Online Console Gaming Primed for Take Off

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."

Comments

bleh

[shing0]

It's never going to work for me because they want you to subscribe and pay a monthly fee. So not only are you paying for your internet connection, but now the subscription along with it.

Re:bleh

[The-Bus]

What's funny about Xbox Live is that the features that are standard now on most 360 games (Online leaderboards) are the ones where Microsoft needs to pay to keep information. In some games, like Project Gotham Racing 3, you can actually see videos of the top players getting those records, so you know exactly how they got it. However, these are features you get no matter what version of Xbox Live you have (Silver, which is free, or Gold). Microsoft actually charges more for the things that, ideally, could be done for free - that is, playing other players online.

Honestly, the $50 a year bothered me a hell of a lot when I first heard about it. As an oft PC gamer I thought it was too my right to be able to play a console online without having to pay. I held out for a while. Eventually, I got a 60-day trial and was so hooked on it that I didn't mind paying $50. It's less than $5 a month and I play it enough to make it worth it. This argument is not too different from the arguments against monthly fees for MMORPGs. It's not innately bad or good, it's just a business model. Time and the market will determine which are feasible and which are not.

Think RTS

[blueZ3]

I really enjoy RTS games (C&C, etc.) and even some turn-based strategy games, and I find a keyboard/mouse much more convenient than a game pad. For one thing, selecting multiple units with drag using a mouse is easy and intuitive. Also, I appreciate the ability to group units and assign them to a key... so for instance I can select all my air units with Ctrl+1 or all my ships with Ctrl+2.

However, for a lot of other games (FPS, puzzle games) that I play on my GameCube, I do appreciate the game controller. I think it's more a matter of what works best for different formats than whether one or the other is "better"

Re:xbox live invented online console gaming?

[joako]

Does the article actually declare that XBL invented online console gaming?

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 /. blurb says XBL "started the transition to online gaming on consoles.", which is a fair statement, since nothing you listed had a significant userbase. (the PS2 network adapter appeared after XBL started, IIRC).

Re:I only have one TV...

[Manmademan]

All of the next gen consoles, and 2/3 of the LAST gen ones can do High Def, as well as 5.1 surround sound. No online fees are necessary for play on the Ps2, and the Xbox Live online fees boil down to what, $4 a month? Of course you can use the PC for other tasks, because that's what PC's are- general purpose machines designed to do a lot of different things. No PC game will ever be made that will truly take advantage of that ultrafast video card and couple gigs of ram. On the flipside, Consoles are dedicated game machines that do one thing very, very well and some of us prefer that. If you don't see the allure of console gaming, maybe it's just not for you. There are plenty of genres on a console that are totally nonexistent on PC- while the mouse and keyboard are great for FPS and RTS titles, they're woefully inadequate at handling fighters, racers, rhythm games, and other titles the control pad excels at. And as for "maybe" a console is cheaper there is no argument here. I have a Ps2 purchased in 2000 that will play the newest, top of the line Ps2 games released today, tomorrow, and 2 years from now flawlessly, every time, without ever having to upgrade it. This is not something you can say about the PC, and its a big reason why console gaming has an audience. not to turn this into yet another PC vs. Console flamefest, but had to chime in.