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Xbox opening up cross-network play


Shorty

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ID@Xbox Director Chris Charla has announced that Xbox games will be opened up to connect to PC and other consoles (if developers and other consoles play ball)

 

http://news.xbox.com/2016/03/14/letter-chris-charla-idxbox-updates-gdc/

 

First, in addition to natively supporting cross-platform play between Xbox One and Windows 10 games that use Xbox Live, we’re enabling developers to support cross-network play as well. This means players on Xbox One and Windows 10 using Xbox Live will be able to play with players on different online multiplayer networks – including other console and PC networks.

 

Of course, it’s up to game developers to support this feature, and Xbox Live players will always have the option of choosing to play only with other Xbox Live players. We’re thrilled to confirm that Psyonix’s Rocket League will be one of the first games to take advantage of this new capability by enabling cross-network play between Xbox One and PC players, with an open invitation for other networks to participate as well.

 

 

I can't help but think this is only good news, imagine the console rivalry events!

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Had seen this pop up somewhere but didn't read any/much of the deets. On the surface I think it's a.) a great step forward generally and b.)a terrible sign of defeat for Microsoft/XBone?

 

But then I thought - Are Sony on board? What happens if Sony don't get on board? It's basically gonna fuel a lot of PS4 vs XBone, and would need to be developed from the outset of things I'd imagine plus some sort of crossover systems put in place for it due to the idea of unique IDs surely? Will this end up with us making new IDs for each game we play, and a potential devolution of matchmaking/friends options etc?

 

The PC gaming side of it's interesting and relevant enough but I've basically ignored it because I don't PC game, basically don't use Windows much, and my real main focus for anything gaming online these days would be my PS4. I look forward to a future of actually being able to cross play from PS4 to XBone or something like it though.

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Doubt unique IDs will be an issue, they have their system keeping them unique. Your actual name being original is not a big deal, it's your ID behind it that matters (despite what Sony insist with their no renaming nonsense), and that will be considered during implementation.

 

I don't see it really as relating to defeat for MS either. For starters, any game that implements it is levelling that particular playing field immediately. This doesn't mean Xbox exclusives on PS4 or anything, so it shouldn't really affect the choice of system to play on, either. I guess the only effect it will have in that sense is on the tiny sector of the market that buys games on both systems to play with more friends.

Edited by Shorty
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Had seen this pop up somewhere but didn't read any/much of the deets. On the surface I think it's a.) a great step forward generally and b.)a terrible sign of defeat for Microsoft/XBone?

 

But then I thought - Are Sony on board? What happens if Sony don't get on board? It's basically gonna fuel a lot of PS4 vs XBone, and would need to be developed from the outset of things I'd imagine plus some sort of crossover systems put in place for it due to the idea of unique IDs surely? Will this end up with us making new IDs for each game we play, and a potential devolution of matchmaking/friends options etc?

 

The PC gaming side of it's interesting and relevant enough but I've basically ignored it because I don't PC game, basically don't use Windows much, and my real main focus for anything gaming online these days would be my PS4. I look forward to a future of actually being able to cross play from PS4 to XBone or something like it though.

 

Sony have always been up for cross platform gaming and already offer it on some games (Rocket League being one) Microsoft has always been the obstacle

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Go on i'll be the one to say it

 

You'll need those third party games to actually be on the NX to even think about cross play :heh:

 

I was waiting for that :heh: If we do get the games, though, I can see them being restricted from something like this and then Nintendo will suffer as a result.. as usual :indeed:

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I cant see Nintendo wanting to allow their gamers to interact with other console gamers given how strictly they tend to do things.

 

I think its just going to be a nice feature that if it takes off will allow people to start choosing their own consoles based more on their own preferences and not just who they want to game with. Thinking about it that way I think its absolutely a feature Nintendo would need. Their gamers wouldnt have to worry about playing games on other consoles to get the full multiplayer experience anymore (as long as they got the games of course)

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Hopefully it leads to better implementation than the rather rubbish way Rocket League does it.

 

I cant see Nintendo wanting to allow their gamers to interact with other console gamers given how strictly they tend to do things.

 

There's a chess game on Wii U/3DS which interacts with iOS and Android. The PlayStation version is only PS3/PS4/Vita cross play.

 

Edit:

 

http://www.destructoid.com/nintendo-okays-cross-play-between-wii-u-and-other-systems-263507.phtml

 

yep, no problem. You can have other console players playing against Wii U players. You can have smartphone players play against them. No problem.
Edited by Cube
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I wonder how this sort of thing might affect Nintendo and the NX..? ::shrug:

 

It won't. Nintendo has allowed cross platform play for a while :) Pure Chess, as @Cube said, Cubemen 2, Dragon Quest X and so forth. It's all up to the developer

Edited by Serebii
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Either way if cross network play does become more widestream then it would definitely be a plus for Nintendo but it would have to go hand in hand with them really working on their third party relations to get all the big titles back onto the console. If they could do that then their larger first party output would then become much more of a draw.

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Doubt unique IDs will be an issue, they have their system keeping them unique. Your actual name being original is not a big deal, it's your ID behind it that matters (despite what Sony insist with their no renaming nonsense), and that will be considered during implementation.

 

I don't see it really as relating to defeat for MS either. For starters, any game that implements it is levelling that particular playing field immediately. This doesn't mean Xbox exclusives on PS4 or anything, so it shouldn't really affect the choice of system to play on, either. I guess the only effect it will have in that sense is on the tiny sector of the market that buys games on both systems to play with more friends.

 

Oops, I should have said I meant more an indication of how things are for XBone now - I think this is going to be great for them moving forward. Re: the IDs, what if someone has my PSN gamertag on XboxLive, and then it means that two of us essentially share the same ID for a game? I'm just wondering how they'd work around that(though I imagine, for a large majority of people, they actually have the same tags across systems).

 

Sony have always been up for cross platform gaming and already offer it on some games (Rocket League being one) Microsoft has always been the obstacle

 

Ahh, I was not aware of that! Can't say I'm particularly surprised to hear it though, Sony have moved leaps and bounds in the last few years imo.

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Either way if cross network play does become more widestream then it would definitely be a plus for Nintendo but it would have to go hand in hand with them really working on their third party relations to get all the big titles back onto the console. If they could do that then their larger first party output would then become much more of a draw.

 

Well Nintendo allows it already, so it's all up to the developer. If they get the developers, they're all set :)

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So, will Sony actually allow PS4 and Xbox One owners to play together?

 

Last week, Microsoft dropped the bombshell that it would open up Xbox Live to allow cross-network play between Xbox One and other platforms - including other console platforms such as PlayStation 4.

 

It was a bold announcement - but now the ball is in Sony's court. How would it respond?

 

Sony has so far only provided a non-committal statement on the issue - that it has already supported PS4 and PC cross-network play and would continue to work with the developers. So we decided to press the issue further.

 

Oli caught up with Sony Worldwide Studios' Shuhei Yoshida at the Game Developers Conference 2016 in San Francisco to ask him whether Sony will actually allow PS4 and Xbox One owners to play together.

 

"I understand their policies changed, right?" Yoshida said. "They're saying they're going to do cross-platform play between Xbox One and PC with some games.

 

"We've been doing that with PS3 and PC, PS4 and PC most recently with Street Fighter 5 and Rocket League and other games. That's noting new for us, in terms of working with developers and publishers to allow cross-platform play between PC and PS4."

 

This was much the same answer we had heard before - but what about PlayStation 4 and Xbox One specifically?

 

"Because PC is an open platform it's much more straightforward," Yoshida continued. "Connecting two different closed networks is much more complicated so we have to work with developers and publishers to understand what it is they are trying to accomplish.

 

"We also have to look at the technical aspect - and the technical aspect could be the easiest. We also have to look at policy issues and business issues as well."

 

Yoshida suggests there's no technical issue preventing cross-network play between PS4 and Xbox One. Rather, the debate will revolve around whether it is in Sony's best interests to allow it.

 

All of which sounds like we won't be playing The Division with a cross-platform party of PS4 and Xbox One players anytime soon. Rocket League may be the first, based on developer Psyonix's recent comments.

 

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-03-17-sonys-shuhei-yoshida-on-playstation-4-and-xbox-one-cross-network-play

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