The argument always goes up that playing console games is "cheaper" than PC gaming mainly because the (incorrect) assumption that one needs even a 1,000$ rig to play 99% of modern PC games maxed out at high resolution. We'll after I've witnessed what Capcom's ridiculous DLC scheme along with DLC in general I have come to the assumption that we are just trading in one price point for another. For almost two decades my PC gaming needs have led to developers for the PC giving games extraordinarily long life spans compared to today's console games. Many times this came from including free additional content well after the initial launching of the game. Epic's UT3 content is a great example as it included almost TWO gigs worth of patches, fixes (yes VERY necessary but still), and what 8 new maps, 3 new game modes and many enhancements. All for the high price of 0$.

What we are seeing is games that are asking for anything from 1.99 for new LBP skins to 10$ Halo3 map packs with a WHOPPING three whole maps (I can assure you if a dev is fine making a complete game for 60$ then 3 maps for 10$ means someone is getting screwed with, either the dev is undercharging for the initial game or they are overpricing the DLC a ton).

I have played Counter-Strike 1.6 for almost a decade now since its early 1.5 days, it cost me 30$ back when it came out and I've loved every bit of it. The game has almost 250k unique players logging in each day to frag away with and has no less than 55k-75k people on at one time, 10 years+ after its initial inception. I have almost 3,000 maps running in my server map rotation and the amount of ingenious mods (Warcraft 3 to superhero to Kreedz climbing to gungame) have left the game with an almost unending replayability. All at the fine price of 0$ (yes because they are user mods but hey consoles don't offer user mods so I'll uses it anyway). We get cool updates such as battlefield 1942's large map packs and vehicle additions all at the fine price of 0$ and developers were doing just fine then.

If gamers buy even 10 titles a year and spend 15-20$ per title on extra DLC your looking at almost 200$ a year for additional content, stuff that historically came FREE with PC gaming. I know personally that I have never had to spend 200$ per year on PC hardware to keep my PC running games at top of the line sound and graphics.
Thus in the end I think we have just traded one "inconvenience" (I love PC building so it's not to me and I know many others love their custom rigs) for another; that of ridiculous DLC prices.

[EDIT] Grammatical corrections

Gaming has changed. It's no longer about fun, challenges, or storytelling. It's an endless series of point whoring done by gamers on machines. Gaming - and its consumption of life - has become a well-oiled machine.

Gaming has changed. ID-tagged gamers play on ID-tagged consoles, use ID-tagged accounts. Specifications inside their save files enhance and regulate their rewards. Trophy control. Gamerscore control. Parental control. Region-specific differences control. Everything is monitored and kept under control.

Gaming has changed. The age of next-gen promises has become the age of control... All in the name of averting catastrophe from casual gaming and waggle. And he who controls the most features... Controls the console war.
Gaming has changed. When the consoles are under total control......Gaming becomes routine.

What does everyone else think?? (btw its built off of a MGS4 quote for those who get it *chuckle)

With all the news coming out these days about how well the Wii is doing and how great a console it is etc etc etc I just want to make one thing clear, despite what people say the Wii is the single greatest threat to the future of gaming as we know it. Why you might ask? Because if anyone has looked at the top10 charts lately this big annoying creature known as shovel ware keeps selling more and more and more ... But Coldfire you tell me "There has always been shovel ware on consoles!" Yes but has it ever filled 7/10ths of the top10 games list in the UK, has it ever dominated 4 of the top10 sales lists in the US before? No. Quite frankly the Wii has allowed AND SHOWN developers that they can make cheap crap and box it up and parents and other ignorant buyers will scoop it up like its fricken candycorn. Yes it was bad before but now ignorant people know this cheap form of media exists.

Let me Clarrify Shovelware for everyone. Beijing Olympics 2008, Wii sports; infact any Wii title that uses the motion controls as a gimmick with the replayability clocking in at less than 10 hours is a game i would consider shovelware. Now let me tell you, i can quite literally count on my TWO hands how many titles on the wii have beaten that mark. Its under 10 at this point. Between shoddy ports that developers know parents will buy for their screaming preteen and 100k$ budget games that me and "mah bros bak homE" could build in my garage, i am quite literally scared to DEATH. If developers notice that these cheap pieces of **$# can sell and sell so well they break top10 lists they are going to start churning them out hardcore .... and you know what. That will be death as we know it. Oh yes there may be the ocassional "Adult Swim" in the ocean but before long the typical game is going to be your typical Flop of a Sitcom on NBC ....

I warn you gaming community, educate your elders. Don't let ignorants buy crap games. Heed my warnings or face that consequences .... you have been warned ....