It's the age old argument of who is better: Console or PC gamers. This article offers some insight into a xbox game that was once tested as cross platform. The TL;DR of the matter - average PC gamers crushed very good console gamers every time. The keyboard and mouse are just too precise and faster than the console controller.
Source: http://www.oxm.co.uk/21262/xbox-vs-pc-scrapped-because-of-imbalance/
Xbox vs. PC scrapped "because of imbalance"
Mouse and keyboard deemed too powerful, says... PC man
You might remember a game called Shadowrun, released on both Xbox 360 and PC, which allowed players on the two platforms to play each other. Sadly, it was a bit rubbish and FASA Studios, the team behind it, closed shortly afterward. A footnote in history, surely?
Not according to the founder of Voodoo PC, Rahul Sood - apparently Shadowrun was all part of a bigger initiative by Microsoft to get 360 and PC players competing against each other. "There was a project that got killed at Microsoft. This project was designed to allow console gamers and PC gamers to interact and battle over a connected environment," Sood explains on his blog.
"I've heard from reliable sources that during the development they brought together the best console gamers to play mediocre PC gamers at the same game... and guess what happened? They pitted console gamers with their "console" controller, against PC gamers with their keyboard and mouse."
Unfortunately the precision of mouse aiming meant the PC players had something of an advantage.
"The console players got destroyed every time. So much so that it would be embarrassing to the XBOX team in general had Microsoft launched this initiative."
We reckon this is a bit of a shame. While the mouse does have advantages, there are hundreds of games aside from standard deathmatch shooters that could have benefited from a bit of cross platform rivalry.
Do you think you'd be able to take on PC players in shooters? We reckon while the mouse is good for twitch headshots, when it comes to tracking moving targets and driving vehicles in larger battlefields, the Xbox 360 control pad is the best. In a game like Battlefield Bad Company 2, which requires a little more in the way of strategy, the rounds would probably be relatively balanced, especially if teams were a mix of players from both platforms.
Update 11/2013 - Seemingly, cross-platform multiplayer is making a comeback. According to Microsoft Studios boss Phil Spencer, allowing multiplayer between PC users and owners of the new Xbox One makes "a lot of sense". Will the concept will take flight this time round?
Source: http://www.oxm.co.uk/21262/xbox-vs-pc-scrapped-because-of-imbalance/
Xbox vs. PC scrapped "because of imbalance"
Mouse and keyboard deemed too powerful, says... PC man
You might remember a game called Shadowrun, released on both Xbox 360 and PC, which allowed players on the two platforms to play each other. Sadly, it was a bit rubbish and FASA Studios, the team behind it, closed shortly afterward. A footnote in history, surely?
Not according to the founder of Voodoo PC, Rahul Sood - apparently Shadowrun was all part of a bigger initiative by Microsoft to get 360 and PC players competing against each other. "There was a project that got killed at Microsoft. This project was designed to allow console gamers and PC gamers to interact and battle over a connected environment," Sood explains on his blog.
"I've heard from reliable sources that during the development they brought together the best console gamers to play mediocre PC gamers at the same game... and guess what happened? They pitted console gamers with their "console" controller, against PC gamers with their keyboard and mouse."
Unfortunately the precision of mouse aiming meant the PC players had something of an advantage.
"The console players got destroyed every time. So much so that it would be embarrassing to the XBOX team in general had Microsoft launched this initiative."
We reckon this is a bit of a shame. While the mouse does have advantages, there are hundreds of games aside from standard deathmatch shooters that could have benefited from a bit of cross platform rivalry.
Do you think you'd be able to take on PC players in shooters? We reckon while the mouse is good for twitch headshots, when it comes to tracking moving targets and driving vehicles in larger battlefields, the Xbox 360 control pad is the best. In a game like Battlefield Bad Company 2, which requires a little more in the way of strategy, the rounds would probably be relatively balanced, especially if teams were a mix of players from both platforms.
Update 11/2013 - Seemingly, cross-platform multiplayer is making a comeback. According to Microsoft Studios boss Phil Spencer, allowing multiplayer between PC users and owners of the new Xbox One makes "a lot of sense". Will the concept will take flight this time round?