Yesterday saw various outlets across the world publish their reviews on the Xbox Series X|S. I assume our units were lost in the post or whatever, but one thing that the reviewers were unanimous on is that the consoles’ loading time reductions are mind-boggling, and clearly one of the biggest selling points for the new hardware.
One particular story that’s stuck with me comes from TrueAchievements’ Luke Albigés, who commented on the Xbox Series X’s impressive loading times while playing Destiny 2, a game that famously treats loading screens like an odyssey. While he played on the Xbox One X, his friend was using the Xbox Series X, and the friend managed to load into the Tower and turn in his quests before Luke had even spawned. He was even halfway through a mission during another instance before Luke could load in.
On the flipside, Luke was playing Monster Hunter: World on Xbox Series X with a friend playing on the original Xbox One, and he found that some early game missions could be completed before his friend had even showed up. In Luke’s own words: “The speed difference is never as stark as it is when you’re partied up and hear your friends having fun without you. It’s like watching them have a blast on a fairground ride while you’re still stuck waiting in line. In the rain. Covered in bees. Racist bees.”
While his statement is mired in hyperbole, there’s something about that idea that troubles me when it comes to the next-gen consoles. This is the first generation of consoles that have truly allowed players to play together across generations, so surely this comes with its own risks and pitfalls with regards to player interaction.
In the transition to PS3 to PS4, or Xbox 360 to Xbox One respectively, you retained your friends list but couldn’t properly interact or play with someone on new consoles, which likely created a fear-of-missing-out, or FOMO, type response. You can see all your friends on the new consoles playing together, therefore you’re more likely to invest in a new console yourself so you don’t miss out. It’s largely an internalised feeling, but one that exists and is valid nonetheless.
With the level of next-gen connectivity offered with the new hardware though, is it possible that the FOMO becomes more overt? If all your friends are playing a game like Destiny 2 with the new hardware, but you’re still stuck on the previous generation console, that’s going to affect their play. They’ll have to wait around for you to load in for strikes, nightfalls and raids, cutting down on their playtime and mitigating the whole point of their shiny new SSDs.
Perhaps FOMO isn’t the right word for this new possibility. Perhaps it’s a shame-on-you-for-missing out, though I don’t think SOYFMO is the best acronym in the world. If you’re the last hold out when it comes to new consoles, you might be seen as the one holding the group back when playing online, which could lead to resentment and so on. “Because of that guy, Raids take way longer than they need to. Maybe we should play with someone else.” It sounds petty, but I’ve seen plenty of raid groups torn apart by pettiness. This is just fuel for the fire.
It’s also going to give people competitive advantages where others might not have them. Recently, it was revealed that Rogue Company will support 120fps, and Gears 5 will also support 120fps multiplayer. If you’re playing with people on the new consoles, they’re going to have a competitive advantage just because they’ve spent a bit more money than you. This has been true of PC gaming for a while, but it’s the first time that it’ll really come into play regarding console gaming.
It’s possible that I’m just catastrophizing the situation, and needlessly so too considering I’m planning on buying an Xbox Series X at launch, and a PS5 before the end of the year (fingers crossed). That said, so much of the discussion before launch has surrounded how the new consoles will dazzle your tits off when playing single-player games. Very little consideration has been shown to how cross-gen multiplayer will be handled, other than the commitment that “it’ll do it”.
If you’re going to be stuck waiting for previous-gen players to load when playing co-op and multiplayer games, playing online is going to feel stuck in the past for a long time while single player games enjoy all the SSD’s benefits. Granted, that’s an acceptable drawback in order to ensure there’s enough of an install base for multiplayer games when the new consoles launch, but in comparison to the speed of single-player games, it’s going to feel like a huge difference.
READ MORE: Biggest New Games Of November 2020 – It’s Next-Gen Time
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