As someone who is not a console gamer but instead a strict PC gamer (unless you count the last console I owned.... a Dreamcast), I have an honest question for the console gaming crowd:

If you could estimate, how many console games have a demo come out via Playstation Network or Xbox Live Marketplace (whatever it's called) ___BEFORE___ the retail game comes out?

The reason I ask is because I've noticed what seems to be a trend for PC games that has progressed over the years in the demo's being released after the retail game has come out. I seem to remember a time a few years ago where demo's would come out well in advance on the PC and would give everyone a chance to play them, whet our appetites a little, and then when the retail came out we had money in hand ready to go.

The reason I bring this up is because if there really is a trend where PC games don't get the demo's early but console game demos are released early, I wonder how much that could be affecting game sales. If someone is dying to play a PC game but can't because the demo isn't out yet but the retail (and a pirated version) are out, it would seem feasible that many people who are ok with ANY form of "try before you buy" would see it as way to make sure they don't lose money on a crappy game.

I'm certainly not justifying piracy, I'm just curious as to if this trend that I felt I had seen was in fact true, and if so, what the chances were that it could be affecting sales.