PC PC GAMES

Just got an extra Beta Key for APB. Use it if you want to try, but don’t just get it if you not really gonna play it. Also, if you use it comment at the bottom and let people know it has been used.

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Why you’ll probably never see a PC press conference at E3

When E3 kicks off next week, every major video game platform will have a big, sensory press conference, telling the world why it should play their hardware in the coming year. Everyone except PC, that is.

What does the PC industry think of this? They’re fine with it. “We have discussed holding [an E3 press conference],” says Randy Stude, president of the PC Gaming Alliance, “but the key difference between the PC industry and the console industry suggests this would not be a wise investment.”

As Stude and his membership see it, “E3 is a retail buyers show,” meaning game publishers hope to entice stocking commitments by wowing retailers during the trade show. This makes sense for consoles, Stude explains, since “99.99 percent of their revenues come from retail brick and mortar stores.”

For PCs, however, “retail revenue is only 25% at this point, and all indicators are that this will shrink for the next four years as online continues its dominance in the PC gaming marketplace.” So what’s the point? “Perhaps a PC gaming focused event would be best,” replies Stude.

Stay tuned for my full interview with the alliance chief next week as we talk turkey on the state (and future) of PC gaming.

In the last couple years E3 has struggled quiet a bit. The new face of gaming overall does not wait for E3 anymore. More and more quality titles release at other times than the big rush time after Thanksgiving and before Christmas.

But E3 has changed a lot over the years too when one looks at the hardware. Consoles are the heavy hitters and even top titles have a simple mention that it will be released on PC as well.

So the question is… what do we PC gamers expect from E3? Any surprises or special releases waiting in the wings for us PC fanboys? What are you waiting for?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:45:22 — 36.2MB)

• Blur Talk
• Cliff Harris asks “Why did you NOT buy GSB?”
• Supreme Commander 2 already in the bargain bin
• Lord of the Rings going FREE to play
• In game advertisement, how can or should it look like
• APB rumors
• Company of Heroes will go Free to play
• Valve mystery… Portal2?
• Namco/Bandai will not follow the UBI lead
• NVIDIA 3D… worth it?
• Kevin joins late
• Alpha Protocol
• Sins of a Solar Empire Multiplayer
• Big Joe Gaming Rig
• Need for Speed: World Beta Continues
• Retro Suggestion of the week: Psychonauts
• CA goes off the rocker with Game Censorship
• Will get’s a ticket in CA
• Purchasing Lions Online???
• Crysis 2 talk

I am needing (badly) to upgrade my current rig and am looking at you (the community) to give me some assistance.  The actual build won’t take place until the end of this year/first part of next year (December 2010 – January 2011), but I want to make this a community project.

I have current system specs and budget listed in the forums and would like for you all to give me a hand – so to speak.  I will keep you updated on the progress, choices, and will post pics of the machine in its current state as well as during the re-build.

Here is a link to the forum threads that I have started.  Please understand that you will need to register with the forums in order to put your $0.02 (2 cents) into this build.

Big Joe’s PC Build

Thanks for all of your recommendations in advance.  I will also have a surprise for someone in the community once this build is complete.  So keep that in the back of your mind, and happy “virtual” building.

Peace Out

The Wizzle

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:11:04 — 45.0MB)

Because of the Holiday (and my hardware) this came a bit later than usual. Here is a shout out to all Veterans, not just in the US. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to speak our mind freely. Hard to imagine what it would be like if we couldn’t go on a random rant about this or that having to mind what toes we could step on.

We talked plenty about all sorts of games this week. Blur stuck out and nearly all pcpcgames.com regulars have purchased it. Mario Cart on crack sounds about right… here are the other things we touched on:

• Blur
• StarTrek Online
• Login Conference (MMO)
• Another look at APB (All Points Bulletin)
• New MMO Subscibtion Models are coming
• Stolen MMO accounts and the economy behind it
• Why you should not try to steal games at a gaming conference (PAX East)
• Some people spend way to much money on Digital items
• DRM News
• Pachter is wrong again… why not
• SEGA on the bad DRM wagon?
• Another 360 bites the dust
• New 360′s this Christmas?
• Valve dominating future PC sales
• STEAM ramblings
• Some cell phone talk
• BIG Foot Network News (Josh Called It)
• Are gamers really tired of certain time periods (WWII)
• Need for Speed World only $20… but…
• Steve Jobs
• Micro ATX and CrossFire don’t mix

Need for Speed’s MMO is opening another round of closed beta this week. Starting today, Wednesday June 2nd, and running until the 13th, beta servers will be up and running. I will log in a little to see the difference, especially if we can see the other drivers and their cars in the open world.

However, I think i’m going to be wishing for my shunts.