Director of ID@Xbox, Chris Charla, has made a pretty cool announcement today; In trying to "unify" both PC and Xbox platforms, Microsoft has added a cross-play feature to the Xbox One. So long as the game supports it, you can now go online on your Xbox, and play with people on PC. And should Sony be willing, there's even potential for playing with those on PS4.

First, in addition to natively supporting cross-platform play between Xbox One and Windows 10 games that use Xbox Live, we’re enabling developers to support cross-network play as well. This means players on Xbox One and Windows 10 using Xbox Live will be able to play with players on different online multiplayer networks – including other console and PC networks.

Source

 

[Xexyz]

Am I the only one who dislike the Keyboard+mouse controls?

It's impossible for me to play FPS games (Counter-Strike) with a controller.

 

[vayanui8]

Am I the only one who dislike the Keyboard+mouse controls?

It really depends on the game. Some work really well with the added precision of a mouse and it can be great for navigating menus. However, some games are far better with a controller

 

[Neru]

Oh god I can imagine Xbox vs. PlayStation tournaments! Now that would be interesting!

 

[chavosaur]

What the Xbox Multiplayer community looks like vs the PS4/PC community.

 

[LightyKD]

XBox One gamers be like...

 

[funnystory]

I dont know how i feel about this. FPS are easier to play on the pc.

 

[DiscostewSM]

no you're right

seems like someone's had a change of heart

To me, it seems they want to be the ones running the show with others participating, rather than be a participant themselves.

 

[vayanui8]

I dont know how i feel about this. FPS are easier to play on the pc.

I heard they want you to be able to toggle this feature, so if you aren't comfortable with playing against PC players due to a possible advantage, you should be able to disable it

 

[godlover9000]

I think that this would be an awesome feature! maybe then I would not feel so alienated by my friends who only play xbox one while I myself, do most of my gaming on PC.

 

[tony_2018]

and so it begins....

 

[0nethe]

Doesn't matter to me to welcome PC player on xbox. I play destiny on xbox one since day one with my mouse and I 'rekt' them in PVP like crazy
Who said XIM4?

 

[Margen67]

It's impossible for me to play FPS games (Counter-Strike) with a controller.

It really depends on the game. Some work really well with the added precision of a mouse and it can be great for navigating menus. However, some games are far better with a controller

You can use controllers on PC.

 

[codezer0]

This makes me recall 4x4 Evo, which was an off-road racing game that had cross-platform play between PS2, Dreamcast, PC and Mac.

Just glad to read this bit of clarification, because most so-called professional news outlets were automatically saying this was going to enable Xbox one players to play against PS4 people.

Good on Microsoft for this; I eagerly await to see this pay off.

 

[chartube12]

It's more like sharing server cost would be the most beinfit to them. Both Sony n Microsoft, have claimed to have lost billions in server fees. If they where to make all current and future games cross play between, xbone, psdeath and the pii-u, the 3 could lose less in server cost, by spliting the fees between them. Plus Nintendoesn't would finally break in modern gaming.

 

[Steena]

I dont know how i feel about this. FPS are easier to play on the pc.

The skill ceiling bumps up, I wouldn't say it's easier

 

[FAST6191]

Am I the only one who dislike the Keyboard+mouse controls?

Dislike? Probably not. Does not mean the alternative is not functionally superior though.

On the "weren't MS against it?" matter then quite possibly, however the arse has since fallen out of the PC market so business/staying somewhat relevant is probably the bigger concern.

Anyway it is not like it an amazing technical feat, and I imagine other than authentication and such that things use basically the same netcode between consoles, other consoles and PC as it is -- the lack of dedicated servers on PC games in recent times probably attesting to that one more than anything else.

 

[Foxi4]

That's a good selling point, I'm surprised that it took 2 generations for everyone to achieve something the Dreamcast already did back in 1998.

 

[funnystory]

The skill ceiling bumps up, I wouldn't say it's easier

if they let pc games through it opens a window to hacking as well.

 

[FAST6191]

The skill ceiling bumps up, I wouldn't say it's easier

The history of firearms has a poignant feature where muskets and such, despite being inferior to longbows of the time, saw the fact that in about 24 hours you can be reasonably effective with a firearm where in 24 hours you are going to be nowhere with a longbow and maybe only slightly better with a crossbow or shortbow. I have to wonder if there is not something similar, or at least some kind of feature of keyboard and mouse*.
Alternatively everybody up until now uses a mouse so you have your few hundred hours of mouse use by the time you pick up games. I will be curious to see what happens when all the kids on raised on touchscreens but not mice (and if I count laptop trackpads as not mice we are maybe 3 years out from a sizeable number that pick normally pick up such games up at 7-9 years old). That said it will probably be balanced out by minecraft.

*I grew up before Doom (though Duke3d and Star Wars Dark Forces were probably the bigger drivers) and http://old-computers.com/MUSEUM/photos/ResearchMach_Nimbus_Mice_s1.jpg was what I knew as a mouse for many years, oh and it was a ball mouse as well. Still had possibly a thousand hours in on it before then though.

 

[BurningDesire]

Sweet. Now I can play minecraft with my sony and nintendo friends lmao. (even though I haven't [played minecraft since middle school)