Death of Split Screen gaming

Mitch Connor

What is with this current gen, and next gen, that split screen gaming is so shunned or ignored.

Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4, NFS: Rivals - no split screen modes.

SSX on the 360, the latest released one - no local multiplayer split screen. Sure I could come up with LOADS of other examples.

I understand the need for an online world, but the best multiplayer fun I even have is with people in the same room as me. Rainbow 6 Vegas terrorist Hunt mode, SplitSecond, Blur, 1994 Bomber Man, GoldenEye, Mario Kart - best multiplayer fun I have had, cause they were played with mates in the same room.

I love playing games, and with friends, but I am poor at games - getting my ass handed to me every 20 seconds in the online world is NOT fun for me, it is just frustrating.

The online creep into next gen single player (Forza, NFS, WatchDogs) worries me for similar reasons - don't want my single player game being ruined by more talented general users coming in and destroying me.

animaal

Widescreens don't make it easy to play splitscreen. If the viewpoints are one over the other, a 16:9 screen will make each one very wide and slim. Side by side might work better, but not many games are made to be played in portrait mode.

It may also be at least partly down to performance. Consoles games are frequently struggling to keep up with the same game (or similar games) on the PC, where there's more horsepower. There must be additional overhead in rendering two separate viewpoints, even if the same pixel count is being shared by both.

Shiminay

Yea, it's mostly a "we can't possibly squeeze much more from this ancient hardware" issue I'd say, extremely frustrating though when one of the only reasons to own a console (for me and me alone!) is that you can play with your friends.

Mitch Connor

Was just looking at the launch line up for the next gen consoles and in too many cases it would be:

"Hey buddy, want to come over and check out the Xbox One? No, not to actually play it with me - you can play with strangers online though.... we'll take it in turn...".

Ah split screen gaming. When we were younger, my brothers and I would regularly play Syphon Filter against each other on a small screen TV; we'd sit on either side of the TV and have a large sheet of cardboard or other material between us and each would ensure the other wouldn't see their own screen. Made it much more sneakier and more fun.

Retr0gamer

It's more developer laziness really. Getting split screen to work is tough to program but with online functions now most developers just don't bother with it.

I have to give Bungie major props for the way they handle split screen. Not only do they still support split screen in the Halo games but also 4 player split screen over the internet. I hope they keep it up in Destiny.

gizmo

Retr0gamer wrote: »

It's more developer laziness really. Getting split screen to work is tough to program but with online functions now most developers just don't bother with it.

I have to give Bungie major props for the way they handle split screen. Not only do they still support split screen in the Halo games but also 4 player split screen over the internet. I hope they keep it up in Destiny.

They still support it yet get hammered for the frame rate issues present in the mode on most of the maps. It's far from a laziness thing, it's purely a performance problem that ranges from unsolvable without some horrific concessions or spending a disproportionate amount of time working around a problem which a relatively tiny percentage of gamers use.

Personally I miss it but under the circumstances, its absence is perfectly understandable across a range of more modern titles.

Mitch Connor

gizmo wrote: »

They still support it yet get hammered for the frame rate issues present in the mode on most of the maps. It's far from a laziness thing, it's purely a performance problem that ranges from unsolvable without some horrific concessions or spending a disproportionate amount of time working around a problem which a relatively tiny percentage of gamers use.

Personally I miss it but under the circumstances, its absence is perfectly acceptable across a range of more modern titles.

Personally I would be happy with less detailed graphics or a lower frame rate (30fps vs 60fps) on a split screen mode. These are concessions I understand and would happily accept rather than the modes not being offered at all.

With Sony and MS waging a war to 'win the living room', the lack of local, splitscreen, multiplayer is perplexing. You aren't going to win a living room by forcing people to sit and watch someone else play the console vs strangers online.

krudler

Ah split screen Mario Kart, the cause of, and solution to, so many arguments as kids.

gizmo

Mitch Connor wrote: »

Personally I would be happy with less detailed graphics or a lower frame rate (30fps vs 60fps) on a split screen mode. These are concessions I understand and would happily accept rather than the modes not being offered at all.

As would I if they were an option but in most cases games are already running at 720p30 and below so those options aren't really available.

Mitch Connor wrote: »

With Sony and MS waging a war to 'win the living room', the lack of local, splitscreen, multiplayer is perplexing. You aren't going to win a living room by forcing people to sit and watch someone else play the console vs strangers online.

Notice how their war to win the living room often doesn't include games though.

Mitch Connor

gizmo wrote: »

As would I if they were an option but in most cases games are already running at 720p30 and below so those options aren't really available.

Could they still not reduce graphical quality if required, less round roundness (that the COD devs were at PAINS to point out in COD:Ghost reveal).

Surely it can't be that difficult to get the game running to some acceptable level on split screen - even in modes designed for it, rather than the full game.

Notice how their war to win the living room often doesn't include games though.

Indeed - or they are arm flapping family fun with Kinnect or Move.

Duggy747

Many a year spent playing split screen with the brother and my mates. Great way to pass time when there was a load of us in a mates gaff.

I remember when myself and the brother would have to share the keyboard for games like Future Cop LAPD or TOCA which we couldn't press too many keys at the same time or else the machine beeped like a motherfùcker. :pac:

gizmo

Mitch Connor wrote: »

Could they still not reduce graphical quality if required, less round roundness (that the COD devs were at PAINS to point out in COD:Ghost reveal).

Surely it can't be that difficult to get the game running to some acceptable level on split screen - even in modes designed for it, rather than the full game.

It totally depends on the game/engine really. If your game isn't locked to a frame rate for a particular reason then it would give you some wiggle room but then you're back to the a) work required to attain that acceptable level and b) that acceptable level not being acceptable for everyone.

Mitch Connor wrote: »

Indeed - or they are arm flapping family fun with Kinnect or Move.

I prefer the term flailing myself, flapping is good too though.

Shiminay

Someone mentioned Bungee and Halo and it must be said that the ability to have 16 or 20 people playing in the same game of Halo in someone's house is brilliant. Many fun games of Halo 3 were had in my mate's place and all we needed were 5 consoles and screens.

Annoying and all as using a controller is for FPS games, that sort of a gathering is a huge amount of fun and it's a real shame that it's not a viable option anymore.

ShadowHearth

Wait what, ghost has no split screen on ps4 too?! That's the only reason I preordered it! Feck that...

I made same thread few weeks ago. I was looking for some games to play split screen and it was very tough. It actually really makes no sense when Sony is selling the killzone 2 controller bundle and killzone has no split screen...
Are there even any games on ps4 that can use second controller then fifa?

Mal-Adjusted

look at it from a developers/console makers point of view.
You and your three friends want to play a shooter together.

If you have split screen, you only have to buy one €250 console, four €40 controlers and one €60 game = €470

if you don't have split-screen, you need four €250 consoles, four €40 controlers and four €60 games = €1400
(plus an xbox live or playstation equivalent presumably?)

At the end of the day, it usually comes down to money.

CrinkElite

Me and my flatmate played the sh1t out of split-screen killzone on ps2. It added months of re-playability to an already excellent game.

Twas great.

eddhorse

Mal-Adjusted wrote: »

look at it from a developers/console makers point of view.
You and your three friends want to play a shooter together.

If you have split screen, you only have to buy one €250 console, four €40 controlers and one €60 game = €470

if you don't have split-screen, you need four €250 consoles, four €40 controlers and four €60 games = €1400
(plus an xbox live or playstation equivalent presumably?)

At the end of the day, it usually comes down to money.

Agreed, money wins.

1 thread about split screen or co-op versus 100 threads about online, most of the developers don't care you have a few mates over once every two months.

jaykhunter

This is an area where Nintendo could dominate. Especially with one person using the Nintablet and others using the TV screen.

raze_them_all_

Retr0gamer wrote: »

It's more developer laziness really. Getting split screen to work is tough to program but with online functions now most developers just don't bother with it.

I have to give Bungie major props for the way they handle split screen. Not only do they still support split screen in the Halo games but also 4 player split screen over the internet. I hope they keep it up in Destiny.

I thought bungee didn't make halo anymore??



Whoever said mario karts...what a game

Dravokivich

I dont play multiplayer much at all. But I prefer it local than online. Online is too disconnected for me, from the people you are playing with. If split screen was to be wiped off completely from consoles. I'll just drop'em and tell'em **** you very much.