As we say goodbye to the last year (and decade) of PC gaming, it's time to look in the rear-view mirror and reflect on what our beloved platform went through in 2019. It's been a refreshing year without much controversy and studio shutdowns, as that streaming and subscription services have started to offer us exciting new ways to play some of the best games on PC. Here are the ups and downs of PC gaming in 2019.
GPU drought is over
In 2018, the growing demand for cryptocurrencies led investors to buy GPUs on an unprecedented scale. Cryptominers would buy multiple copies of the same GPU, before installing them on unloved grainy rigs designed for the sole purpose of mining cryptocurrency (roughly the PC hardware equivalent of a battery of chickens). GPU stocks have been depleted, prices have skyrocketed, and PC gamers have lost out. Fortunately, with crypto demand plummeting in 39, we can once again get the latest gaming hardware at reasonable prices, and expect Nvidia and AMD to be better prepared if there's another spike in sales. GPUs in the future.
Epic Game Store plays hard to attract gamers
The reception at Epic's new game store was as tumultuous and unpredictable as the recent UK general election. People turn one way when you offer high-quality free games, and then the other way when Epic is running for major titles originally scheduled for release on Steam right under our noses. No one is claiming that a little competition from Steam is a bad thing, but beyond throwing bags of money at developers, Epic hasn't added any functionality to make their platform. A nice service to use. The save and search functionality is wireless, there's no family sharing, streaming, or any of the other features that make Steam the dominant force in PC gaming. It's still not a platform worthy of the great games it hosts, but PC gamers are forced to settle for it if they want to play it.
The Xbox Game Pass is exceptional
This year, Ubisoft and Microsoft joined the fray for subscription PC gaming services, following up on EA's strong Origin Access offering that's been around for a few years. But of these two, Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass for PC stole the show with its introductory subscription and collection of games. What sets Game Pass apart is the element of a pleasant surprise. Yes, you get the best of Microsoft's proprietary games, but you also get a wonderfully curated mix of indie and mainstream games from the past few years. The best games of 2019 like Metro: Exodus, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, and Outer Worlds are here, as well as indie hits like Hollow Knight, Slay the Spire, and Void Bastards. Xbox Game Pass was born from nothing to become the most beneficial gaming subscription service for PC.
Google Stadia isn't ready for the big time
It's happened to Amazon before and now it looks like it's happening to Google. You can have all the money in the world, but if you don't understand the game business, it won't help you. Google Stadia is a great concept, and perhaps it should have had more time in the oven before launching with a low game catalog, confusing (and not cheap) pricing, and performance issues. It's an awkward, multi-layered service that shows the streaming revolution isn't quite ready yet. Or maybe Google isn't the company that runs it. Of course, this is the beginning of the service, and there are likely to be better days to come when Google finds its feet, but in its current half-baked state, that doesn't justify the price.
Strange alternative games are successful
2019 hasn't seen the same wave of big-name IPs and open-world must-play RPGs we're used to seeing. It was a strangely quiet year, but it allowed more experimental games to progress and rank among the best of the year. Our detective RPG Disco Elysium is arguably the best of them, while Outer Wilds proves that you don't need endless cosmos and huge budgets to create a good space exploration game. The most mainstream RPG this year was Obsidian's The Outer Worlds, and even this one retains an understated personal charm that reflects its not-so-triple budget. Other notable titles this year with refreshing quirks include Untitled Goose Game, Sunless Skies, and the incredibly weird Hypnospace Outlaw, which lets you do detective work in exciting '90s-style intertwining.
Loot boxes continue to affect PC games
In 2017, the EU and other governments around the world cracked down on loot boxes, with EA's Star Wars Battlefront II at the center of the debate over random batches of items in the game in which players (often children) ) spend real money. . Belgium has completely banned loot boxes, the Netherlands have imposed heavy restrictions, while other countries, including the UK, continue to debate whether it's okay in a form of gaming. Although the practice has since died out in traditional premium games, a recent study from York University found that the presence of loot boxes continues to increase. In 2019, 71% of the 463 most played Steam games contained loot boxes, up from 4% in 2010. They may not hit the headlines like they used to, but loot boxes are still commonplace in 2019, leaving many young people at the mercy of this morally dubious monetization system.
Oculus Link turns Quest into a PC headset
Virtual reality is the most impressive niche in gaming technologically. Anyone who dons the helmet comes away impressed, and yet turnout is still pretty low. Enter the Oculus Quest, a deceptively powerful headset that plays most of the best VR games using its internal hardware. The Quest recently received an "Oculus Link" update that allows you to also use it to play PC VR games using a USB 3.0 cable. The update is still in beta, but the Quest already operates as a PC headset, making it the most versatile VR headset on the market. Quest's sales numbers have been impressive and, in the last quarter, were "almost double the combined sales numbers for the Oculus Rift S and Oculus Go," according to the company. SuperData studies. Wireless Quest seems to be exactly what people have been waiting for, but its compatibility with PC makes it the best virtual reality offering to date.
Red Dead Redemption 2 launch issues
Easily the most anticipated game release on consoles of 2019, Rockstar's formidable western epic has been an absolute disaster on PC. From the limited-time exclusivity on the Epic Game Store that reminds us that the PC is now a corporate battleground open to consumers, to a bug launcher that has prevented countless people from playing the game, Red Dead Redemption 2 for PC is one of the worst triple-A game releases in recent memory. Yes, the inherent diversity of hardware and software between different PCs is an important consideration that developers don't need to deal with on consoles, but Red Dead Redemption 2's chaotic launch shows that PCs are too often still a problem. afterthought for editors.