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Nintendo and Microsoft Team Up To Promote Cross-Play, While Sony Remains Silent (theverge.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the odd-ball-out dept.

Minecraft for the Nintendo Switch is getting a big update today that will enable cross-play with PC, Xbox One, and smartphones -- but notably not the PlayStation 4. "Sony is blocking cross-play for Fortnite, Rocket League, and Minecraft so PS4 players can't play against Xbox One or Nintendo Switch owners," reports The Verge. "Meanwhile, Nintendo and Microsoft are partnering to utilize cross-play as a marketing weapon today." From the report: The Minecraft cross-play trailer specifically focuses on the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch being able to play together. It also includes the rare sight of an Xbox One controller in a Switch commercial. If that's not enough of a partnership, the ad even encourages players to create, explore, and survive together in Minecraft on Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

9 of 75 comments (clear)

  1. PS4 won this generation by rsilvergun · · Score: 3, Informative

    by leaps and bounds. The Switch and XBox are playing catch up so it's too their advantage right now to support cross play. If the position was reversed either way they'd be the ones blocking cross play while the other two allowed it.

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    1. Re:PS4 won this generation by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You can pretty much count on whichever console maker is in the lead to act like a raging a-hole. You should have seen the way Sony treated developers during the PS2 heyday. They would basically dictate design decisions, even on third party titles. Oh, but if you were developing a PSP title, they were your best buddy, of course, because Nintendo was still kicking their asses in the handheld market.

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  2. it's not just cross-play.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    sony blocks use of a game's player account on any other platform. even without cross play. want to use your fortnite account that's linked to ps4 account on a different platform... or move to it completely... even though you can't cross play? 'fuck you', says sony. all that progress and all those cosmetics, etc you bought are going to sit and rot on the ps4 if you want to switch.

    cross play is secondary. THIS is the main gripe players have. not being able to move their shit from one platform to another.. when the game developer otherwise permits such a move. some don't (because there may be competitive differences or advantages between platforms) but many do or would.

    1. Re:it's not just cross-play.. by FFOMelchior · · Score: 4, Informative

      Mod parent up. Lack of cross-play is nothing new. This is erupting now due to the Epic/Fortnite account locks that Sony places. Login once on PS4, and without any warning, your 3rd party Epic account is now locked to Sony. Doesn't matter what you bought/unlocked -- you can't ever use any of that again on PC/Xbox/Switch.

  3. Re:Are we sure it's a good idea? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    1. I think most of the advantage is in having a Mouse so a console could just add support for that.

    2. it is Minecraft. That means, I suspect, the advantage is not as pronounced as it would be in more conventional, fast-paced, FPS.

    3. It's Minecraft - the emphasis is on co-operative everything against the environment (PvE), rather than PvP. That means that PC advantages over Console simply mean the PC people are more capable, not that they beat the console players. It isn't a competition.

    (Imagine something like Civilization - the advantage of a mouse just makes your turns easier for you to input; but doesn't actually put you at a disadvantage as speed of input doesn't affect the game.)

    So, yes, I think in PvP FPSs, I think you've got a point. In slower paced games and PvE, I suspect it's a lot less of a deal.

  4. Re:TCP/IP? by AHuxley · · Score: 2, Informative

    Think of all the fun ways only a Microsoft can make simple networking more work.

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  5. Luigi and Peach in Super Mario Adventures by tepples · · Score: 2

    Nintendo has used that sort of cross-play as a plot point. Super Mario Adventures , a graphic novel first serialized across 12 issues of Nintendo Power in 1992, has an arc where Luigi and Peach swap outfits. Scenes in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Super Mario Odyssey call back to this swap.

  6. Re:This is going to be bad... by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 3, Informative

    all the console 12yr olds are going to get slaughtered by people using PCs with mouse and keyboard

    Wrong. All the 15-year-olds using PCs who have dedicated six months to mastering a specific game are going to slaughter everyone.

    This is how online gaming has always worked... but now they just trash-talk you through a voice pitch changer.

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  7. Re: This is going to be bad... by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 2

    And Final Fantasy XIV is one of those rare PS4/PC cross-platform game.

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