Halo 3 Will Put Xbox 360 Further Ahead of PS3

Halo 3 Will Put Xbox 360 Further Ahead of PS3
April 11th, 2007 | by Rob Enderle

Halo was the game that made the original Xbox; it was the one thing the PlayStation 3 still lacks - the game that defines the playing experience. While there are a lot of good games out for the Xbox 360, including Halo 2, it will be Halo 3 that will possibly go the farthest to define the power of that platform. Halo 3 is one of two games enabling Microsoft to push the limits; the other is Shadowrun, which will directly connect PC gamers to Xbox 360 gamers.

Both of these games are, if you will excuse the term, game changers. Halo 3 is the first massive multi-player on-line game for the console and Shadowrun the first to connect PC gamers and console gamers together for online play (though it is limited to a max of 16 in-game players at a time).

Changing Game

Designed from the start is voice capability. While not new to console gamers, most of us who play MMOGs on the PC side have had to use teamspeak, or some other out of game technology, to use voice. Getting an entire team on TeamSpeak is rarely possible.

Voice adds a great deal to combat in that you don’t have to stop to chat and it is much easier to give commands or warnings verbally then it is to type them on a keyboard. One interesting side note is that on a panel I had last year on gaming, the reason game developers didn’t put voice into MMOGs was because of the number of men who liked to play female characters and felt the male voice spoiled the experience.

Having played with TeamSpeak and a few guys, I can tell you it is rather disconcerting to suddenly find out the girl you have been playing beside isn’t a girl after all. It will be interesting to see whether the guys playing girls get the tools necessary to either make them sound feminine, choose to play as males or simply make believe they have deep, sexy voices. Personally, I’m hoping for the middle choice. :)

For a console MMOG, the huge advantage is that you can push the hardware to its limits. This is a problem with PCs where you have to assume the lowest common hardware base, which may be a modem and a Pentium 3 with old graphics. With Halo 3 the game developers can rely on the fact that gamers are on broadband, have Xbox 360s and all have the same controllers. This means we should see things in this game we rarely see on PCs, short of the new DirectX 10 Vista stuff that we are still waiting for.

This should give us powerful visuals and much quicker, console-like game play, which will be a new experience for MMOG players. The fact that everyone should be on broadband should reduce network lag but I’ll bet, when there are a lot of folks shooting in close proximity at the same time, lag will be nearly impossible not to feel.

Still, both games appear first rate based on early reviews and they provide a level of play the other consoles, and most PCs, can’t deliver right now.

Can Sony and Nintendo Keep Up?

Nintendo is playing to the beat of a different drummer right now and I don’t see these latest efforts from Microsoft having much impact. Nintendo is more physical and tends to play to a younger crowd. Nintendo also has a very attractive price point so they should be able to sleep easy while continuing to enjoy an impressive sales ramp.

Sony is in trouble if these games take off. They don’t even do multi-player that well yet, MMOGs are well out of their reach and they have effectively blocked every attempt their PC unit has made to work with their game platform. This creates the very real possibility that Sony PC users will be more likely to choose an Xbox 360 over Playstation 3 if they want to experience cross-platform play.

This is the same with the Media Center - the Xbox will extend a Sony Media Center but a Playstation will just treat it as another PC with limited capabilities. This seems like they put interdivisional rivalry in front of competitiveness and that’s just silly. And, if Shadowrun is good, and it looks like it is very good, that’s also going to hurt Sony a lot.

Next Steps

There are a number of Xbox derivative products that are likely coming. Xbox has no mobile solution yet, which is a likely future product. In addition to the PC, vendors have been asking for a seat at the Xbox table and with the advancements in emulators and virtual machines, coupled with some impressive performance capabilities from next generation PC platforms, this is increasingly possible. They could also do a stripped down Xbox, which would have the multimedia capabilities but not play games, or license the interface to someone else who could bring one of those qualities out.

The advantages a software company has are flexibility and hardware partners. With these new games and the most recent Instant Messaging announcement, they are in fact showcasing that flexibility. Next, prepare for them to start using their other advantage over the next 18 long months.

Post Your Comment...Comments

tijir on Apr 11th, 2007 at 12:15 PM:

I made it into the Shadowrun Beta and I have to tell you, it is a great game. The game play rivals many great FPS games and trumps the rest.

As for Halo 3, well I played Halo and loved it, played Halo 2 and liked it enough to buy the game twice (collectors edition) and from everything I have seen, Halo 3 will blow all of the games I mention out of the water so to speak.

I have a PS3 and right now nothing on it stands up to Halo 2, not even Resistance: Fall of Man. Although Sony's announcement of Home and the Little Big Planet could very well help it catch up to the Xbox 360, if they can keep the momentum going with better games and fix many of the multi player problems they have with the console.

Rick Bailey on Apr 11th, 2007 at 9:18 PM:

Need for Speed has already offered cross-platform play - PC and PS2 - with no subscription required.

drunkenguard on Apr 12th, 2007 at 5:49 AM:

Those are just FPSs. What other "A" games does 360 have? They're just banking on FPSs which dont appeal to all. That's all XBOX can boast about...

BizzR on Apr 12th, 2007 at 11:04 AM:

"Both of these games are, if you will excuse the term, game changers. Halo 3 is the first massive multi-player on-line game for the console and Shadowrun the first to connect PC gamers and console gamers together for online play (though it is limited to a max of 16 in-game players at a time). "

Ummm FFXI??? But I'm a 360 fan anyway, in the Shadowrun Beta, and will be buying Halo 3 so whatever.

Beans on Apr 12th, 2007 at 11:41 AM:

Why is he comparing Halo 3 to MMO games? Halo 3 is not even an MMO.
About cross-platform its not like it can only be done on the 360. Hell, back when Valve was doing Half-Life for the Dreamcast (which was canned) they had it so Dreamcast users could play with PC users. Im sure Sony could try and do that with MMO's but I just dont see cross-platform that important right now.

Also his comment about Sony not doing multi-player that well? I think way to many bash Sony from that and have never played or played little online games for the PS2/PS3.
Yes XBL is far better but PS3 online has improved a lot coming from the PS2 and games like Resistance are blast to play online. It supports a number of game modes and a good amount of people without any sort of lag.
It easily holds its own when you compare it to Halo 2 multiplayer but people still knock it off just cause its on the PS3 using its online network. Sony still has a ton of room to improve with Home coming out so count them out yet.

Ben Krupt on Apr 12th, 2007 at 12:37 PM:

How is Halo 3 not an MMO? They have multiplayer online game.

Beans on Apr 12th, 2007 at 1:11 PM:

That still dosnt make it an MMO, that would mean every single FPS that includes multiplayer is an MMO. MMO is massively multiplayer meaning a game that supporst hundreds of players on one sever. Halo 2 supports up to 16 players, theres nothing massively about that. I just think thats a bad comparison.

Ben Krupt on Apr 12th, 2007 at 1:41 PM:

Sounds like its all a viewpoint. I agree that when I think of MMO, I think of RPG's etc.

GCN rothbart on Apr 12th, 2007 at 2:29 PM:

But I think you're forgetting something. What was the single game that defined the PS2? That's the platform that's sold over 110M units. Yeah, there _isn't_ a singular game that defines or identifies "Playstation" gaming. I would MUCH rather have 10 games reviewed at 9.0 than 1 game reviewed at 10.0 (and obviously I'm using those ratings as an example here). There are some significantly impressive PS3 games coming out in 2007. As it stands now (and things can change) Halo 3 is reported to be coming out in September on the 360 to generate buzz when Halo is generating 360 buzz. On the PS3, the following are reported to be planned for release: Heavenly Sword, Lair, and Warhawk with additional hype being driven by getting to actually _see_ Killzone and Ratchet & Clank (I'm assuming some sort of demo but I could be mistaken). So no, there is no singular title that says "I AM Playstation gaming" Halo 3 will sell millions. They'll make a ton of cash and sell 360's because of it, but it certainly doesn't spell the end to the PS3 (or Wii for that matter).

Ben Krupt on Apr 12th, 2007 at 3:48 PM:

Question: Does anyone know how many players online Halo 3 will support? What classifies a game as MMO? I thoughts hundreds or something.

Kenny on Apr 12th, 2007 at 3:49 PM:

This is so sad...the PS3 never stood a chance from the start. I am seeing games that are relased for the 360, being released like 2-3 months later on the PS3. There is simply no reason to get the PS3 other than being a cheap blu-ray player.

janus on Apr 12th, 2007 at 5:03 PM:

um...not too much difference in this game from halo2 to tell you the truth but it is fun. dont really think it will take down the ps3 cause the blanket strategy is to release Killzone at or around the time so people can look at both and decide which is better b4 purchasing. given the amount of time money and dev on kzone odds r in favor of it being better...have you seen the size of the dev team...some of the best prgrmerz in the world and some of the best in europe that i know of so i have hunch we're gonna see some killer stuff come out along with the graphics and game play to be worthy of taking on halo. besides the real diff wont be seen until september or within 6 mos after that. more dev tools out there to use and make the ease of coding more efficient and allow for greater creativity...we'll see the diif between the 2 units very very soon...!

TechFreak on Apr 12th, 2007 at 6:36 PM:

Looks like another fanboy arguement.

Lets look at the facts:

Wii is in the number one spot, Xbox 360 number two and the PS3 a far number 3. Thats just in sales. The people have spoken.

Halo 3 will probably be MS biggest seller, it will make ANYONE want to go sell their PS3 and get a 360.

clement on Apr 12th, 2007 at 8:59 PM:

I don't think so my friend, dunno if you are a gamer yourself but let's wait till halo 3 come out and I will get back at you.

Nick on Apr 13th, 2007 at 2:21 PM:

Thanks Rob. Your check is in the mail.

-signed,
Microsoft

ceekay on Apr 13th, 2007 at 5:55 PM:

Do people actually get paid for writing a bunch of crap dressed up as "facts"? If so, I'm in the wrong business.

P.S. guy who helpfully pointed out there are fewer PS3s than 360s out there: You must be a genius. Take a look at the launch dates will you?

Benji on Apr 13th, 2007 at 6:09 PM:

ceekay,

Why don't you back up your facts, how is this article crap?

You look like a PS3 fanboy, the Xbox 360 is kicking its butt. There are tons of PS3's on the store shelves. It has nothing to do with the launch date PEOPLE DO NOT WANT THE PS3!!

ceekay on Apr 13th, 2007 at 6:34 PM:

Benji: If you care to point out any actual facts in my post, I'll be happy to back them up. Are you also a member of Mensa by any chance?

As for your fanboy comment: Pot, kettle, you get the idea (or not).

Benji on Apr 13th, 2007 at 6:47 PM:

Umm no fanboy here. I have all three consoles because I can afford them. Just stating the facts...the PS3 is not selling...there are not enough games, it costs too much money and people don't want them. Sorry man....Just face the facts...

Marc on Apr 13th, 2007 at 11:00 PM:

I am not sure this author has a clue about what he is talking about?

barka on Apr 14th, 2007 at 3:10 AM:

this article is an embarrassment for this website, hardly nothing is correct here. Is the writer hoping for a free 360 Elite edition??

..sure these games are good and sure they will sell some 360 ... the 360 is an excellent machine , but the machine will soon run into trouble when facing a superior ps3 ...

Kenny on Apr 14th, 2007 at 9:46 AM:

The PS3 was doomed from the start, I think its funny that the PS3 fanboys posting in here are so loyal....hope you enjoy your whole 5 games to choose from.

Wodeh on Apr 15th, 2007 at 7:09 AM:

As a games/technology journalist there's nothing that annoys me more than withering old farts prattling on like they know anything about gaming. There's simply so much misguided nonsense and fuddery in this article that I don't know where to begin.

"They could also do a stripped down Xbox, which would have the multimedia capabilities but not play games"

It's called a media center extender. Why pay £200 for one when you can just buy an Xbox 360 and get the gaming capabilities also? (unless you really care about noise levels)

"This is the same with the Media Center - the Xbox will extend a Sony Media Center but a Playstation will just treat it as another PC with limited capabilities."

Argh! SONY WHAT!? Windows is a MICROSOFT operating system you buffoon. The Xbox 360 is extending Windows Media Center, the PS3 could do exactly the same thing if Sony wanted it to, but they chose to implement a different host of peripheral non-gaming orientated features. What the frack does media center extender capabilities have to do with Halo 3 ANYWAY!? You have so very little to write about your topic that you stray to spewing completely irrelevant nonsense like a babbling idiot.

"This is a problem with PCs where you have to assume the lowest common hardware base, which may be a modem and a Pentium 3 with old graphics."

Yeah because we all know Company of Heros, C&C3, Half Life 2 and most other modern games run beautifully on a Pentium 3 with "old graphics". PC game developers target an arbitrary lowest common denominator usually far in advance of those specifications and PC gamers are expected to keep up. And they do. Because higher PC specs give you a bigger epenis.

"Getting an entire team on TeamSpeak is rarely possible."

In casual play, yes, in clan based play TeamSpeak/Ventrilo are pretty much standard. It would be worse from a PC perspective to build proprietary voice into every single game, given that such excellent solutions are already available. Having voice communication is pretty useless in games you're not playing with an organised team, anyway, in Halo it often proves to be a medium for spam and mouthing off.

"One interesting side note is that on a panel I had last year on gaming, the reason game developers didn't put voice into MMOGs was because of the number of men who liked to play female characters and felt the male voice spoiled the experience."

Absolute horsesheet. See above reason. This only applies in MMORPGs anyway, and even then only in MMORPGs with strict roleplay rules or roleplay servers. It is fairly typical to assume all female characters are, in fact, male. Also, given the "massively" component of MMORPGs it would be fairly pointless and irritating to implement global voice communication, chat spam is bad enough. The only time you need voice chat is when you're embarking on organised, team based activities... if you can't get a sizable chunk of your team into Ventrilo/TeamSpeak you're a fool or are just too casual to care.

"With Halo 3 the game developers can rely on the fact that gamers are on broadband, have Xbox 360s and all have the same controllers. This means we should see things in this game we rarely see on PCs, short of the new DirectX 10 Vista stuff that we are still waiting for. "

I don't think any PC game developers these days worry too much about people on dialup, if you're in their market, you have broadband. Simple as that. Also what other controller choices are available for the PC that I haven't heard of? Last I knew we all had these things called a MOUSE and these other things called a KEYBOARD. If you want to produce a racing game on either the PC or Xbox you still have to sell them a racing wheel for the full experience. Oh and, incidentally, gamers DON'T all have Xbox360s... what about the ones with PCs, Wiis and PS3s? This entire sentence -1 redundant. Furthermore what on earth does having the same controllers have to do with DirectX and Vista? What are we rarely seeing on PCs? Decent Windows PCs with DX9 cards surpassed the Xbox360s current graphics before it was even released.

"I can tell you it is rather disconcerting to suddenly find out the girl you have been playing beside isn't a girl after all."

You're an idiot. Next time you start chatting to someone in WoW, check they're actually female before you start asking them for nude pictures and giving them gold and items.

There is so much more I could write about the sheer idiocy of this article, the obvious contradictions, the misinformation and the beautifully demonstrated sheer lack of knowledge but I'll leave you with this: Please, Rob Enderle, don't write another video gaming article, EVER. If the grinning old coot in that picture is you then you've got at least 20-30 years on me combined with about 1% of my technical knowledge and writing skill. You're an idiot. An embarresment to journalism. Go away.

Kenny on Apr 15th, 2007 at 10:10 AM:

@Wodeh

Sounds like you are frustrated that your PS3 sucks. Sorry man....

:P

Wodeh on Apr 15th, 2007 at 12:04 PM:

@Kenny

I don't own a PS3. It hasn't yet demonstrated a compelling reason for me to spend £430... whereas the Xbox360 Elite has an HDMI port...ZOMG!!!!! I will probably buy a second Xbox360 long before I get a PS3 (which is a most likely inevitable purchase) simply so me and my partner can play co-op Halo 3, C&C3 and Two Worlds without sharing a TV.

I never liked the Xbox but eventually I gave in and bought one pretty much just for Halo 2... oh and because every console I don't own is one I can't review games for and it's unprofessional to be biased.

I'm no fanboy, but I definitely favour the Xbox 360 above all others at the moment, but without taking a PS3 home and trying it out for a few months there really is no strength to that opinion.

JimyD on Apr 16th, 2007 at 6:38 PM:

Ian - those are old articles on the early speculation on Halo 3. We now know it's a straight-up FPS, similar to Halo 2 so the author's quote that "Halo 3 is the first massive multi-player on-line game for the console" is flat-out wrong.

As far as his statements that "Sony is in trouble if these games (Halo 3 & Shadowrun) take off" is comical. Yes, Sony's PlayStation Network is behind Xbox Live in terms of a polished online experience but my multiplayer sessions with Resistance FOM and MotorStorm have been just fine and PlayStation Home should get them closer to (or possible exceed) Xbox Live. Sony's problem is not Halo 3 or Shadowrun - it's the current price of the PS3, plain and simple.

The jury is still out on whether cross-platform (PC vs. Console) multplayer games will ever amount to anything so he seems to be putting way too much weight on this unproven feature.

His ignorance is also pretty obvious when he says, "This creates the very real possibility that Sony PC users will be more likely to choose an Xbox 360 over Playstation 3 if they want to experience cross-platform play." Huh? Isn't the reason for cross-platform play to give PC gamers the opportunity to play online against console gamers? So why would "Sony PC users" go out and choose an Xbox 360 over a PS3, when they can just use their souped-up PC to play against console gamers? And besides, PC gamers aren't going to be using a Sony PC as a PC gaming rig. Where do these writers get their information from?

On the Media Center stuff, it is just as easy to get your PlayStation 3 to play media files off any external USB-based hard drive. If you must have it streaming from your PC, then third-party browser based software such as Orb works just fine.

This guy reminds me of when your dad becomes a video game expert after watching you play a few rounds of Halo 2 online. That's when you roll your eyes and make sure the golf is on TV when your buddies come over to get some gaming in.

JimyD on Apr 16th, 2007 at 6:38 PM:

Ian Bell on Apr 16th, 2007 at 7:46 PM:

I can't confirm or deny that Halo 3 will be an MMO or not because I am under an agreement. I can just simply say to not rule out the possibility. Rumors in this industry usually get out there because journalists break their NDA agreement and leak the information. I will just leave it at that.

As for the media stuff, unfortunately not every kid is as tech savvy as you are. The Xbox 360 bridges that gap by acting as a media extender, Orb is great, but most kids, let alone parents are not going to know how to get it working correctly - or even know it exists.

Sure, the price of the PS3 is hurting it, but so is the infancy of their online network like you mentioned, and their lack of games. Remember the Xbox 360 has a year head-start, they have a more installed user base and games are hitting the 360 quicker and more frequently than the PS3.

As for cross-platform gaming, it will be a sizeable market. The Xbox 360 controller works with Vista and you are going to see a lot more games/applications that let users interact with each other.

Read: http://news.digitaltrends.com/article12641.html

Listen, I like the PS3, but their game selection is very weak, their online marketplace is 1/20th the size of the Xbox Live marketplace, and the price is simply too high. Is this permanent? Absolutely not. I do suspect Sony to close the gap within the next year or so. I think it's a great platform, but Microsoft is moving so quickly, and I am afraid they will lap Sony in the race to dominate the space.

But for now, I am loving my PS3 for playing Blu-Ray movies - the pictures great!

Silverwolf on Apr 18th, 2007 at 4:49 AM:

I think who ever wanted to play halo 3 already has the console. The damn thing will be out for two years by the time the game hits. Halo was the "best" game released for the xbox (according to all the hype) and look how far that helped them pull away for the PS2...NOT! So why is Halo3 going to be any different? Your comments and article are nothing but wishful thinking that will not materialized.

RX8 on Apr 18th, 2007 at 12:46 PM:

Silverwolf,

Last time I checked there was a huge difference between the PS2 and the PS3. History does not always repeat itself, and the Xbox 360 already has a MONSTER lead over the PS3.

D. Powell on Apr 18th, 2007 at 7:13 PM:

Mr. Enderle,
It is clear to me that your article is nothing more than a paid endorsement for Microsoft. As for Halo being the game that defines the playing experience, I am tempted to question your mental aptitude. Although Halo was a good game, there was nothing special about shooting the exact same Aliens over and over on different levels. You want a game that defines the gaming experience? Try Metal Gear, where the enemy is smart enough to come look for you. I can also tell from reading your article that you did not put much effort into it. Just write something quick amplifying the strengths of the XBOX and put down Sony, Then run to the bank to cash the check. Your statements about using voice chat on video games like the whole idea is brand new to you or something, just proves that your not really up to date with technology so no one should really take your opinions seriously anyway.

Kevin on Apr 24th, 2007 at 1:01 PM:

The sony pos is nothing more than a blu ray player that can play games-thats it! the 360 will always look better because it has a more powerful gpu--THIS IS WHERE YOU GET GRAPHICS!! not the processor! I was one of the original people to buy a ps3 and it was a total waste of money. everyone keeps saying"wait it will come" M$ didn`t need to wait, games have been comming and never stopped. oh yeah, samsung is releasing a total hd player soon, guess they seem to differ on the whole blu ray "winning" thing now don`t they?

Ian Bell on Jul 23rd, 2008 at 5:52 PM:

Maybe Rob knows something we don't?

Stories about Halo 3 being an MMO:

http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/halo-3/halo-3-mmos-an...

http://m3mnoch.wordpress.com/2006/01/30/halo-3-is-...

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/01/31/halo-3-speculati...

http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2006/03/17/halo-mmo-w...

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=halo+3+mmo&ei=utf...

Rob Enderle on Jul 23rd, 2008 at 5:53 PM:

Here is a good video of Halo 3:

http://www.1pstart.com/halo-3-multiplayer-video-do...

Turn up your sound...

Here is the MMO primer for those asking what an MMO is:

http://www.gamingmmo.com/category/mmo-primer/

We'll see how many folks can get in on one battle whether this is a true MMO or not. Chances are, if there are big battles, they won't happen often because of the lag we've all learned to love in other MMO titles.

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