Whilst idly watching Twitter and Facebook continue to fill up with console types nattering excitedly about Street Fighter IV being the best thing since deep-fried cabbage or something, I entirely forgot that I was supposed to be playing it too. There was a PC release due, remember? I became miffed. Like this: grrrrrrr.
A quick spot of searching revealed a) Amazon claiming it’s now due in June. June! and b) a story from October that I’d somehow missed, in which Capcom admitted it’d be released after the console versions. No reason or date was given. Tomorrow I’ll attempt to find out what’s going on, or if we should presume this’ll quietly disappear and never be mentioned again. It would be a shame – I’ve no idea how well it’d work on PC or how big the audience would be, but it’d certainly be fascinating to see how a high-profile fighting game does fit this old box of ours.
Related Stories:
If any developer tells you the PC version is taking longer because it takes longer to get it working on PC they are talking balls. I bet that the game already runs on PC as any multiplatform developer will have already abstracted away the minor differences between PC and 360 and its a lot easier to test things quickly on a PC. Plus, y’know you plan for the vagaries of the different platforms during development, you build in a few weeks for compatibility testing. A delay until june is definitely for reasons ither than ‘its harder on PC’, a few weeks delay could be a title rushed to market on the lead platform but not this length of delay.
“SF2 came out on the Amiga (and PC) over a year after the console version. Quit yer bellyachin’ over a few months. :)”
Just shut up and be happy with being treated like a third-class citizen, eh? One would imagine that bending over like that all the time would make one incredibly tired…and sore.
I second the call for Capcom to explain why they are even in that suspiciously crappy gaming alliance. SFIV is out for PS3 and Xbox but not on the PC – which they claim to want to support – until May??
The PC needs a decent one-size-fits-all joypad like the consoles, a piece of hardware associated with the platform. Also, a little support from games developers to make sure it’s catered for, too. I have a couple I bought from PC world years ago (mainly for emulation games) but they’re not fancy analogue, dual-stick runble jobbys.
This
Godawful.
With as much respect as I can lay claim to with this following statement: you’re talking out your ass.
I’m currently working on a project where a 360, PS3 and a GfW LIVE PC title are all due to ship within days, at max weeks, of eachother. I worked primarily on the PC release; it came in later than the console versions and it is due to leave soonafter. This happens to be a Vista-only release, so it could be that supporting multiple OSs adds significant development time. It could just be because the PC is deemed to be less important than the console versions. But GfW looks to have had very little effect on any delays experienced, especially since its guideline requirements are minimal compared to the 360 or PS3 TCRs/TRCs, which require a lot more manhours and manpower.
I don’t think GfW LIVE is currently nearly near the same level of Steam’s multiplayer services, but I think any delays for PC games are down to a combination of them producing more bugs due to the multitide of hardware setups that expect support, and the PC not being the lead SKU for the majority of projects. Street Fighter debuted on the console and has always been developed foremost with consoles in mind. The cold reality of this matter is that the PC was deprioritised for this title, and rightly so. If you look at how many fighter fans own a high-enough spec PC to play the game and would be happy using a keboard default input or spending extra on a gamepad/stick bundle, and then compare that to the amount of fighter fans who own a console that could play this game well out of the box ‘fairly well’ (well on the PS3) with no other peripherals, it’s a no-brainer.
I could also mention the P word but I think that goes without saying and this discussion doesn’t need to be about that since it’s clearly not the major contributing factor.
Expect all of Capcom’s pc games to come out x number of months after the console version
Um, just as a potential nitpick, but don’t Amazon et al just make up release dates for games which don’t officially have one yet? I’m pretty sure there’ll be a requirement for anything in their stuff-for-sale database to have a release date before they can offer it for pre-order.
After all, they have a release date for Starcraft 2 (Sept 29) and Dantes Inferno (March 10, 2010), and I’m sure neither has anything set down yet.
I think it’s hilarious that Capcom think that by not selling something they’ll see their sales increase. Only speaking for myself but I’m pissed off enough that this is off my must-buy list now, so good going Capcom, sales -1.
@Rustkill mine too! Green screen monitor.. though could hook it up to a TV for glorious colour! That was technology.
Er, on topic.. people are actually seriously looking forward to Streetfighter 4 on the PC? Strange.
Why’s it strange, name one other good fighting game on the PC that isn’t One Must Fall 2097.
@Rook
Sumotori?
Yeah! I have a mame’d jamma cabinet waiting for this! The PC within it might not play it very well at all but anyway… i’ll have a SFIV cabinet! whoop!
I don’t think you quite get it. It’s about seeing their profits increase. If SF takes 10 squillion dollars to get made on PS3/360 but only 8 squillion dollars to make on PC, but the game is tons more popular on the consoles, AND the game is releasing in February (which puts it in 2008/2009 annual statistics), then it makes more business sense to delay the game on the platform that is not as cost effective and focus on the moneymakers. If companies don’t use good business sense, they ultimately die and you don’t get any big-budget games to play at all.
If all the platforms got delayed because they were all scheduled for identical release dates but the PC was creating more problems, then they lose money for the financial year and possibly overall since people who have saved money for the release date might get something else instead and never pick up SF4; they might never impulse buy it. All because they wanted to cram in a dramatically different platform to appear fair.
Tbh the devs that release PC versions a few months afterwards are usually the guys who are taking the platform more seriously, since they’re giving it the extra attention it needs. I’m sure it’s not always the case with the delays, but that’s the most plausible explanation to me.
Rise of the Robots was good too.
No it wasn’t.
Anyway, it’s strange to me because fighting games and the PC don’t go hand in hand is all.. hence there not being many.. and people who are fans of the genre are better served buying a console for them so they can be spoilt for choice and have two player matches with people sitting next to them on the sofa whom they can punch in the arm and whatnot.
http://www.capcom.com
It says so right here in the website; ‘Terrain. Liked by PC gamers. Bitter unlikable loners whose passing shall not be mourned.’ SHALL NOT BE MOURNED. That’s exactly what it says. Very formal. Very official. It also says they were adopted. So that’s funny too.
Don’t know how it would work on PC? Well come on, what PC gamer doesn’t have a gamepad? Apart from maybe FPS nuts who might not want this game anyway.
We even have Xbox PC pads to splash out on nowadays, so i really don’t see why i’d want to own a console, other than the exclusive releases we sometimes see. Can do it all on the old rig!
360 pads d pad is much less crap if you dare to open it up and mod it.
Ahhh. An excuse to pull my X-Arcade Dual stick off my standalone MAME/EMU box. I just can’t do those DPad thingies. I have so much muscular memory still in place from years of Arcade loving with SF2 I feel all stupid using a pad. At least it’s Capcom so we should get a great port. I just hope the netcode is up to snuff and the game can detect any cheaters / hex editors…
Terrain, though? What? Am I missing something (tongue in cheek, perhaps)? I was anticipating 2d renders here…
As I said before: The PC Gaming Alliance turned into a farce the moment the software developers turned up. All the hardware companies on the list have a vested interest in the PC and can be given the benefit of doubt. Epic et al have consistently demonstrated they really don’t give a polished brass testicle about the platform. Now only EA and Ubisoft need to sign up and the anti-PC Alliance is complete.
Why does Epic’s behaviour mean that software companies don’t want the PC to be a successful commercial platform?
Its not software companies. Its the specific software companies. Capcom who are treating pc users like second class citizens, and epic who treat them like junk.
Meh, I don’t see why Capcom owes PC users a port of SFIV in the first place…it’s not like Relic owes Xbox gamers a port of DoW II.
They don’t owe us anything. Some people just don’t like them talking like they are really interested in pc’s health and then acting differently.
Personally? Delays are fine. But keyboard only input ala resident evil 4 pc is not. If we get ports, make them viable.
What do you mean by viable?
@Tetracell
Not a cheap rushed copy that is no fun to play and only serves to give the company a feeble excuse when PC gamers complain.
That’s how I read it.
The problem with the RE4 port (which wasn’t done by Capcom – it was done by Ubisoft, who royally messed it up) wasn’t in the controls, as you could just plug in a gamepad and play it just like the originals. No, the problem with it far more heinous than that.
They went and ported the PS2 version of the game, which has markedly weaker graphics than the Gamecube (and later Wii) versions. And on top of that? They actually managed to break the entire lighting engine, leaving some environments fullbright, and generally making things look even worse.
Later patches and fan-projects improved the graphics, but the damage was done.
Thank eff that Capcom are doing their ports in-house now. Lost Planet (despite being anathema to PC gamers, apparently) was a perfect port. As was Devil May Cry 4 (despite whining from people who haven’t played a 3d brawler in their lives and want to use the mouse to play EVERYTHING), and RE5, SF4 and (hopefully) LP2 look due to get similarly top-notch adaptations.
Well that’s fair, but aside from looking like trash (which can be fixed with a load of mods) RE4 was still fun to play. DMC4 is very good on the PC, I haven’t played Lost Planet aside from the demo and it seemed like it was well done. So i’d expect that SF4 will be too.
SF4 on PC will be a bubbling bucket of concentrated evil.
Whilst I’d normally think a bucket of concentrated evil would be pretty awesome and open up new fields of science in meta physics and chemistry, I wouldn’t want to drink it.
If I am wrong, I will buy you all a big bucket of chicken(concentrated GOOD).
“A PC version is still in the works, but will be released at a later time following Capcom’s recent policy of delaying PC releases to fight piracy.”
Well thats nice CAPCOM, good work. I had money put away for SF4 for PC, but seeing how they treat PC gamers as second class citizens they can suck on a goat and they aint getting my money now because of this forced delay.
Now instead ill check the torrents close to release date.
idiots.
Yeah that’ll show ‘em. Keep up the good work!
A Capcom employee mentioned “somewhere on the internets” that the PC version was delayed due to the console platforms being Capcom’s main priority. *sniff*
At least I will get to pwn SF n00bs at 2560×1600 on my beast of a PC >D
… although, most PC beat ‘em up fans will probably be tournament contenders with 10,000+ hours of practice on emu roms…
If any developer tells you the PC version is taking longer because it takes longer to get it working on PC they are talking balls. I bet that the game already runs on PC
The game has been running on PC for as long as it’s been in arcades, what with the arcade unit being a PC and all.
For the controller “debates” either get an arcade stick, or a SEGA Saturn USB pad (CAPCOM modelled their custom SF controllers for PS2 after it, but they’re not as good). Anything else is settling for less (usually way less).
Listen you ninnies! Playing fighting games on a keyboard is like playing FPS games on a gamepad, sure it can be done and some of you will claim to be superior at it. But when it all comes down to it, the ONLY way to play Street Fighter is with a ARCADE stick, not a gamepad or keyboard! Jeez.
Update time! SF4 may be coming out this summer, and may be bundled with a MadCatz controller.
Yep well looks like they pushed release date from Jun 2, 2009 to Q3/2009.
Now 100% gonna be pirating it.
great work Capcom!
hey man I don’t know why, Alec Meer said, “but it’d certainly be fascinating to see how a high-profile fighting game does fit this old box of ours”. Old box? Are you kiddung me? I have a dual-core 2.6Ghz processor and an Nvidia 9800GT in this box of mine!!!! And it’s way better than an Xbox 360 and PS3 combined!!! But yeah I will pay for Street Fighter 4 when it comes out for PC as long as it’s a Games for Windows Live game and hopefully it offers cross-platform play PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!