is it technically possible to do cross platform multiplayer?

[futurefields]

Between Playstation 3/4 and Xbox 360/One?

 

[exdeath]

Its perfectly possible. The game packets are identical in this day and age of code reuse, cross platform developing, abstraction, and lowest common denominator target development.

But each side would rather make you buy it again for their system than do something remotely considered supporting the competition.

The online service shit like XBL and PSN is to blame. They use those services to paywall and vendor lock in.

Give me a join by IP option to play anywhere I want without being pigeon holed into a multiplayer paywall.

 

[smackababy]

Its perfectly possible. The game packets are identical in this day and age of code reuse, cross platform developing, abstraction, and lowest common denominator target development.

But each side would rather make you buy it again for their system than do something remotely considered supporting the competition.

The online service shit like XBL and PSN is to blame. They use those services to paywall and vendor lock in.

Give me a join by IP option to play anywhere I want without being pigeon holed into a multiplayer paywall.

Mostly this.

I always wonder why companies don't try and get around this by using dedicated servers. The server could easily be platform agnostic. Something like Diablo 3 and COD / BF has no reason they couldn't do that with or without the consent of Sony / MS. They could even claim afterwards they didn't no it could happen. "Oops! That's a bug we'll look in to; sorry!"

 

[Aikouka]

Something like Diablo 3 and COD / BF has no reason they couldn't do that with or without the consent of Sony / MS.

What would Sony or Microsoft do? Do you think either company would tell Activision or EA, "You can't bring your multi-million-copy selling game to our console anymore!" Yeah... not going to happen. 😛

 

[smackababy]

What would Sony or Microsoft do? Do you think either company would tell Activision or EA, "You can't bring your multi-million-copy selling game to our console anymore!" Yeah... not going to happen. 😛

I think in order to publish on that platform, they have to agree to certain terms such as that. And if it happens to be a "bug" they never happen to fix, I don't think MS or Sony could do anything about it.

 

[JeffMD]

There is a host of issues, what types of servers allowed is one (ie it seems like Microsoft allows no world servers, so there are no MMOs on xbox). Also maintaining 2 different clients and making sure they talk to each other without bugs popping up is hard, especially when there is no such thing as overnight patches to fix "small stuff". The main reason we don't see PlayStation games talk with PC counterparts is also directly related to the whole patch process.