PC gaming: Top 10 headlines of 2010

December 29th, 2010

It was an exciting year for PC gaming. Better than last year (and definitely better than '07 and '08). But before we start asking ourselves, "Is it really 2011?" lets look back at the top 10 PC gaming stories of 2010:

1. Bigger, better, and more great games. Bang. Kapow. Booya. One of the strongest PC gaming lineups in recent memory. It's why we play.
   
2. PC gaming is big again. Call it a rebirth, E3 winner, more mindshare, whatever. The fact is, PC regained momentum in a big way this year.
   
3. Steam is bigger than Xbox Live. Stick that in your Xbox and smoke it.
   
4. Downloads surpass boxed games sales. It was only a matter of time. Admittedly, strict terms of service agreements by some publishers keep the news from being a home run. But overall, downloadble games are a much better (and cheaper) buying experience when compared to retail.
5. Microsoft renewed its vows with PC gaming. From new game announcements to verbal encouragement, not to aspirations of Steam pie, it's obvious the worlds largest software maker has lasered in on PC games once more.
   
6. Living room PC gaming becoming a reality. It still has a ways to go. But PC gaming in the living is better than ever, and in some cases, superior to sitting in front of a monitor. I've been dabbling. So have a lot of big names. Watch this space, gamers.
   
7. My, those are some sweet graphics. 2010 may be the first year we've seen some measurable improvementsTop of the line looks on PC go without saying, but it takes ambitious developers to make it happen, which they've started doing more and more of recently.
   graphics.
8. Indie games call PC home. In a really big way, in fact.
9. Cloud gaming became a reality. It ain't a home run. But it wasn't a flop either. And its built on the back of PC games. Keep your rig. But pay attention: this could get interesting.
   
10. A new PC gaming blog was launched. That would be us. Index here. RSS here. It's kind of a big deal. 

What do you think the most significant PC gaming headline of 2010 was? Whatever it is, thanks for reading.

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