Cross-Platform Discussion: Pros and Cons

[TheGangstarTY]

Hello all,

Before we begin I would like to ask if you could read the ENTIRE thread before replying. Thanks!

After the huge announcement of PC and Console cross over, I too agree that this is some pretty amazing news. However, I feel like people are only looking at the positives to this and ignoring the possible cons. So first of all let's go over the pros:

- Possible end to the "This platform is better than that" argument.
Of course we all enjoyed the good times of debating whether PC is better than console (which it is in most cases) and whether Xbox is better or Playstation is better but it sometimes went out of hand. Consider this as a peace treaty between the two consoles and time to test their strength against the PC community. Or maybe it will even end the "PC is better/worse" argument and we'll all walk away as one big, happy gaming community.

- A lot of exclusives may no longer be exclusive.
As much as people may miss the whole idea of exclusives, they are likely to be played across all platforms from here on wards. Why? Because the developers would be using the same servers, right? Of course. This wouldn't cost the developers, it would actually help them profit, right? I'd assume so anyway.

- Better Communication
We all love to talk to our online friends, although we sometimes struggle keeping in touch with others on a different platform. Cross-platform will wipe out this issue and allow those on both the consoles and PC to get together and communicate through voice once again. The Xbox App for Windows 10 sets a great example for this. But to actually be able to play together? Even better. Right?

Those are a few pros that I see to cross-platform. However even those are pretty flawed themselves. So now lets jump straight into the cons, the reasons why I think Microsoft need to stop and think:

- PC will have a HUGE advantage.
As "PC is better than console" as it sounds, I'm afraid to say that this is very true. I've played all three, Xbox, Playstation and PC and I'd have to say that PC will ruin it for consoles. Why?
1. Mods. PC have a stupidly large advantage with the ease of using mods, whether the game has "cheat detection" or not. Hell, people in E-Sports have even walked out of matches to only have been caught cheating months later. There is no way this is going to give console users a good time.
2. CS:GO. Counter Strike has an extremely large community. In fact, if you don't have it on Steam you're often frowned upon (not literally). This game requires a lot of skill which, over time, PC gamers have got better and better with the mouse and keyboard with. This moves me onto the next point.
3. PC have a Mouse and Keyboard. Right, this is an issue which is equally as important as issue 1. With PC's advantages over the mouse and keyboard and the opportunity to change DPI with a click of a button, and extra buttons to give you a higher advantage, consoles could barely compete with PC users.

- Could possibly enhance the "This platform is better than that" arguments.
So as much as there is a possibility it could make people realize what the better platform is, it may make them hate the other platforms even more. Either way, it could either go one way or another so it's pretty much a 50/50 chance.

- More bugs may occur.
In some ways this could be an advantage. For example, it widens the job opportunities for QA Testing. Never the less this will make it worse for the average gamer. We just want to sit down and enjoy the game without any stress right? Does that often happen? Yes. Does it always happen? No. Would we like the chance of this not happening increasing? No, of course not. This could just make things worse. If a bug were to occur, it would have to be fixed and tested across all platforms rather than often being just one. Also the increase in bugs will be very possible since getting consoles compatible with each other (including PC joining in) will create a lot more compatibility issues. This meaning that release dates may be further increased or games may have launches worse than 2015! *Cough *cough GTA V *cough Fallout 4 *cough *cough.

- Has a HUGE effect on public opinion around the Gaming Industry.
The reason I put this in the cons is because if cross-platform goes terribly wrong, public opinion around the gaming industry could plummet to its lowest stages. If Microsoft disagreed to do anything about it, or even make it worse, it could lead to the community members depleting. As much of a 1:1000 possibility this is, it could still lead to something similar the the North American video game crash in 1983. Remember what I said before you comment on this! 1:1000 possibility.

So after seeing all of this, you may be thinking "Why don't we just take PC out of this, then there wouldn't be such an issue with cross-platform?" This wouldn't work. First of all, it would take away Microsoft's promise to Windows 10 users about cross-platform with Xbox One. This would effect Microsoft a great deal. Besides, there's an easier fix. Want to hear it? Because I can't believe barely anyone has come up and said this.

THEY COULD ADD AN OPTION! Instead of having the issue of people possibly leaving online games due to cross-platform, you could allow them to turn it off.
PC community too hard to face? Turn it off.
Consoles too easy? Turn it off.
Too many arguments? Turn it off.
Want to play with people on the same platform to play games fairly? Turn it off.

So simple, and I doubt it would cost them a lot to do.

What do you guys think? Please note, these are all from MY OPINION so if you see things differently, please share your ideas or flaw my thoughts in this thread.

Thanks and have a great day!
- TheGangstarTY