Multipayer Gaming: Console vs PC

[ValentineUK]

I hear alot of people talk about how they wish they could play their console games online against people playing on PCs. I've always thought that this would be more of a bad than a good thing. My reason is simply controls. I've always felt that a mouse is faster and more accurate than an analog stick. So, the problem with people on consoles playing against people on PCs is that the people on PCs have an advantage.

So, am I wrong about this? Should this functionality be worked into more games?

 

[The Madman]

There have been a couple that tried that, Shadowrun and Unreal Tournament 3 spring to mind. Shadowrun probably did better in that it tried to even out both control methods, but the way in which it did that was just by making the auto-lock so heavy that it made the accuracy of a mouse irrelevant and not all that much fun to play as a result.

Was an alright game but not much else. Once the 360 vs. PC novelty wore off it was quickly and deservedly forgotten about.

Unreal Tournament meanwhile didn't allow 360 vs. PC but did support mouse & keyboard on the PS3 with the result that those controls were pretty much banned from every server for being unfair to those playing with gamepad. Go figure.

To be fair there are some genre that are just plain better with a controller as well: Racing games (Though ideally you'd want a wheel), fighters ala Street Fighter/Tekken etc, and good ol' fashioned platforming adventure. Trying to play any of those genre with keyboard and mouse is a pain in the ass more often than not, which is why I own a pair of gamepad for my PC myself.

In terms of shooters however yeah, mouse/keyboard is just better. Same with strategy games, which is kinda a moot point since there are barely any decent strategy games on consoles to speak of but whatever.

 

[TehCookie]

Everyone knows that the consoles aren't better than each other and it's all a matter of preference, so why not let them play together. Unless, you know, there is a superior system but no one wants to admit it and it would be unfair for all of those who got the crappier system. Good thing that's not true. /troll

 

[Nouw]

Make everyone get a game-pad. Problem solved!

 

[isometry]

I play all my PC games with an Xbox 360 controller for windows (I have a repetitive stress injury so I can't do WASD), and in recent years I've had a fine time playing first-person shooters online.

I also played with a controller in the days of Quake 3 / Unreal Tournament / Counter-Strike , and with those games it was hopeless. Those games were built around precision mouse control.

The first FPS I could do decently in with a controller was Battlefield 2, and since then it's only been getting easier with games like TF2 and MW2. Partly it's the upgrade from dual-shock controllers back then to the 360 controller now, and also the kb&mouse mapping software is better, but mostly I think it's because the games have gotten more skill-less and made for consoles.