Death Inc

The founder of Voodoo PC, Rahul Sood, says that Microsoft once floated the idea of implementing cross-platform play between the PC and Xbox 360 for a range of titles. Thing is, testing didn’t go so well.

The proposal, part of Microsoft’s LIVE push, popped up “many many months ago”, and would have allowed people playing games available on both PC and 360 – like Gears of War – to take each other on. Kind of like 2007 shooter Shadowrun, only people would actually play it.

Problems quickly arose in testing, however, when Microsoft found that even the best console gamers simply couldn’t compete with the accuracy a mouse and keyboard afforded a PC player. “The console players got destroyed every time”, Sood says. “So much so that it would be embarrassing to the XBOX team in general had Microsoft launched this initiative.”

I know it sounds silly, and in light of Microsoft’s recent abandonment (Fable III excepted) of the PC like a thing of the past, but I’d have liked to see this succeed. Sure, it would have had teething problems, but that’s what science is for: to test, repair and improve things. I’m sure eventually a nice compromise could have been worked out, if not for competitive play, then at least for the casual user.

Yeah they should do a keyboard+mouse set up for Xbox.

Yeah they should do a keyboard+mouse set up for Xbox.
I'd like to see some fair PC Vs Console matches. I wouldn't be surprised if some PC gamers got put in their place.

OMG console talk on DI? i feel loved  ;D

Where'd you hear that? I find it hard to believe. Considering the original xbox's controller ports were electrically USB1.1 (just with diferent physical connectors) they would easily have plenty of bandwidth for a keyboard and mouse, and they are not exactly lacking for processor power either- so I really don't see how a keyboard and mouse would have more input lag than a control pad

You are aware 'lag' is the term people who take games way too seriously generally use as an excuse for sucking. Rather than saying "I'm really not used to this method of control" they say "OMG this mouse fucking lags like a fag".

It'd be good if they came up with a game style where you could have PC players using a different game mode to the console players to avoid exploitation of control weaknesses. Like having the PC players using some kind of third person RTS or DOTA styled game play, with the console players in a FPS role fighting against the PC players armies. I read somewhere a HL2 mod has gone beta with a PC only game with that idea recently.