What is going to happen to us console players when Online comes out?

[Dagmar]

I found the following unit sales numbers for Skyrim by platform (as of 3/9/13) on the site VGChartz.com. I make no claims about their accuracy, but they seem in the ballpark.

VG Chartz isn't particularly reliable. While most of their figures have about a 10% margin of error, the variance is such that specific instances can and have exceeded 25%.

The reality of the matter is there is no reliable public source to track game sales on a global level. Game publishers may put out statistics periodically but they stop doing so once game is no longer a top seller. This can result in a significant margin of error as a game ages out from its release date even when more reputable research firms like NPD Group provide the sales statistics. The sales statistics are also geographically restricted. NPD Group is probably the largest provider for retail sales statistics for video games and its data only covers the United States, United Kingdom and Japan.

That being said one doesn't need reliable global sales statistics to realize that that game console market is a significant part of the consumer market for video games. According to information published by NPD Group, for the year 2012 in the United States alone $6.71 billion out of $7.09 billion in video game software sales were for non-PC video game software. There's no way we can extrapolate that into even soft numbers for Skyrim across the three gaming platforms, but even if we assumed a 50% margin of error for less reliable sources like VG Chartz that's still a game console consumer market of roughly 5 million for Bethesda's Elder Scrolls game series. It's highly improbable that Bethesda is going to abandon development of games for such a large portion of its consumer base.

 

[Papzt]

we're gonna be screwed... stupid ass online multiplayer ruins everything gaming related..

LoL whut? Online games are breaking everything game related? thanks to the consoles we're stuck to old ass technology and horrible "console features" and you say online games ruins game experience?
I don't want to attack you console gamers, but due to such games we pc gamers get something what halfway giving us options that wouldn't be there in console games
Sent from my GT-I9300

 

[Nocte Aeterna]

I won't neglect my console when ESO comes out. I have ACIV to play later on, after all.

 

[Rodrrrigo]

one that could handle Skyrim with as little frame drop as a console can? honestly you're talking atleast a thousand.. my pc cost a good 1400$ with the highest video card i could find and i can't even get postal 2 to play without some frame drops here an there, you'd be better off searching around online than asking in a forum.

i'm no good at building computers or knowing what is a good video card

 

[Saozig]

LoL whut? Online games are breaking everything game related? thanks to the consoles we're stuck to old ass technology and horrible "console features" and you say online games ruins game experience?
I don't want to attack you console gamers, but due to such games we pc gamers get something what halfway giving us options that wouldn't be there in console games
Sent from my GT-I9300

You damn console players! This is why we can't have nice things!!! *sob*

I think you're missing the point. Consoles aren't holding back the technology--the corps who make the console are, for a few reasons, and while some are frustrating for any gamers, consle ro PC, other are actually reasnable, believe it or not, when you factori in the enormous growth the gaming industry as experienced over the past couple of decades and how corps need to mae product that is usable for more than 6 months. There's no reason why hate on consoles for being consoles. Their role in the gaming industry--and its success--is proven. Could they evolve a little more quickly? Yes. But to think they're a burden is very shortsighted.

And online games do ruin games for some people. I know--it ruin WoW for me. It's not an gaming environment that everyone wants to be a part of, and certainly not with the toxic culture that has arisen within many online games. And I am far from alone in that sentiment. Individual, offline gaming still has a huge appeal, if the success of games like Skyrim is any indication. And as far as I can tell with TESO, it's not really much of an evolution in the TES series design-wise. The graphics look horrible; it looks like cheap anime just done with lots of pretty colors and glitter. The factions are terribly constrictive for individual RPing, not to mention a pretty rehashed idea. The whole thing feels rushed, like Bethesda was a bit too eager to cash in on the MMO potential of the series. What exactly in this do you expect to be a great leap forward for PC gamers that you didn't get with Skyrim? I could understand it if you were getting amazingly detailed meshes and environments that in Skyrim had to be streamlined so not to make the game sprawlingly massive in size, or more realistic fighting graphics (as opposed the stupid bouncy-bouncy pl*ps I'm seeing in the TESO trailers), but I really don't think TESO is going to deliver anything like that.

 

[ShangTsung]

You damn console players! This is why we can't have nice things!!! *sob*

I think you're missing the point. Consoles aren't holding back the technology--the corps who make the console are, for a few reasons, and while some are frustrating for any gamers, consle ro PC, other are actually reasnable, believe it or not, when you factori in the enormous growth the gaming industry as experienced over the past couple of decades and how corps need to mae product that is usable for more than 6 months. There's no reason why hate on consoles for being consoles. Their role in the gaming industry--and its success--is proven. Could they evolve a little more quickly? Yes. But to think they're a burden is very shortsighted.

And online games do ruin games for some people. I know--it ruin WoW for me. It's not an gaming environment that everyone wants to be a part of, and certainly not with the toxic culture that has arisen within many online games. And I am far from alone in that sentiment. Individual, offline gaming still has a huge appeal, if the success of games like Skyrim is any indication. And as far as I can tell with TESO, it's not really much of an evolution in the TES series design-wise. The graphics look horrible; it looks like cheap anime just done with lots of pretty colors and glitter. The factions are terribly constrictive for individual RPing, not to mention a pretty rehashed idea. The whole thing feels rushed, like Bethesda was a bit too eager to cash in on the MMO potential of the series. What exactly in this do you expect to be a great leap forward for PC gamers that you didn't get with Skyrim? I could understand it if you were getting amazingly detailed meshes and environments that in Skyrim had to be streamlined so not to make the game sprawlingly massive in size, or more realistic fighting graphics (as opposed the stupid bouncy-bouncy pl*ps I'm seeing in the TESO trailers), but I really don't think TESO is going to deliver anything like that.

couldn't have summed it up better myself, thank you.. if i could add a few things to this its that in case people haven't noticed "and i don't see how they couldn't" ever since the annoying online mp craze has taken over the gaming industry ALL videogames have gotten shorter and shorter and SHORTER! hell crysis 3 as awesome as it was it has no replay value what-so-ever! why? cause the fuzzing game was barely 2 hours long! why? cause ALL the data had to go towards stupid @ss online mp to satisfy the kiddies! and why in the name of all that is holy did a game like that even need a gd mp mode!!?? cause its manditory now thats why! and thats not fair.. contrary to popular belief not all of us like online mp, in fact some of us downright HATE it! don't need it! wish it didn't exist! best example i can give and one that pisses me off so much i don't even like to think about it but here goes.. "Aliens: Colonial Marines" now i am probably one of biggest fans of the alien franchise you will ever meet, but will i ever live to see a decent alien game? NO! why? because online mp has ruined any hope for that ever happening.. any alien game released HAS to shove online mp into the mix, its not even an option.. this means that like it or not any alien game released will have ALL data hogged by the gd mp mode which garantees the actual game will be no longer than an hour or two.. just like aliens colonial marines was, and you know i had been waiting on that game like a kid waiting on christmas for over 3 years! only to watch my hopes crushed before my very eyes when i witnessed yet another "could have been" game destroyed by online mp.. so yes! it doesn't take a genius to clearly see that online mp DOES and HAS basically ruined the gaming industry.

 

[Reaper0021]

LoL whut? Online games are breaking everything game related? thanks to the consoles we're stuck to old ass technology and horrible "console features" and you say online games ruins game experience?
I don't want to attack you console gamers, but due to such games we pc gamers get something what halfway giving us options that wouldn't be there in console games
Sent from my GT-I9300

I've been playing WoW for almost 9 years...since Beta actually (toons on Armory are Wordbearer, Kruelty, Motarion and Communion). I can say, I'm fed-up with the constant waves of kids that get on those games, and start to flame, curse, ruin PvP, ruin PvE....and the gold farmers, the botters, the spammers....I could go on and on and on. Online gaming is fun to me, but I'm not all into it anymore. I have an outrageously expensive PC....I mean you'd think I sold a kidney to buy it it is that outrageous...yet I find myself playing single player console games a hell of a lot more than ANY PC game I have, and I own over 400 of them (127 just on Steam). Consoles are not holding PC gaming back at all. Period. Just do some research online and you'll see for yourself.

I will say this though: Game developers need to understand that PC gamers, while they do love gaming, they do hate games being developed for all platforms, yet having console-type interfaces. A perfect example of this is our beloved Skyrim. When I first ever started the game (on PC) it was obvious that the whole interface was developed for console gamers, yet unchanged for PC gamers. Now, it's no big deal as PC users shortly thereafter had mods like "SkyU.I." that changed it all and made it a more PC user friendly interface, but still, that's something I'd love to see changed. If your going to port a console game to a PC, then take some time to change certain things around for a mouse and keyboard user instead of a controller user.

 

[Papzt]

You damn console players! This is why we can't have nice things!!! *sob*

I think you're missing the point. Consoles aren't holding back the technology--the corps who make the console are, for a few reasons, and while some are frustrating for any gamers, consle ro PC, other are actually reasnable, believe it or not, when you factori in the enormous growth the gaming industry as experienced over the past couple of decades and how corps need to mae product that is usable for more than 6 months. There's no reason why hate on consoles for being consoles. Their role in the gaming industry--and its success--is proven. Could they evolve a little more quickly? Yes. But to think they're a burden is very shortsighted.

Ah wait, wait, wait. I don't want to offend the Console Players. I just wanted to say that the consoles are slowing the process of envolving down very much. As you said, it's the companies fault, not the players. so maybe i just said it wrong. Sorry if I offended you

 

[ShangTsung]

Ah wait, wait, wait. I don't want to offend the Console Players. I just wanted to say that the consoles are slowing the process of envolving down very much. As you said, it's the companies fault, not the players. so maybe i just said it wrong. Sorry if I offended you

what exactly is it that consoles are slowing down from "evolving?" more online mp? as if we need even more of that bs.. in case you haven't been paying attention, online mp has ALREADY pretty much taken over everything gaming related, and the truth is we have pc to thank for that! so if any community should be pissed at another it should be console gamers mad at pc for forcing its online mp fad into damn near every console game! i really don't see your point here m8.

 

[Reaper0021]

what exactly is it that consoles are slowing down from "evolving?" more online mp? as if we need even more of that bs.. in case you haven't been paying attention, online mp has ALREADY pretty much taken over everything gaming related, and the truth is we have pc to thank for that! so if any community should be pissed at another it should be console gamers mad at pc for forcing its online mp fad into damn near every console game! i really don't see your point here m8.

Some argue it was CoD that started the current fad. Others say it was a combination of games like "Battlefield and Medal of Honor". My point is...the debate will never actually be settled as to who did what and how it was done. PC's have always been a different market in the past. We had games like Command and Conquer, StarCraft, Diablo, SSI strategic games, Mindscape games like X-Com, etc. My point is PC games had always in the past catered to a whole different market. Console gamers, while they were playing things like Super Mario, Metroid, Castlevania, Sonic, action games like Tomb Raider, etc. We on the PC were playing things like Homeworld, etc. It's only been in the past few years that they seem to have tried to merge the platforms. Consoles are responsible for some of this. Then again, so are PC's. We can't blame one or the other.

NOW, we can blame, to a certain extent, game publishers that have forced upon us the merge of certain games in an effort to push sales and whatnot. When Cod (Call of Duty) was merged into all platforms, and because of it's success, and other games like BF (Battlefield) Halo, MoH (Medal of Honor) game publishers decided we all wanted this kind of online interactivity and we all, for the most part, enjoyed it. The fact is, these types of games (mainly FPS's) have caused the current push and have served as the new benchmark in how online games should be done. I for one just don't like these types of games because they are dominated by cyber-elite punk kids with big mouths and no control over what they say, when they say it and how they say it. Teamwork tends to be non-exsistent on these games and they become a shoot/curse/flame fest. I prefer single player.

My preference for single player is why I love games like Skyrim, Oblivion, Morrowind, Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2, X-Com, The Walking Dead, Deus Ex, Metal Gear, Splinter Cell...I could go on and on: The Witcher 1 and 2. I don't need or require MP to enjoy a game. This is why I don't support current games like Diablo 3 and the new Sim City. These new games require you to be online constantly...even to play single player. You MUST be online for the new Sim City to work. I refuse to purchase games like this. I just don't need them.

 

[ShangTsung]

Some argue it was CoD that started the current fad. Others say it was a combination of games like "Battlefield and Medal of Honor". My point is...the debate will never actually be settled as to who did what and how it was done. PC's have always been a different market in the past. We had games like Command and Conquer, StarCraft, Diablo, SSI strategic games, Mindscape games like X-Com, etc. My point is PC games had always in the past catered to a whole different market. Console gamers, while they were playing things like Super Mario, Metroid, Castlevania, Sonic, action games like Tomb Raider, etc. We on the PC were playing things like Homeworld, etc. It's only been in the past few years that they seem to have tried to merge the platforms. Consoles are responsible for some of this. Then again, so are PC's. We can't blame one or the other.

NOW, we can blame, to a certain extent, game publishers that have forced upon us the merge of certain games in an effort to push sales and whatnot. When Cod (Call of Duty) was merged into all platforms, and because of it's success, and other games like BF (Battlefield) Halo, MoH (Medal of Honor) game publishers decided we all wanted this kind of online interactivity and we all, for the most part, enjoyed it. The fact is, these types of games (mainly FPS's) have caused the current push and have served as the new benchmark in how online games should be done. I for one just don't like these types of games because they are dominated by cyber-elite punk kids with big mouths and no control over what they say, when they say it and how they say it. Teamwork tends to be non-exsistent on these games and they become a shoot/curse/flame fest. I prefer single player.

yea same here, i tried really, REALLY hard to get into online mp cause i knew it wasn't going away, and it just bored the everloving balls out of me.. its repetitive, aggravating, pointless, and just plain not fun. its like watching a twisted version of purgatory where all these guys just fight for all eternity, i'll even go as far as to say its creepy.. and its sad how great sp games are slowly becoming a thing of the past and their doesn't seem to be anything we can do about it.

 

[Two Bears]

I think that a lot of people overestimate the impact that TESO is going to have on the direction of the Elder Scroll franchise. Zenimax Online is the developer, just as Arkane was the developer for Dishonored and Obsidian the developer for New Vegas. Bethesda is simply the publisher here. A good example is how the success of New Vegas did not change the direction that Bethesda had in developing Fallout 4, as they continue to do their own thing outside of letting Obsidian have their fun with storylines from the old Fallout series.

Also keep in mind that a big name does not necessarily translate into financial success. See SWTOR for an example. All that hype the game started with and now it is down to the free to play model. The Elder Scrolls name is not going to carry this project, and the MMO market is already saturated. Zenimax Online is going to have to offer something very new and very novel if this is going to take off. Add to this the fact that a lot of fans of the series are already writing the game off for what it has done to TES lore. With roll-based fighting mechanics and an interface that looks like yet another WoW clone there are some major hurdles that this game will have to clear if it wants to have staying power; the benchmark of success for an MMO. After all, you've got to keep those subscribers if you want to break even, let alone make a profit.

In short, don't fret. The traditional Elder Scrolls series isn't going anywhere. You're going to hear some silence on TES VI. They're not even talking about Fallout 4 yet, which will come before a new Elder Scrolls title. A lot of that is because we are in the transition period between console generations. Be patient, too. Remember, Oblivion was a 2006 title. This isn't Assassins Creed, where a new title is going to come out every 18 months.

And by the way, I am a PC player. I never understood the animosity that some people have for rival systems. It's just video games.

 

[Medea]

There are games where online multiplayer is the only way to go. I play Left 4 Dead 2 all the time. I just wish Valve wasn't so drag-ass with everything. Other games like Halo, Call of Duty and Gears of War, are created mainly for the online multiplayer experience.

I don't think people will have to worry too much about ALL games going online. Yes, the era of the rpg is waning while the popularity of multiplayer fps games are waxing, but the popularity of Oblivion and Skyrim prove there is still a big market for offline games in the future. Next gen rpgs might turn the tables once more.

 

[Skulli]

This video, while after watching ALL of it before commenting, I disagree with 55% of, still addresses these points.

 

[ShangTsung]

There are games where online multiplayer is the only way to go. I play Left 4 Dead 2 all the time. I just wish Valve wasn't so drag-ass with everything. Other games like Halo, Call of Duty and Gears of War, are created mainly for the online multiplayer experience.

I don't think people will have to worry too much about ALL games going online. Yes, the era of the rpg is waning while the popularity of multiplayer fps games are waxing, but the popularity of Oblivion and Skyrim prove there is still a big market for offline games in the future. Next gen rpgs might turn the tables once more.

online mp is most certinly NOT the only way to go on the games you mentioned, in fact had they gone about these titles by making them story based games without shoving multiplayer into everyone's faces i'd be a huge fan of a lot of those games, especially halo.. no, thats just how they CHOSE to go about it, which is selfish imo, but what can ya do... even the CoD series didn't HAVE to turn every title into a dumb repetitive dude bros fest, they CHOSE to do that, hence why old school gamers like myself outright despise the series.. you really think left for dead needed to be mp based? you must be joking? its a freakin "kill the zombies and monsters game" ffs! thats like saying resident evil NEEDS online mp to be worth a damn.. look at RE 1,2, and 3! BEFORE online mp ruined everything, they did alright and the mp bs hadn't even been invented yet.. lol i am puzzled beyond words on your logic.

 

[Tyer032392]

well, can anyone tell me the aprox. price on a PC that could handle ESO and Skyrim smoothly on max graphics?

A good way of going about it is looking at games like the "Total War" series and building a computer based off of the recommended and you will not have any problems running any type of game. Also, many people have been saying "ShangTsung" in particular about frame rate drops, and that really has nothing to do with the GPU, but the CPU. You also do not need a pure gaming PC to run PC games, and even average PC's with at least a 3.0Ghz+ processor and decent graphics card will make the game look far superior to any console game.

Off topic: I myself am a PC gamer and believe that PC gaming is far superior to console gaming, but because of the sheer amount of raw power and resources that a PC has that would make both the PS-3 and XBox-360 catch fire. However, the benefit of the consoles is that the hardware is mainstream meaning making games for them are far cheaper and easier versus PC's, but at the cost of usually being far smaller in comparison to PC games. My friend and I have played TSO: Skyrim on the X-Box 360 and I have it on PC, and I have to say the PC version (to me) is far superior to the console version.

 

[Jaeger]

No, isn't the last, but no single player game has ever survived while another game in its series is an MMO.

Wasn't red dead redemption both (well, not massive multiplayer; PS3 had 32 (maybe) max in a sandbox). And quite frankly, the single player was better. Well, until undead overrun came out.

 

[ShangTsung]

Wasn't red dead redemption both (well, not massive multiplayer; PS3 had 32 (maybe) max in a sandbox). And quite frankly, the single player was better. Well, until undead overrun came out.

fact is it still would have been even better if online mp wasn't hogging data.. as good as red dead redemption was, imagine how great it would have been with no multiplayer getting in the way! this can ALWAYS be said for any game with an mp mode, regardless of all the excuses cod kiddies will make, the mp was done by a different dev, ect.. it STILL leaches data that could have been used to make the actual game longer, better, and more in depth, thus taking away from the sp, theirs literally no way around it, if a game has online mp the sp will ALWAYS be half assed. thats why this is really a pointless argument..

 

[Medea]

online mp is most certinly NOT the only way to go on the games you mentioned, in fact had they gone about these titles by making them story based games without shoving multiplayer into everyone's faces i'd be a huge fan of a lot of those games, especially halo.. no, thats just how they CHOSE to go about it, which is selfish imo, but what can ya do... even the CoD series didn't HAVE to turn every title into a dumb repetitive dude bros fest, they CHOSE to do that, hence why old school gamers like myself outright despise the series.. you really think left for dead needed to be mp based? you must be joking? its a freakin "kill the zombies and monsters game" ffs! thats like saying resident evil NEEDS online mp to be worth a damn.. look at RE 1,2, and 3! BEFORE online mp ruined everything, they did alright and the mp bs hadn't even been invented yet.. lol i am puzzled beyond words on your logic.

It has nothing to do with logic. It's just an opinion. Imo, these games wouldn't be nearly as successful without online multiplayer. I agree that many games are losing their luster simply because of the move toward online competitive play, but I couldn't play Left 4 Dead without getting to be the infected anymore.

 

[ShangTsung]

It has nothing to do with logic. It's just an opinion. Imo, these games wouldn't be nearly as successful without online multiplayer. I agree that many games are losing their luster simply because of the move toward online competitive play, but I couldn't play Left 4 Dead without getting to be the infected anymore.

meh.. interesting point i guess.. i personally think they'd still be successful, only difference would be the cod kiddies wouldn't be flocking to them.