I know a lot of us are really annoyed with GOG at the moment but this has got me thinking about the future of DRM Free and PC Gaming.

Like 99% of us here, I grew up on systems like the ZX Spectrum, Commodor 64, Amiga 500 and PC. PC became my platform of choice although I don't have anything against consoles, I own quite a few.

For all the power advantages a PC offers we have have to jump through so many hoops to enjoy a game. More often than not antipiracy techniques cause huge performance issues, even look at something recent like Deathloop. I have a i5 8600k, RTX 3080 and 32GB of RAM. My PS5 runs the game better and looks very good.

Has anyone here seriously considered giving up on the PC as a gaming platform? at my grand old age of 33 I am really not sure I can be bothered spending the money and the time fighting against this nonsense anymore.

Am I the minority here growing up with consoles.
GameBoy all the way to the Wii. Then I had to move around a lot so I went to PC. Probably explains why GOG is my first client or whatever.

The only Con for PC are the console exclusive games. Especially Nintendo ones for me. I mean yea you could play em on PC. But I do like owning the cartridge and stuff.

No. Because to me a PC has never been about gaming exclusively, it has been about control over what you do with it and the ability to mix and match the hardware that you want, whenever you want (within the sane confines of hardware compatibility).

Agreed that buying a console to just play games is a lot cheaper these days, but if you're going to have a PC in the house for many other things, why not make it a mid-range gaming PC as well at least?

I don't like the policy of Sony (see the Epic Games vs Apple lawsuit, it has some details), Microsoft's Xbox doesn't look amazing, Nintendo is not my cup of tea. Some PC gaming shops' games are very cheap and if you are not too picky on tech, will have a machine to play on. To me console gaming is costlier and I like to have a keyboard and mouse too much, as such in my case and view, personally, cons outweigh the pros in non-PC.

Don't take me wrong, I started from NES, got through many consoles ahead, originally a console gamer. NES, Sega Genesis, Nintendo N64, Dreamcast, PS2, PSP, PS3, all of that, PS4 don't have.

PC to me still feels like the lesser devil.
On consoles, games tend to be overpriced, discounts are less likely, you must use proprietary formats, I can only remember a single case of a console game that's DRM free (a demo from the PS Vita) and it's much easier to find the pros and cons of each game you want to buy (reviews on consoles when?).
On PC, even though there's far more issues easily noticeable, fair price is common, as well as better discount. And if you want to use proprietary formats, emulation is a viable option (sure, you still need a legit way of getting the required files, but it's far less of a hassle). And there are multiple stores distributing DRM free games. And at least on PC, reviews, forums and comment sections tend to be far more common and easily accessible.

I often think about the annoyances but overall, PC gaming still wins for several reasons:-

1. It makes zero sense to throw away an existing "best of 35 years" large PC game collection just because some post 2016 era game releases are turning to trash. If the worst came to the worst, I'd stop buying new PC games, but I'd always be replaying older ones for as long as is technically possible.

2. I also grew up with a ZX Spectrum. Can't play those on a console. You can play on PC (emulated). Same with older consoles / other 8-bit micro-computers.

3. Modding. From annoyance removals in RPG's like Oblivion to the thousands of hours of free content (Doom WADs, Neverwinter Nights Epic modules, Thief missions, etc). Or the ability to play older games in Widescreen (and even Ultrawide), etc. It's definitely worth it for me vs the "walled gardens".

4. The only real "pro" to consoles (physical discs = retaining at least some degree of ownership) will go the way of PC's over the next decade. From pushing streaming / subscription services like XBox Live to disk-less "slim" consoles. Or the fact modern x86 consoles pretty much need games to be installed, patched, etc, just like a PC and once those servers go down, even those with discs will be left with outdated / unplayable games you can't patch up.

5. I need a PC for work anyway. People who do PC vs console cost comparisons often forget to price in the need for either a low-end desktop / laptop for work on top of a console (had they not bought a gaming PC), plus the often more expensive games on top.

6. I have a XBox 360 controller for platformers, racing games, etc, but there's no way I'd ever use it for genres like RTS, FPS, point & click adventure, isometric RPG in place of a keyboard & mouse. PC's offer the choice that consoles don't for control inputs.

Could always go pirate and games that have DRM disabled/removed.

Hmmm.... i think there are more games without DRM and things you can enjoy vs the big named companies that put draconic DRM in the games.

But if you want to quit by all means. I'll play backgammon with you :) Physical games often are better than computer simulated ones.

At my age of 40, I remember times when I had to cross my fingers for a game to start or even install properly. No internet, no patches, no hot line to tech support. Trifles like some AAA-project having performance issues because of Denuvo and whatnot don't bother me at all.

Not me at least. I just don't see any viable alternatives at the moment.

Consoles are not that because their DRM is even worse than PC, they truly are walled gardens. I bought a Nintendo Switch for my kids and thought maybe I'd get excited enough to buy and play some games on it myself too... but nah, not really, at least for now. Its games cost much more than similar PC games, there are those DRM and anti-hacking measures getting into my way etc.

Frankly I am now kinda regretting maybe I shouldn't have bought it, but buying some PC gaming handheld for my kids instead, like Steam Deck or similar. At least I could run most of my existing, already purchased, PC games on one, without having to buy even the same games again for it.

To me PC really is the ultimate gaming machine, being able to play most of the games ever released, even from Sinclair Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amiga 500 games of your (and mine) childhood, even systems I've never seen or at least owned in real life but always wanted to play them myself (Mattel Intellivision, Vectrex, TRS-80, you name it), can even play lots of console games except the last few generations maybe (and with them it doesn't even matter that much as most games are multiplatform nowadays, ie. there is also a PC version available, unlike in the PS2 era or before) etc.

There are just so many games for PC from several generations, even lots of great freeware games, that I don't have to think of playing on any other platform. Heck, PC is the gaming platform where you could get countless gaming hours playing only free games, and I am not talking about piracy (or emulation) either:

- Different digital stores offer free releases all the time, e.g. check the Epic Store. I already have several dozen (at least) interesting games from e.g. Epic Store, GOG, Steam, EA Origin and UPlay, by their free promotions.

- There are also lots of free-to-play games on those stores/services, e.g. I still play lots of Team Fortress 2 without using another dime on it. Fortnite and DOTA2 are other examples, I guess.

- Lots of freeware games are surprisingly good IMHO, like Rolling Madness 3D, those Star Wars games that bloke made, the Wizball remake and lots of others.

Then again when so many great PC games can be obtained for mere few euros all the time, they are almost as good as free. And if you are ready to play older games, like all the older games on GOG, you don't even need a bleeding edge computer.

The cheapo laptop you have for your studies or work can run e.g. Fallout: New Vegas or Hitman: Blood Money just fine, or lots of other games.

Console gaming is cheaper if you are thinking of playing 2021 AAA+ games on it exclusively. PC gaming is so much more than that, also considering all the emulation of the past systems.

As far as I am concerned there is no difference between PC and consoles anymore. While with consoles there is a physical medium, there is a box, there are extras, that's all good and fine and on the face of it looks like it has value. Looking past this what you really get is your disc or cartridge. To be able to play you got to sign up and pay for a service, you need 0-day patches to have them run, when the servers and store are taken down you lose any progress, achievements, goodies, access to patches without which you can't play, multiplayer, social features. This is exactly what's happening to PS3, XBOX 360, PSP and eventually PS4 owners. For WII users, Super Mario Maker, the servers were shut down and others might follow.

Ultimately this puts console and handheld owners in a much worse position. That's because unlike in the old days, where for instance I can plug-in my original Super Mario Bros cartridge and play away without any worries about patches, which is the case with most of the old consoles pre XBOX One and maybe up to PS 2, this isn't the case anymore with newer consoles. Now all they can do is hope and pray that eventually with the next generation a new shop will be implemented, which of course they got to pay again for so it's possible to play all the old games you once had for your old system, they end up with worthless junk.

The only difference is hardware where clearly console owners, PS 5 and current XBOX generation, are at an advantage. If anything goes according to plan XBOX Game Pass and similar services are going to be in our future on PC and games as a service - my personal nightmare, really, becomes a reality. I wouldn't entirely rule out the possibility that there is going to be a plug-in card for PC emulating consoles, granting access to stores and online facilities which might be cheaper than producing consoles. PC's are only going to grow in power and capabilities and it is already possible to play current gen console games on modern hardware. Hook it up to your TV and you get the same experience pretty much.

Personally I can do with the games I own, in the classic sense of the word, for several systems, to last me for eternity and a day once this future becomes reality. Deep integration of XBOX service on PC in Windows 11 is reason why I don't even consider upgrading to it. And, of course, not falling for their move to shut out a large portion of potential consumers. A clever move, actually, as opposed to what they'd done with Windows 10, forcing upgrades from 7. It's in the human nature to long for access to things which you can't easily have or shut out of. This is something I am to old not to know better or to put up with. Investing money into something without return and possible loss in the foreseeable future isn't a wise move.

No, because with consoles you're severely limited to only playing the kinds of games that work with a gamepad. (Yes, keyboard/mouse peripherals technically exist for a few consoles, but are unused for all practical purposes so it's safe to ignore that.) This means some genres are dumbed down so they're playable with a gamepad, and some are mostly or entirely absent.

I vastly prefer PC gaming. Consoles themselves aren't as convenient as they used to be, before it was plug and play. now you need to install and patch just like a pc. Also you actually get errors too on ps5 and series x now and even games shutting down and taking you to the dashboard. so really consoles arent as good as they used to be since they lost any "advantage" they had like plug and play. And then on top of that every xbox game and many playstation games are coming to pc, even if deathloop runs bad like you said they will either fix that or down the road you can brute force it with more powerful hardware down the road to not have those issues.

Or finding alternate means to get the games from trusted sources with DRM removed... they aren't that hard to find.

Yes, but only in a certain way. I don't bother with AAA much. At this point in time the indie market is simply crushing them for gameplay in equal or greater value, and if they're reboots, they have to compete with prior games that still exist.

Certain games will still be DRM free as long as the makers are of a DRM-Free attitude. There is however a bigger concern that will pop up down the road, and Mori-Yuki somewhat touched on it.

PCs are, have and will be further consolised. Consoles have embraced PC architecture becoming lesser PCs in the process, Microsoft and Sony are expanding to PC, Microsoft is no longer console orientated, PC is now a platform among platforms, Windows 10 has become more restrictive and store integrated. Mori-Yuki touched on Windows 11. The equivilent of Console Wars on PC is Store Wars (Epic vs Steam), all the marketing talk of 4k 60fps will drive to hardware performances of PC. Dying IPs of consoles, decline of Sony (no suprise if it will turn 3rd party) and the dominance of Microsoft will radically shift the PC scene in the next 10 years.

Don't be surprised if Windows simply becomes the DRM. Mori-Yuki's reference of Windows 11 intergration with Xbox is a worrying sign of this.

My thoughts anyway.