Where was it Created?

Back in the day, any time a game was announced on multiple platforms I always thought, “Yeah, but which platform is it developed on/for? Because that’s where I want to play it.” If the game was being built on an Xbox, but also being released on PlayStation my thoughts were that the PlayStation version was just a port (and would have more problems). This isn’t necessarily true, it’s just what I believed at the time.

This way of thinking may have even stopped me from trying out certain games. This may be why I have always looked at “Console Exclusives” as a big deal, since they were being developed specifically for that platform.

Now that PlayStation 5 has the DualSense controller, I don’t want those functions to be an afterthought in my games. I want games where the developers have been thinking about how to incorporate the DualSense and its unique features from the very beginning of development. This ideology could be true with both PlayStation exclusive and Cross-platform games.

All Movies in 3D

My old understanding of cross-platform games was sort of like when every movie was also being released in 3D. Sure, I watched Avatar in 3D and many other movies, but I always researched which movies were shot in 3D, and which had 3D added in post-production (because some executive told them to). There was a time where every big movie was released in regular, 3D, IMAX and IMAX 3D.

Today, I’m thinking this stuff doesn’t really matter. The 3D movie thing still kind of matters. Avatar was the first 3D movie experience I felt fully immersed in. James Cameron didn’t use those cheap 3D tactics of throwing objects at the camera (I guess no one really uses them anymore these days except for Muppet Vision 3D in Disney’s Hollywood Studios). After Avatar you could find yourself watching a movie in 3D with the glasses on without thinking, Oh, I’m wearing these silly 3D glasses, for the entire two hours.

PC for the Win?

Back to games: Most games are created on computers, so I guess the ideal place to play them would always be on PC (or Mac, if available). Of course, my PC isn’t updated with the latest parts. My PC doesn’t even have last gen’s updated parts. My PC’s insides are the equivalent of the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 era (maybe less than that).

I don’t really think about these things anymore. I play tons of games that have been ported onto my Nintendo Switch just for the convenience. Exclusives are still cool when you own the platform, but I’m not thinking about playing a game just because it’s exclusive over one that’s cross-platform. Exclusivity alone doesn’t make a game better or worse, gameplay and design are still major factors.

So, when a game releases on multiple consoles and you own more than one of them, where do you play this game?

Wherever you want. I’ve picked my Switch over my PS4 and PS5 for the sheer convenience of handheld mode at times. I’ve also picked my PS4 or PS5 over the Switch because I want to play a higher quality, better looking version of a game. There are also some games that I own on more than one platform and that’s fine too (of course it’s even better with Cross-Save, but that’s a separate issue).

Wherever you want to play your game is where you should play it.
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.