Online Gaming - The Effect of Cross-Play Support

Online gaming has now incorporated cross-platform support, something that has changed the scope of modern-day gaming. This has been helped because the most popular consoles have now made it an industry standard to have cross-play support, bringing in a massive influx of players to the online domain.

You can now access your game profile at any time you want with cross-platform support. The online gambling world has not been left behind on this, and you can now engage in some of your favorite games at your convenience. This article discusses the impact that cross-play features have brought to the online gaming world.

Consoles with Cross-Play Support

The consoles that redefined modern gaming are the PlayStation and Nintendo consoles, before consoles became an industrial gaming standard. Cross-play is heavily dependent on the internet with a profound ability to diversify experiences. As a player, you get to understand how a specific platform operates and feels.

The first console brands to introduce cross-platform support is Sega and Nintendo. A lot of credit goes to these two companies for bringing in what has been among the most innovative experiences in the modern gaming industry. The impact has been massive, with Nintendo going on to sell over 47.79 million consoles as of 2019.

In 1998, the Sega Dreamcast became the pioneer of cross-platform consoles, but never really made a mark since there wasn’t mass production of the unit. The console had a built-in modem that enabled it to offer online support, necessary for cross-play. Sony later put the nail in the coffin with the revolutionary PlayStation 2, which marked a new beginning in gaming technology.

The Advent of PC Gaming

Console adaptation of games is a challenging affair, partly because the variations in control mechanisms differ from one console to another. The previous generations of consoles often utilized joysticks for in-game control. That has changed following the entry of PC gaming into the industry. The PC gaming world has an estimated $37 billion in revenue in the United States alone.

This can be attributed to the onset of an entirely new controller technology line that is more precise and has better control. The impact is immense, explaining why the mouse/keyboard combo continues to be uncontested in several gaming titles. As such, developers have made it their mission to develop mods that make your experience even better.

These mods also work to ensure that console-based controllers have the necessary technology to be at par with what PC controllers can do. This is partly because PC gamers seemed to have an edge when it came to cross-play since they had access to much better controls than console gamers. The new cross-play experience is responsible for defining modern gaming practices and bringing in more features to the industry.

The Increase in Numbers Impacts the Revenue

Many platforms have recorded an increase in player base with the games played on multiple devices. An increase in engagement results in an increase in revenue. Many gamers can play across platforms they would otherwise have not been able to. It also poses a challenge to developers to keep creating and innovating ways to keep players hooked and playing.

The Growth of Gaming Communities

Cross-play support has brought a lot of unity among players making online gaming more fun. The single ingredient for the growth of multiplayer gaming is the player base. Developers have achieved it by bringing players together regardless of their platform and locations.

When developers experiment with features, it is easier for them to monitor and how the features are received across a wide range of gamers. Also, mods that would have otherwise not had enough support on a single-player platform have a chance to grow in a cross-play platform.

The Emergence of Fun Clubs

It is no secret that the gaming world has its divisions, just as any other group does. Every gaming platform has its fan base who think theirs is the superior platform. The PC gamers tend to feed on the top of the food chain, while console gamers are the in-betweeners.

The gamers hierarchy sees mobile gamers as gamers who merely take gaming as a hobby. As harmless as it may sound, some gamers cannot internalize the idea of gaming with someone on a “lower” platform than theirs.

Noticeably, however, mobile gaming is growing steadily and is becoming a significant player in the gaming zone. Smartphone gaming is evolving as it generated a whopping $49 billion in revenue in 2019. It might soon become an influential force in the cross-play arena.

Taking Gaming to the Next Level

Even though there are still many limitations to cross-play gaming, many players still want to play with their family and friends across any platform. There are days when split-screen for multiple players was the only way. Now playing with each other on different devices has taken gaming to the next level while still keeping the sense of closeness.

The majority of the people just want to enjoy gaming with friends and counterparts without technical or other limitations. The need to create and retain a healthy fan base for the developers will see good interactions in the future between all levels of gaming platforms.

The Future of Cross-Play

Cross-play support will continue to be the future of online gaming as players keep anticipating the incorporation of additional features that add to the excitement. Brands such as Sony and Microsoft continue to set even higher standards with next-gen consoles such as the PS5 and the XBOX Series X by bringing in even more games that allow for cross-platform support.

There exist endless possibilities for exploration by the rise of cross-play support by different platforms. The above-discussed items are just a small portion of it. There are challenges like the issue of sorting out grievances and differences in policies that might emerge. The benefits, however, outweigh any hurdles there might be.

Many new technologies are emerging in the online gaming world that will set it on a trajectory of even more success. The trend today is for game developers to come up with new concepts based on the feedback they get from the community. Things can thus only look better for gaming enthusiasts and the industry in general.

Gaming has become a social medium rather than just a pastime hobby that you only do when you’re bored at home thanks to cross-play.