The manufacturer 2K presented its new NBA 2K23 in 2022. While the PS5 and Xbox Series X received an improved version, PC players are left empty-handed and must be satisfied with an old version. This is not an isolated case.
Sports games like NBA or FIFA are known for releasing a new version every year. Manufacturers promise new and improved features so that an upgrade is worth it for the players.
NBA 2K23 also received a new version, including a next-gen version. However, 2K has now stated that this version can only be played by people on the PS5 and Xbox Series X. The PC does not offer enough performance and must still make do with the inferior version. This is stated in the official statement:
Unfortunately, NBA 2K23 Next Gen is not available on PC. The only two console generations that allow for a next-gen game are the PS5 and the Xbox Series X. This is mainly because the PS5 and the Xbox Series X provide the speed and technology that the game needs to function optimally.
What are the reactions? Many gamers still express surprise that some developers consider the PC to be the inferior platform
for games compared to consoles (via reddit.com). After all, the PS5 offers the performance of a Radeon RX 6700 XT, which is more of a mid-range than a high-end.
Others reply: The share of PC players in the sports segment is simply too small for manufacturers to invest much time and money in corresponding ports. Games like NBA and also the FIFA series have been big on consoles for years. Also, FIFA 22 also offered PC players only a watered-down version because the PC market has long played a subordinate role in sports.
At the time, EA argued regarding FIFA 22: If one wanted to bring the great features to PC, then one would force the PC community to upgrade their systems. And games like FIFA have been treated poorly on PC for a long time.
In hindsight, the decision by 2K actually turned out to be sensible in the end. Because in this way, the community says, they did not receive a bad port that ran poorly on PC. Because PC players have experienced enough bad releases in recent months.
Many current AAA games for PC suffer from technical problems
Why are PC players complaining so loudly? The current situation looks anything but good for PC players. Many games celebrating their release right now, come to the market in extremely poor condition. The long-awaited Last of Us for PC was technically buggy, and the new Star Wars: Jedi Survivor was a technical disaster.
Accordingly, many PC players are showing anger and disappointment. They feel let down by large developers and publishers when they always receive the inferior version of the game.
At least there is a glimmer of hope:
The last beta of Diablo 4 excites the players but receives sad praise: ‘Actually optimized for PC’
