Just got a press release from Valve. Looks like those special PS3 Steam functions we kept hearing about are as follows:
-Play and chat capabilities between PS3 and PC/Mac
-Persistent cloud-based storage of PS3 save games
-Access to a free Steam Play copy of Portal 2 for PS3 owners
These are all neat features, and the kinds of thing you wish you saw more often in this market. I have to applaud Valve for their free-form, rule-breaking style of development.
Still, let me just point out that “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” is nigh unplayable on the PS3; the damn thing is a jungle of haxxors, and it’s because the platform is more permissive in exactly this way. Sony’s open-door policy with user created content and player mods is certainly admirable, but if they can’t find a way to simultaneously protect their platform, PSN will remain behind XBLA as the definitive online marketplace.
I’m not trying to rain on their parade, though. This is wicked cool, and Valve/Sony should be proud.
2 Comments
I agree with you on all counts. All games should be cross platform multiplayer.
You’re ignoring one thing about CoD on PS3 though: they didn’t use any additional security besides the console authentication codes. Since hackers are always after those code (especially since they allow the jailbreaking of the console itself), is it really unreasonable to hold Infinity Ward accountable for not doing additional security work? Killzone 2 (and 3), Littlebigplanet 1 and 2, and even Call of Duty: Black Ops avoided this issue because they have additional server based security. This allows the developers themselves to close holes as they open, rather than wait on a third party (in MW2’s case, Sony).