Epic CEO Says PCs Can't Compete With Consoles

Game Daily is featuring an interview with Epic's CEO Tim Sweeney. In the interview, Sweeney indicates that PCs are not the best platform for gaming...though not because of the medium but because of PC makers:

it is very important not to leave the masses behind. This is unfortunate, because PCs are more popular than ever. Everyone has a PC. Even those who did not have a PC in the past are now able to afford one and they use it for Facebook, MySpace, pirating music or whatever. Yesterday's PCs were for people that were working and later playing games. Even if those games were lower-end ones, there will always be a market for casual games and online games like World of Warcraft. World of Warcraft has DirectX 7-class graphics and can run on any computer. But at the end of the day, consoles have definitely left PC games behind," he said.

The article goes on some more and is worth reading so check it out.

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Interesting article. I always do my best to avoid integrated stuff on my PCs after my first attempt to get into EQ, around its first year. It had integrated graphics and I just wasn't able to upgrade this particular computer.

ME TOO, Devlor! Integrated is NOT the way to go. The only surefire way to be sure that your PC will stay current is to make each part replaceable over time. Let's face it: After a couple years it's time for a new PC anyhow but in the interim, it's nice to be able to buy the "just below the top-of-the-line" graphics/sound card and/or upgrade RAM when you can. The horror stories I could tell you about my first Dell computer would curl your hair...unless it's already curly in which case it would straighten it. :)

Mr. Sweeney

Myopic and narrow minded thought process like yours on pcs vs. consoles is along the same lines of people claiming the Wright Bros. would never fly their contraption.

Chipsets will evolve, the pc makers understand that integration does not work, that is why there is a myriad of companies supplying a huge assortment of add-ons.

Continue to make great games.

Ok this Sweeney guy is so clueless its scarey, especially considering his position in his company.

His views reflect the time when Xbox360 first came out, perhaps. But not anytime in the last 12 months.

A Mid - High End gaming pc has more power than any console available. There are games out now that the developers say CANNOT be released on a console because they don't have the necessary power to handle them.

The versatility and upgrade ability of the PC leaves a static specification console standing.

The problem console owners have is that they expect their console games to continue to become more and more impressive, and to at least stay in line with PC games. The problem with that is that once you buy your console your on a slippery slope to doom because of its fixed specification and the fact that 2 years after you buy it, its technology is already outdated and not upgradable.

So unless you buy the next big console that comes along you will reach a limit as to what your console can handle. Where as PC owners will never reach a limit, they can always replace parts which become outdated, and the PC games developers can continue to utilise the most recent technology and the cycle continues.

Its the tortoise (PC) and hare (Consoles). Sure the Xbox360 on release was ahead of most PCs in terms of performance. But now its beginning to show cracks, and the average high end gaming PC blows it out of the water in terms of sheer power and gaming performance and ability.

I wouldn't swop my PC for any console available, no way and no thanks!

ps3 keeps up but how well dont know because nothing is even using ps3 close to its potential
but yea pc will become better

PC may get better, but the console will have a longer lifespan. Look at the PS2. It's 8 years old, still sells and still has games coming out. That and the wii prove you don't need the absolute best graphics to put out a decent game and entertain everyone. Enjoy spending thousands more on the most flawed platform. ;) I'll take an HD TV and more games instead.