PS4 Cross Play Beta

[NARMAK]

https://blog.eu.playstation.com/2018...mpression=true

Looks like nay sayers will not have as much stuff to really chomp at if this goes into full game wide implementation on other titles. I like how Sony still managed to sneaky in bits about it making "business sense" in the wording

[Kurri]

I have a question about cross play. Is this with PC? Wouldn't console players want to not play with PC players? I don't game on a PC, but have heard mouse and click is better than a controller. I have no idea, but always thought cross play would be a bad idea if that was the case.

Again, I am not educated on this, really just a question.

[Captain Flint]

Originally Posted by Kurri

I have a question about cross play. Is this with PC? Wouldn't console players want to not play with PC players? I don't game on a PC, but have heard mouse and click is better than a controller. I have no idea, but always thought cross play would be a bad idea if that was the case.

Again, I am not educated on this, really just a question.

It's with all platforms including PC, Xbox One and even mobile. I don't like the idea of cross play between consoles and PC because of mouse and keyboard. PC players will have a definite advantage over console players. I think cross play should be limited to consoles, but that's just me.

[Mavrick]

Sony haven't been too bad with PS4/PC cross play. It was just cross play with other consoles they didn't like.

[NARMAK]

Originally Posted by Captain Flint

It's with all platforms including PC, Xbox One and even mobile. I don't like the idea of cross play between consoles and PC because of mouse and keyboard. PC players will have a definite advantage over console players. I think cross play should be limited to consoles, but that's just me.

Believe it or not, people have shown you can be more than competitive with PC players. Whilst there are disadvantages for console players, the gap on games like Fortnite has shown it can be closed and made competitive but i agree generally they should keep them split until people decide by choice like this cross play intends that they want to play with specific other platforms. Think X Box, Nintendo and PS4 should be able to choose to exclude PC lobbies.

[Derb]

As far as I know, all players from all platforms have a “choice” to engage in cross-play or not.

[Suntory_Times]

Originally Posted by Captain Flint

It's with all platforms including PC, Xbox One and even mobile. I don't like the idea of cross play between consoles and PC because of mouse and keyboard. PC players will have a definite advantage over console players. I think cross play should be limited to consoles, but that's just me.

It depends on the game, in fighting games it would be fantastic. In games like Gears of War many would think a m+k would be better but it was tested before full implementation in gow4 and it wasn't an advantage, and higher level players will usually argue that the controller is the overall better control method.

Now to speculate, but on pc in games like Call of Duty, controllers remain viable due to the absolutely insane amount of auto aim and aim assist the game has. But it certainly becomes a much harder question to answer as it has not been tested. But there are games like csgo where using a controller against a m+k just wouldn't work.

But to outright say no crossplay at all between consoles and pc is just silly.

[partridge]

Xbox will soon officially support keyboard and mouse for some games, but the devs for supporting games are (apparently) required to split those gamers away from those using a controller.

Sounds like a bad idea to me, the last thing any game needs is for a split player base. (it's precisely why franchises are moving away from season passes). Frankly, if anyone is keen to play games with keyboard and mouse, go buy a PC.

As someone in a comment elsewhere said: MS have taken a Windows PC and turned it into a games console, and have now turned that games console into a PC.

[Suntory_Times]

Originally Posted by partridge

Xbox will soon officially support keyboard and mouse for some games, but the devs for supporting games are (apparently) required to split those gamers away from those using a controller.

Sounds like a bad idea to me, the last thing any game needs is for a split player base. (it's precisely why franchises are moving away from season passes). Frankly, if anyone is keen to play games with keyboard and mouse, go buy a PC.

As someone in a comment elsewhere said: MS have taken a Windows PC and turned it into a games console, and have now turned that games console into a PC.

So your goal to not split a playerbase.... is to split a player base. Just brilliant.

The applicability of cross play will depend on the game in question and as gears of war showed us needs to be tested instead of people blindly making assumptions. The main issue consoles are facing is pc is growing very quickly and is not slowing down (it has in fact surpassed the entire console market from what I understand). Microsoft is aware of this and thus have been positioning themselves to take advantage of it. Sony has not revealed what there plans are beyond maybe psnow, so time will tell how they intend to continue playstation in the future.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Originally Posted by Suntory_Times

So your goal to not split a playerbase.... is to split a player base. Just brilliant.

The applicability of cross play will depend on the game in question and as gears of war showed us needs to be tested instead of people blindly making assumptions. The main issue consoles are facing is pc is growing very quickly and is not slowing down (it has in fact surpassed the entire console market from what I understand). Microsoft is aware of this and thus have been positioning themselves to take advantage of it. Sony has not revealed what there plans are beyond maybe psnow, so time will tell how they intend to continue playstation in the future.

Except that everyone I know that has a PC pirates their games and doesn’t spend a single penny on software. Everybody I know that has a console actually pays for their software. So, PC may have outgrown consoles, but is it really financially viable for the companies producing content for it? That begs the question, how long will publishers keep supporting PC?

[saprano]

Originally Posted by Kurri

I have a question about cross play. Is this with PC? Wouldn't console players want to not play with PC players? I don't game on a PC, but have heard mouse and click is better than a controller. I have no idea, but always thought cross play would be a bad idea if that was the case.

Again, I am not educated on this, really just a question.

PS4 already does crossplay with PC. Sony supported it since PS2.

[Suntory_Times]

Originally Posted by Petra_Kalbrain

Except that everyone I know that has a PC pirates their games and doesn’t spend a single penny on software. Everybody I know that has a console actually pays for their software. So, PC may have outgrown consoles, but is it really financially viable for the companies producing content for it? That begs the question, how long will publishers keep supporting PC?

Oh well because everyone "you" know, it must be true. Lets be clear, PC gaming generates a huge amount of revenue. It in fact is almost on its own as large as the revenue all the consoles combined in terms of the money it brings in.

https://www.dsogaming.com/news/pc-ga...ales-combined/

But I mean, I guess companies will just throw all that money away, because of the people you know.

Also, you're not even trying to be on topic are you? This is meant to be about crossplay, instead you post about how pc will stop having support as all pc gamers are thief's... apparently, even though it is almost as large as the entire console market on its own.

Originally Posted by saprano

PS4 already does crossplay with PC. Sony supported it since PS2.

Supported yes, but very few games support it. The issue surrounding crossplay has been more surrounding them stopping console crossplay, and locking accounts to themselves in fortnite.

If sony doesn't embrace crossplay and microsoft, nintendo, mobile and pc does, I wouldn't be shocked to see them fall behind next gen as they did at the start of the ps3 gen. Yes they are doing very well currently, but just look at the move from the ps2 to the ps3.

[Derb]

Originally Posted by partridge

Xbox will soon officially support keyboard and mouse for some games, but the devs for supporting games are (apparently) required to split those gamers away from those using a controller.

Sounds like a bad idea to me, the last thing any game needs is for a split player base. (it's precisely why franchises are moving away from season passes). Frankly, if anyone is keen to play games with keyboard and mouse, go buy a PC.

As someone in a comment elsewhere said: MS have taken a Windows PC and turned it into a games console, and have now turned that games console into a PC.

The goal MS is going for with Kewboard & Mouse support is to provide devs another tool so they can bring PC only games to console. You can’t simply plug & play any game with the new keyboard, it’s up to the devs to decide which games are allowed via patch & any future projects. Let’s face it, MS wants as many games as possible on their platform. PC only games too.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Originally Posted by Suntory_Times

Oh well because everyone "you" know, it must be true. Lets be clear, PC gaming generates a huge amount of revenue. It in fact is almost on its own as large as the revenue all the consoles combined in terms of the money it brings in.

https://www.dsogaming.com/news/pc-ga...ales-combined/

But I mean, I guess companies will just throw all that money away, because of the people you know.

Also, you're not even trying to be on topic are you? This is meant to be about crossplay, instead you post about how pc will stop having support as all pc gamers are thief's... apparently, even though it is almost as large as the entire console market on its own.

[Show spoiler]

Supported yes, but very few games support it. The issue surrounding crossplay has been more surrounding them stopping console crossplay, and locking accounts to themselves in fortnite.

If sony doesn't embrace crossplay and microsoft, nintendo, mobile and pc does, I wouldn't be shocked to see them fall behind next gen as they did at the start of the ps3 gen. Yes they are doing very well currently, but just look at the move from the ps2 to the ps3.

Woah there. Pump the brakes. I never said ALL PC gamers are thieves. However, there is still a fairly large chunk of the PC gamer demographic that don’t pay for their content. And FREE is a pretty convincing argument for most of the general masses to join the club. Just look at how many people are jumping ship when it comes to torrenting film/TV content. It’s alarming how quickly the numbers grow when someone shares a website where this stuff can be accessed for free. At work alone I’ve seen 4 people in less than 15 minutes (the duration of a single break) get talked into watching films that are still in theatres on websites. “That will save me hundreds of dollars! OMG!” Regardless of whether I know the people or not, it’s a viral trend that is growing. The question becomes whether those numbers that you referenced about 2017 PC game revenue will grow or drop in the face of this type of “get it for free” trend. Time will tell. However, what I do see is more people pirating and what I don’t see is people who are pirating changing to paying for their content.

As for “on topic?” I don’t see the cross-play factor affecting Sony either way... so long as they keep making amazing exclusives as they have been. A lot of gamers want a killer single-player experience first & foremost. Online multiplayer is often a secondary concern or simply a bonus (at least in the competitive sense). Why should I care about playing against people on other systems? What is the advantage? To me, the only thing it will do is create more of the insanely childish “PC MASTER RACE” and “XBOX RULES” and “SWITCH IS THE BEST” and all of the harshly negative reciprocal comments associated with “console wars.” Honestly, I believe that it will only increase the already too prominent bullying factor associated with gaming as it is now.

[Suntory_Times]

Originally Posted by Petra_Kalbrain

Woah there. Pump the brakes. I never said ALL PC gamers are thieves. However, there is still a fairly large chunk of the PC gamer demographic that don’t pay for their content. And FREE is a pretty convincing argument for most of the general masses to join the club. Just look at how many people are jumping ship when it comes to torrenting film/TV content. It’s alarming how quickly the numbers grow when someone shares a website where this stuff can be accessed for free. At work alone I’ve seen 4 people in less than 15 minutes (the duration of a single break) get talked into watching films that are still in theatres on websites. “That will save me hundreds of dollars! OMG!” Regardless of whether I know the people or not, it’s a viral trend that is growing. The question becomes whether those numbers that you referenced about 2017 PC game revenue will grow or drop in the face of this type of “get it for free” trend. Time will tell. However, what I do see is more people pirating and what I don’t see is people who are pirating changing to paying for their content.

As for “on topic?” I don’t see the cross-play factor affecting Sony either way... so long as they keep making amazing exclusives as they have been. A lot of gamers want a killer single-player experience first & foremost. Online multiplayer is often a secondary concern or simply a bonus (at least in the competitive sense). Why should I care about playing against people on other systems? What is the advantage? To me, the only thing it will do is create more of the insanely childish “PC MASTER RACE” and “XBOX RULES” and “SWITCH IS THE BEST” and all of the harshly negative reciprocal comments associated with “console wars.” Honestly, I believe that it will only increase the already too prominent bullying factor associated with gaming as it is now.

You see the issue is once again the reality of the revenue the platform makes. Pc Master Race is a joke term. I'm sure some people use it poorly, but such is an inevitability when you have such a huge number of people. Lets assume however just for the sake of it, that releasing on pc causes more people to pirate the game, should a company not do it, even if it increases the money they are making above what they otherwise would be? You're asking companies to literally turn there back on a market bigger then any individual console, which is just silly. It's akin to not having a home release on blu-ray or streaming services, as that allows people to pirate a high quality copy of the film.

But in terms of exclusives, that in the past hasn't been enough. Xbox even at the start of the 360 gen did not have the exclusives, but they had the functionality of a much better online which alone had them lead with only a relatively small number of exclusives. At the start of this gen the xbox one was generally considered to have the better exclusives, but they lagged behind all the same.

The issue with crossplay if sony ignored it when no one else does is it will hurt there attempts to sell the next generation of consoles due to the anti consumer practise it is (see how such practices hurt the xbox one). This isn't just an issue of pc though, this is an issue of mobile, pc and the other two consoles. If sony is the odd one out, it may not end well for them long term.

[Steelmaker]

I think the biggest misconception among consumers and critics with regards to Sony and their stance on crossplay is they seem to think Sony was simply being spiteful. Like they were just standing there with their arms folded, refusing to flip a switch as if it were that simple. It's not! I talked to a Sony PR representative several months ago and he told me that the reason Sony refused crossplay with Xbox and Switch at that time was because in order to do so, they were required to share specific algorithms with MS and Nintendo that Sony used to gather valuable data from their PSN subscribers. He said that kind of data was too confidential and it was unreasonable to expect Sony to reveal that information to their competitors.

Now obviously a work around has been found and that's great for gamers. However it's not as simple as "Yesterday Sony said no and today they said yes due to consumer pressure." You're giving yourself too much credit if you think that. This has been in the works for a while now, I guarantee you.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

I think the biggest misconception among consumers and critics with regards to Sony and their stance on crossplay is they seem to think Sony was simply being spiteful. Like they were just standing there with their arms folded, refusing to flip a switch as if it were that simple. It's not! I talked to a Sony PR representative several months ago and he told me that the reason Sony refused crossplay with Xbox and Switch at that time was because in order to do so, they were required to share specific algorithms with MS and Nintendo that Sony used to gather valuable data from their PSN subscribers. He said that kind of data was too confidential and it was unreasonable to expect Sony to reveal that information to their competitors.

Now obviously a work around has been found and that's great for gamers. However it's not as simple as "Yesterday Sony said no and today they said yes due to consumer pressure." You're giving yourself too much credit if you think that. This has been in the works for a while now, I guarantee you.

Another factor that isn’t considered by general consumers is the fact that Sony staying out of the cross-platform game allows them to protect their customer base better. If there is unacceptable behaviour from a player on a different console/system, there is no system in place via cross-platform by which the victim of abusive behavioir can report those being problematic. So, Sony has no way to deal with the offenders, nor does the other companies get notification that they need to deal with the offenders.

I believe THAT is the biggest thing that held them back for so long.

[Scarface32]

Originally Posted by Derb

As far as I know, all players from all platforms have a “choice” to engage in cross-play or not.

Yeah but the problem is it’s all or nothing.

For example in Rocket League I can either turn cross play on or off, but I can’t choose who to play with. For example, I can’t say "allow Switch and Xbox, but not PC"

PC users will always have an unfair advantage.

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by Scarface32

Yeah but the problem is it’s all or nothing.

For example in Rocket League I can either turn cross play on or off, but I can’t choose who to play with. For example, I can’t say "allow Switch and Xbox, but not PC"

PC users will always have an unfair advantage.

I'm sure that will come in time.

[Suntory_Times]

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

I think the biggest misconception among consumers and critics with regards to Sony and their stance on crossplay is they seem to think Sony was simply being spiteful. Like they were just standing there with their arms folded, refusing to flip a switch as if it were that simple. It's not! I talked to a Sony PR representative several months ago and he told me that the reason Sony refused crossplay with Xbox and Switch at that time was because in order to do so, they were required to share specific algorithms with MS and Nintendo that Sony used to gather valuable data from their PSN subscribers. He said that kind of data was too confidential and it was unreasonable to expect Sony to reveal that information to their competitors.

Now obviously a work around has been found and that's great for gamers. However it's not as simple as "Yesterday Sony said no and today they said yes due to consumer pressure." You're giving yourself too much credit if you think that. This has been in the works for a while now, I guarantee you.

That is a lie (not you, the person claiming this) as evidenced by crossplay between xbox and ps4 has already been turned on in the past, it does not require anything like you have described.

Originally Posted by Petra_Kalbrain

Another factor that isn’t considered by general consumers is the fact that Sony staying out of the cross-platform game allows them to protect their customer base better. If there is unacceptable behaviour from a player on a different console/system, there is no system in place via cross-platform by which the victim of abusive behavioir can report those being problematic. So, Sony has no way to deal with the offenders, nor does the other companies get notification that they need to deal with the offenders.

I believe THAT is the biggest thing that held them back for so long.

Man the depths people go to to excuse this. It is in there current financial interest to not do it, they don't care about you or anyone else in this regard. If they did they wouldn't have taken a month when they where hacked to let the consumer now of such a possible leakage of information from there end.

Originally Posted by Scarface32

Yeah but the problem is it’s all or nothing.

For example in Rocket League I can either turn cross play on or off, but I can’t choose who to play with. For example, I can’t say "allow Switch and Xbox, but not PC"

PC users will always have an unfair advantage.

Depends on the game, I would like you to describe how pc players always have an advantage in a fighting game. Lets take street fighter 5 as an example, a game which already has crossplay between ps4 and pc. What advantage does pc have? Remember you said pc always has an advantage.

The reality is, is for many games there is none (for example fighting games). For others it this is simply an unknown, people thought m+k players in Gears of War 4 would stomp controller players, this was tested and it was found to not be the case, and that game doesn't have auto aim and aim assist like many other games. The point being, is people have become far to scared of the m+k player, which in some games makes sense (cs: go, rainbow six siege), but it just isn't an earnt reputation in many games (for example, playing with a controller in cod in the cod's i've played recently on pc and I did just as well as with a m+k due to the aim assist/auto aim present, which consoles also have on).

People need to be more concerned with what games are a good fit, and getting sony to play ball full stop as apposed to excusing them, worrying about growing pains with it (which there very well may be).