Cross Platform Multiplayer

[Soviet Heavy]

After reading up on how PS3 owners will be able to play Portal with PC and Mac users thanks to Steam, I wonder if We will see more cross platform gaming.

With Steamworks coming to PS3, this could also bring about the much needed Team Fortress 2 patches that have been PC exclusive for the past 4 years.

I'm not sure exactly how well cross platform multiplayer would work with the 360 thanks to Microsoft's grip on Xbox Live, but I believe Halo 2 could be played across PC and Xbox before the Xbox Servers went down.

I see cross platform multiplayer as a great option. With the amount of animosity between Consoles and PCs and everything in between, breaking down barriers and letting everyone play in the same sandbox could go a long way to mending relationships.

Does anyone else feel the same way?

 

[xHipaboo420x]

I certainly hope so.

Everyone rails against the Mouse&Keyboard vs. Joypad thing, but personally I would love a homogenised future. No, really. It's all fun and/or games at the end of the day, and the more friends we can ensnare the better.

 

[voetballeeuw]

It would definitely be an interesting experience. But in competitive gaming don't PC users have the advantage, at least that's what I heard about Shadowrun.

 

[Adzma]

I don't know... I played Shadow Run when it first came out and the Xbox and PC didn't exactly blend seamlessly.

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

FPS games that cross platform with PC and a console are really not worth the extra effort.

It's very difficult to get the balancing right, co-op games can get away with it though as there is no real competition as such.

That only really leaves PS3 and 360, who will not make cross platform games on their own (lack of third party support).

Cross platform gaming is not going to happen this generation, it'd be great if they eventually worked out the kinks, but for now it's a dead idea.

Note: This is based generally on competitive FPS games, co-op games are generally exempt and other genres may fare better or worse depending on the versatility of controls.

 

[Kae]

I think it's great, it also would help multiplayer games with smaller communities to be playable for a longer time!

 

[Wicky_42]

It was tried before in an FPS - Shadow Run? - console player got hammered by the mouse an keyboard users. Don't think that went down to well, and led to PC gamers preening themselves in their confirmed superiority, rather than breaking down any 'barriers' between communities... oh well. Maybe it'll be better in a coop environment - or maybe PC gamers will get pissed off that console gamers are slower and less accurate than their mouse-wielding brethren?

 

[Soviet Heavy]

FPS games that cross platform with PC and a console are really not worth the extra effort.

It's very difficult to get the balancing right, co-op games can get away with it though as there is no real competition as such.

That only really leaves PS3 and 360, who will not make cross platform games on their own (lack of third party support).

Cross platform gaming is not going to happen this generation, it'd be great if they eventually worked out the kinks, but for now it's a dead idea.

Note: This is based generally on competitive FPS games, co-op games are generally exempt and other genres may fare better or worse depending on the versatility of controls.

Fair enough. Given that Portal 2's Multiplayer is Co-op, it shouldn't be much of an issue. Valve has been trying very hard to reach out to other systems, and if anyone can push cross platform gameplay into the mainstream, it is them.

 

[Defense]

It probably won't happen anytime soon, at least not on competitive multiplayer.

FPS games that cross platform with PC and a console are really not worth the extra effort.

It's very difficult to get the balancing right, co-op games can get away with it though as there is no real competition as such.

That only really leaves PS3 and 360, who will not make cross platform games on their own (lack of third party support).

Cross platform gaming is not going to happen this generation, it'd be great if they eventually worked out the kinks, but for now it's a dead idea.

Note: This is based generally on competitive FPS games, co-op games are generally exempt and other genres may fare better or worse depending on the versatility of controls.

Just wondering, would that work with a PS3 and PC if Move was required? Because in Killzone 3 you can set the bounding box to zero so the reticule will stay in the center of the screen(or so I've heard) and the precision of the Move is pretty accurate.

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

Just wondering, would that work with a PS3 and PC if Move was required? Because in Killzone 3 you can set the bounding box to zero so the reticule will stay in the center of the screen(or so I've heard) and the precision of the Move is pretty accurate.

Do you mean PS3 players using Move Vs. PC players?

 

[Kae]

It was tried before in an FPS - Shadow Run? - console player got hammered by the mouse an keyboard users. Don't think that went down to well, and led to PC gamers preening themselves in their confirmed superiority, rather than breaking down any 'barriers' between communities... oh well. Maybe it'll be better in a coop environment - or maybe PC gamers will get pissed off that console gamers are slower and less accurate than their mouse-wielding brethren?

Well, yeah but maybe if developers used more the PS3's mouse and keyboard compatibility it would be one step closer.

 

[Defense]

Anything co-op is fine with cross-platform play. In anything competitive, PC gamers will absolutely dominate everyone else.

Demon's Souls?

Just wondering, would that work with a PS3 and PC if Move was required? Because in Killzone 3 you can set the bounding box to zero so the reticule will stay in the center of the screen(or so I've heard) and the precision of the Move is pretty accurate.

Do you mean PS3 players using Move Vs. PC players?

Yeah, that's what I mean.

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

Yeah, that's what I mean.

As accurate as Move may be (I haven't had a chance to try it out) it would still aim a lot slower than a mouse of the movement would be a lot trickier than a keyboard.

It could work. Just not very well.

 

[Kae]

Yeah, that's what I mean.

As accurate as Move may be (I haven't had a chance to try it out) it would still aim a lot slower than a mouse of the movement would be a lot trickier than a keyboard.

It could work. Just not very well.

Well as I said above, the PS3 has Keyboard and mouse support so maybe they should take advantage of that compatibility, it would not even it out completely since most PS3 users probably would not use it but it would be one step closer.

 

[MrTub]

Truth be told, I don't think it would be such a great idea since PC gamers will rip the consoles apart.

 

[CCountZero]

I wonder if We will see more cross platform gaming.

I think you can be pretty damn sure we will, for games such as Portal.
Seeing as it's cooperative, it makes perfect sense.
I do foresee that the PC community (like myself) might foster a bias towards PS3 players though, seeing as many of us are kinda elitist (like myself) and might get a bit annoyed if forcibly teamed up with a control system that simply doesn't allow for the same freedom, speed and accuracy of movement.

With Steamworks coming to PS3, this could also bring about the much needed Team Fortress 2 patches that have been PC exclusive for the past 4 years.

Lets hope so, for you non-PCers out there. Lord knows we PCers know how it feels to be left out, and as such I genuinly feel sorry for you in that regard.
(It's not sarcasm, I truely do)

I'm not sure exactly how well cross platform multiplayer would work with the 360 thanks to Microsoft's grip on Xbox Live, but I believe Halo 2 could be played across PC and Xbox before the Xbox Servers went down.

Given how Live is massively focused on competitive multiplayer and player scoring, Microsoft will never allow it.
As has been stated by others, the PC players would WHOOP the Console players in every FPS and RTS out there.
In all other genres, they'd be at an even playing field, seeing as how PCs can achieve the same or better controls as consoles, via periphials.

I see cross platform multiplayer as a great option. With the amount of animosity between Consoles and PCs and everything in between, breaking down barriers and letting everyone play in the same sandbox could go a long way to mending relationships.

Would be kinda epic if that worked. But it won't

That aside, owning a PS3 and an X360, I can safely say that I do not wanna have the Live community spill over onto PCs.