Is Gaming Finally Moving Towards PC?

Console Gaming: Not Going Anywhere

Remember the days when everyone thought PC gaming was going to meet its doom? You know, the era when consoles were hailed as the knights in shining armor that were here to save us from the chaos of computers? Spoiler alert: that didn’t happen! Now, if you look around, PC gaming is not only alive but kicking up a storm like it just won the lottery. It seems like consoles might need to rethink their whole “walled garden” approach, huh?

Take-Two’s Thoughts on the Shift

So, let’s talk Strauss Zelnick, the big cheese at Take-Two. In a recent chat, he shared his perspective that gaming is indeed moving towards PCs, and it’s all about going open rather than keeping it locked up tight. Zelnick added, though, that if we consider consoles as properties rather than just limited systems, then that big juicy experience of plopping down on your couch and diving into an epic game on a massive screen isn’t going anywhere. Phew, right?

However, you can sense the tension in the air. Microsoft is drumming up excitement over a new Xbox console, but they keep telling us that everything is essentially Xbox now. Are consoles just going to be glorified PCs? It makes you wonder if there’s any point in upgrading your Xbox considering everything you love to play could end up on your trusty Steam machine instead.

Speaking of Steam machines, Valve recently dropped the details about a new one that looks a lot like a console but is really just a modest gaming PC in disguise. This led Xbox’s Phil Spencer to remind us, with all the enthusiasm of someone who just finished a marathon of paperwork, that Xbox is actually a big player on Steam now. But let’s face it: if you can enjoy Xbox games on this Steam gadget and not vice versa, why hustle for an Xbox? The battle boils down to pricing, and until we know the numbers, it’s all guesswork.

In the grand scheme of things, I’m on the same page as Zelnick—console gaming isn’t going poof into thin air, even if the concept of a console might evolve. Just one teensy irony remains, though: Grand Theft Auto 6, the golden child of Take-Two’s lineup, is still a mystery waiting for that sweet, sweet announcement for PC. Seriously, what are they waiting for?