News EA: 'PC could be our biggest platform'

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2011/03/09/ea-pc-could-be-our-biggest-platform/1

 

you missed out BF3 in your shortlist for EA's big releases.

the BF Heroes has a few accounts from me, but not a penny from me. i personally don't see how microtransaction game can take off, apart from expansion packs, i've never really bought into this DLC or "spend a few quid for a flashy gear" business.

 

BF3 isn't PC exclusive.

Games like BF Heroes can monetise users without them spending cash though, remember: http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2009/10/16/free-facebook-games-make-20-per-user/1

 

Umm...Microtransactions are becoming very big very fast. Maybe not for you, but for the millions using it on Facebook (Zynga et al), the appstore (they're definitely microtransactions at 59p a game), and in even game microtransactions (Capcom Smurfs game?). And BFBC2 skins and little upgrades? How many people have you shot and killed with a DLC skin? Big big business.

 

If your video card supports dual monitors, then you can just plug in another cable (from the new screen to the tower). or you could buy a VGA splitter.

 

but BF3 is a completely different game on PC compared to consoles. 64 player alone says it all.

good point about facebook games, hadn't thought of that. but i just hope and pray it will not make games unbalanced for people who don't pay. Infinity Blade on iphone for example every update, they add more and more expensive gears, that has become too expensive for the player to buy without microtransaction.

 

For EA to show support to PC like this, it warms my cockles.

Also, free-to-play and micro-transactions work because people who pay for these things subsidise those who don't. Gold diggers in WoW are micro-transactions. Take the WoW model, delete the Chinese diggers and incorporate the transactions in to your game, that would subsidise a lot ...

Imagine an MMO where you started as a peasant in another player's castle. You could be a grunt and fight for the castle owner for years, earning a pittance and sharpening your sword on the teeth of Orc's. Or you could slip in £20 and buy yourself a house, with a little land, employ some peasants (players) and go off and have an adventure yourself ... Copyright (c) 2011.

Good point. But for those who dedicate time and energy instead of their hard-earned real cash, you can equally reward both and both will get the same rewards, but the person who uses their time and energy gets it free ... that's kind of a bigger reward both in financial terms and as a personal achievement.

Added: assuming the access is there for time/effort rewards. If it isn't then you just get the bare bones for free. But then what do you expect for free?

 

Haha does anyone feel the console life cycle coming round? Everyone wants to be our friend again! Devs keep praising the PC like a drunk husband returning home to the wife, but I remember 2008/2009 when we were the annoyance sticking to the bottom of their multi-million dollar console fed shoes

 

Not exactly a good metric, i'm a registered user. I played it for an hour got bored haven't even thought about it since.

 

Sort of ditto, except I didn't even manage to complete the tutorial before getting bored!

 

yeah me neither, why would i play that when i have BC2 sat there?

 

future of gaming should be platform independant preferbly all browser based with scaling so can run on any PC, Mac, Mobile device or Tablet.
Onlive and GaiKai are the future so i wish all the dev's would get together and fund a open source online platform they can all use/share equally.

 

No good games then? Ooooo burn. Sorry, I'm not interested in anything EA are releasing this year apart from BF3

 

All these are broadband speed and volume dependent, so although it may become a large part of the future, we'll always need bigger and beefier computers to play those games that will always be speed and volume hungry. Unless we get completely unlimited speeds and unlimited download volumes ... will that ever happen though? Is it physically possible to hit the limit of what games can do and the amount of data they need to do it?

 

My thoughts exactly. I've been telling my friends for the last couple months that by the end of the current gen of consoles lifetime PC will be king again, and that it was starting now. Lo and behold

 

Yup was thinking something similar.

This is just EA declaring that they've taken as much as then can from consoles for now and that it's time to rip pc gamers off for a while now.

 

Exactly. It wasn't so long ago everyone (including devs) were talking about the death of the pc gaming industry.

 

So true ...now witness Bit-tech's on blog piece on the eol of the Xbox...

Inreality what this means is that PC will be the lead platform for the next couple of years while Devs wait on a new Xbox/PS.

So where will M$ draw their metaphorical line in the sand ... i5-2600+6950DX11 or lower or higher spec ...it's claimed they've just started developemnet on the 360's replacement.

 

Yeah RIIIIIGHT!!!!

EA says the PC could be there biggest platform...sure.

I'll just ask anyone who believes this crap to go to the official EA Need For Speed forums...and take a look at the Hot Pursuit sub-forum...

The biggest gripe there? NO SUPPORT.

Consoles have up to know received about 8 DLC packs...and two additional game modes and types. The PC?

ZIP...ZERO...ZILCH...we did get1 patch to make the game playable and 3 cars...oh and the single oft-repeated post that they value us PC-users and will have something for us soon...

Meh...

 

Probably more to do with the second hand game sales market on consoles ruining their income streams. Plus Sony and Microsoft seem intent on banning the accounts of half their users.