Season 3 update of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has sparked heated discussions on forum, and Console-Only Crossplay option obtained by console players has touched the most sensitive nerves of PC community. According to the latest patch notes, starting from April 2, console players such as PS5 will finally be able to activate console-only cross-platform games, which will completely exclude PC players from matching - this seemingly minor option adjustment has caused strong dissatisfaction among PC players.
The reason that led the developer to make this change is cheating. In fact, this is indeed a big problem with a long history. In Black Ops 6, PC platform is the hardest hit area for cheating. Although there is an anti-cheat system that can ban tens of thousands of accounts every week, the constantly updated modern plug-in technology can still bypass detection. It is worth pondering that the console side has significantly increased the cost of cheating through hardware layer protection and strict system permission management, which is why console players cheat less than PC players. However, it is precisely because of this enormous gap that this controversial change was finally born.
Because it has always been common for cheaters to play games on PC. This has led to many console players being frustrated by being forced to play with PC players because they are always matched with some players who use cheats. This has also led some players to ask BO6 to give them a PC crossplay option. Although CoD BO6 has taken some anti-cheating measures, it is undeniable that cheating is still an ongoing problem in the game.
However, this change may greatly affect the number of CoD Black Ops 6 players on PC, resulting in longer waiting times for matches. Some players predict that when console players enable the new feature, the matching time on the PC side will be greatly extended. What's more serious is that in some areas where the proportion of PC players is relatively low, this number may exceed 300 seconds. Some players are worried that this will cause a surge in the proportion of CoD: Black Ops 6 Bot Lobbies, especially in some high-end games, the system may be forced to fill AI characters to keep the game running.
The worrying issue is not just the decrease in the number of players. On the other hand, if cheaters are not banned, PC players will be more likely to be matched with cheaters in the match. This makes their gaming environment even worse.
In response, some players expressed their dissatisfaction bluntly, saying that what developers should do is to fix their anti-cheating measures instead of isolating PC players. This change has caused them to suffer from plug-ins and take responsibility for the mistakes of others. This view also represents the anxiety of a considerable number of players. When high-quality console players withdraw, PC players may also lose or succumb to cheating, resulting in more rampant cheating and thus falling into a worse vicious cycle.
In response to the players' doubts, the official also responded. They expressed their understanding of the concerns of PC players, but data showed that most console players had requested Console-Only Crossplay in the survey. This contradiction between supply and demand exposes the fundamental problem of modern shooting games: when cross-platform becomes the industry standard, how can fairness between players on different platforms be maintained?
Although some players pointed out that there will be many casual console players who do not use this option at all. However, the anxiety and dissatisfaction of PC players are still difficult to calm down. We look forward to CoD: Black Ops 6 finding a balance between PC players and console players and truly optimizing the overall gaming experience.
