Do you think that the current PC Video Game shortage is a result of Vista's unsuccessful entrance into the market? I don't know enough about computers to answer this, but if developers were planning on a Vista upgrade and all the hardware upgrades associated with it could that have derailed their production plans?

 

As I understand it alot of people are sticking with XP and ordering XP in their new computers.

 

Any thoughts?

PC games are falling due to consoles, it has nothing to do with vista. There's really no benefit of sticking with XP at this point, but developers won't be making vista only games for awhile. Microsoft is thinking about extending the lifespan of XP once again to allow it be to sold until 2009 I believe, OEM's were supposed to be cut off this summer.

There will always be a place for PCs but unfortunately its doesn't make business sense make heavy hitting PC only games. The price of admission for a gamer is at least 1500 just to build a decent rig to run heavy games, and if you don't know how to build PCs you can go out and have someone else do it for you for twice as much money. Consoles are relatively cheap as we all know.

 

As far as developers go- why develop for minority userbase on PC when you can build for console and then do a halfassed port to PC?

 

Then there's the issue of piracy:

 

http://www.neowin.net/news/gamers/08/01/21/pc-piracy-levels-are-astounding-says-cod4-dev

 

I love PCs, mouse and keyboard are the only way to roll. Then you have above and beyond graphics and sound that beat the pants off consoles. I fear though after the relative flop of PC games like Crysis and rise of consoles we will be seeing less and less PC exclusives.