The day of the PC over?

[Gavin78]

maybe thats why HP have already pulled out and want to stay on the software side of things?

The downside to consoles are is that pc technology moves on, console technology doesn't and the ps3 is stuck back in 2006 because thats where the technology lies a pc can keep going because they are upgradable.

PC's no longer really stick out for 1/2 player games over the last few years the pc market has shifted to online gaming and this is where the console market starts to lag behind, maybe in the next gen console things will be different but at the moment you can't really compare the 2 as the pc still has the upper edge. you can still use a controller to play games on the pc as I have the xbox pad

I've read plenty of reviews where ps3 and xbox360 games lag a lot especially when it comes to online gaming. with a pc they are upgradable I dont have to wait 6 or 7 years for the next gen technology to come out.

Saying that it depends what people want...most are just happy to use smart phones and tablets for limited life things. for me my pc does many things a lot of others can't which doesn't inc gaming. so until something better comes along I'm happy to be where I am at the moment.

Although I have to mention the browser based games coming out, battle star galactica, startrek infinate space and I think everquest 2 has one as well where with these games have high end graphics but dont need your own pc kitted out to get them running because its all done server side

HP are still in the hardware business, with printers and servers......

[Ignitionnet]

We're going to move away from laptops actually and go with having a really fast PC for heavy duty work and gaming and tablets for around the house stuff like browsing, tweeting, etc.

My laptop is fine for a while, it's pretty quick, but as our laptops obsolesce they'll be replaced by tablets rather than like for like.

[jimpy0]

all depends on your lifestyle and needs, am more borrowing films music etc, running websites,forums so my Pc is a MUST.

Mainly as i detest with a vengance those bloody touchpads

[Gavin78]

PCs are fine at the moment all these smart phones and tablets are just the latest trend at the moment they'll soon move on

Originally Posted by Gavin78

PCs are fine at the moment all these smart phones and tablets are just the latest trend at the moment they'll soon move on

Err, no, I don't think so.

Since getting my iPad I have been able to do all of the day to day admin for my business on it, wherever I happen to be. I'm not tied to the desk. I see no reason why I should suddenly get bored of all that freedom and convenience.

Just because something is popular, doesn't mean it must be just a passing fad.

[Gavin78]

Well lets look at it like this....consoles are outdated as soon as they come out the box the ps3 and xbox360 are at least 5/6 years old now and although the graphics look good they just wont beat a pc which has the ability to move with the developers.

Poor pc games are down to sloppy companies not the computer. At the moment consoles are limited to games and some internet browsing but some new online games lag because the technology of the console finds it hard to keep up.

Tablets and smart phones although they are good for certain things they are still limited in what they can do and you can't type like you can on a keyboard with touch screen.

I think for now this technology is a fad for the smart stuff now whether this moves on and gets better I dont know but I can understand the point of view about being attached to a desk and not have any freedom.

I think the pc has plent of life in it regardless of its use. Gaming is down to the developers but again thats down to the individual home user. as I have repeated already the pc has shifted to online gaming and although there are larger companies out there releasing MMO games there are those that people dont buy in the shops and are download only from their websites.

I'm happy to stick around with my pc for gaming over my ps3

It's difficult to work out what you're trying to say here, but it looks very much as if you think tablets and smartphones are a passing trend because PCs are better for playing games on?

Sorry, but that doesn't make any sense. PC gaming is every bit as much a specialist activity as web development or video/graphics work. High-powered desktop machines are always going to have a place. But there are plenty of activities that don't require the power of a desktop machine, or the desk space or the office chair.

And I have typed all of my posts in this thread on an iPad keyboard.

[G UK]

My prediction is that the market is big enough for:

- Mobility : Smartphones will rule this area with little problem.

- Everyday : General Internet, Office and Casual Gaming will be taken up by the tablets in due course stealing massive market share.

- Power : Home Hub, Full Gaming, Image & Video processing, Analysis and other intensive and enterprise tasks are going to remain the domain of the desktop.

- Console : Continued combat with desktops stealing market share as a pure Entertainment Hub.

Laptops will slide into a niche product and become obsolete.

Most will end up with a tablet and many of them also with a Smartphone and Console whilst a core will remain with a Desktop as neither a Console or Tablet will do what they want (probably they will still have one or both though)

For the record a desktop doesn't have to be on a desk, mine is with my TV. Mine is hooked upto my main 42" HD TV with PC surround sound and wireless keyboard & mouse meaning I have all my media on one screen with my Tivo a button press away. When I get a new decent Amp my sound will be through one set-up as well leading to greater integration.

[Ignitionnet]

I agree with the above poster, the above is exactly what I mentioned my plans are. There will always be a place for fixed machines, laptops will return I suspect to being almost universally an enterprise tool.

I guess the first phase of that move was going with laptops for everyone.

[Gavin78]

I'm saying at the moment Smart phones and tablets are a fad now whether this gets better with time it might do it might not I have a smart phone and do spend a lot of time on it.

As for the pc I do play games on it but as a whole I'm not arguing the point of it being a gaming machine and talking about the pc as a whole for doing a lot of work which a tablet wont do.

As said tablets might get better in the future or they might just die out as a fad. I was trying to defend the pc on a gaming front though because it might not have the freedom of a console "plug and play" it does fair better its just a shame in order to keep the better up some of the parts are expensive.

But arguing that the PC can do things a tablet can't is a bit like arguing that the Fiat 500 is a fad because it can't do what a Range Rover can.

The range rover is a vastly capable machine but those capabilities are wasted on many of those that own one. Many range rover owners would be better off with something smaller, simpler and cheaper. Many people who don't own one, don't suffer from not owning one.

I have a desktop machine - an iMac - but the fact is, since I got my iPad, the Mac is frequently not switched on for a day or two at a time. That's because it is now only switched on when I need the power of a desktop machine, such as the photo editing I did yesterday afternoon, or the website development I've got coming up this week. None of the stuff I've done since last night has needed my desktop. I have dealt with business invoices, bookings and various bits of admin & moderating on here, all from the iPad.

[Tezcatlipoca]

Originally Posted by Gavin78

Well lets look at it like this....consoles are outdated as soon as they come out the box the ps3 and xbox360 are at least 5/6 years old now and although the graphics look good they just wont beat a pc which has the ability to move with the developers.

Poor pc games are down to sloppy companies not the computer. At the moment consoles are limited to games and some internet browsing but some new online games lag because the technology of the console finds it hard to keep up.

Tablets and smart phones although they are good for certain things they are still limited in what they can do and you can't type like you can on a keyboard with touch screen.

I think for now this technology is a fad for the smart stuff now whether this moves on and gets better I dont know but I can understand the point of view about being attached to a desk and not have any freedom.

I think the pc has plent of life in it regardless of its use. Gaming is down to the developers but again thats down to the individual home user. as I have repeated already the pc has shifted to online gaming and although there are larger companies out there releasing MMO games there are those that people dont buy in the shops and are download only from their websites.

I'm happy to stick around with my pc for gaming over my ps3

As Chris said, PC gaming is a specialist activity.

Yes, you're correct that the graphics and other tech specs of PCs do overtake those of consoles, because PCs can be upgraded while consoles have fixed specs (easier for developers to fully optimise for ). But... most people don't care.

Consoles are simpler & easier than a gaming PC.

Consoles are cheaper than buying & repeatedly upgrading a decent gaming PC.

No need to spend ££££ in the first place, and no need to then spend more again on a new graphics card, CPU, etc., every time things have moved on too far for your PC to keep up. A 250GB 360 is ~ £180, a 160GB PS3 is around £200, and Nintendo is releasing a sub-£100 version of the Wii in time for Christmas. And even though the graphics may not be as good as those of a top gaming PC, again... most people don't care. Uncharted 2 in 1080p on an HDTV still looks pretty damn gorgeous, as do many, many other PS3 & 360 games.

Although some big games are still PC only, or at least have the PC as their lead platform, the majority of big games are developed for consoles - either exclusively, or with a console as the lead platform and a PC version as a port.

The vast majority of game sales are for consoles, not PCs. Even for things such as CoD: Black Ops (the UK's number 1 selling game in 2010... because of console sales, not PC sales).

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/10/bl...f-the-pops-on/

http://www.vgchartz.com/home.php

http://www.vgchartz.com/yearly.php


As for:

"consoles are limited to games and some internet browsing" - Erm, no. Although the 360 & PS3 are gaming machines, they can do a lot more than just that. I can watch Sky TV on my 360, live and on demand. I can watch BBC's iPlayer, Channel 4's 4oD, and ITV's on demand service on my PS3 (not that I'd bother with ITV though ). Hell, I can even watch BBC iPlayer on my Wii. I can buy or rent films in HD on the 360 & PS3. I can watch DVDs on both the 360 & PS3, and BDs on the PS3. I can stream a variety of video and audio formats to both the 360 & PS3, including HD video. They are more than just gaming machines, they are entertainment hubs.

"some new online games lag because the technology of the console finds it hard to keep up" - In what way?

[Gavin78]

They dont have the power needed to keep up, I've tried playing DC universe with my ps3 ended up using the pc to play the game instead.

I know the majority prefer a console and costs but I wont knock back a pc as dead or on its way out not for a long shot. there is just much more flexability with a pc and thats the point I am trying to argue over everything else.

[Tezcatlipoca]

I still don't see what you mean by "dont have the power needed to keep up"?