@Joe80, Epic's problems were not particularly related to the console and PC being able to play against each other. Their problems were due to the want of user generated content for the UT3 console versions.
In terms of openness, both the PS3 and 360 are pretty closed - which is the entire point of a console system.
@lstormy10, But Epic (one of MS's closest 3rd parties) struggled with MS to try to get the 360 ver to be playable with all the maps of the PC ver. PS3 being open there was no problem. I don't think Blizzard would want a 360 ver that can only play a handful of maps that PC users will be able to.
@Joe80, I see your point, but there is one thing that you missed. The Xbox 360 already has a system (aka Live) that allows for cross-platform play between the PC and 360 - making it super easy for cross-platform play to be set-up between the two.
@lstormy10, I agree that a console version is highly unlikely. I would agree that 360 would be more likely, but when I read in the article that Blizzard says:
"Also I'd like to keep our audience together. One question mark I have is whether the console owners would allow PC players to play against console gamers. I think the answer gets a lot easier if the console owners say yes. But at the moment they do like to have closed systems."
it makes PS3 much more likely. PS3 is known for being relatively open & 360 is notorious for being closed. Unreal III shows this very well, otherwise the 360 version would've released first, instead of being delayed so far.
@Joe80, I don't think there will ever be a console version of Diablo 3 because Blizzard is traditionally a PC developer and this type of game works best on the PC.
However, if it were to come to consoles, the 360 version would seem to be more likely given that it is closer in architecture to the PC than the PS3 is. Kind of how there were more difficulties with a port of The Orange Box to PS3 than 360. I don't see openness playing much of a role if a console version were to happen.
@Rol83, If there is a console version at some point, a PS3 version would seem to be more likely given that it is a more open system compared to 360. Unreal Tournament 3 is a testament to that.
Paul Sams says "A lot of it depends on whether we think the gameplay experience will be the same on console, especially regarding the controls. Also I'd like to keep our audience together. One question mark I have is whether the console owners would allow PC players to play against console gamers. I think the answer gets a lot easier if the console owners say yes. But at the moment they do like to have closed systems. But you know, I think what it really it comes down to is the game itself."
"Diablo III is so in right now. After the unsurprising announcement about Blizzard Entertainment’s latest game, we pinned down man of the moment, lead designer Jay Wilson, down for a chat about the latest installment in the Diablo franchise."
So far I'm not all that impressed by the screen shots I've seen. It looks like a marginal update to D2. Of course, Blizzard games are less about the graphics and more about game play, so we'll have have to see.
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Epic's problems were not particularly related to the console and PC being able to play against each other. Their problems were due to the want of user generated content for the UT3 console versions.
In terms of openness, both the PS3 and 360 are pretty closed - which is the entire point of a console system.