80°

Creating Communities: Microsoft

Critical Gamer writes: In every sense Microsoft is the most advanced of the three in its attempts to foster an online community. As mentioned in the entry relating to Sony, their inclusion of a headset with every Xbox 360 has made Microsoft’s console the most communicative online experience. However, the next step for them will be far more challenging, and where they choose to take it is an interesting dilemma. With its slick online service established, there is one main concern with how the Xbox community develops from here. With many having suffered from negative online experiences, Microsoft now has to decide to what extent it wishes to police this service.

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criticalgamer.co.uk
Cubes5365d ago

I've got to say, Microsoft are mostly responsible for the online gaming world that we have today. Sony could do with taking a few pointers from them by bundling a headset with each console.

SmokexFFx5365d ago (Edited 5365d ago )

The "lames" have some sense today. I would have thought a storm was coming too.

EDIT: Oh no they're HERE, hide your children!!!...and your wife and your husband they're disagreeing with everyone out here.

5365d ago
SmokexFFx5365d ago

^Here's a lame now. We see Walther in his natural habitat where he like to grab random facts from his a$$.

darthv725365d ago

I believe they have the 2nd of your basic fundamentals.

There are dedicated servers for 360 games like those from EA and Activision. I think even MS themselves have some for halo but as for others, P2P is common. Even PS3 games have P2P on some of them.

5365d ago
darthv725365d ago

http://www.thebitbag.com/20...
Dedicated Or Peer, That Is The Question

by Torrence Davis

There’s been some misinformation being spread about the use of dedicated vs peer servers in next gen gaming. The PS3 masses have assumed that all PS3 multiplayer games are dedicated and all Xbox 360 multiplayer games are peer based. They couldn’t be farther from the truth.

With a tiny bit of digging I got some interesting information. There are plenty of Xbox Live games that are peer based like COD4 and Halo 3. There are also some server based games available too. After making contact with Microsoft I asked them one simple question; “Are some or all Live enabled multiplayer games are Peer To Peer or Dedicated Server based?” The answer I received was this:

“As of now, the majority are peer-to-peer but it’s completely up to the developer on how they want to do it.”

Well that doesn’t give me much more info than I already knew. I did learn however, that EA likes to run their own Live servers and that they are dedicated. In fact, EA is one of the few companies that can foot the bill for their own Live servers. There was a recent announcement that Left 4 Dead will be run on dedicated servers.

On the PSN side of things I posed the same question;”Are most, some or all PSN enabled multiplayer games Peer To Peer or Dedicated?“ Their response:

“It is a bit of both. IE Resistance is server based, but Warhawk is peer server based.”

The response from Sony kind of surprised me. I had always thought Warhawk was dedicated because of that sweet setup they had at Sony. Even though they use the term ‘dedicated’ many times in referring to the Warhawk server cluster, they are implying that it’s dedicated because there’s no one actually playing Warhawk on those machines. So they are ‘dedicated’ to serving games, not playing them.

So what does all this mean? What’s all the hubbub? Do we assume that dedicated is always better than peer? COD4 is a great example of a fast running peer based game. I’ve witnessed a few disconnects but thanks to the patch, I can keep playing with the same group of people I started with. This is achieved by switching the host when the main host drops out. On a dedicated server if the host goes down, there’s no coming back for the player.

I think we can all agree on the bottom line, whether dedicated or peer based, both PSN and Xbox Live offer an unprecedented multiplayer experience. If you don’t believe me, I recommend you try COD4, Halo, Forza 2 and Motorstorm to quench your thirst. The methods and tools used to get a game up and running on the internet should not be a reason to choose one system over another. It also shouldn’t matter to you, the gamer, how the game runs as long as it runs well.

FlatulentGhost5365d ago

LOL @ the fanboy Torrence Davis trying to do damage control for Microsoft's online service.

darthv725365d ago

i know...lol

it's what came up on google. I am sure it has changed a bit since then. There needs to be an updated article on dedicated servers and peer to peer and how they reflect on either side.

That would be news worth reading.

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AceofStaves5365d ago

That's one of MS's strongest contributions to console gaming, without doubt. I prefer offline gaming, but there's no denying the importance of online play for many gamers.

gamingdroid5365d ago (Edited 5365d ago )

I agree, I also think the Achievement system they introduced is awesome despite MS not inventing it, they certainly popularized it on consoles!

They also introduced Netflix, which is the second thing I do most on my consoles these days!

plb5365d ago (Edited 5365d ago )

I don't own a 360 nor desire to ever get one but I cannot argue with that. I really do like all the community stuff 360 has.

Kewl_Kat5365d ago

i'm a huge sony fan, and I agree with your point. I would argue that wii's shop channel and sony's psn owes itself to xbox live.

Keith Olbermann5365d ago (Edited 5365d ago )

I sometimes use mine but too often I get children talking garbage on the other end. Too often you hear rap music blasting and country bozzzz talking trash. Thats why I dont care too much about online gaming. There are very few games that draw in a majority of the mature crowd. Those that do, eventually get over run by children again.

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ApocalypseShadow5365d ago (Edited 5365d ago )

course,they still haven't in 5 years been able to push their single game community to resistance2(60 player) or MAG(256 players) levels though with their supposed software prowess.

no,we only question microsoft on HARDWARE and PRICING of HARDWARE ACCESSORIES.and PAYING($50) to be a part of that online community that just went up $10 dollars(now $60).

they've created a large community of gamers.but that same group had to deal with failing hardware and price gouging to be a part of that community.things i'd rather NOT deal with.my gaming dollars are precious and need not be wasted.

gamingdroid5365d ago

... or *shock and horror* customers think the service is worth paying for!

If it is so bad, MS is:

- ripping you off on Xbox Live fees
- inferior hardware
- expensive accessories
- inferior exclusive games (or games in general)

Why isn't there a mass exodus to the PS3 or Wii? Why is it continuing to sell and increasing sales?

It might be hard to fathom it if you have a bias, but to the vast majority of others are willing to pay the fee to enjoy their Xbox 360 and guess what? They aren't here complaining about it! Only the people that aren't part of Xbox community is!

Maybe they are just jealous....

darthv725365d ago

or at least have patience and faith.

gamer81795365d ago

Your gaming dollars aren't wasted by having an xbox 360. If your console failed, they would replace it within 2 weeks or less for free. Not really sure what hardware accessories your talking about other than the wifi adapter. Everything else was price about the same as the ps3. Not to metion the console itself was cheaper than the ps3.

tatotiburon5365d ago

having a multiplayer of 60 or 250 is not enough for having a perfecto online experience, resistance 2 and mag have it but who are playing this games right now? nobody compare to the numbers of players that halo and cod have.

Microsoft year after year rise the bar of the online experience that's why nobody cares to pay 60dls a year, is the best online experience available.

fooltheman5365d ago

..for pure online gaming sony and microsoft are equal...
But besides that, microsoft exels...

Optical_Matrix5365d ago

Yeah but be serious man. You gotta give to them that the Xbox Live holistically is MUCH tighter than PSN. It's integrated a lot better and it feels more like a community than Playstation Network. As much as I don't like Microsoft, and as much as I think Xbox Live should be cheaper or free, I give credit where it's due and online gaming on consoles wouldn't be what it is this gen without Microsoft.

King-Leonidas5365d ago

''resistance 2 and mag have it but who are playing this games right now? nobody compare to the numbers of players that halo and cod have.'' Maybe because those games are older, and people moved on...

Orionsangel5365d ago

The Wii has failed in creating an online community.

leonlion5365d ago (Edited 5365d ago )

It's a shame there are so many smack talking 14 y.o amercan kids
Sometimes I wish it was harder to get a headset
But the infrastructures there, Just wish they could put region filtering on so I don't get so much lag

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70°

Interview: Plants vs. Zombies Composer Talks Charm, Humor, and Musical Mayhem

Game Rant interviews Plants vs. Zombies composer Peter McConnell about honoring the series’ quirky roots, adapting its themes, and now going vinyl.

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gamerant.com
VenomUK12d ago

The score for the first Plants Vs Zombies is such great, iconic music that it has a timeless quality. Not quite the level of Minecraft, but wonderful in its own right.

220°

More Read Dead Voice Actors Hint at a Big Announcement

The voice actors for Arthur Morgan and Charles Smith have vaguely confirmed a claim by Rob Wiethoff (voice of John Marston) that big news related to the Red Dead franchise will be coming "before Friday."

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powerupgaming.co.uk
lukasmain13d ago

I hope it's a remake of the 1st game. But it's probably just the PS5 version of Red Dead Redemption 2

OtterX13d ago

I hope a PS5 upgrade launches on the same day as announcement & it costs no more than $10. I already bought the Ultimate Edition once, they got good money from me.

I stopped playing completely 2 years ago until they did 60fps. I really didn't expect it would take this long & I didn't want to start completely over on PC.

GamerRN12d ago (Edited 12d ago )

I've been waiting for 60 to finish the game myself

OtterX12d ago

hopefully we'll know by the end of tomorrow! *crosses fingers*

dmonee13d ago

My wish is that its optimized for current gen machines, with some sort of story expansion. Undead nightmare 2! My 2nd wish is that it just shadow drops on the day of the announcement!.

Lionsguard13d ago

Give me my RDR2 Undead Nightmare already.

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90°

The Cardinal Sins of Fallout 4 Explained

For new players trying out Fallout 4, there are a few actions that gamers should avoid making as they journey with the Sole Survivor.

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gamerant.com
VivaChe13d ago

I think i made the mistake of giving Mama Murphy too many chems. Because I could never get my settlement past 98% happiness, and it even cost me the Platinum.