A Final Fusion
The debate between PC and console gamers has raged ever since the first personal computer was plugged into a living room television set and dedicated specifically to video games. Okay, maybe it hasn't gone back that far, but it seems like it. Perhaps what initially sparked the fires that still rage to this day was the release of Doom, with its twitchy arcade action that seemed particularly suited to mouse and keyboard controls. (I'll also give a nod to Commander Keen for finally accomplishing the previously console-only feat of smoothly scrolling a background without shifting the tiles over one jerky block at a time.) The bottom line is that mouse and keyboard users commonly berate console gamers for something that is not their fault at all: the fact that they use sticks instead of the more precise mouse and keyboard input.
When Halo hit the PC, we began to see the first signs that an ultimate showdown between mouseboard users and stick-jockeys was imminent. Now, with the announcement that Halo 2 will unite the Xbox Live community with the PC community, we may finally be on the cusp of getting a verdict over which control scheme reigns supreme. Granted, they won't get to play against each other just yet, but we'll be that much closer. Video armageddon draws nearer.
The implications of this merger of gaming communities are staggering. Not only does it confirm Microsoft's stated investment in its Games for Windows brand (and the continued support of PC development that it implies), but it also broadens the audience for both platforms. By creating a sort of no-man's-land where PC gamers and console gamers can finally hash out their differences the way gamers like best (through direct and digitally bloody combat), Microsoft is inviting gamers from both platforms to dabble in the gaming specialties of each.
We've already seen a little of this cross-over with Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-Earth II (and will see more with the release of Command & Conquer 3), but imagine a world where playing a real-time strategy game on a console is genuinely viable and you can begin to understand what this cross-pollination of specialties means to the gaming public at large. For that matter, as an avid fan of MMOs, I can't wait to have the option of playing one on either my PC or on my Xbox 360 and the increase in player population that will inevitably occur (which equals more money from auction house spec-buying).
Microsoft also stated in the press release that Shadowrun will launch in June and offer genuine cross-platform battles. So there you have it: the debate between mouseboarders and stick-jockeys ends this June.
