Microsoft announces Xbox Live cross-network (PSN and other networks) play

This could be great for some of the quieter EA Games on PC.

Games like Battlefront and Hardline that have smaller community's on PC could get a boost from having Xbox players thrown into the mix.

I would also see EA taking Microsoft up on this as they have to pay for the servers running these games anyway. May as well have less servers over multiple systems instead of a bunch of servers on both not getting used.
 
This could be great for some of the quieter EA Games on PC.

Games like Battlefront and Hardline that have smaller community's on PC could get a boost from having Xbox players thrown into the mix.

I would also see EA taking Microsoft up on this as they have to pay for the servers running these games anyway. May as well have less servers over multiple systems instead of a bunch of servers on both not getting used.

Console and PC mixing in a FPS is a disaster waiting to happen(for the console gamers).
 
PS3/PS4/PC crossplay was really good for FF14s community, so hopefully similarly good things come of this. Console division between different versions definitely hurts smaller games.
 
just check my post above please. I feel like you're getting super defensive. I also feel like you'll still stay on the defensive no matter how many examples you're given.

I have absolutely no idea what he's even arguing anymore, it's so strange.

Console and PC mixing in a FPS is a disaster waiting to happen(for the console gamers).

There are already cross platform FPS titles for PS4 and it's been fine.
 
Of course he is defensive, got to defend his favourite Mega corporation.

Well I don't want to be mean about or anything. I'm just saying, it's something we've more or less known for years. You won't see Sony coming out and making a similar announcement unless it's along the lines of 'yup, welcome to 2016, microsoft'. It's not exactly a secret that microsoft's xbox live has been something of a walled garden since it's inception. I get it, they wanted to tailor a premium experience but now that they aren't top dog in the console market it just doesn't seem practical. I think they looked at things like rocket league, street fighter V and even (lol) DC Universe Online and just said 'enough is enough'.
 
So, why didn't Sony block FFXI crossplay when they have so vehemently for all this years blocked all the atempts for cross console multyplayer games to be a reality?
 
just check my post above please. I feel like you're getting super defensive. I also feel like you'll still stay on the defensive no matter how many examples you're given.

I know the FF game and it's the only one that said MS wouldn't allow XB1 to play with PS3/PS4, though they allowed it last gen. Portal was 360 to PC, which is difference.

One is more than enough. Show an instance where a dev has said that they didn't bring a game to the playstation because Sony declined crossplay with xbox. Show an instance where a dev said sony was against crossplay but microsoft wasn't. You can't.

I can't because to my knowledge besides for a few MMOs, no game has attempted to make it so PSN can play along XBL.

Even in the interview with the Rocket League devs, one says Sony has to figure out the complications and everything before agreeing since it hasn't been done before. What system has been in place for years?
 
Then don't play them. There is an option to play only with members on XBL.

This is key. Give people the OPTION to play with pc or not. This is awesome because I can buy games on the pc and play with friends who prefer console versions. I hope this becomes a reality for all games going forward.
 
Of course he is defensive, got to defend his favourite Mega corporation.

Not gonna lie, several of you posters in here constantly discussing this shit are coming off as ALL defending a favorite mega corporation.

Here are the facts directly known from this article/blogpost:

MS has officially announced crossplay between other consoles/ PC, and here is the quote they use to discuss it in terms of rocket league:

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.

Wanna read that and tell me what the bolded means?

It means the ball IS in Sony's court.

Now, if you were arguing that given sony's past history on the subject, they are likely to say yes to this whole situation? Yeah, id be areeing with you.

But all some of you are doing is dropping in and claiming some "revisionist history" when people are only drawing a natural conclusion from the damn blogpost, one anybody could draw by just reading that.

And yeah, theres some people in here who ARE taking it the wrong way and forgetting sony's past with this subject.

But guess what?

When you jump in here and keep this going instead of ignoring those idiots, that makes YOU the ones being defensive.
 
link me to quotes from developers saying "We wanted to let PS4/XB1 play online together but MS told us no."

Here:

To echo pretty much everyone else and other developers... it's Microsoft.

About 4 years ago, I was working for a publisher that was releasing a multi-platform online shooter for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. The initial plan for the game included cross-platform servers and cross-platform play. Sony didn't care. Microsoft said no. They scrapped cross-platform play altogether since they were going to need separate servers for the Xbox anyway and it would be easier to just maintain 3 separate communities with our current tech than to develop new cross-platform server architecture and authentication system that only 2 of the platforms used. Plus, the publisher didn't want to piss off Microsoft by having cross-platform play be a feature of only PC and PS3.

I would not be surprised if this happens with a lot of other titles who want cross-platform play, but just don't want to bother with it if you still need to setup Microsoft with their own closed system.

Read this. I don't know where this "But Sony won't allow it" nonsense keeps coming from. Sony has repeatedly shown (in both launched titles and privately to mulitplatform developers) they don't care what service or platform the player connections come from as long as you are running a third party multiplayer/matchmaking environment that's up to their codes and standards.

It has always been Microsoft that has been blocking outside connections. Even XB-PC required the PC version be running an XB-ecosystem server.

The potential issue isn't Sony not allowing third parties to develop their own tri-platform PS-XB-PC server architecture and matchmaking services; but that Microsoft's new stipulations directly counter Sony's existing third-party multiplayer requirements.



Also this. There needs to be an understanding of the distinction between cross-platform play and cross-platform parties. You still won't be able to group up, message, voice chat, etc. between platforms - at least not through the XBL or PSN services. You will only get that functionality if the individual developer also creates an account system within the game (i.e. an MMO account) and runs their own party, chat, VOIP services.

For most games this simply means a larger pool for matchmaking.

Sony already technically allows this.

The previous arrangement was, simplifying the details of course, something along the lines of ...

If you are developing for the PS ecosystem, and use their services and servers, you are locked into PSN connections only - only PSN connections can connect to PSN servers (for the most part). If you don't use their services and servers, and build your own infrastructure, you can allow connections from anywhere, regardless of its origin. This allowed open PSN-PC play on games that setup their own matchmaking and servers. And, in theory at least - because Microsoft blocked these from ever happening on their end - connections from XB to the privately run servers of a PSN game.

Obviously there are more security requirements and standards, but for the most part, if you run your own matchmaking and servers, Sony doesn't care where the player connection comes from.

If you were developing for the XB ecosystem, no matter whether you use their services and servers or your own services and servers - all servers on XB must be XB servers - and just like PSN, only XB connections can connect to XB servers. However, you could run an XB server on PC and allow crossplay between XB-PC. The problem is that you can't run a XB server on PSN or allow connections from PSN to an XB server.

Microsoft actively prevented any non-XB ecosystem connections from ever connecting to any server within their XB ecosystem, even if you ran your own matchmaking and servers. And that prevented anything but specific XB-PC crossplay, and only when PC is also running XB ecosystem servers.

Without knowing more details, I have to assume they are finally moving to Sony's requirements - if you run your own servers, it doesn't matter where the player connection comes from. That said, their line about "open invitation for other networks to participate" makes me think they've setup their own conditions, security requirements and standards for what a non-XB server must have and developers will now have to have servers that meet both Microsoft's and Sony's third party multiplayer requirements in order to allow play between the two ecosystems.

Which is fine, as long as it's "meet or exceed", and not a demand for Sony to conform directly to whatever specific requirements Microsoft has deemed appropriate.

Also, for what's it worth, there have been games that have tried XB-PS crossplay before - I've worked on one myself - and Sony was always fine, given their third party multiplayer standards were met, while Microsoft would flat out tell us a hard "No". So while we haven't had any XB-PS crossplay titles actually launch, there have been attempts in the past and Sony has shown no indication - to developers - that they have an issue with it. Microsoft has. Until now at least.
 
The last few pieces of news from MS certainly hint at quite a change in philosophy for the Xbox division moving forward. I'm actually really excited to see where it goes, and how quickly things move.

This specific step is certainly a great way to open up the player base for online games, hopefully making queue times and such much less of an issue.
 
I know the FF game and it's the only one that said MS wouldn't allow XB1 to play with PS3/PS4, though they allowed it last gen. Portal was 360 to PC, which is difference.

?

Wait are you saying that you believe portal 2 had cross platform play between Xbox 360 and PC? Because it didn't. Valve wanted cross platform play between all versions of the game but microsoft blocked it. Which you would have known if you clicked the link I provided you and actually read it. Honestly, I find this subject interesting and super fun to talk about and speculate on but please try to get yourself up to speed a bit and maybe know when to back off when you don't have all the facts and someone is trying to help you out with it.
 
I have absolutely no idea what he's even arguing anymore, it's so strange.



There are already cross platform FPS titles for PS4 and it's been fine.
Yeah, people are really sticking their head in the sand.

All MS did was change a policy that was long overdue. They aren't ushering in anything.
 
I know the FF game and it's the only one that said MS wouldn't allow XB1 to play with PS3/PS4, though they allowed it last gen. Portal was 360 to PC, which is difference.



I can't because to my knowledge besides for a few MMOs, no game has attempted to make it so PSN can play along XBL.

Even in the interview with the Rocket League devs, one says Sony has to figure out the complications and everything before agreeing since it hasn't been done before. What system has been in place for years?

Now you're actually lying. Portal didn't have crossplay on 360, it didn't even have multiplayer.

Portal 2 was crossplay with PS3 and PC only. Valve wanted 360 too apparently but it wasn't allowed.
 
Not gonna lie, several of you posters in here constantly discussing this shit are coming off as ALL defending a favorite mega corporation.

Here are the facts directly known from this article/blogpost:

MS has officially announced crossplay between other consoles/ PC, and here is the quote they use to discuss it in terms of rocket league:



Wanna read that and tell me what the bolded means?

It means the ball IS in Sony's court.

Now, if you were arguing that given sony's past history on the subject, they are likely to say yes to this whole situation? Yeah, id be areeing with you.

But all some of you are doing is dropping in and claiming some "revisionist history" when people are only drawing a natural conclusion from the damn blogpost, one anybody could draw by just reading that.

And yeah, theres some people in here who ARE taking it the wrong way and forgetting sony's past with this subject.

But guess what?

When you jump in here and keep this going instead of ignoring those idiots, that makes YOU the ones being defensive.

LOL at the ball being in Sony's court...Sony as allowed cross platform play fr years....MS is just finally getting it right....The poster above has some good examples.

I know the FF game and it's the only one that said MS wouldn't allow XB1 to play with PS3/PS4, though they allowed it last gen. Portal was 360 to PC, which is difference.



I can't because to my knowledge besides for a few MMOs, no game has attempted to make it so PSN can play along XBL.

Even in the interview with the Rocket League devs, one says Sony has to figure out the complications and everything before agreeing since it hasn't been done before. What system has been in place for years?

Portal never had cross platform play bro on 360.
 
Now you're actually lying. Portal didn't have crossplay on 360, it didn't even have multiplayer.

Portal 2 was crossplay with PS3 and PC only. Valve wanted 360 too apparently but it wasn't allowed.

I honestly think he/she doesn't know any better or is just drunk or something. I mean for them to even bring portal into the discussion they had to click the link I provided.....and then not read it lol.
 
Cross-network play has been possible on the PS4 and even PS3 for years and years. Why would games like Call of Duty suddenly start supporting it when there's no precedent of anyone minus the most minor of exceptions doing so in the past?

I... Don't get it?

As another developer explained upthread, games that were planned to be crossplat just ended up being console specific to everyone instead of rolling "Xbox" and "everyone else", also to keep MS happy about their version not having cross play while everyone else's did.

Also, it's hard to have precedent when you have only two "HD consoles" and one of them is insisting on being a walled garden.
 
Wait are you saying that you believe portal 2 had cross platform play between Xbox 360 and PC? Because it didn't. Valve wanted cross platform play between all versions of the game but microsoft blocked it. Which you would have known if you clicked the link I provided you and actually read it. Honestly, I find this subject interesting and super fun to talk about and speculate on but please try to get yourself up to speed a bit and maybe know when to back off when you don't have all the facts and someone is trying to help you out with it.

It was a typo. and where in that linked article about portal did they say they wanted 360/PS3 cross play? It says MS didn't allow Steam integration.

In a recent interview with AusGamers, Doug Lombardi, VP of Marketing at Valve, revealed that Microsoft was indeed approached about bringing Steam connectivity. When asked about why Microsoft didn’t jump on board with bringing Steam to Xbox 360, Lombardi coyly deferred that answer to Microsoft.

Where does it discuss 360/PS3 crossplay?

Well I don't want to be mean about or anything. I'm just saying, it's something we've more or less known for years. You won't see Sony coming out and making a similar announcement unless it's along the lines of 'yup, welcome to 2016, microsoft'. It's not exactly a secret that microsoft's xbox live has been something of a walled garden since it's inception. I get it, they wanted to tailor a premium experience but now that they aren't top dog in the console market it just doesn't seem practical. I think they looked at things like rocket league, street fighter V and even (lol) DC Universe Online and just said 'enough is enough'.

"We have to discuss what [cross-platform play] means, what the implications are for PlayStation Network users and what the implications are in terms of the existing security protocols. Very similar to what happened with Microsoft and our long discussions with them."

Now, those discussions need to happen all over again, with Sony.

"We understand that Sony's got to evaluate everything that this means for them," Dunham said. "This is the first time in history that this is even a legitimate possibility for anybody. So we understand that it's going to take some discussion, but we're also really optimistic."

explain that quote from their VP then. If Sony has had systems in place to allow PSN to play with XBL, outside of the FF. Why do they to evaluate everything and discuss implications? why is this the first time in history that this is a legitimate possibility?
 
Seems odd this being such a groundbreaking feature when FFXI did it back in the mid 2000s. PS2, Xbox 360, PC, and even some PS3s all playing on servers together. Still, I'm glad to see it being more widespread. I hope Sony joins the party.
 
LOL at the ball being in Sony's court...Sony as allowed cross platform play fr years....MS is just finally getting it right....The poster above has some good examples.

Again, this is not about past examples

This is what we know , per the OP:

MS has Rocket League being crossplay with PC
Sony has rocket league being crossplay with PC
Ms has come out and said they dont mind if its PSN as well.
Sony has said NOTHING.

And a bunch of people are in here assuming that is an instant yes, based on their history.

It doesnt matter if it is very likely to be a yes. Its still a guess.
 
It was a typo. and where in that linked article about portal did they say they wanted 360/PS3 cross play? It says MS didn't allow Steam integration.





explain that quote from their VP then. If Sony has had systems in place to allow PSN to play with XBL, outside of the FF. Why do they to evaluate everything and discuss implications? why is this the first time in history that this is a legitimate possibility?

Because MS never allowed it before lol, it's not hard bro.

Again, this is not about past examples

This is what we know:

MS has Rocket League being crossplay with PC
Sony has rocket league being crossplay with PC
Ms has come out and said they dont mind if its PSN as well.
Sony has said NOTHING.

And a bunch of people are in here assuming that is an instant yes, based on their history.

It was just announced today....there is no reason for sony to rush and say anything here....especially considering we don;t even know the details.... Maybe MS will have some stipulations that sony may not want to deal with.
 
so we're pretty sure about invites, party chat, and profile viewing not being accessible due to the differences in network architecture. but what about standard in-game-chat?
 
It was a typo. and where in that linked article about portal did they say they wanted 360/PS3 cross play? It says MS didn't allow Steam integration.





explain that quote from their VP then. If Sony has had systems in place to allow PSN to play with XBL, outside of the FF. Why do they to evaluate everything and discuss implications? why is this the first time in history that this is a legitimate possibility?

Becuase Microsoft was previously preventing it from happening.
 
Again, this is not about past examples

This is what we know , per the OP:

MS has Rocket League being crossplay with PC
Sony has rocket league being crossplay with PC
Ms has come out and said they dont mind if its PSN as well.
Sony has said NOTHING.

And a bunch of people are in here assuming that is an instant yes, based on their history.

It doesnt matter if it is very likely to be a yes. Its still a guess.

Ok? But why would Sony really need to say anything? Developers already know what Sony's stance is.

It's like the used game talk all over again.
 
Because MS never allowed it before lol, it's not hard bro.

Besides the times with the 360 where they allowed PC crossplay or the time they allowed PS2, PS3, and PC?

but okay.

Becuase Microsoft was previously preventing it from happening.

So they're rediscussing implications for a system they already had in place for years that their competitor blocked? they're discussing security issues for something they were already allowing? they have to discuss what cross-platform means to the company that allowed it for years?
 
I have to say though, despite being the very last big company to drop their self-imposed rule of no cross-platform online play, something they absolutely did not have any intention of doing for the last several years, have somehow managed to spin it in a way that convinces some people that Sony needs to "get on the ball" and "allow cross platform play" as if they were the roadblock this entire time.

That's pretty damn ingenious really.
 
Again, this is not about past examples

This is what we know , per the OP:

MS has Rocket League being crossplay with PC
Sony has rocket league being crossplay with PC
Ms has come out and said they dont mind if its PSN as well.
Sony has said NOTHING.

And a bunch of people are in here assuming that is an instant yes, based on their history.

It doesnt matter if it is very likely to be a yes. Its still a guess.
lol....
Because MS never allowed it before lol, it's not hard bro.

It was just announced today....there is no reason for sony to rush and say anything here....especially considering we don;t even know the details.... Maybe MS will have some stipulations that sony may not want to deal with.
Exactly!
 
I have to say though, despite being the very last big company to drop their self-imposed rule of no cross-platform online play, something they absolutely did not have any intention of doing for the last several years, have somehow managed to spin it in a way that convinces some people that Sony needs to "get on the ball" and "allow cross platform play" as if they were the roadblock this entire time.

That's pretty damn ingenious really.

It just goes to show how many of the majority of people that even play video games to begin with are uninformed.
 
I have to say though, despite being the very last big company to drop their self-imposed rule of no cross-platform online play, something they absolutely did not have any intention of doing for the last several years, have somehow managed to spin it in a way that convinces some people that Sony needs to "get on the ball" and "allow cross platform play" as if they were the roadblock this entire time.

That's pretty damn ingenious really.

It is, petty sad really.
 
Patches are a concern

How is that going to work?

Will consoles finally get patches at the same time?


Console games generally get patches at the same time already, and have for years. Even if they were out of step, developers generally keep the backend running up for the pre-patch version until everyone has been patched to make it a smooth transition, even if a game is HW exclusive.

so if say for some reason Xbox and PC got it's patch first but Sony's was a week later, everyone on Xbox would just match with PC players, and Sony users would be playing with themselves and unpatched PC/Xbox players, then they update and join the patched players. This is something PC FPS already dealt with in the 90s with Linux/Win/Mac versions. Pretty much most issues people are bringing up in this thread are solved already.
 
I have to say though, despite being the very last big company to drop their self-imposed rule of no cross-platform online play, something they absolutely did not have any intention of doing for the last several years, have somehow managed to spin it in a way that convinces some people that Sony needs to "get on the ball" and "allow cross platform play" as if they were the roadblock this entire time.

That's pretty damn ingenious really.
Those "people" were always in their court.
 
Ok? But why would Sony really need to say anything? Developers already know what Sony's stance is.

It's like the used game talk all over again.
It reminds me of the attack ads in Chris Rock's Head Of State movie.

"Mays Gilliam did not attend this year's annual rally against cancer, is Mays Gilliam for cancer or against cancer?

Mays Gilliam. He's for cancer."
 
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