Why did Microsoft kill its project to allow PC gamers and XBox 360 gamers to play on the same server?

http://www.rahulsood.com/2010/07/console-gamers-get-killed-against-pc.html

The suggestion is that even mediocre PC gamers were superior to the best console gamers, but honestly, when I try playing console games, specifically First Person Shooters, I get killed before I know what hit me. With traditional PC-based first person shooters, at least I can see what is shooting at me before I die. It would have been nice to have some payback.

Anyway, since this is Channel 9, is there any chance that we could get an official story on what happened to this project?

Jesus, how many more threads for this exact story do we need?

rhm said:

Jesus, how many more threads for this exact story do we need?

I did not realize that the other thread was on this topic. I thought it was of a philosophical thread on the merits of game consoles.

Shining Arcanine said:

rhm said:

*snip*

I did not realize that the other thread was on this topic. I thought it was of a philosophical thread on the merits of game consoles.

Maybe it's because a lot of people, myself included, moved to consoles because playing against PC opponents who have hacked any number of cheats into the game makes the whole experience pointless. In a console vs console game you can at least have a reasonable degree of confidence that the odds aren't stacked against you from the start.

AndyC said:

Shining Arcanine said:

*snip*

Maybe it's because a lot of people, myself included, moved to consoles because playing against PC opponents who have hacked any number of cheats into the game makes the whole experience pointless. In a console vs console game you can at least have a reasonable degree of confidence that the odds aren't stacked against you from the start.

I only very occasionally come across cheaters in PC multiplayer games, and the advantage of community-run game servers is that there's usually someone with banhammer access. People have been complaining that the no-you-cant-run-your-own-server MW2 games are ruined because there's no way to immediately kick cheaters. There are hacks for console games too y'know.

> Anyway, since this is Channel 9, is there any chance that we could get an official story on what happened to this project?

It's a conspiracy set by Cuban contra-revolutionaries. They don't like PC gamers on their Xboxes. They blackmail Microsoft by a threat of revealing that their top executives all work for Russian FSB. That MS employee last month was just a warning set by Cubans.  If you secretly inform Castro of these contra-revolutionaries you will be able to play First Person Shooters with players on both systems.

The fable about mouse being more precise and quicker pointing device than console controllers and thus being advantageous in a one on one gunfight with no handicaps is just a cover-up story and entirely fictitious.

RoyalSchrubber said:

> Anyway, since this is Channel 9, is there any chance that we could get an official story on what happened to this project?

 

It's a conspiracy set by Cuban contra-revolutionaries. They don't like PC gamers on their Xboxes. They blackmail Microsoft by a threat of revealing that their top executives all work for Russian FSB. That MS employee last month was just a warning set by Cubans.  If you secretly inform Castro of these contra-revolutionaries you will be able to play First Person Shooters with players on both systems.

 

The fable about mouse being more precise and quicker pointing device than console controllers and thus being advantageous in a one on one gunfight with no handicaps is just a cover-up story and entirely fictitious.

++