To date the massively multiplayer online gaming genre has been almost exclusively the domain of PC gamers. That was understandable a few years ago, when most consoles weren't online. But the current generation of console hardware is built with the connected gamer in mind: Xbox Live and Sony's PlayStation Network are major components of the consoles, and online gaming is huge. So when are we going to see them get some console MMOs?

Microsoft has shied away from the topic; high-profile cancellations like True Fantasy Live Online have kept the Xbox MMO-free. But Sony has embraced the console as an MMO platform company-wide. First you've got Home (see our latest Home preview), the virtual world that'll be integrated into PSN.

And now Sony Online has gone on the record stating that all forthcoming projects in development will release for both the PC and the PS3. That includes one of my most-anticipated games, The Agency (see why I'm jazzed about The Agency) and the superhero favorite DC Universe Online (check out my hands-on at Comic-Con).


Obviously the different control schemes for the two platforms presents a real challenge. That was one of the questions put to Smedley in this EDGE Magazine interview. Smedley says that SOE is treating each game as its own product:

We definitely will be having a different UI. If you look at DC Universe Online, it's a much more action-oriented game, and how you control with a mouse and WASD is going to be very different from a PS3 controller, but we want to make sure it's a good experience for both.
A Shift in Strategy

I think it's worth noting that Sony's upcoming MMO lineup (with the possible exception of the casual game Free Realms) features games that are very action-oriented. The Agency is primarily a first-person shooter. DC Universe Online plays like a super-powered beat-em-up.