Retail distancing from PC platform?

[Gary R.]

Is it just me or are any of the rest of you noticing that major software retail stores seem to be distancing their inventories away from PC softwares and embracing fully the game platform environment?  I've increasingly noticed this trend now for about the last 4 years, from 2001 onwards.  Already, the very best add-ons for our FS can only be purchased on-line.  I have never seen a PMDG or Flight 1 title on a store shelf and it's been a long time since I've seen a Wilco or PSS product also.  It seems the only publisher retailers still stock are Abacus.  Why is this?  Is this what the market is calling for?  Embracing of the game decks and reserving their PC's for work and household management tasks??  Are we in the FS community really that small of a nitch?

[Katahu]

It's called "The Law of Supply and Demand". There are not that many FS users who would walk to a store and buy an addon off the shelf. Besides, most addons can be downloaded directly after payment. A retail store will not stock a box-loads of "Fly Tampa: Fly Miami" airport scenery on a shelf if almost nobody is going to buy it off their shelves. It will be a waste of money for the store.

Besides, more and more consumers are looking towards the internet for shopping every year and the numbers are growing steadily.

[Gunny04]

I've noticed it as well, a bunch of Damn good looking story games (anime) from Japan (I get newsletters from gamespy daily) I read the review and say I want that then look at platform and its Xbox 360 PS2 Gamecube or something, I dunno why they arent giving the PC Propper credit anymore, but I have found that simulation games are mostly on PCs these days (and intense FPS) I wish they'd come back to PC! Cheers, Gunny

EDIT: Looks like I read the post slightly wrong, but I still stand by what I post, yep the selection in Best buy used to be 4 isles, down to 2 now...!