NIDZUMI+

This week eventually saw the release of Grand Theft Auto 4 on the PC. The original console versions that were released months ago ran smoothly although sometimes had the odd pop-in of texture and slight frame rate issues when speeding down roads. Unfortunately the PC version has suffered from DRM and hardware issues and this really speaks volumes on why PC gaming isn’t as popular as it once was.

DRM is a familiar issue with PC games and although it’s designed to keep pirates out it really keeps out people who paid for the game. The recently released Football Manager and Spore both had DRM issues that ended up keeping paying customers out of the game while anyone else could easily download and pirate the game for free. 

Meanwhile GTA4 was also effected by hardware issues. Now as DX10 cards become cheaper the proposition of PC gaming becomes more appealing. Yet it’s still hard to drop hundreds of pounds on a couple of graphics cards that you’ll link up, if you know there is a big chance your games won’t run as smoothly as they should. Then you have to consider the fact that other components aren’t cheap and that only raises the bar for entry.

Now it’s easy to understand why games don’t work on all hardware setups. It would be impossible to check your game on every single combination but the DRM issues are inexcusable. It would make sense to have every game registrable through steam. That way you’ll cut down on piracy and have the excellent post-release support that steam offers.

The truth is that although people want PC gaming to be more popular with these issues combined with a longer wait for a Windows release and horrible configuration just to get the game to run smoothly, all make for a bad experience. Most of these issues have to be tackled before you’ve even started the game. Although personally I’d love to see a resurgence within the PC market, it’s hard to see when the PC market at the moment is World of Warcraft. Actually I can’t see it happening until hardware gets cheaper, DRM gets axed, release dates get closer and configuration is kept to a minimum.

Maybe the shift towards console gaming is due to the fact that now they can do what the PC could do but a lot better. Online gaming combined with better resolutions and graphics easily triumph over a failing PC market because PC gaming didn’t really stand much of a chance. Although PC gaming isn’t as big as it once was there will still be a niche market for people to enjoy and all of these hardships are worth battling against for the excellent post-release community support.