Newsletter Discussion: Console MMOGs - Yay or Nay?

Inspired by this thread from the WarCry forums: When a developer ports a PC MMOG to a console, they need to make changes accommodating the new hardware, controls, and even the new audience. This week, we'd like to know:

Does porting a MMOG to consoles (or developing for both PC and console simultaneously) dilute or hamper the game's experience for the PC player?

Share your thoughts with us and post in the comment thread!

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If it can be done well with no added benefit to one platform or another and if players can play together, not segregated by platform, I'm all for it....with the caveat that the PC experience isn't "dumbed down" technology wise to suit a rigid game box system....

Gee...sounds like maybe I think it SHOULDN'T happen, huh? :D

I agree with Kalia... Except that I think you can work around the rigid game box thing and I"m definitely willing to overlook graphics being better on a PC (potentially) than consoles.

FFXI worked just fine, I thought, both on PC and on the Playstation 2. That said, it might even inspire some different MMO designs over all. I certainly wouldn't mind that.

Yay! Especially in these days where skill based MMOs are coming out of no where. Skill based combat would work perfectly on consoles.

MMOs will eventually make their way to consoles. Ex. Champions Online, Dc Universe, Age of conan, APB, among otherse.

The PC simply has a more flexible (and monstrously varied) set of systems and peripherals that can cater best to a MMO, specifically the control mechanics (mice and keyboards shall prevail!) and upgradeable graphic cards.

I, of course, would like to witness a breakthrough where a deep and involving MMO, like WoW, can be equally enjoyed with no compromises on all platforms.

That said, I'm a PC guy at heart, and will stay that way. =)

Well considering that you can hook up a mouse and keyboard to ANY system now, there is no reason not to develop for both. Unless of course the costs outweigh the profits, ect. Isn't it much more expensive to develop console games than PC games? (Gotta get the rights to make the game for that peticular console, ect...)

There is more to just plugging a keyboard or a mouse, the real problem is in the propriety hardware setup, like the GPUs and CPUs, and the accompanying set of systems and SDKs within each console.

Developers have to accommodate specifically to these prerequisites and/or limitations as opposed to a more open-ended, and upgradable, PC setups. It's a bit of a paradox, but the PCs versatility offer a range of innovation in terms of graphics, design or delivery.

I can see MMOGs working on certain consoles. People would probably have to buy separate keyboards to talk to other people though. An add-on would most likely be a must for a MMOG to work on a console in my opinion.

If they can dump the whole trend of *cough*lame*cough* MMOs that are multiplying faster than fruit flies onto consoles, I'm all for it!

Its an interesting concept, but like Swift said, communicating would be hard.

NAY! I hate the controllers. I don't even want to imagine what that would be like.
PC's and other systems give a much better variety of possibilities for MMO's. Not only the controls and communication. And besides a console + a keybord/mouse is just a very bad PC in my point of view ^^.

I think it would be awesome to see more MMOs on consoles. Communication and control wouldn't be all that different, aside from not being able to get on your favorite Vent server. It wasn't a problem with FFXI, when it first came out. It shouldn't be a big deal now. PCs may be more flexible, but you're likely to toss out more money to catch up to the latest and greatest MMO.

Victus:
And besides a console + a keybord/mouse is just a very bad PC in my point of view ^^.

Considering the OS on a PC, I couldn't disagree more. If anything, the consoles are great, reliable PCs (XBox excluded :p ).