PC gaming is known for two things: low cost development and community support. But those factors on opposite sides of the developer/consumer spectrum may not be enough to sustain the platform in its current state of being, as difficult as that is to believe.

In an article by Financial Times, component shortages were expected to raise prices on basic computer accessories and devices by as much as 23%.

“In general, there is a steady drop in the cost of a PC every year. If component prices are flat or even increasing, that means they are outperforming expectations,”

- Ben Lee

Moreover, retailers aren’t being sympathetic to the sales of PC games on store shelves. More and more are being treated as niche titles instead of hot commodities as their console brethren. MCV recently chronicled the plight of traditional sales versus digital and the trend was different than one might expect.

“In the PC market at the moment the growth in digital is phenomenal. If PC games manage to get listed at retail, then they’re rarely getting any exposure because they’re appearing at the back of the store. There is still demand, but retail is forcing PC games out.”

- Darryl Still, 1C international publishing director

In short, you’ll be hard pressed finding a deal on your PC’s components, but chances are better that you might line your pockets with digital distributed savings.