cross platform unification?

[Straga]

Sadly, Sony has absolutely zero incentive to allow cross platform/console play as their console market share outweighs Microsoft by a significant margin. The reason Microsoft are so keen is that they are looking for incentives to attract people to their console.
Once Sony start to feel threatened in terms of market share they will be significantly more willing to allow this. Until that happens Sony think they are fine as they are.

The exact same would be true if Microsoft were on top instead of Sony.

 

[the100thmonkey]

fer FPS games because the controller is much easier to use

That'll be the "aim-assist" - usually the R1 shoulder button.

Much as I frown on flight-assist; aim-assist just doesn't belong in an FPS, although FPSes are practically unplayable on the consoles without it.

...and proven to be more effective in some games like this...

Source, please.

I use an xbone controller on both accounts and yes, it really is superior to keyboard and mouse and Ive used both fer literally decades ^

Danglies.

 

[Jason Lightning]

Sony may not want PS4 cross platform play, but merging PC and Xbox seems like a good idea.

 

[verminstar]

That'll be the "aim-assist" - usually the R1 shoulder button.

Much as I frown on flight-assist; aim-assist just doesn't belong in an FPS, although FPSes are practically unplayable on the consoles without it.
Source, please.Danglies.

And much like flight assist here, auto aim can be disabled in the settings menu...is disabled by default on harder settings of some games. Ive never found them unplayable without it. Maybe its all those years playing instagib on UT where auto assist also doesnt even exist ^

 

[CMDR Harada]

Love to see it. I'd have a great time playing Elite on the PC against my son on his PS4. Love to see him burn under the guns of my Corvette and hear his furious impotent cries for mercy.. I would laugh and laugh... but that's just the Dad in me...

But it does bring up balancing questions. I have quite a few custom mapped buttons on my HOTAS, and pre-programmed ones on my keyboard, and multiple monitors. Would that give me an advantage ? I think so.. but I don't know so. PS4 HOTAS versus PC HOTAS might be a wash.. but the keyboard might make a difference. What about Mouse/Keyboard vs Controller ?

Starcraft II locked the screen view-able 'size\area' ( regardless of resolution ) as a balancing issue, to keep those with 36" 4k monitors from seeing the whole battle field. There might be un-intended tweaks for needed for balancing between the platforms. Those tweaks might not be welcomed by all.

 

[IndigoWyrd]

I can't believe I'm actually going to say this but...... Bran's right.

***Feels unclean***

I would love crossplatform would be amazing to have us all in the same instances.

But Sony have been like this since Betamax..

***Heads off to have a very hot bath in Bleach***

Betamax.. that brings back memories...

Superior quality to VHS, but lost out to VHS in the end due to VHS's higher capacity and wide adoption by... the Adult Entertainment Industry.

Some years later, enter HD-DVD vs. BluRay.

Once again, BluRay emerges as the definitive media due to adoption by... yep, the Adult Entertainment Industry.

Sony, like Apple, has always had this sort of "we're doing our thing, our way" approach, and while it may work for both of them.. it tends to create divisions.

MicroxboxSoft though... I give them all the money I'm will to every year for product licensing. I don't want their game console, and I do not like their controllers.

Besides, PC gaming is vastly superior.

 

[DefiledDragon]

So now that ED finally covers ALL the major formats what are people's views on cross platform unification?

this isn't a thread on if it's feasible etc etc but more on do we want it as a possible future dream.

Well Spock seemed keen on the idea, so I'm with Spock.

 

[777Driver]

Cross platform already exists - Star Trek: Bridge Crew for one, so there is a precedent - Can't see Sony pulling the protection card when you can swear your head off at your crew mates in VR

Exactly, so why do people here keep saying Sony wont allow it?

 

[PANTHER STARFORCE]

+1. I'd get behind this all the way. Especially seeing how many new faces PS4 has added to reddit and the forums. I'd love to see a unified ecosystem. It might even bring me back in to open... That and local open voice channel... I would love that as well

-EJIRO

 

[Minonian]

I can't believe I'm actually going to say this but...... Bran's right.

***Feels unclean***

I would love crossplatform would be amazing to have us all in the same instances.

But Sony have been like this since Betamax..

***Heads off to have a very hot bath in Bleach***

Than let em to have their "protected" corner and unite the others.
They can't talk in to that, right?
And we shall see how it's turns out to them, to use this as an excuse to maintain market share, when everyone else can play together but their clients staying out of the fun...

 

[IndigoWyrd]

Exactly, so why do people here keep saying Sony wont allow it?

Because that is their position on network gaming, for the most part. They don't like to share the pool with the lesser systems (Microsoft).
But whatever.. I game on PC, so the consoles can do whatever they want.

 

[Foozle]

my only worry about cross platform is that every game I own on PC, triple A title or not, is plagued with hacks, cheats & mods that generally ruin the experience. Not going to claim it never happens on consoles. Left 4 dead, dead island, borderlands to name a few, all became unplayable unless in private games with friends. The occurrence is rare on console where almost guarenteed on PC, though. love the idea but services on PC side would need to do house cleaning and ebrace strict rules that would enrage some of the PC players.

 

[Ubiquitous Che]

I skimmed the thread, and I don't think anyone brought up balance concerns yet.

Might there be balance concerns?

I remember hearing that for Overwatch, they had to nerf on of the playable character's turrets. In the PC version, players could aim fast enough to take the turret down quickly, so it was balanced for PC. But in the console version, players take longer to aim... But the turret didn't. So the turret became comparatively more powerful on console than on PC.

I know that ED isn't as twitchy as an FPS, so the problem there probably wouldn't be as pronounced as for a console.

But there's a potential balance issue there that could be thorny to solve.

I'm still keen on the idea of cross-platform play between PC and Consoles, of course. But the thing is, despite playing in Open, I'm not a big PvP player - I keep to the fringes of the bubble so I rarely see anyone. But I can see that PvP players on consoles could become very frustrated if PvP players on PCs were seen to have an edge, and that could be a problem for PvP on consoles if cross-platform play became a thing.

 

[Requiem Mortis]

I would love to see cross platform play ....the only reservation I have is that we don't have anything like 'Voice Attack' on console (Kinect / 'Cortana' support please), which I think would give PC combat advantages.

 

[CylonSurfer]

Exactly, so why do people here keep saying Sony wont allow it?

I have no idea - here is my post from page two:

Rubbish - I played cross play from my PC with PS4 players just a few weeks ago in Star Trek Bridge crew.

Then there are:
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
DC Universe Online
Rocket League
War Thunder
Paragon

There are likely others too. Some PC games has cross play with PS3 too. Elite could easily join that list, no idea why it hasn't - the game really needs it imo.

 

[energygap]

I'd like this to happen, very much so. I've been playing on PC since 2015 and now a few of my friends are playing it on PS4. I'd love to be able to help them out, fight together in wings and so on, would be great if we could all play together. I think it's disappointing that we can't.

 

[Actionman2222]

Regardless of if you want it or not Sony have said No. Why? Well they have a contract with all the PS owners to protect them while they play games which they are using as an excuse to try and maintain market share as they are well aware that Micro$oft is about to leap ahead of them in terms of hardware ability linked to cross platform gaming with PC players. Although the PS system has more exclusives it's player base is about to be left out in the cold. Expect to see quite a few Xbox/PC games in 12 months time designed with cross play from the ground up.

Cross play between Minecraft on PC / Xbox and Nintendo devices requires Nintendo users to log in with a Xbox Live account too as far as I am aware. Nintendo isn't bothered as it always does its own thing anyway. Plus PS VR seems to be in an early stage leaving a very lack luster reception at E3, much like Xbox Kinect a few years back. Sony may find itself no longer quite as smug.

Yea, I'd love to join up with PC and PS players, the more the merrier.

 

[Martian Successor]

console is better fer FPS games because the controller is much easier to use...and proven to be more effective in some games like this...I use an xbone controller on both accounts and yes, it really is superior to keyboard and mouse and Ive used both fer literally decades ^

I find that mouse and keyboard is ideally suited to FPS games. It's more accurate when aiming and sniping and feels more 'natural' in terms of movement and aiming. Whereas I find the controller much more suited to 3rd person games, racing and fighting games. For ED I find that HOTAS is the most intuitive due to the flight model. It's all down to personal preference though I guess.

 

[Martian Successor]

I skimmed the thread, and I don't think anyone brought up balance concerns yet.

Might there be balance concerns?

I remember hearing that for Overwatch, they had to nerf on of the playable character's turrets. In the PC version, players could aim fast enough to take the turret down quickly, so it was balanced for PC. But in the console version, players take longer to aim... But the turret didn't. So the turret became comparatively more powerful on console than on PC.

I know that ED isn't as twitchy as an FPS, so the problem there probably wouldn't be as pronounced as for a console.

But there's a potential balance issue there that could be thorny to solve.

I'm still keen on the idea of cross-platform play between PC and Consoles, of course. But the thing is, despite playing in Open, I'm not a big PvP player - I keep to the fringes of the bubble so I rarely see anyone. But I can see that PvP players on consoles could become very frustrated if PvP players on PCs were seen to have an edge, and that could be a problem for PvP on consoles if cross-platform play became a thing.

I would say, meh... Hardware balance problems already exist between different PC setups and hardware. Like for example Mouse and Keyboard players can make very minute adjustments which is especially advantageous in aiming while flying FA off. Besides, plenty of PC players use an Xbox controller to fly anyway. We sometimes even see the devs do it in livestreams. It's not like the situation will get exasperated, more like just continue to be more of the same.

 

[Crank Larson]

Might there be balance concerns?

No more than the concerns between different PCs (for example). e.g. my gaming PC wipes the floor with my Xbox (and also the new one yet to be released ), but my Xbox is more powerful than my son's PC. PC's are unbalanced anyway, is what I'm getting at.