One System to Play them all,
One System to Load them,
One System to Join them all
and in the darkness Entertain them.
I know, I know, Prof. Tolkien is rolling over in his grave right now. But that said, this is basically what this series on Console vs PC Gaming is all about.
It’s about the idea that we should be able to play what we want whenever we want. Oh sure, I’ve extolled the love of Consoles as a gaming platform. And yes, I’ve stated that PC Gaming should go the way of the dinosaur. But all of this is really meant to drive home a single point. If you’re REALLY into playing games, it’s one freaking complicated and expensive hobby!
Now I’m not talking about game prices themselves. We all know there’s Free to Play, Rent to Play, and of course Pay to Play options. There are games that can be had for Free to games that can end up costing thousands of dollars. It all depends on what your bank account and lifestyle allows.
That said, once you start thinking about playing games with your friends, these end up being not only expensive, but as I said before wrought with choice.
What’s up with that!
Why can’t I just sit down and play a freaking game with my friends on whatever platform I choose?
Why can’t I play Call of Duty with my friends on Steam, Xbox Live and yeah, even the freaking Wii at the same time?
And for those of us that like MMO’s I ask you: Why must we suffer with the humility of being a PC only platform?
Why can’t we play games like WoW, Rift or TOR on our Xbox? (Don’t you DARE claim graphic performance on this one. THEY ALL would look beautiful on today’s consoles.)
Well, I hate to say it, but I don’t think I can answer this one other than to just say it’s either because:
A) Their Greedy or
B) They’re just plain lazy!
And if that’s not the case, then what is it! Wait! Don’t answer that just yet. Let’s see what the Interwebs can tell us.
PC Games Cannot Connect To Xbox or Console Networks
The idea that there’s some platform/operating system reason that keeps us from playing the games we want is ludicrous. (Okay, I’ll admit that the technology just isn’t there to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on my Kindle. But COME ON!! That’s not the point here. Well not yet anyways!)
Oh sure, depending on the platform’s operating system there are specific APIs and commands available, but we see a plethora of titles out there that obviously work on different platforms. Put it this way, if a game manufacturer can program it, the technology is there to make it work.
How do I know this?? Well simply put, back in mid-90’s I designed a system that allowed a Macintosh on a Windows network communicate via Satellite and control an IBM Mainframe at Toyota! Now if I could pull all that off without a college education then surely 20 years later we can figure out a way to connect a console and a pc to the same program.
Oh wait.. never mind WE ALREADY CAN!! Microsoft does it all the time with Xbox Live, Sony with its Playstation Network.
So WTF People! Why can’t I play a game on my Xbox and get my butt whooped by a friend in Australia on his top-of the line PC!!
Hell if I know! Do you?
Duh! MMOs are Too Complex For Consoles.
Every time I hear someone mention that a game is “Too complex for XYZ system.” I laugh till I almost pee my pants. Oh sure, you probably think that’s insensitive or elitist of me but I do.
Think about it, can you honestly sit back and tell me that the game you’re playing is too complex for the button combinations allowed on a console? HONESTLY!?!?
Okay. Before I really lose my cool or insult you I’ll try to explain what I find so funny.
Let’s first dissect what we do in probably one of the most interactive games out there, MMOs, more specifically MMO-RPGs.
Let’s see what we do in a game:
- Movement (Left, Right, Forward, Backwards, Up, Down, L/R Sidestep or Strafe)
- Chat (Need typing interface)
- Interact with Objects (Need point and click)
- Use Object/Cast Spell On Target (Complex Point and Click)
I heard that some people have over 50 key binds to do these basic commands. With over half of them being some form of Use Object/Cast Spell on Target type assignments.
If I use just a simple X+1 Button combination I have over 50 combinations on a basic controller. If I went REALLY complex I could do X+2 Button combinations and easily eclipse that. Now don’t start telling me how you could do CTRL+, ALT+, Mouseover along with every single key on the keyboard so that you can prove a point.
What I’m trying to say is this. It’s all in the programming. Heck, every MMO today is looking at ways to simplify their UI. Why? It’s not so they can play their games on Consoles. Most deny even moving in that direction!
What they’ve come to realize is that MMOs today are shoddily programmed and require way too many commands.
But hey! That’s okay! How many of us really remember what we bind to all our keys? I know I sure don’t! I typically give up and end up using on about 10 commands and the rest I relegate to some action bar. If you take away movement and “Macro options” (Which, in my opinion, are just our way of doing the programmers job at making our game play easier) I’ll bet dollars to donuts most don’t remember either!
I’m not saying that MMOs aren’t complex, they are! MMOs probably have the most complex systems and game play out there today. But I honestly believe we kid ourselves if we think we do anything different in a really good FPS like Call of Duty: MW3 or Battle Field 3.
So that said, why can’t we play PC Games with our Console Friends? I really don’t know that there is an answer other than money.
- Server based Play – Check
- Complex Commands – Check
- Voice Communication – Check
- Text Communication – Check
- Game compatibility – Check
Am I missing something? If so what??
The only thing I can think of is Economics. For the Indie Developer it’s a matter of simple finances. Single system games are easier and cost lest to develop. But we’re not faulting them. Besides, if we all agreed my suggestion of a single “Home Entertainment Console” that wouldn’t be an issue. (Sorry, again I digress…)
But what about the big guys? The Activision-Blizzards? The Bethesda Softworks or Electronic Arts? Pfft.. Let’s strike it where it hurts FREAKING SONY OR MICROSOFT!!! Why don’t they develop games that work across the platforms??
If it has ANYTHING to do with ANYTHING other than Corporate Greed I’d love to hear it! My guess is it has EVERYTHING to do with Corporate Politics and Budgets. If not? Please prove me wrong.
It’s actually been tried several times. Final Fantasy XI, DC Universe Online and Phantasy Star Universe come to mind, among others.
In my experience, as both a player and industry observer, it’s not a matter of interface or complexity, but rather a much simpler one: Console gamers don’t want to pay subscription fees. Do some? Of course. However, numerous studies and failed releases have shown that simply, there is not enough of an audience for MMOs on consoles to warrant the development cost.
Of course, this is only true of western markets. The Japanese version of FFXI for PS2 sold quite well, as very few Japanese gamers used PC at the time.
I thought about going down the Subscription path. Then decided to back off.
The reason I decided against it was because of the Free-to-play vs. Pay-to-Play model is itself a hot topic within the MMO Community.
Honestly, I think the DLC model on Xbox is very similar to the Free-To-Play model we see in today’s MMOs. Want an item? Buy it from the marketplace? Want the next expansion? Buy the DLC. Because of that, I’ll have to go back to it being a matter of corporate greed.
But you did hit on one thing that I have come to recognize throughout the week. MMO players are DIEHARD PC Players for the most part. I think even if the best MMO in the world was created on a console it would die because of the MMO Culture. I just don’t think they would accept it. (Hmm.. guess that would make MMO players PC Snobs? j/k really! I am! lol)
All kidding aside, it does beg the point though. What if Blizzard released Titan as a console only game? (I know it’ll never happen but please entertain the question.) Would WoW Players and Blizzard Fans make the switch? Honestly, I’m with you. I don’t think the MMO culture is ready to make that move yet. But who knows, they’ve pulled suprises in the past.
If Blizzard released Titan on a console, the people that REALLY WANT to play Titan would be playing it on a console. If someone QQ’d about ‘boycotting’ it because it’s on the console instead, odds are HIGH that they don’t already own that console. Beyond that, they were looking for an excuse/defense to justify NOT playing the game.
Honestly, I think in the future we will start seeing crossovers happen more and more.
Games set up using the free to play- microtransactions model would in my opinion do well as cross platform games. Shooters, RTS games, and MMO’s in particular would be good cantidates.
I think between dev’s worrying about fair play between PC’s and consoles, server maintenance, and the console companies making money off of consoles and game sales, I think being able to play with the PC will be very unlikely in the future, especially a game where you can play with all 3.
Maybe. Though I am still holding out some hope. For example, I heard Guild Wars 2 is suppose to support multiple platforms. I just hope that means we will all be able to play together. Otherwise it’ll just be another example of missed opportunities and pre-launch hyper.
A big issue for most MMOs is the memory available to consoles. I’m in the process of upgrading my brother’s PC from a spec comparable to the PS3 (once you get over OS bloat, processor aside) to a modern day midrange so that he can play Star Wars: The Old Republic at more than 0.25fps. It’s not that the game is complex in that it’s challenging to the player, it’s complex in that it’s challenging to the machine. It’s an extension of the differing number of player capacities for Battlefield 3. The amount of things for a machine to keep track of in an MMO is far greater than in any other genre, except for the likes of Dynasty Warriors – and look at what they had to do with that game from the fourth installment forward to make it at all playable, the line of sight is atrocious.
That could be a valid point. From what I undestand consoles only have about 2GB of usable RAM. However, like many PCs today the consoles seperate their graphical and computational processing into seperate chips.
Also, many are running on console technology dating from 2005! An impressive thought when you look back at the advancements in gaming today compared to that time period.
Seriously!! Look back at the PC and Console games of that time. Now compare it today! Now ask yourself, how many PC upgrades have you had to go through to achieve the graphic and playability you have today? And consoles?
This is more my point! One cannot honestly blame the device for not being up to par but the developers!
In some ways I feel developers today have become complacent. Relying on older game engines and compensating with bloated code. We’re not seeing the advancement and push that we once were.
I blame this lack of innovation on platform fragmentation. We’re seeing it even more so as companies rush to provide games for tablets! A device specifically designed as a media consumption device. NOT a gaming platform!!
However, you do give me pause and I must admit. PCs today are more efficient than they were years ago. However, one thing has remained consistent, consoles host no more than parties of 20 or so at a time.
That being said, how many are in a raid nowadays? 20? 10? 5? All of these are manageable. So maybe if everything is instanced or “Phased” this also would be a non-issue.
Lot’s of food for thought here Mike. Thanks for that!