I don't disagree Clok, but the PC will never be as standardized, stable or efficient as a console, which is fine because again, there are advantages on the PC side. The main issue I have with PC gaming is that you're never guaranteed a certain experience. Heck, a user on the SAME computer playing the SAME game can have a different experience a week later if he installs the wrong update or new background processes run or any number of other things that are not related to playing games. As a multi-purpose device whose primary function is not gaming like a console's - by definition it will not be ideal for that task. That's primarily while I maintain an every day computer in my HP TouchSmart and a primarily gaming computer with my Sager laptop, so I can ensure that nothing I do detracts from the laptop's primary function of gaming. It's just too easy to mess something up and I know even the best of us have had some time wasting disasters or instances where something just didn't work right.
I would think MOST designers would prefer console over PC simply because they can guarantee that most of the experience they intended will reach the end user intact (naturally, TV sizes, quality and sound systems vary, and some unfortunate souls are still on SD TV's) even if it means scaling back SOME of the ambition (and again, how much actually needs to be scaled back on the 360 or PS3 is debatable). Again, a developer may have a pie in the sky design that runs on 1% of the PC's out there and may sell to 10,000 people, but I think he'd want to modify the design and reach 90% of gamers and sell millions of copies.
I don't disagree Clok, but the PC will never be as standardized, stable or efficient as a console, which is fine because again, there are advantages on the PC side. The main issue I have with PC gaming is that you're never guaranteed a certain experience. Heck, a user on the SAME computer playing the SAME game can have a different experience a week later if he installs the wrong update or new background processes run or any number of other things that are not related to playing games. As a multi-purpose device whose primary function is not gaming like a console's - by definition it will not be ideal for that task. That's primarily while I maintain an every day computer in my HP TouchSmart and a primarily gaming computer with my Sager laptop, so I can ensure that nothing I do detracts from the laptop's primary function of gaming. It's just too easy to mess something up and I know even the best of us have had some time wasting disasters or instances where something just didn't work right.
I would think MOST designers would prefer console over PC simply because they can guarantee that most of the experience they intended will reach the end user intact (naturally, TV sizes, quality and sound systems vary, and some unfortunate souls are still on SD TV's) even if it means scaling back SOME of the ambition (and again, how much actually needs to be scaled back on the 360 or PS3 is debatable). Again, a developer may have a pie in the sky design that runs on 1% of the PC's out there and may sell to 10,000 people, but I think he'd want to modify the design and reach 90% of gamers and sell millions of copies.