Poll of the Day > Cross-platform

(+) Yeah! (+)

...was inevitable. The reasoning behind Destiny not being CP was pretty bad (hit boxes, plus... Sony, even if HB wasn't an "issue"). Sony needs to get it together. It's ridiculous to continue fighting a good thing. It'd be great if I could play NHL on my Xbox with my friend's on PS. Or a shooter like CoD or BF.
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It would be nice, for sure.

Another thing that would be nice is gift purchases for digital console games. Right now the only way to buy a game for someone is to either just get them some digital currency, or hope the game is available to get a download code from retailers.
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keyblader1985 posted...

It would be nice, for sure.

Another thing that would be nice is gift purchases for digital console games. Right now the only way to buy a game for someone is to either just get them some digital currency, or hope the game is available to get a download code from retailers.

Didn't Xbox Live already do digital gifting?

https://www.polygon.com/2017/11/14/16652882/xbox-one-buy-game-gift-xbox-live-microsoft

Sony doesn't, and neither does Nintendo (unless that changed with the Switch).
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I'm fairly ambivalent about cross-platform play, but bullshit like Sony pulled with Fortnite (anyone who logged into an Epic Games account to play Fortnite on a PS4 had that account blocked from playing on Switch) needs to stop yesterday. Nobody has to do cross-platform play if they don't want to, but messing with third-party accounts to prevent people from switching platforms is absolutely not okay.
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adjl posted...

I'm fairly ambivalent about cross-platform play

It's completely useless for me in the sense that I only play on the PS4 (and the 360), and if I want to play with my friends we all own the same consoles, so there's never going to be a time when I want to play with someone specific on a different platform than mine (even aside from the fact that I mostly shun open multiplayer anyway).

But I acknowledge that it's a more important issue for other people, and that just in general it means that multiplayer games can have larger pool of players to draw from for things like matchmaking and server population.

Then again, considering the differences in user-base across different platforms (ie, the GTAO PC userbase being somewhat more toxic and assholish than the console userbase, or the general demographic differences between players on Xbox Live, PSN, or the Switch), technical issues (ie, GTAO having a greater problem with hackers and griefers on PC than console, which could theoretically impact console players negatively if they were shoved into servers with PC players), and the potential disparity created by different input schemes (ie, PC gamers using keyboard/mouse versus console gamers using controllers), I'm not entirely opposed to platform segregation as an idea regardless.

If anything, I personally probably benefit more from a total lack of cross-platform play than I do from universal cross-platform play.



adjl posted...

but bullshit like Sony pulled with Fortnite (anyone who logged into an Epic Games account to play Fortnite on a PS4 had that account blocked from playing on Switch) needs to stop yesterday.

I'm honestly curious as to what the actual background details of that are, but I also suspect we're never really going to know what they were.

ie, was that a technical issue that caused that to work that way, and if so, was it completely accidental or something Sony specifically required from Epic? Or just an unavoidable side-effect of how Sony has specifically designed their code architecture? Also, if it WAS deliberate, what were the specific requirements and discussions involving the issue behind the scenes?

Whether or not Sony should eat tons of shit for it happening probably hinges on just what the motivations were behind it happening. Basically, I see it as a scale of "They should take a little shit because it was a technical error" up to "They should eat a lot of shit because their logic was 'Fuck anyone who plays anything other than a PS4'."

Not that it effects me at all, considering I have no intention of playing any game this generation unless it's on the PS4, and no intention of playing Fortnite or any other Epic game ever. But still.


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ParanoidObsessive posted...

I'm honestly curious as to what the actual background details of that are, [...]

This is the statement Sony issued on the matter (from GS):

"We're always open to hearing what the PlayStation community is interested in to enhance their gaming experience," a Sony representative said to the BBC. "Fortnite is already a huge hit with PS4 fans, offering a true free-to-play experience so gamers can jump in and play online.

"With 79 million PS4s sold around the world and more than 80 million monthly active users on PlayStation Network, we've built a huge community of gamers who can play together on Fortnite and all online titles. We also offer Fortnite cross-play support with PC, Mac, iOS, and Android devices, expanding the opportunity for Fortnite fans on PS4 to play with even more gamers on other platforms."

Given the fact that they avoided even mentioning the Switch, the specific issue at hand, or any sort of explanation for why the issue occurred, I'm inclined to say they should fall toward the upper end of your scale. It seems pretty deliberate to me.
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Sony loves their current position of being the dominant console and all the extra units they've sold by being the platform all your friends have. They won't give in and allow cross-platform multiplayer until that edge starts to dwindle, at which point they'll make a big deal and spin it as a positive thing.
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Destiny will never be cross-platform, due to Playstation exclusive maps, weapons, and strikes.

And is the reason why you should never play Destiny on any platform, other than Playstation.

TheWorstPoster posted...

Destiny will never be cross-platform, due to Playstation exclusive maps, weapons, and strikes.

And is the reason why you should never play Destiny on any platform, other than Playstation.

Alternatively, that's exactly the reason why you should play it on other platforms instead. If the exclusive content gives them enough of an edge, they'll keep employing such practices because they're profitable. If it doesn't, they won't.
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adjl posted...

TheWorstPoster posted...

Destiny will never be cross-platform, due to Playstation exclusive maps, weapons, and strikes.

And is the reason why you should never play Destiny on any platform, other than Playstation.

Alternatively, that's exactly the reason why you should play it on other platforms instead. If the exclusive content gives them enough of an edge, they'll keep employing such practices because they're profitable. If it doesn't, they won't.

Basically, if we play it on other systems that allow cross-platform, and PlayStation has less buyers because people want to play with all their friends, they may finally agree so that their sales go back up, right?
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adjl posted...

Given the fact that they avoided even mentioning the Switch, the specific issue at hand, or any sort of explanation for why the issue occurred, I'm inclined to say they should fall toward the upper end of your scale. It seems pretty deliberate to me.

Nah, that's standard industry damage control spin. It's basically an attempt to apologize without actually admitting you did anything wrong, while also refusing to reveal details for fear that you might make things worse.

It basically says absolutely nothing about the actual facts of what happened or what the motivations were.

That's part of why I said I was genuinely curious about those details - because I'm fully aware no one involved (whether Sony, Epic, or even unknown third parties) will ever openly admit to anything, so all we'll ever really have to go on is hearsay and speculation.


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