime i browse new tech, i take the prices as a personal insult.
although the PC your building is pretty specific, so youd expect to pay top dollar for that.
Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora
September 10, 2014 at 10:28
What about the intel G-Series chips? CC @cyphergate:disqus
Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora
September 10, 2014 at 10:27
Dude… You need to shop around 0_o or stop thinking that you need top end 0_o.
You are WAAAAAAY over spec for current gaming needs
Aries
September 10, 2014 at 12:24
you can run games at full spec but going mini itx is expensive, because in pc gaming going for small and powerful hardware usually the most expensive
CypherGate
September 10, 2014 at 12:34
Doesn’t really matter on size in some parts, but a normal 760 GPU costs basically the same if not a bit more actually. You get cheaper Mini-ITX chassis’s as well, but they look like crap most of them. Mini-ITX motherboards is also similarly priced to the normal ATX boards as well. In general there costing isnt a major difference. I can fit a 750Ti card in the chassis im buying, but 750Ti doesnt have enough juice for what i want to do.
Matthew Holliday
September 10, 2014 at 10:19
BUT UPGRADES MANG!
“The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.”
William Blake
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:19
Hahaha
Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora
September 10, 2014 at 10:26
While I know you are just yanking some strings here please do read this from our beloved wookie:
http://satechie.co.za/2014/09/09/wookiee-musings-are-pcs-too-expensive
Makes some amazing pointers on exactly how PC gaming is not as expensive as people tend to think. We are not all enthusiasts who require full Ultra all the time.
Hammersteyn
September 10, 2014 at 10:07
People are cheap, it’s human nature. Why pay for something full price when you can get it cheaper for later? But publishers are going to have to do a lot on their end to restore consumer confidence. They’ve sold a lot of turkeys lately and PC Gamers have to just deal with it when servers crashes or games are bugged. Maybe if they sold less lemons PC gamers will get back to day on purchases
Travis
September 10, 2014 at 10:40
Exactly, they are trying to make cheap a bad thing, when its not.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:19
I’m NOT buying day1 anymore, I’m NOT paying premium to beta-test
L337J1MB0B
September 10, 2014 at 10:21
Maybe if PC gamers were more willing to fork out full price on games then PC ports of games wouldn’t be prioritized to the point where they release half baked.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:22
I think you need to read Llew’s comment above and get back to me again
Matthew Holliday
September 10, 2014 at 10:30
its a vicious circle.
we dont pay becuase they dont produce quality.
they dont produce quality because we dont pay.
L337J1MB0B
September 10, 2014 at 10:30
Exactly.
Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora
September 10, 2014 at 10:20
“They’re all waiting for sales”
I’m sorry but I think this is wrong. Yes I usually wait for GOTYE but not because I am cheap. But because I feel DLC is wrong. So I vote with my wallet and suddenly I am called cheap? Because I refuse to fork out cash for something that should have been included in the base game?
I’m sorry. I will rather buy the GOTYE at retail price than day 1 at retail price because day 1 has:
1) large day 1 patches
2) Failed servers
3) Incomplete games (DLC to come)
4) Untested mess
5) CRAPPY DRM (This one should be #1 actually)
These are reasons I either wait for sales or GOTYE. Not because I am cheap.
If a game is launched and people rave and say it’s complete then I will fork out cash for it at full retail price. But so far how many games in the last 2 years have been so complete and buggless that it warrented day 1 or release time purchases? I can count on 1 hand!
So why do console players not follow this same trend?
Well let’s see:
1) No DRM. You can even swop discs out. Or buy second hand. Wait and PC gamers are cheap?
2) No failed servers stress because they all have offline play options. So if you can’t get online HEY don’t stress. Just play the solo portion.
3) Tested. Console games 9/10 times come out FAR less buggy than PC games. There’s actually QA happening there.
4) Less DLC crap because devs know so many people don’t go digital with consoles so they rather sell games (Exclusives and stuff) MORE complete than any PC exclusive could ever wish to be.
Look, yes, Steam, Humble BUndles and GOG have bread a bit of a “sales” mentality. But I think it goes deeper than that. I think it’s PC gamers crying out to devs to listen and start selling games that are quality tested, complete and worth it.
Restore my faith and I will happily start buying games at launch again. I will happily buy in to the hype. I will happily open my wallet if they freaking LET ME GAME instead of having half finished, untested products!
/heavy breathing
/rant
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:22
This comment warrants the [Admiral Chief Stamp of Approval]
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 10:27
I think I’ve just fallen in love. *starts heavy breathing*
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:28
Bwhahahahaha, not sure how @Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora:disqus would feel about that
Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora
September 10, 2014 at 10:33
Eish bru. I’m married man. Sorry 😉
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:33
WHY THE WINKY EYE??? STOP GIVING HIM FALSE HOPE DAMMIT!!!
Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora
September 10, 2014 at 10:33
*waggles eyebrows*
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 10:34
Don’t get jelly, I won’t horn in on your Evopoints flirting.
L337J1MB0B
September 10, 2014 at 10:29
Way I see it is that this is a egg vs chicken debate. Bottom line is that PC gaming has taken a back seat to consoles, and for this reason PC ports are deprioritized to the point where games are releasing on the platform broken. Is this because PC gamers starting showing weaker support for new releases? Maybe. Either way the situation won’t fix itself if PC gamers continue to show as little support as possible for games on their platform.
Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora
September 10, 2014 at 10:32
We don’t. I fully support the titles that are worth it. I wait for reviews and buy within a month of release IF it is good. Most PC gamers do. Dude, I’ve been to a few midnight launches for PC games before and they do support these. We all do.
I’ve just stopped buying day 1 and if the reviews come out the game is broken and unfinished I wait for it to be less broken and more complete before I buy.
If we just blindly supported devs they would assume we are ok with crappy ports and half baked games and nothing would ever change
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:32
I think it shows that the console gamers are more gullible, hence the market focus is upon them
L337J1MB0B
September 10, 2014 at 10:37
How does it make console gamers gullible? Because we don’t complain about DLC?
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 10:33
No. PC gamers “showing support” won’t change things, you also don’t get to release buggy products & then blame the customer for it by saying they don’t buy enough to prevent it – then rather don’t release it at all. They’ll just keep releasing buggy messes because you’re still buying it. EA has already conceded as much when they talk about how they hear complaints all the time but people are still spending their money & buying the games.
Not all console ports are bad, some are really good. It’s up to the devs & pubs to make it so.
L337J1MB0B
September 10, 2014 at 10:36
Fact is 9 times out of 10 when a game releases buggy on PC then its perfectly fine on console… I know this from personal experience too. Ask yourself why is this.. if PC gaming is such an important market then why does this happen time and time again?
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:39
Like I said, the focus is on console gamers, since easy payday
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 10:41
Because they push it out the door, get paid now & can patch it later if they need to. PC gaming isn’t the biggest market for AAA games like the GTAs & stuff, but it’s not exactly small either. I’ve rarely experience bugs in indie games that I’ve played.
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 10:41
Because they push it out the door, get paid now & can patch it later if they need to. PC gaming isn’t the biggest market for AAA games like the GTAs & stuff, but it’s not exactly small either. I’ve rarely experience bugs in indie games that I’ve played.
Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora
September 10, 2014 at 10:42
Well first it was calimed because of piracy and now they are claiming because legit buyers don’t support them enough.
I think devs and publishers have lost touch with reality. It’s because games are crappy on release and they are too blind to see it.
There’s always a new excuse from the devs and publishers. Always a new reason. Yet the reasons never stay constant.
So far in the last 2 years I have heard the following excuses from big heads in the industry:
1) Piracy
2) Financial support (Today’s article)
3) Difficulty of variety of configs
4) PC parts are not selling as well so there are less PC gamers
5) People don’t want PC games anymore
Fantastic excuses but they never revolve around the same concept? Yet PC gamers are always harping on the same thing: Quality, quality, quality. I wonder who is really right here?
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:44
*RAISES HAND*
“oooh oooh teacher teacher, I KNOW I KNOW, PICK ME”
L337J1MB0B
September 10, 2014 at 11:03
You may be right, maybe gamers aren’t to blame for this. I think all it really says is that if you want to be taken seriously as a gamer then get a console. A PC is a multi-purpose device, and I think its always going to be treated as such by people who make games.
Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora
September 10, 2014 at 11:05
I don’t really agree. I believe PC gaming is just as serious and we shouldn’t change platform just because “it’s not a serious gaming platform”
It’s very much a serious platform. I just think devs and publishers are full of it and think the world is filled with idiots willing to buy their crap releases on PC and now when gamers aren’t doing it anymore they wonder why and blame the consumer
L337J1MB0B
September 10, 2014 at 11:21
In my view PC gamers usually fall into one of the following categories, with exceptions of course:
1) People who enjoy niche PC games like DOTA or Civilization.
2) People who already need or want a PC for other purposes, for example guys who work in IT.
3) People who love fiddling with PC hardware and benchmarking.
You can be serious about all those things, and that’s fine. What I mean by “serious” is if you want top priority as a gamer who’s into mainstream releases then it would make sense to go the console route, as clearly the focus is on that market.
Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora
September 10, 2014 at 12:49
I am a PC gamer and I don’t fit in to any of those catagories and none of my mates who game would either.
I work in IT but I have my work laptop for that. I do enjoy fiddling with PC hardware but that’s because I’m in IT. I don’t however do that with my own PC.
I have a PC for gaming and I enjoy a wide range of games. As do 99% of PC gamers I know.
That catagorising you just did is exactly why people tend to overlook PC because there is a gross misunderstanding of the PC gamer market.
The smallest majority of PC gamers are guys who want to only fiddle and benchmark (Enthusiasts) / People who fall in to niche markets (Competitive players).
Every single person who is a PC gamer falls in to the catagory of multipurpose use because it’s a perk of the hardware. Not a requirement for going in to PC gaming.
Lunar
September 10, 2014 at 10:30
This just ain’t right
string_slinger
September 10, 2014 at 10:32
The advent of digital downloads has changed the ‘value’ significantly. If I buy my game from BT games, I guarantee you the developer and publisher dont see more than 25% of the boxed price, and probably much less. BT gets it’s cut, the local distributer gets its cut, the transport to ZA from where it was made has to be paid for, the physical manufacturing needs to be paid for. Yes, on Steam Valve obviously get a cut, but it’s not big (loads of info on this), so at sale time, the publishers are still making the same or more money than they would on boxed copies from a store. Probably more because of the volume of sales being done during sale time. So what’s the problem?
The problem is the console crowd have been suckered into paying full boxed price for digital downloads, so of course they’re making more money off them.
I have no problem with the boxed price of a game at BT or CNA or the like, I understand product costs money to import here. I have a problem being charged a boxed price for a product, on a sales channel where the publisher has saved significant money on manufacturing and distribution. That doesn’t make me cheap, it makes me shrewd…
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:40
Also, on HumbleBundle I can give to charity!
😛
Matthew Holliday
September 10, 2014 at 10:33
I buy the games I want on release date.
Everything else can wait for the sales.
make more games that I can have faith in and I’ll buy more games at full price.
Travis
September 10, 2014 at 10:39
They say cheapskate, I say savvy, prudent and clever.
Ringo
September 10, 2014 at 10:45
This. Call PC gamers cheapskates all you want, if someone tells me I can buy Metro Last Light for R600 at release or for R150 in 4 months, I’ll wait 4 months. If taking advantage of that opportunity makes me morally corrupt, then so be it.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 10:47
LOOOOOL
Travis
September 10, 2014 at 10:55
I actually think the people that paid R600 are morally corrupt! Its like why u wasting money, you could of waited a couple months and saved R450. Lol
Johan du Preez
September 10, 2014 at 10:54
Say that to my R34 000 pc ….
Travis
September 10, 2014 at 10:56
Must be a sweet PC that, mine was 25k.
Johan du Preez
September 10, 2014 at 10:57
Mine was 25k as well without my new monitor lol. I got a new 1440p 32′ recently.
Travis
September 10, 2014 at 10:59
very nice. how much better would you say 1440 is compared to 1080?
Johan du Preez
September 10, 2014 at 12:10
Quite a massive difference to be honest, you can clearly see the crisper images/graphics from the higher resolution.
The extra real estate doesn’t hurt either.
I was thinking of getting a 1080p 144hz monitor but when I tried the 32′ out I was sold.
CypherGate
September 10, 2014 at 12:35
What brand of 1440 monitor did you go for? I know the Asus ones are pretty neat, but pricey. LG is the best priced at the moment.
Johan du Preez
September 10, 2014 at 13:17
I got the SAMSUNG S32D850T Black 32″ 5ms
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001971&cm_re=32_inch_monitor-_-24-001-971-_-Product
CypherGate
September 10, 2014 at 13:40
Thats a good monitor for the price. Im currently looking at either one of these (If the budget allows for it) two http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2RY1CB7713 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA24G1XA5400 Im currently looking for a 3D monitor that is larger than 27inch. Quite a mission.
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 11:12
Mine has a mouse AND a keyboard.
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2014 at 11:33
Can you use them at the same time?
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 11:45
Yes. While biting on a controller.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 12:06
RAWWWR
Hammersteyn
September 10, 2014 at 11:03
They meant when it comes to buying games, 34K O_o as you were then
Johan du Preez
September 10, 2014 at 12:11
“PC Gamers are a bunch of cheapskates”
I know but the title and the article still refers to PC gamers being stingy.
They dont realize that allot of us spend a small fortune on the hardware already or at least take it into consideration.
Colin Shephard
September 10, 2014 at 10:58
So they are complaining that pc users are not willing victims and would rather wait than overpay?
fred
September 10, 2014 at 11:19
JA, spend so much money on their pc’s , so they can win the fps contest at the next LAN and have a machine that does 2 fps more than the other poorer enthusiasts , that they have nothing left to spend on games for the next six months.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 11:21
http://www.lazygamer.net/general-news/pc-gamers-are-a-bunch-of-cheapskates/#comment-1582209914
The Adventures of JJ
September 10, 2014 at 11:50
You sound very wise
Ryanza
September 10, 2014 at 12:00
Let me break it down.
Value. PC games has no value as a product. Take a console game and 20 years later, that console game could be a high valuable item.
Take a PC game and fucking 2 million years later that shit will still be a piece of useless shit that doesn’t work because of DRM. So PC games has zero value. That’s why people wait for Steam $5 sales.
Second-Hand Market. There is no second-hand market for PC games. You can buy a lot of consoles games because you know you can sell some of them if you don’t like them. You can even sell some games to buy more games.
With PC games you have to be really careful not to buy a shitty game for R500 because you can never get rid of it. That means way less titles per user will be sold. Thank DRM for that.
Internet. You can pick up a console game put the disc into the console and play the fucking game without internet.
PC games you have to connect over the internet to some shitty DRM client just to install the fucking game. Not everybody has internet. But everybody on this planet can use a product without internet. Not evens half of the people on this planet has internet lines to their houses. So PC games are not for people of the world, It’s for internet of this world.
DRM. DRM. DRM. DRM. PC gamers are not cheapskates. Give us products with value we will support that gaming product.
Don’t support DRM. The Witcher 3 is coming.
Bear Daar
September 10, 2014 at 12:17
“a survey of 6,255” what a bunch of nonsense.
If you have any idea how many games i’ve bought since i started playing them back in 1990, you’d probably write an article on the amount of money “gamers” waste on Games.
This entire article is rubbish.
Bear Daar
September 10, 2014 at 12:25
6255 people in no way forms a good representation of MILLIONS of Gamers.
Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim
September 10, 2014 at 13:42
I agree completely. It’s a poor sample.
Juan-Claude Oosthuyse
September 10, 2014 at 12:41
there are very few games i would pay for full price especially considering how bad some have been that i pre-ordered. Diablo 3(first month was shit), Watchdogs, Sim City and finally BF4(still is broken after 10 months). I would rather wait and see what the game is like then wait for prices to drop before i spend money.
Admiral Chief Assassin
September 10, 2014 at 13:15
Very wise!
Ryanza
September 10, 2014 at 13:17
A year or two before new consoles were released. The gaming industry, developers, publishers, were on a big campaign of piracy, second-hand market, lose of sales. Showing me how much the gaming industry is disconnected from the buying consumers.
Developers and publishers love DRM and no second-hand market. One game tired to one profile. I’m sure they were praising Microsoft for what they had planned with the Xbox One. We all know how that turned out. People don’t want to buy DRM and no second-hand market. People said, fuck you Microsoft. Sony said, no DRM, second-hand market, and people said, yes, I will buy that. I hope the gaming industry catches a wake up. They are way to blind to what buying consumes want. The PC market shows the DRM, no second-hand market, future.
On the PC side of things. As was predicted long ago. Day 1 sales has dropped. People don’t want to buy DRM and no second-hand market. That is why most gamers are on consoles. Biggest marketing push for DRM and no second-hand market was cheap Steam sales. So all along that was the plan for the PC market. Cheap Steam sales. Don’t complain about Day 1 sales. That’s not our fault. Dive us no DRM and a second-hand market then day 1 sales will get supported.
The Witcher 3 is coming with no DRM and it can enter the second-hand market. That game will get big day 1 support at any price.
Wyzak
September 10, 2014 at 13:25
I don’t see what the problem is. It’s my money, I get to choose on what I spend it. If my perceived value of the game is less than the cost I won’t buy it.
HvR
September 10, 2014 at 13:30
In theory you are correct, the reality is that I have to decide if I spend my money on A or B (or wait for a special on both) since buying the one means there is no money left for the other.
Wyzak
September 10, 2014 at 13:35
I think in the end it comes down to release qualtiy and competition. The release quality of PC games is lower because it is easier for the developers to patch out bugs. Lower quality results in lower purchases going forward. And the PC retail market has far more competition than the console market. The likes of Steam, gamersgate, GMG etc all drive down prices which will make the PC gamers more likely to hold out and wait for a sale.
Robert Hart
September 10, 2014 at 13:31
PC Master Race is not at the mercy of the hype train. What all my friends do is download the game first on the pirate bay, check if its any good and if it is, they buy the full version.
People can hate on the PC Master Race all they like. Truth is that we just have it better in almost every way possible.
Gavin Mannion
September 10, 2014 at 13:41
I have never bought that line.. I would suck an estimate that your friends only buy around 5% of the games they pirate.
Ryanza
September 10, 2014 at 14:02
The view of people who download pirated games is that they download all the pirated games and never buy any games, ever.
But for a lot of people, they just want to see if that certain game is worth buying. Looking for reasons to buy, in other words. We are consumers, knowing what to buy is better than not knowing and never buying.
When I went from console gaming to PC gaming. I downloaded a few pirated games to see what’s happening on the PC front and most of those pirated games I downloaded, I went and bought. I would say more 90%.
Remember that PC gamers can’t buy new to test games out. They can’t buy second-hand to test games out.
Robert Hart
September 10, 2014 at 14:03
The huge value of their Steam library sort of proves they buy a lot of games 😛
Thing about pirated games these days is that they lack so many features, due to everything being heavily tied into online services. So a pirated game is pretty much a demo.
I’d say they probably save a lot of money by not buying bad games that were over hyped.
Galbedir
September 10, 2014 at 13:31
As a PC gamer, I would gladly spend full price on a game that I feel is worth spending full price on, such as anything from the Witcher series, or Elder scrolls. My general rule is I wont spend full price on a game that gives me less then 20 hours gameplay. The problem is that new release games these days are just far to large a chunk of my total salary every month to warrant buying every one coming out.
Joe Black
September 10, 2014 at 13:50
As long as I have 2 cents to rub together there will be somebody out there who wants it.
That… Is my 2 cents.
HvR
September 10, 2014 at 14:05
Do not think people understand the concept of open market economy.
Something’s (like a game) value isn’t determined by the amount of time, money and resources into its creation (wish it did then I would be a millionaire by now) BUT WHAT SOMEONE IS WILLING TO PAY MORE IT.
So if the majority of gamers are willing to spend R200 on a game that is what it is worth.
So PC gamers aren’t cheapskates; console gamer are gullible.
The Steam Sale didn’t create this environment, this is essentially a buyers market that was created by the annual copy and paste release cycle. Game development cost per hour skyrocketed due to short development cycles (large marketing budgets added to the problem) and the games commercial lifetime was cut by 75%.
I do not see this trend reversing, EA, Ubisoft and MS likes riding this bubble to much.
Alex Hicks
September 10, 2014 at 14:39
I have to add my own views – late as they are. Speaking as a PC gamer, I can talk with some authority on the matter – am I cheap? Yes.
In my defense this is a state of affairs which has largely developed organically by being burned too many times to count. It is not a DNA issue.
Part of this is due to my location in the world – South Africans have a disproportionate amount of their salary spent on permanent costs or living costs. My disposable income is not particularly large; and with pricing of games being determined in the first world, the problem is exacerbated. Example: We get games on the same pricing strategy as the UK. Salaries in the UK are approximately 2.5x SA salaries (273% CoL index). Assuming disposable income is about equal as a proportion of salary; then a game is at least twice as difficult to budget for here than it is there.
A far larger part is the shoddy job done in PC game development. Half finished products, day one patches, server failures, DRM. This is a never ending vicious spiral into decay – I won’t buy till I’m sure it’s worth it; and so the devs make less money; and in turn they produce even more useless, half finished rubbish, which I won’t buy etc.
This is all theory – but it does have anecdotal proof. I have pre-ordered Witcher 3. Why? Because the CDPR have produced the quality that was Witcher 2 (which I got on the cheap) and have made all the fuss over good quality, PC first etc. I trust them. Like I trust Valve – I bought Portal 1 and 2 at full price on the strength of Valve’s earlier work and their commitment to PC. In contrast, I haven’t bought Watchdogs or AC: Black Flag yet because I don’t trust Ubisoft’s products anymore. I’ll wait until I get them on the very cheap before I splash any cash – if I splash any cash that is .,.
Pieter Smal
September 10, 2014 at 15:00
Buy digital!
– Save on shipping
– Save on printing costs (box, disks and other plastics)
– Support our corrupt government by paying digital tax (Proudly South African)
Luridis
September 10, 2014 at 21:42
What I find amusing is this sudden campaign of propaganda by gaming news sites that had just the opposite position 2 years ago. I just called PCG on it a minute ago.
People by on sale what they otherwise would not. It’s that simple. We (gamers, industry, analysts) have been over this. Now I see that inconvenient articles of the past disappearing from sites all the time because they’re collectively pushing an industry agenda that disagrees with it.
“Cheapskate” rhymes with “Flip Flopper” if you understand how this all works.
Want to sell more games at full price? Stop making trash! Stop playing it safe and regurgitating the same tired ideas and genres on us year after year. Take a risk and earn a reward… Or, make another WoW clone and see how that works out.
JESUSTITTY
September 10, 2014 at 22:13
SHut the fuck up faggot. PIRATE BAY FOR LIFE! FUCK STEAM AND FUCK SALES> HAVEN’T PAID ONE RED CENT FOR A FUCKIN GAME, CD, OR MOVIE, OR SOFTWARE IN OVER 10 YEARS! FUCK YOU
hairyknees
September 12, 2014 at 11:00
<3 it's ok man *hug*
Ryanza
September 14, 2014 at 16:15
That hug might come with a virus.
Sean
September 13, 2014 at 18:16
I think PC gamers have more options to save money – console games seem to stay at full, or near full, price a lot longer. Also, consider the audience – a console is dedicated to playing games. A PC is a multi-function device, so fewer people using them are in it for the latest game. I haven’t bought a console in years, and don’t see a need to. My PC, tablet and phone provide me with more games than I will ever get time to play, and I don’t feel like I’m missing anything. I don’t see why the Xbox can’t evolve into a gaming PC that will also allow me to edit video, write reports and program HTML for my website from the comfort of my couch – why not do it all? Finally, streaming gameplay to tablets means I can more comfortably play wherever I want. Let’s see more of that from the consoles.
1whiteguy
September 13, 2014 at 19:12
Cheap huh…..tell that to my $500 GTX 780. I love a good deal plain and simple.