Microsoft had plans in motion to allow widespread crossplatform play between PC and Xbox 360 games, but those plans aren't in motion anymore.
Why is, that? Pretty simple, really -- the console players just couldn't hang.
Voodoo PC found Rahul Sood revealed that the prospect was discussed "many many months ago" but that Microsoft killed off the idea due to tests that revealed PC gamers "destroyed" console gamers every single time. According to Sood, "It would be embarrassing to the Xbox team in general had Microsoft launched this initiative."
PC gamers often tout the accuracy of mouse-and-keyboard play as their ace in the hole. Having gotten into PC gaming over the past year, I certainly agree that the accuracy can't be beat, although it does seem that it's accurate to the point of coddling. When you can point and click your headshots, it just doesn't feel like you've earned it.
Did Microsoft kill Xbox Live+Windows Live cross-platform play because console gamers were too bad? [Crunchgear]
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
Likes
PS2, iPod Touch, Silent Hill 2, Metal Gear Solid, Dynasty Warriors 3
Meet the rest of the team
| BBcode help |
| [b]Bold text[/b] |
Bold text |
| [i]Italic text[/i] |
Italic text |
| [url]http://www.dtoid.com/[/url] |
http://www.dtoid.com |
| [url=http://www.dtoid.com/]Web link[/url] |
Web link |
|
| [img]http://www.example.com/robot.jpg[/img] |
 |
Post a comment! You can also post a photo below:
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
149 comments | showing # 1 to 50
|
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
Comments policy
Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just speak your mind. We respect differing opinions on the site, so have at it. Be smart, funny, insightful, clueless, or cute -- but back it up with substance. Keep your cool, keep it fun. We only ask that you act respectfully and above all: don't be a troll and ruin it for everyone else. Don't bring down gamers or we'll, you know, gently shoot you in the face and stuff you into a flaming mailbox. Each comment is your opportuntity to make this community awesomer. Is that even a word?
Avoiding the banhammer only requires common sense: spamming, trolling, racism, NSFW stuff, and other forms of sucking will not be tolerated. If anyone is griefing please report abuse. Be good. Don't suck!
Contest:
8:00 AM on 07.22.2010
| 
Exactly my opinion on the topic.
that's just... wow...:/
nowadays, the guns are pin point accurate and they even throw in some auto aim, just because controllers are too shitty for fps's...
PC FPS, Whac A Mole Evolved. ZING!
When Shadowrun came out (which had cross platform play ages ago), the deveopers specifically said "we had to dumb down the PC version to make it more fair".
It was part of the reason why the game failed. So yes, if the developers, after tons of testing, specifically said that PC gamers destroy Console gamers, then there's obviously a problem.
If you added keyboard and mouse support to consoles, there would be ZERO problem however. I have no idea why they wouldn't do that! They could package and sell "premium editions" of FPS games to console users with overpriced keyboards and mice - and they'd buy it!
...what? That's some bullshit right there.
Ive been playing fps on PC for 15 years and on the console with a gamepad for 2-3...the skill does not translate over at all heheh
Keep upgrading. Twice a year? Wow, what an investment.
These days not so much.
But don't get me started on Call of Fucking Duty on the consoles!
i once noticed while looking into a cloud of smoke, my crosshair being dragged across the screen by the auto-aim, popped a couple of shots and scored a headshot - never played it again. Traded it in and will not buy another one.
MAG, and Battlefield however are both completely different stories.
I love any FPS without autoaim, I find it turns a skilled genre into a fastest to the trigger competition and that sucks balls.
Console games without auto-aim and PC games with wide reticules are REAL shooting games.
Also, it's foolish to say that your headshots mean more when they just take longer to line up. That just means your games are slower and rely heavily on pre-aiming. All I'm seeing here are standard inflammatory comments. Enjoy that skill ceiling.
Do I need to mention mods, third party maps and dedicated servers. These make pc gaming the king.
And when enemy just standing right in front of you and give you time to shoot, how lame that must be feels? (singleplayer console fps)
Some people prefer the PC because it controls more accurately and everything is customizable.
Some people prefer consoles because you dont have to worry about specifications and sensitivity and you can just pick up and play.
Don't hate the players, hate the game.
Growing up with Counter-strike I simply can never get into FPS on console. Nothing's wrong with it, just not my thing. It feels cheap when you don't have to aim.
Why did MS test something that was already a given anyway?
Consoles and PCs have their positives and negatives, and I'm too broke nowadays to afford either.
As for just pointing and clicking to earn headshots, you'll find that PC gamers tend to be far more erratic in their evasion tactics than you could ever be on a console. It's not as easy as it's made to sound.
An example of when things were the opposite: with UT2k3 (unreal championship on xbox) it was impossible to have a decent experience on consoles. That entire game was all about dodging and flick shots, both of which couldn't be done with analogue sticks. When players are dancing around you at 3 times the speed of any FPS out today, it changes from point and click to something that really requires skill. But now that those games don't exist, meh, each to their own.
How is that unique to consoles? You seriously tried to argue that AI is magically better on PC?
I'm yet to play a PC game where the AI is suddenly miles better than console single-player games.
Speaking of Dreamcast, remember Quake 3 Arena? Cross platform with PC and DC and both got to use keyboard/mouse setups if they wanted it. So if a console user had this setup, and smoked a PC player is the PC player still a better player then?
The only games listed are shooters. I wonder how racing and RTS (Universe At War) holds up against this. Just curious, because I am wearing my INTERNET SCIENCE COAT~! today.
Jim you magnificent baiter. A Troll amongst trolls.
The catch is you can't turn it off for OTHER players.
@Jim
Aiming a sniper at 1/100th of a mouse sensitivity setting is still a lot harder, imo, than any sort of "auto" anything.
@Shami Wowie
A lot of people still mess around with sensitivity to get it "just right", even on console, though - in Halo 1, everyone I knew had their own special sensitivity setting.
If Jim thinks getting a headshot is just a matter of pointing and clicking, he has never played an FPS game on a PC.
I hate how the expectation is that PC gaming is ridiculously expensive. It's really, really not. I think I'll probably upgrade my graphics card early next year sometime but it's not a necessity.
Also, I don't agree with the unsatisfying click to headshot comment but, meh.
U-N-I-T-Y (That spells Unity).
Jim- I agree with you completely on the point and click thing. it might be more precise, but you might as well be playing point and click adventure games. There's no real skill in it, and it just doesn't feel as weighty as an anologue, with the aiming with the stick and the trigger to fire.
PC FPS' are little more than point and click games.
Thing is, the motion controls Wii and PS3 have actually could compete against mouse and keyboard. Kinect I have my doubts about in that regard, but I know playing RE4 Wii edition my accuracy skyrocketed well past what it was on GameCube.
There are plenty of ways to fix how things are too accurate, though. Things like adding some realistic recoil to guns and such. PC gamers can cry about that being a way of "dumbing down" the game, but making weapons more realistic is a good thing.
It's just what I think though, no need to get so friggin' defensive.
A little hypocritical there Jim. You've said in the past that it takes more skill to play a FPS with a console controller and I totally agree. Considering how clumsy controllers are to control an aiming a reticule with I'm surprised people manage to get so many kills. Now when someone brings up the fact that many console FPS games come with the aim-assist crutch you seem to be OK with that. How is that any different than being able to quickly scroll to a target with a mouse on the PC? Can't have it both ways man. Having your hand held doesn't scream "uber skillz" to me.