Online Console Gaming Primed for Take Off 48
DarkNemesis618 writes "What started off as a PC-only concept is now spreading; Online gaming is now starting to bloom for consoles too. With the introduction of the 360 and the next generation consoles, online console gaming is primed for takeoff. The original Xbox and Xbox Live started the transition to online gaming on consoles. Xbox Live has slowly but surely allowed the walls between PC and console online gaming to crumble." From the article: "PC game makers still have the advantage of using the keyboard and mouse as a controller, which allows them to give gamers more control and options in game play. But gamers say few, if any, of the community-oriented online PC games are as consumer-friendly as Xbox Live, which has standardized and automated the process of selecting servers and competitors for the best game playing experience."
Re:xbox live invented online console gaming? (Score:2, Insightful)
Nope.
The most it says about that is that XBL has "standardized and automated the process of selecting servers and competitors for the best game playing experience."
The
So wait a minute... (Score:1)
so because we dont need a computer to judge us and pick out who we should play makes the games on PC "less consumer friendly"??
Re:So wait a minute... (Score:1)
When searching for Quake2 servers to play on youd get one of three things.
a) Id totally decimate the other players barely anyone would be on any more than a frag by the time id hit the 100 frag limit.
b) Id get totally decimated by the other players. Id spawn, explode, spawn, explode...
c) Id be in the top 3 or 4 players. We would duke it out and the 10 or so other players would be frag fodder in between our fights.
Option c is typically what id look for but it still wouldnt remove the problem of o
Controllers (Score:2, Interesting)
I don't play many RPGs of any kind, so that could be a factor.
Re:Controllers (Score:2)
A lot of people find the keyboard and mouse combo to be so good...because that is what they are used to. How much time did they spend with a mouse before playing their first game? Lots of practice is what makes it so good.
Play with a controller for a while, get the practice in...and the control is just as good.
when I started on my Xbox 4 years ago, I thought the controller was an abomination for a first person shooter. Now, when I go back to my PC, I can't stand it- I'd rather play with the
Think RTS (Score:3, Insightful)
However, for a lot of other games (FPS, puzzle games) that I play on my GameCube, I do appreciate the game controller
Re:Think RTS (Score:1)
Re:Controllers (Score:2)
Or do you mean PC-style RPGs, Baldur's Gate, Diablo, or those MMORPGs... eww.
Re:Controllers (Score:1)
Take Anachronox, that's like the JRPGs but uses mouse a
Re:Controllers (Score:1)
Call me crazy but I'd like a system that can use either.
Key point (Score:2)
This is where Xbox Live dominates PC online games. Microsoft is able to place Live servers all over the world to 1) minimalize lag between 360/server and 2) easily find opponent matches that will have little lag. Xbox Live still offers the ability to find matches outside y
i think you are wrong (Score:2)
so by 'all the work' you mean clicking 'sort desc' on the PING column? yah what am i thinking, its time to get xbox live...
BTW I have played many MMORPGs and they work the same way, when you create a new char they give you list of servers and their ping times, and you must manually select a server, just as in an FPS,RTS game.
Re:Key point (Score:1)
On Valve's Steam engine you can make ping times a server search criteria. No, there is not a way to tell if the players on a given Counter Strike server are way above or below your skill level[1], but this addresses the issue of minimalizing lag.
1: With me, finding good CS:S competitors is easy: everyone is way above my skill level :-)
Re:Key point (Score:1)
You're always pushed just enough that you have to work hard to win, but rarel
bleh (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:bleh (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:bleh (Score:2)
I remember the overwhelming nightmare it was on Counterstrike waiting for AGES to refresh a server list, and only being able to connect to 2 or 3 of them. You would get every single excuse handed to you to not be able to join/play. Forget that. If I pay, I want to get on,
Re:bleh (Score:1)
Re:bleh (Score:1)
XLink Kai (Score:2)
It's a completely free alternative to Live, has many of the same features (friends list, voice comms etc) and supports a wider range of games.
Darn...They don't mean NetHack. (Score:1, Offtopic)
I was actually excited for a second.
(You can tilt the controller, too) (Score:2)
Just wait till the Revo comes out... sure to some people it's not the same, but to me, much more natural (roll a mouse around a table vs. point at the screen, and typically a bigger screen at that).
The biggest obstacle would be getting good PC-style games on the Revolution. It's hardly guaranteed to happen, but hardware-wise it can, and if it does, I just might be playing a whole lot more FPS, RTSs, etc.
Hell even
Re:(You can tilt the controller, too) (Score:2)
Re:Will Microsoft Be Able To Stay Relevant? (Score:2)
Where are you getting this info?
I only have one TV... (Score:2)
Re:I only have one TV... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:I only have one TV... (Score:2)
That said, I think you're absolutely right. PC folks talk a lot about how they've been playing in HD resolution for years but the real truth is that they can do so only a) by having an ex
Re:I only have one TV... (Score:1)
I don't know where you got your info but all PS2's can do 1080i.for games, notably Gran Turismo 4. Now if it's progressive scan for DVD playback that's different, 50001 series and later. PS2'
Re:I only have one TV... (Score:2)
As for the Gamecube, I've never seen any indications of a 720p mode for any games. I'm well aware that the earlier versions of the Gamecube have a digital out
Re:I only have one TV... (Score:2)
I wonder why they took it out.
Re:I only have one TV... (Score:1)
Re:I only have one TV... (Score:1)
As for WASD+mouse or controller...I'm proficient with both. Neither is better than the other, it's just a matter of what you're used to.
So your TV has higher resolution than your PC... (Score:2)
Also, PC and console gaming both have a place... (Score:2)
There are also experiences you can't replicate on consoles, but I clearly don't need to convince you of that. I'm just saying that you shouldn't write off either.
PS. the way you describe a gamepad makes it sound like it's somehow more strange than
% of online gamers (Score:1)
Anyone know the percentage of PC gamers who play online regularly, for reference? Or howabout the age-demographics? I have a Live account, but I never use it anymore. Maybe I just found bad servers, but it seems like the range of ages
It's not because of the "next generation" (Score:2)
This has nothing to do with the 360, the PS3, or the Revolution. This has to do with 1) the increasing uptake of "always-on" broadband, and 2) console game developers finally realizing that console gamers want more online gaming.
All the current generation systems have broadband adapters, though the Dreamcast died before its BBA could become readily available. But three years ago, most console g
Re:It's not because of the "next generation" (Score:1)
PC Gaming (Score:2)
Then Gamespy attacked the publishers, I'm sure they talked to the publishers because their product