mmo on consoles

[Meiun]

There are a couple MMO's out on consoles, but in general it really isn't as practical at all. First off, communication (and even controls in many cases) is greatly limited by a console. Sure there is voice chat with microphones for most consoles, but except for maybe some VOIP party only chat, that really isnt practical yet. Secondly, while most consoles have come a long ways, they still would be a lot harder to develop an MMO for seeing as (to the best of my knowledge, could be wrong on this one as it is mostly just speculation on my part) they do not tend to have anywhere near as much RAM as most computers do (they don't need as much for most things either, but they still typically have quite a bit less). Because lets face it, a true MMO is going to have a lot of people and a lot of stuff all going on at once, using up a lot of memory (for any modern graphics one at least). Even non mmo games like Team Fortress 2 have had issues when it comes to having enough memory with the console versions. Also, I'm sure many of you have noticed that most console based shooters have a much lower player cap than their PC based counterparts (might also be partially a server limitation for the console based games too, not really sure how they have it set up). All in all I think PC's will remain the best for MMO's for a long time to come.

[ARTgames]

There are a couple MMO's out on consoles, but in general it really isn't as practical at all. First off, communication (and even controls in many cases) is greatly limited by a console. Sure there is voice chat with microphones for most consoles, but except for maybe some VOIP party only chat, that really isnt practical yet.

I dont agree here. voice chat for the most part can work just fine in a mmo. Team speak servers for wow comes to mind.

Non the less you can always use the thumb keyboard that the ps3 and xbox 360 have that a lot of people are familiar do to those texting phones.

Secondly, while most consoles have come a long ways, they still would be a lot harder to develop an MMO for seeing as (to the best of my knowledge, could be wrong on this one as it is mostly just speculation on my part) they do not tend to have anywhere near as much RAM as most computers do (they don't need as much for most things either, but they still typically have quite a bit less).

In the console defeats even tho they do have less ram than most pc's (512 in xbox case) its mostly decanted to the game and is not bogged down by the os or background apps/programs.

Because lets face it, a true MMO is going to have a lot of people and a lot of stuff all going on at once, using up a lot of memory (for any modern graphics one at least).

Lets take a look at a modern mmo now.

Wow:

# Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon XP 1500+ 1300 MHz
# 512 MB or more of RAM (1 GB for Vista Users)
# 32 MB 3D video card with Hardware T&L or better

city of villains:

Intel Pentium III 800 MHz or AMD Athlon 800 MHz; 512 MB RAM; CD-ROM Drive; 4 GB GeForce 2 Series or ATI Radeon 8500 Series Video Card

Now i know these are min specs for these mmo's but the console does surpass them well.

And lets be honest here. Mmo's are not that demanding of games because they are made that way so a lot of people can play the game with the hardware they have. The more hardware they can run on the more money they make.

Also, I'm sure many of you have noticed that most console based shooters have a much lower player cap than their PC based counterparts (might also be partially a server limitation for the console based games too, not really sure how they have it set up).

This is mostly because of two things. The bandwidth for these games are P2P and most of the time and is limited because of your own broadband. And even if you do have the bandwidth then yes the xbox or ps3 can only handle so much. But its not imposable to set up a server. There have been mmo's.

and yes the pc will always have the upper hand in power if your willing to pay.

my point is that this is not a technical limitations. There have been mmo's on these things before.  Look at ps3 with mag. Do you ever really interact with more than 256 in 1 zone in most mmo's? I also remember being 32 or more players on games on the xbox one. You just need to use your resources wisely and you'll be ok.

I think the main reason why there have not been mmo's on these boxs is because the lack of a hard drive for updates ect. And these consoles are only going to get more power over time.

edit:
But more to what i wanted to get at. With all that set aside. Assuming the console run them just fine. Would you like to play a mmo on a console? The idea of sitting down on a recliner using a controller infront of a tv. does that sound appling to anyone?

[JoEL]

I disagree, headsets wouldn't be the ideal way to chatting on a MMO, especially....could you imagin talking in channels? or talking to some random guy infront of you? how would this all work? and what if they can't hear you because they are too far away so you gotta run up to them and ask them if they can hear you where you are standing....alot of the time, it seems like a hassle for the player.

[Red October]

Would you like to play a mmo on a console? The idea of sitting down on a recliner using a controller infront of a tv. does that sound appling to anyone?

Personally, no.

The gaming consoles (PS3 and Xbox360) are basically computers with the ability to connect to the television. I have no need for them, that's why I don't own them. This is becuase I only need a computer to preform the tasks which I require (in forms of entertainment and in this case MMOs). Wii on the other hand is different. You have the Wii-remote, which the computer has no support for. The reason I got the Wii was becuase of this non-computer support (for most games) and the fact they have some good games on the system (LoZ etc). We must remember that Wii's major audience is casual games, an audience which wont sustain a solid online game community.

Therefore there are no consoles at fit my needs for an playable MMO.

[ARTgames]

Would you like to play a mmo on a console? The idea of sitting down on a recliner using a controller infront of a tv. does that sound appling to anyone?

Personally, no.

ok thank you. That is what i wanted to know from you all.

offtopic:

You have the Wii-remote, which the computer has no support for.

It seems like the Wii-remote and not the wii its self. Also its possible to use a wii mot on a pc.

And i think people on the pc are doing a lot cooler things than on the wii. but that last parts my opinion.

[Lingus]

Also its possible to use a wii mot on a pc.

And i think people on the pc are doing a lot cooler things than on the wii. but that last parts my opinion.

Yep. I've seen someone create a digital white board using a wiimote, a projector, and a special led light (I think UV?) Basically you use the light which the wiimote picks up and translates as mouse movement or drawing depending on how you set up the software on the computer. You can calibrate it to use a projector or a computer screen. You just have to mount the wiimote and use the calibration software.