PC游戏不死

    其他情况下，对游戏开发商而言，PC机也是通向游戏机的一条大道。著名的例子就是白俄罗斯的Wargaming.net。这家公司成功在PC机发布了免费网游《坦克世界》（World of Tanks ），还在今年宣布，这款游戏将很快移植到Xbox 360上。

    PC平台的开放性长期以来一直都吸引着小型游戏厂商，但这一点正在慢慢发生改变。鲍德温补充说：“PC平台过去拥有的胜过其他平台的一个巨大优势是进入门槛很低。使用PC平台不会出现平台制造商从产品中抽取利润或决定产品能否发布的情况。这一点成全了在其他平台无法通过的低预算产品和创新产品。不过这一点已经开始渐渐改变。平台制造商的门槛尽管还没有完全消失，但却已经有所放低。”

    问题可能在于，微软的Xbox平台显然在游戏机市场获得了可观的利润，微软长远上不愿看到PC仍作为一个可用的游戏平台。鲍德温说：“微软正尝试给PC平台设置门槛。长期来看，这将真正降低PC平台的优势。微软不会彻底杀死这个平台，但一定会损害它。”（财富中文网）

    译者：严匡正

    In other cases the PC could also be a path to the consoles for game developers. Of note is the Belarus-based Wargaming.net, which successfully launched the online free-to-play World of Tanks for the PC and this year announced that the game would soon be heading to the Xbox 360.

    The openness of the PC has long appealed to the smaller publishers but this is slowly beginning to change. "One of the huge advantages that the PC had over other platforms in the past was how low the barrier to entry was," adds Baldwin. "With PC's there was no manufacturer taking a cut of the product or saying that a product could or could not be published. This allowed both low-budget products and for innovative products that just could not be justified on other platforms. But that is changing somewhat. The manufacturer barriers have been lowered although not eliminated on other platforms."

    The issue could be that Microsoft, which clearly has a stake in consoles with its Xbox platforms may not in the long run wish to see the PC remain a viable game platform in the long run. "Microsoft is trying to create barriers for the PC platform," says Baldwin. "In the long run it is going to really lower the advantage of the PC platform. Not kill it, but certainly hurt it."