# Why is console gaming online so crap? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 2, 2008, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-console-gaming-online-so-crap/475324 "2008-12-02T09:52:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![PopeJewish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@PopeJewish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PopeJewish)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-console-gaming-online-so-crap/475324/41 "2008-12-04T00:39:51Z")
Kinthalis: I admit it’s been awhile, couple years at least. LOUNE: No, you stay on that server for the next game, adn the next, and the next, until either you leave or whoever started the server closes it down (stops playing) ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-console-gaming-online-so-crap/475324/42 "2008-12-04T07:03:11Z")
> [@PopeJewish](#): > > Kinthalis: I admit it’s been awhile, couple years at least. > > LOUNE: No, you stay on that server for the next game, adn the next, and the next, until either you leave or whoever started the server closes it down (stops playing) But…doesn’t that mean that you end up with the same overall result of Matchmaking? ---
**Author:** ![PopeJewish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@PopeJewish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PopeJewish)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-console-gaming-online-so-crap/475324/43 "2008-12-04T08:34:51Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > But…doesn’t that mean that you end up with the same overall result of Matchmaking? sort of, but you can choose servers based on what maps they’re playing, ping times (lag), gameplay modes, etc. There are just more options that allow you to play the type of game and the maps you want more easily. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-console-gaming-online-so-crap/475324/44 "2008-12-04T14:23:57Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > I can’t believe there’s a heated argument to be had. I suppose folks have strong opinions on everything, though. Come on **LOUNE** , this board has got some crazy PC gaming defenders. I mean, somehow there was real resistance to the idea that console gaming is more popular than PC gaming. That just boggles my mind. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-console-gaming-online-so-crap/475324/45 "2008-12-04T15:22:19Z")
> [@Robin\_Goodfellow](#): > > Was this thread made solely to incite **LOUNE**? I mean seriously. We have an honorary Forum Console Gaming Defender. Why would you title a post like this? > > That said, I agree that console games’ Matchmaking system is much less transparent than PC games’, which makes it less complicated and prevents joining custom gametypes that others have set up. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that, with some notable exceptions, most every online console game doesn’t have dedicated servers - the server is whomever started the game, and it will only last as long as the game holds their interest, then be passed to another player. This prevents things like impromptu communities popping up from favorite servers, map rotations, or game tweaks/mutators. > > On the plus side, it’s much less daunting to just jump in and Matchmake, and the vast majority of console players like things to Just Work. In a system where folks can choose which servers to join, they usually end up filling a select few servers to capacity, while the rest languish. > > Play something like TF2 or UT on a comp, with hundreds of speed, map, and game balance options, and you find that being able to filter servers for exactly the game you want is invaluable. I think the solution would lie in console Matchmaking becoming more robust, so people can make custom games easily and join them with a single option toggle. I think this post nailed it. Quite simply PC and Console online gaming dynamics are different and aimed at different groups. Console gaming/matchmaking doesn’t seem to be what the OP wants. I on the other hand don’t care about finding the perfect map and gametype evertime I play. I just want to sit back relax and waste some time on my xbox playing whatever map that is thrown at me. ---
**Author:** ![Hi\_Neighbor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hi_neighbor/32/494_2.png) [@Hi\_Neighbor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Neighbor)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-console-gaming-online-so-crap/475324/46 "2008-12-04T15:44:11Z")
For the six months or so, I do virtually all of my online gaming on my PS3. Yea, I prefer it over the PC (especially since I can barely play any new games on it), but that doesn’t mean console gaming is superior, or vice versa. And because I do most of my online gaming on a console, I’m more apt to be critical of it. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-console-gaming-online-so-crap/475324/47 "2008-12-04T16:14:44Z")
PC v Console is like Linux v Windows. Each camp is convinced their system is superior for the exact reasons the other camp thinks it is flawed. Things that PC gamers tout as benefits are, to me, _drawbacks_. The sad fact is that console gaming is steadily moving towards PC-like gaming, including stupid patches, so I wonder if the debate will soon be settled after all. Though what’s weird is I prefer Linux to Windows, but consoles to PC gaming. What I think is fun in the PC world (tweaking) I think is irritating in gaming (which I want to play). ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-console-gaming-online-so-crap/475324/48 "2008-12-04T18:09:26Z")
> [@PopeJewish](#): > > sort of, but you can choose servers based on what maps they’re playing, ping times (lag), gameplay modes, etc. There are just more options that allow you to play the type of game and the maps you want more easily. Matchmaking does all the ping/lag stuff when you set the filters. Besides, you get t play the game and map that you want once, then you’re back in the same position. Which leads me back to custom games. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-console-gaming-online-so-crap/475324/49 "2008-12-04T18:11:48Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Come on **LOUNE** , this board has got some crazy PC gaming defenders. > > I mean, somehow there was real resistance to the idea that console gaming is more popular than PC gaming. That just boggles my mind. They can defend all they want. I’m not even attacking. I fail to see how picking your own server makes everything better. Like I said, the first Gears of War did it and it’s a pain in the ass. Furthermore, when the host hops out (Call of Duty 4 and 5, Gears, etc.) it ends the game. That is a horrible way to handle it. Call of Duty 3 handled it the best with Halo’s system coming in a close second with regards to host switching. ---
**Author:** ![Hi\_Neighbor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hi_neighbor/32/494_2.png) [@Hi\_Neighbor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Neighbor)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-console-gaming-online-so-crap/475324/50 "2008-12-04T18:15:42Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > Furthermore, when the host hops out (Call of Duty 4 and 5, Gears, etc.) it ends the game. That is a horrible way to handle it. Is this in defense of console gaming? I hate when the host leaves in the CoD games on PS3, thus ending the game. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-console-gaming-online-so-crap/475324/51 "2008-12-04T18:16:51Z")
> [@Hi\_Neighbor](#): > > Is this in defense of console gaming? I hate when the host leaves in the CoD games on PS3, thus ending the game. No, it’s disliking how Infinity Ward/Treyarch (with the exception of Call of Duty 3, by Treyarch) handles the host quitting. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-console-gaming-online-so-crap/475324/52 "2008-12-04T18:49:03Z")
This takes ME back to SOCOM on the PS2 (I hear the PS3 SOCOM is a nightmare online because of server issues). It allowed me to pick where I wanted to play, what types of games, etc whenever I wanted. If I didn’t care, I could just jump into a Medley room and it would cycle through the maps and game types much in the same way that COD does. In addition to that, it had the perk of just migrating the game to another player seamlessly when the host leaves. I was really surprised when I first played COD4 when I saw “The Host Ended the Game”. As an aside, how do I know if I’m the host in the COD games? ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-console-gaming-online-so-crap/475324/53 "2008-12-04T18:50:19Z")
> [@interface2x](#): > > This takes ME back to SOCOM on the PS2 (I hear the PS3 SOCOM is a nightmare online because of server issues). It allowed me to pick where I wanted to play, what types of games, etc whenever I wanted. If I didn’t care, I could just jump into a Medley room and it would cycle through the maps and game types much in the same way that COD does. In addition to that, it had the perk of just migrating the game to another player seamlessly when the host leaves. > > I was really surprised when I first played COD4 when I saw “The Host Ended the Game”. > > As an aside, how do I know if I’m the host in the COD games? To my knowledge, you can’t know that. ---
**Author:** ![Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/13edae/32.png) [@Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interconnected_Series_of_Tubes)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-console-gaming-online-so-crap/475324/54 "2008-12-04T20:21:54Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > They can defend all they want. I’m not even attacking. I fail to see how picking your own server makes everything better. Like I said, the first Gears of War did it and it’s a pain in the ass. Furthermore, when the host hops out (Call of Duty 4 and 5, Gears, etc.) it ends the game. That is a horrible way to handle it. Call of Duty 3 handled it the best with Halo’s system coming in a close second with regards to host switching. The ability to sort by ping, in itself, is enough for me to reject console’s online paradigm. I seem to get about 3-400ms latency on average with XBL - unacceptable for a pay-to-play service. Why nobody’s been able to write a decent connection optimization algorithm, I do not know. Halo 3 came close, and should be given bonus points for even bothering to acknowledge the fact that latency exists. Look how badly Left 4 Dead’s automatic matchmaking system failed for PC, and the almost immediate implementation of a server browser. There’s absolutely no reason why consoles can’t at least geographically sort players to give them better pings. In general I’d say online console gaming is so crap because there isn’t enough persistent community to maintain dedicated servers. IST: Who still pays for XBL…for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-console-gaming-online-so-crap/475324/55 "2008-12-04T20:25:30Z")
That also defeats the purpose of “playing with the world”. You can sort Matchmaking by geographical proximity when searching for a game in Matchmaking in Halo 3, by the way. You can also sort for the best connection and a couple of other criteria. I’ve got no problem at all with Live. It’s great, for what it is. It’s not playing over Lan, but you can’t expect it to be, either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-console-gaming-online-so-crap/475324.md?page=2)