Rumor: Halo Wars for PC with cross-platform competition

38 Comments by Alexander Sliwinski Jan 30th 2008 4:30PM
Filed under: PC, Microsoft Xbox 360, Strategy

Still very much part of the rumor mill, website The Angry Pixel, "after enough assurances that this is not a cruel hoax," writes that Xbox 360 exclusive Halo Wars is in development for PC and that the game features cross-platform play. The result: Xbox 360 owners may feel what it's like to play an RTS against keyboard and mouse players -- or might it actually be balanced? CVG followed up with a Microsoft rep about the story and was naturally told, "We do not comment on rumour and speculation."

Cross-platform capabilities have been accessible through UNO and Shadowrun, and it's no real shock to postulate that an RTS like Halo Wars could be in development for PC. Apparently Sega's Universe at War will have cross-platform capabilities when it launches on Xbox 360 this spring, so it would seem somewhat plausible for a first-party title like Halo Wars to feature the capability as well.

Update: Predictably, Microsoft has squashed the rumor. "Halo Wars is being developed from the bottom up for the Xbox 360 and its control scheme to ensure that we deliver a groundbreaking console RTS experience. Given that, we have no plans to develop Halo Wars for Windows Vista at this time," a Microsoft representative told IGN.

Read: Fog of War: Halo Wars for PC?
Read: Is Halo Wars going cross-platform?

Gallery: Halo Wars

Tags: cross-platform, halo-wars, halowars

(Page 1) Reader Comments

Matt B: Jan 30th 2008; 4:35PM

Thanks for bringing it to the PC. Just don't be dumb and make us hack it to work on XP.

Evan: Jan 30th 2008; 4:37PM

PC, 360, whatever. I just want to play it!

UltimateQ: Jan 30th 2008; 4:39PM

Fake, There is no way those xbox kiddies can keep up with the glorious gaming master race (pc gamers). The only way to fix it is to separate them.

I remember back in the day quake 3 on the dreamcast. Need I say more?

dizzy: Jan 30th 2008; 4:52PM

Starcraft 64 probably would drive that point home alot better

GreyFox: Jan 30th 2008; 5:42PM

It's funny because I played Q3 Arena against PC players on my friends Dreamcast and we all had an awesome time because we kept pace with PC players. I would rather play it on my PC any day but I won't post stupid fan boy comments about it.

Matt: Jan 30th 2008; 6:06PM

On what planet did you play Q3 for Dreamcast? The few PC players that hopped on the Dreamcast Q3 servers dominated everyone.

When Sega had a tournament for the game, a few PC players snuck in and destroyed everyone, requiring a restart of the tourney since there was little hope a console gamer would place in the prizes.

Despite the bogus claims by some "hilarious" designer on Shadowrun, Mouse and Keyboard always destroy the Controller in FPS and RTS games. It won't even be close, assuming the game places some emphasis on gameplay that rewards quick precise actions.

If it's a shooter with piles of aim-assist and low-damage, sloppily firing weapons (*cough* Shadowrun) or limited micromanagement and unit count (which I'm betting will be the case in Halo Wars) the controller can keep the pace with mouse. Hell, a steering wheel or the Wii-Balance board would work as well as a mouse/keyboard setup if the designers make the game handly poorly.

The trade off is that while console players might stand a chance at winning now and then, the PC players won't even bother playing, as they'd rather get tight responsive controls that rewards precision and quick reflexes, which they can get in any of the recently released multiplayer shooters.

UltimateQ: Jan 30th 2008; 6:14PM

I agree with everything you just said. Don't misunderstand what I meant up there.

Moorio || peacebyanymeans: Jan 30th 2008; 4:40PM

I hope you are banned.

Moorio || peacebyanymeans: Jan 30th 2008; 5:46PM

Well... I guess he was banned... huh...

Korova: Jan 30th 2008; 4:50PM

At the Joystiq Commenter Improvement Center the first three posts are automatically shuffled so that test subjects adapt to avoid firstposting in a controlled environment.

If you refrain from firstposting you will get cake.

jlobes: Jan 30th 2008; 4:54PM

I lol'd

Mr.ESC: Jan 30th 2008; 4:58PM

First

*In Seto Kaiba Voice:The cake is a lie,beyatch.

Lone Starr: Jan 30th 2008; 4:54PM

If true, please let there be an option to let 360 owners opt out of playing PC owners.

kekekekekek

jlobes: Jan 30th 2008; 4:54PM

I think the bigger issue is that PC gamers will have a mouse and a keyboard, where as 360 gamers will have to control an RTS with analog sticks.

Yeah yeah, we've seen people argue that they themselves play FPS better with a controller than a mouse, but is anyone thinking that this is going to be a rapefest?

Honestly, if I were playing on a 360, I would make a conscious effort to never play against a PC opponent, simply because the fact that he has a mouse and I have a controller gives him a huge advantage.

Mogg: Jan 30th 2008; 4:54PM

As long as this doesn't delay the game.

I've grown rather fond of my 360. I hope the controls are well enough because I'd rather play on a 60" tv than a 20" monitor. Dual monitor support would be nice though.

Mogg: Jan 30th 2008; 4:55PM

Release a demo before release so we can compare the two.

Mr.ESC: Jan 30th 2008; 5:02PM

At this point I wonder why the XB360 couldn't use a USB K/M like the Ps3 or get support from the messenger keyboard.

Oh well a game is a game and as long it doesn't have more than 3 online achievements I won't be playing it online anyway.

Korova: Jan 30th 2008; 5:13PM

Messenger keyboard would just be cruel unless one is gifted with VERY small hands. And you know what they say about men with ...

Mr.ESC: Jan 30th 2008; 5:46PM

That they have a very small penis, is that it? Because that could also mean that a man with small hands is deformed or a mutant and that's nothing to laugh at, I mean have you ever seen the Elephant man? That’s cruel d00d.

Anyhow yeah it would be very uncomfortable but it’s better than nothing, sort of, thinking about it not really.

Jeff: Jan 30th 2008; 5:29PM

Hm. The controls are apparently being made with the best console-controls in mind; would it play terribly with kb+m as a result?

Matt: Jan 30th 2008; 6:07PM

Yes, see Shadowrun for a game that was designed with Cross-platform in mind and how Mouse/Keyboard players won't be happy with it.

The only way to keep the controller players in the running with the Mouse/Keyboard players was to offer gameplay that severely handicapped Mouse players, negating the purpose of using that control scheme, which (among other things) ensured zero interest in the game by PC gamers.

Deck: Jan 30th 2008; 5:50PM

If this is in fact true... I can't see how the play could be balanced.

Unless they disabled hotkeys or something of the sort for the keyboard. With so many more buttons to choose from plus the mouse, it just seems as if it could be unfair.

Oh, and make this work on XP. No body likes Vista for it is totally FTL.

Xelloss: Jan 30th 2008; 6:17PM

Woot PC version. RTS on the console reply value is almost none. Ya the initial fun of playing a RTS on a console is great but after that you don't want to bother with the controllers anymore. RTS is a keyboard and mouse must.

Jeff: Jan 30th 2008; 6:33PM

Someone recently cracked the UT3 PC top 100 using only a 360 gamepad. Which got me thinking: console versus PC could work-- if it make extensive use of matchmaking. Only the best gamepad users could match kb + m players.

jynxycat: Jan 30th 2008; 6:57PM

Pretty sure the UT3 ranking system just goes with win/loss ratio, which really means jack.

My win/loss ratio in CoD4 is barely 1:1, but my overall skillset is much better than average :P

Either way, take any serious UT3 player on a keyboard|mouse, versus ANYONE using a controller, and I will bet my entire life on the serious player with the mouse.

Zeus.:God: Jan 30th 2008; 9:57PM

Me and my G5 are up for the job, and so is my Flak Cannon.

Neebs: Jan 30th 2008; 6:34PM

This will be pathetic imo...worse than the unfairness of Halo 2 but hopefully it won't have ridiculously crippling balance (like, say, removing hotkeys and limiting mouse speed) like Shadowrun.

T-Bag: Jan 30th 2008; 6:43PM

This better just be a rumor.

jynxycat: Jan 30th 2008; 6:59PM

I'll get this for my pc if it's so, and I don't even enjoy RTS titles that much, let alone Halo.

Just to wtfpwn 360 kids.

Luckily I already have an xbox live account, otherwise I'd be peeved in having to pay $50 a year to play against them.

xIMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHINGx: Jan 30th 2008; 7:16PM

I agree with Neebs, the only way it would be fair to controller gamers is if they removed the hotkeys and lowered the mouse speed.

jonondaspot: Jan 30th 2008; 10:04PM

No. Do some research next time.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/848/848646p1.html

"Halo Wars is being developed from the bottom up for the Xbox 360 and its control scheme to ensure that we deliver a groundbreaking console RTS experience. Given that, we have no plans to develop 'Halo Wars' for Windows Vista at this time," Microsoft said.

Seroth: Jan 30th 2008; 10:57PM

An easy way to solve balance issues between 360 and PC controls...let you use a damn USB mouse and keyboard on the 360! The PC can already use a 360 controller. Now make use of the 360s USB ports, too!

Why is this so hard to do, Microsoft?

XGM: Jan 30th 2008; 10:59PM

The fact that i could have played this a while back as a C&C mod really pisses me off, since they decided to force the mod to close so they can make a game (and money) off of it.

Derek: Jan 30th 2008; 11:42PM

When did UNO come out on PC? I remember reading that it would come out "Holiday 2007", but it never showed.

Come to think of it, what happened to the "Games For Windows Arcade" service?

ThornedVenom: Jan 31st 2008; 4:06AM

Say no to Windows Live Games.

Legend4000: Jan 31st 2008; 9:42AM

First comment Woot!!

greg: Jan 31st 2008; 12:46PM

Greg,
I think this might be the biggest and best news i have heard in a long time. The cross battle of PC and xbox-360 had potential to be the most heated battle in gaming history. It will make the game population 10 times more and that much more exciting. In all reality i just cant wait to be able to experience the game play of the new Halo Wars.
With all the new games coming out with Pc and xbox-360 joint worlds im actually kind of suprised that halo didnt do it with Halo 3. I just hope that they through us some different maps and a couple new weapons or new game types.
If anybody knows any of the new specs or any thing like that please reply, thanks.

jonondaspot: Jan 31st 2008; 11:21PM

Yeah, the specs are - try reading some people's comments above you next time. Especially helpful are those comments that have an obvious link in them saying NO PC VERSION OF HALO WARS.

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