Rich Fiscus
24 Apr 2007 19:28
Sales of PC games seem to be poised for a sales resurgence in the U.S., reversing an almost decade long decline. In 2006 sales increased to over $970 million, a 1% gain over 2005, when they fell over 13%. So far this year the trend seems to be continuing, with January and February figures showing a 48% increase over the same period a year earlier.
The biggest reason for the improvement in 2006 seems to be the 43% growth in sales of PC role-playing games. While consoles, starting with the PS2, have come to dominate such genres as first person shooters and driving games, the more complex controls and interface of role-playing games tends to give the PC an advantage.
PC games will also be getting some help from hardware vendors. Besides being the parent company of Alienware, one of the first computer retailers to specialize in gaming PCs, Dell is also now selling high end gaming computers. Hewlett Packard, on the other hand, is working on prototypes for new hardware, like a display that wraps around the user, and plans to have some new products available for sale later in the year. Microsoft is also targetting the gamer market with a new USB adapter for connecting XBox controllers to a PC.
Microsoft's new Games For Windows program should also help drive PC game sales. Besides offering Games For Windows - Live, modelled after the popular Xbox Live, the program is intended to allow Windows Vista users an easy way to determine if a game at the store will work on their computer by using Vista's built in System Assessment Tool (the same tool Vista uses to decide which features your hardware can support) and comparing the results printed on a software box. Other requirements for the Games For Windows program include compatibility with Xbox controllers and Widescreen displays.
Sources:
The New York Times
Next Generation
Games For Windows