How do you feel about split-screen dying?

[DarkDesertFox]

Over the past couple years I've just noticed a vast majority of newer games do not include any split-screen options. The other day my sister and I decided to hop on Forza Motorsport 6 and the only split-screen option that was available was a 1 v 1 race with no AI, day/night, or weather options. Then there was the shocker that Halo 5 did not have any split-screen features whatsoever. The website below will show you how many split-screen games each console has:

http://www.co-optimus.com/system/20/nintendo-wii-u.html

It's not a very big list of games for the PS4 or Xbox One. Now here's what the Wii U is doing right compared to the PS4 and Xbox One. They didn't forget players love playing with their friends and family in split-screen gameplay. I find it disheartening to find people these days complaining about the frame rate and graphics when there are more important aspects at hand. What do you think of this split-screen dilemma?

 

[Kittyinpink87]

i think it's very sad.
that's also why i don't buy as many games anymore also.

 

[demoness]

i don't really miss it, to be honest

most of my friends are long distance now whether their adult lives took them elsewhere or they're people i met online, and family i don't see much anymore or want to, so i'd much rather the multiplayer element focus on online play the older i get, even though i primarily play single player games.

 

[SolarInferno]

I don't miss it myself much either. Both of my brothers have PCs anyway, so if I want to play with them, I get to enjoy having a full-screen as well as play with them with the choice of human players and sometimes AI. The local multiplayer market on Steam isn't too bad anyway, there are quite a few games that still incorporate it so if I do ever feel the urge for it, there are games there.

 

[Dustmop]

^ Tbh, the local co-op market on Steam is the last thing we'd need to be worried about. It's nice to have, but seeing as you also have over 1,400 games, you know how cheap they are. If you're into PC gaming (ie, both parties already have a PC capable of gaming), then buying extra copies of games to play with your SO/family/friends is hardly a problem, lol. Aaaaand in some cases, the modding community has been eager to provide us with split-screen co-op for games that didn't previously have it.


With home consoles, I am upset about the lack of local co-op... but I'm still in disbelief that so many console titles now prioritize online co-op -- not just PvP, but online co-op -- over local co-op.


Aside from a few console-exclusive gems, I only look at consoles as a "party" or "family" feature of sorts. I want them so I can play games with my boyfriend, my father, my friends, etc. But the cost is getting so incredibly ridiculous.. I only have a Wii U right now, and that's probably not gonna change.


As I kind of said before, the cost of the console itself is kind negligible -- consoles run $350-500, not a far cry from the $500-600 you'd spend on a mid-range gaming rig to last you through the same gen as the consoles.


What consoles do not have are Steam sales :v
$60 console games hardly ever go on decent sales; meanwhile, $60 AAA titles on PC are quickly marked down a good 40-60% off. Meanwhile in PC Land, AC: Syndicate has been $34 for us since it came out. The Witcher 3 has also been going for $35 forever since it released. Blops 3 is still sitting at $40. They are throwing 20-30% off coupons for Just Cause 3 at us. I got Fallout 4 + the Season Pass for $55 before it even released.
Plus the complete lack of tax, shipping, and gas costs for digital PC games. I dunno if it's just Nintendo, but afaik, digital console titles still tax you on top of their comparatively higher prices.
Alternatively you're looking at buying console games used - which means taking a risk that the disc even works, for $10-15 less than a new copy. And losing out on whatever dumb codes came with it.

Then you'd need two TVs, which would be kinda poopy for me and Boyfriend since we only have/need one, whereas the monitors would generally be included in the cost of your gaming PC.
And then individual internet subscriptions for each console to actually play online with each other when you live in the same house.



tl;dr - This is stupid.

 

[Tao]

I don't like that it's dying.

I always found local multiplayer way more fun than online. Sure, I don't get to do it as often anymore but when I do get the chance, my choices are becoming seriously limited outside of Nintendo platforms.

Certain games I can understand why there's no local, but most of them I don't. FPS's, racers and fighting games are the three types I usually expect to have local play by default, and fighting games are pretty much the only genre out of the three that are largely still doing it.


I also don't see why co-op campaign isn't a thing more in general like it used to be, again, aside from a few exceptions I can understand. Devs are to busy screaming "but the experience! You'll miss our cool set pieces!" to bother putting in a generic second avatar for a player 2 so that I can actually have fun with the game with a friend.
Most of the time, I couldn't be less bothered about 'their' experience, I just want to kill ****. Killing **** with a friend on the couch is twice as fun.

 

[Kapriznyy]

I love local co-op but I hate split-screen. It's very disorienting to me, but I also imagine it's probably very difficult to orchestrate the local co-op WITHOUT split-screen. I just want to play with other people in my household without having to buy multiple consoles. I'll suck it up and deal with split-screen if I have to but I hope there's some other way to accomplish the same thing.

 

[Dustmop]

I love local co-op but I hate split-screen. It's very disorienting to me, but I also imagine it's probably very difficult to orchestrate the local co-op WITHOUT split-screen. I just want to play with other people in my household without having to buy multiple consoles. I'll suck it up and deal with split-screen if I have to but I hope there's some other way to accomplish the same thing.

Some local co-op games just can't go without the split-screen, lol. At the same time, some genres are better off not using it.

They will typically have everyone on the same screen in dungeon crawlers (Gauntlet, Dungeon Siege 3), top-down shooters, platformers, and fighting games... Games where you're not bound to venture too far from your buddy/ies in the first place. Same goals, same destination.

For the other half of the genres (first- and third-person shooters, racing games, first/third person hack'n'slash games, strategy types, etc.), you kinda need each player on their own individual 'screen', wandering off and doing their own individual thing to contribute to the group.

 

[DJStarstryker]

I don't care about splitscreen specifically, but I do dislike the fact that there's not many local co-op games nowadays. If I'm playing multiplayer I prefer local multiplayer over online multiplayer.

Local multiplayer support for more games is part of the reason I bought a Wii U in the first place, even though I'm not as huge of a Nintendo fan.

 

[Squidward]

It's fine but it was a bit confusing because I would often find myself looking at someone else's screen and be like why isn't my character listening to me? Then again I remember getting Lego Star Wars when it came out and it didn't have split screens and it was so confusing because you always had to stay near eachother. I have mixed feelings about this...

 

[3skulls]

It makes me cry a little inside..... I throw board game/gaming parties twice a month. Sadly, the only system I use for parties is the wii U and I have ran out of games to play. Thankfully, They are so many entertaining board games that keep us all entertained.

 

[Anine]

I've always played a lot of games with my friends, usually 2-4 player local co op of whatever and it's something we still do whenever we all are back in our home town from uni.

So it does really makes me sad because whereas I will never be interested in playing Call of Duty online, I will always be down for a game with pretty much whomever IRL and the fact that this won't really be an option anymore irks me. Some of my favourite gaming memories are playing 007: Nightfire coop on split screen with my cousin and his friends haha

Sure could always play on PC and we do that as well, but it just doesn't feel the same as we all sitting on the same sofa arguing over who is doing best.

 

[Romaki]

I grew up playing split-screen with my sister and my best friends, so it's really sad. Especially since screens have gotten so much bigger.