Xbox 360/PC cross platform scrapped due to "imbalance"

[Arashikage]

There was a project by Microsoft to create a game that was cross platform between Xbox 360 and PC.  Unfortunately, Microsoft scrapped the project when they pit PC gamers up against console gamers, and the console gamers were destroyed every time.  

http://www.oxm.co.uk/21262/xbox-vs-pc-scrapped-because-of-imbalance/

 

OXM is a little bit biased on this issue, but get this: it's an Xbox magazine.  OXM: Official Xbox Magazine.  Why would an Xbox magazine openly admit that the PC can destroy the consoles in these kinds of games?  They said this about other games however: 

Do you think you'd be able to take on PC players in shooters? We reckon while the mouse is good for twitch headshots, when it comes to tracking moving targets and driving vehicles in larger battlefields, the Xbox 360 control pad is the best. In a game like Battlefield Bad Company 2, which requires a little more in the way of strategy, the rounds would probably be relatively balanced, especially if teams were a mix of players from both platforms.

 

What do you think?

[Icy]

An expert mouse + keyboard player will beat an expert controller player every time. That's just how I see it, though.

 

However, a game of Battlefield with a mix of mouse/controller players? It would probably work out alright.

 

64-player game with 32 players using mouse + keyboard, and the other 32 players using a controller? The game would be lopsided, but not that bad.

 

Just my opinion, though.

[StarFoxfan-FUR_ever]

I speak from the point of view of a gamer who grew up with gamepads. As such, I will always feel more comfortable getting used to controls presented on a gamepad than those on a keyboard...but that is where the advantages (that I see anyways), end. No matter what, the keyboard/mouse combination allows for much more customization of controls (which I find I tend to do a LOT of whenever it is an available option to me) than any gamepad will.

 

I find that the best example to relate the issue of "shooter genre" gaming to in regards to control types is any racing genre video game that gives you the option to play with a steering wheel. Naturally, it will be much more easier for someone to turn much more accurately around corners (as hard or soft as they prefer to steer around corners) as opposed to the gamepad player who will be forced to either "turn" the wheel half way or all the way over as I know some games don't give you the necessary options to effectively change steering sensitivity on the gamepad... ones that work properly anyways. Seriously, try playing with a gamepad against someone with a steering wheel. I bet you you're gonna lose 99 times out of 100 (assuming both sides pick the same vehicle and transmission settings).

 

There is also the disparity as to how well player's PC's will match up hardware-wise with each other (RAM and processing power I'm talking about here) and against the console users, while the console gamers are on equal footing against each other, and will always be in the same position when playing against PC users, in that regard, but that's a separate issue altogether.

[Arashikage]

The article explained all of that too. The PC gamers have the better equipment, the better controls, and the better speeds. Try playing a game at 120fps vs 30. It's a huge difference and you'll find the smoother gameplay will lead to a better experience overall.

As for the wheel, I have to disagree. It's not all in the control scheme. It's usually dependant on the scheme you know best. I've crushed friends who had a steering wheel with my controller. That's because I know the controller best. Give me a steering wheel and I'll probably not be as good. It's like Super Smash Bros. I learned on the wiimote, my friend has to hook up his gamecube controller.

I know what you mean about the precision though. Usually in racing games though as long as you can turn a little bit as opposed to a lot all the time, you can correct turns and get pretty good that way.

The keyboard allows for more controls however, and the mouse is precision aiming. Perfect for shooters.