The_Dude

this just pisses me off.

i'm not talking all games here, but games like grand theft auto and midtown maddness (MM3 thread gave me this idea).

it's cuz of pc players that games like gta and mm got started and became popular. now they're ditching us to please console players.

they're abandoning their true fans here.

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Ganguro

blah.. shaddup and play.
It's you "true fans" who are costing them lost revenue when you pirate games.
Companies go where the money is. Console games are "more secure" avenues of media, and more visible..so I don't blame em.

meanSpleen

The best part about consoles - The game you make is specifically designed for the console. None of this driver crap that slows down the manufacturer, and the player himself. The game is 95% sure to run fairly well on the console because all the needed parts are there, and the game is dumbed down to meet the specs. On PC's, game manufacturers need to allow for a wide variety of combinations of parts.
If I were to start making games, and not just small ones, but real ass pounding games with all the whizz and firl of a major studio game, I would make it for a console. It should be a whole lot easier.

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charliex

typicallys its because sony or whoever wants an exclusive for 3-6 months before it gets ported, and since the PC has no such controlling company its last, as well as it being dwarfed by consoles sales of course !

Funky Koval

The thing that pisses me the most about this is that these PC versions are usually lame console ports or simply console games working on shitty emulators. The Matrix game is a great example.

phredgreen

they are going for the money. a properly marketed game is money in the bank for any developing company. consoles have a built-in audience who have bought their hardware for one purpose: gaming. yes, there's a gaming pc market out there, but it's not nearly as solid as the console market.

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NeverBorn

I agree..shut up and play..

The_Dude

i would...but mm3 is not out for pc yet

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stazen

I don't think MM3 is going to the PC at all

<a href="http://www.gamerankings.com/itemrankings/launchreview.asp?reviewid=256600">Gamerankings.com:</a>
"Needless to say, many PC owners were bummed to find out that MM3 was an Xbox only title."

mykockle

For video game developers, the console market is a lot more lucritive. Piracy isn't nearly as rampant and as easy, and its a lot easier for joe schmo to pick up a game and play. A lot of gamers aren't as computer savy as most people on these boards, so a consoles appeals to them. I must admit, I am primarily a console gamer now, its a lot easier to invite friends over to play, in front of a big screen tv, and no one has to worry about bring a big rig pc set up and monitor to play... all they need is their xbox or whatever and who hasn't got more then one tv sitting in their house now. Not as many problems with setting up a network either.

heyal256

If I remember correctly, A similar statement was said about Grand Theft Auto 3 being a PS2 only title, but a year or so later, they finally gave the PC owners what they wanted.
One other reason that console titles get ported over to the PC is that their isn't a LOT that needs to be done (usually rework the controls and take out the console specific code/hardware calls and convert that into direct x). I am not saying that the conversion is an easy process, but from the game companies, they can make more profit because they don't have to spend more on R&d for a new game.

Back to the topic though, the reasoning for releasing games on consoles first is money. Console games tend to keep higher prices (and profit margins) longer than PC games and also because the console market is MUCH larger, they can make more money before needing to make the game a budget title.

scope

Its all a matter of revenue.
Halo PC and GTA VC were both originally designed to be released for the PC first. However, console companies pay the game developer to delay the PC release. The purpose of this is two-fold:

1) To increase console game sales, and to drive people to buy
that particular console.

2) To reduce competition. If PC Halo and XBox Halo was out at
the same time, XBox Halo would have decreased sales. Hell,
many people BOUGHT an Xbox just to play Halo. If it was out
for PC at that time, XBox would not have done so well.

The game developers have a win-win situation: They STILL get the reveue they would from the PC Market (They only get it later). However, they are getting extra profit (bribes, if you will) from the console makers (Sony, Microsoft).
Its quite lucrative. Yes, its sad for us PC Gamers. I for one absolutely HATE this console market preference. Oh well, we cant do much about it.