No, this isn’t it.
Contrary to your post, Sony and Microsoft have BOTH been very flexible with Blizzard, and Jeff has even admitted this himself. Note how he’s even admitted that they certainly CAN do Console PTR as well. And don’t try to use this as a means to justify the 15-month wait that Consoles had to deal with for the Report System; it’s a lie.
To give some context on that last sentence:
Remember when the Game Browser was implemented, back on February 28th, 2017? Remember how people were exploiting it to AFK farm experience? Well, the ability to report custom games was very conveniently implemented 3 days later. Yes, even on Console. So yeah, try justifying THAT with the lack of main Report System.
To see the answer on the other part of your post, see the details under the lack of Console PTR part of this post. The text that gives said answer is different from the rest; you can’t miss it!
Given your post, try justifying the lack of Developer TRANSPARENCY on Console Player concerns. By the way, the last time that ANY SINGLE member of the Overwatch Team has directly responded to their Console Players was over 5 MONTHS ago (said response was on January 18th, 2018).
Here’s your list of main concerns, most of which have been around since LAUNCH:
Lack of a Console PTR
Both Sony and Microsoft have been very flexible with Blizzard, and Jeff has even admitted to this himself as well as the fact that this is something that can be done. Yes it may come at the cost of slower balance due to certification. Well, that might be the case, if it wasn’t for the fact that both Sony and Microsoft offer same-day certification passes. Even then, the pros would definitely outweigh the cons. Examples, it would help the Overwatch Team develop better connections with their Console Players, it would better help them get PTR Feedback from us on Console, and it would help them nail down any potential Console-specific bugs, among others. And don’t try to argue to me that Sony/Microsoft charge for patch updates. For one, Sony/Microsoft only charge these days for patch updates if companies fail certifications multiple times. For two, if you think that money is a problem for a company as massive as Blizzard, then you should look somewhere else.
Lack of OFFICIAL Console E-Sports Representation
If Blizzard gives even a small fraction of attention to Console that’s similar to their focus on Overwatch League, it would take off. Console gamers are anything but uninterested in E-Sports. The success of Halo, Gears of War, and Call of Duty with MLG has proven that. Not to mention even Paladins and Smite on Consoles as well. And don’t try to say that I’m saying this as a means for me to get in for E-Sports; because you’d be wrong. I’m a high-plat to low diamond player and haven’t truly played Comp since Season 4; trust me, I know I wouldn’t be able to. I’m saying this as a means for OTHER Console Players to get in for E-Sports. Keep in mind as well that we’re NOT asking for a Console version of Overwatch League. What we ARE asking is merely some Console Tournaments that are sponsored BY BLIZZARD. And don’t even try to say that this is on Sony/Microsoft, because that would be a fat load of crap.
Lack of other Console-Specific Balancing
Seriously, Console-Specific Balancing was promised on Day 1. And what do we have that’s different? Torbjorn and Symmetra Turret nerfs that can honestly be completely reverted now, and Ally Aim Assist for Ana. Now keep in mind, I can agree that the game is not too out of balance on Console. But there’s definitely some changes that can be made to Consoles specifically to improve said balance. I’d give examples of such changes that can be done, but that’s for a different thread. Although, I’ll say that Ana, Widowmaker, and Pharah come to my mind as examples. Likewise, I can also agree that Ana needs help on PC as well; however, she needs even more help on Console than PC to be able to even remotely contest for a team spot than all of the other healers on Console, and even pre-rework Symmetra as well. Yeah, her Console pickrate for comp is just as bad, and at some higher level ranks, even worse, than pre-rework Symmetra. Like the case for lack of OFFICIAL Console E-Sports Representation, don’t even try to say that this is on Sony/Microsoft, because it would likewise be a fat load of crap.
Mouse and Keyboard Users on Console
It’s solvable on Consoles before you state, given Blizzard’s current stance for it on Consoles; and I’ve already covered this in a different thread. Feel free to read it at your leisure: {MEGATHREAD} In-Game Bans on Console Aren't Resolved by Sony/MS & M&K can be Resolved on both Systems
Missing QOL options on Console, which are ALREADY LIVE ON PC
To name some examples for this:
- FOV Slider
- Text Chat
- Showing what mode your friends are playing in the friends list
- Group Privacy Settings
- Region Select
- The ability to hide chat
- An option to disable the “Are you with us?” cinematic
- Hold to Crossfade for Lucio, among others.
And yes, keyboards used for text chat and keyboards used for advantage in conjunction with a mouse are two different things. It’s already difficult to convey messages in voice chat given how few people that are actually using it on Consoles. And yes, ‘already live on pc’ was also capitalized on purpose.
Other missing QOL options on Console
To name some examples for this:
- The ability to play Console Overwatch in all of PC’s 13 playable languages without any issues (half of them will still cause Overwatch to play in English, despite the fact that the Consoles themselves already support these languages)
- Sliders for things like dead zones and magnetism
- The ability to bind a control to hitting a button twice
- The ability to bind a control to activate from pressing multiple buttons at once, among others.
The last two might seem a bit confusing to you, so I’ll clarify.
The first among those two means to be able to double tap a button to activate a Control. For example, Double Tapping Square (on a PS4 Controller) to bind the Interact control for Symmetra’s Teleporter. Think using C4 in CoD, where you can detonate it by double tapping your Reload Button (Square on PlayStation, or X on Xbox). The other one means pressing a combination of buttons to activate a Control. For example, pressing ‘Circle’ and ‘Triangle’ together to activate the ‘Hello’ command from the Communication Wheel.
There are many games that have been able to activate Controls with both of the aforementioned ways on Consoles, so why is it that Blizzard and the Overwatch Team can’t give this ability to us on Consoles as well? Perhaps maybe you can try explaining this. And don’t try to argue that you can’t do it on PC either; I’ve seen the PC Controls list, and I’m full well aware that you can do it with the Controls on PC.
Lack of a way for Console Players to appeal in-game bans
I covered this in the same thread linked above, in the first half of the post (see the details under Mouse and Keyboard Users on Console). For example, Assume that an account gets banned in-game for Overwatch on PS4, yet said account can still play other online games on PSN just fine. That account has literally no way to appeal it, no matter how wrongful said ban is. If that accounts files a ticket with Blizzard attempting to appeal it, they will tell them to go to Sony/Microsoft. If that account files a ticket with Sony/Microsoft attempting to appeal it, they will tell them to go to Blizzard, because they don’t handle in-game bans; only Console-wide bans.
So who is in the wrong on this front as a result, given the example case noted above? It’s Blizzard that’s in the wrong here; Sony/Microsoft both let Developers manage their game how they want, and they have no influence in things like in-game bans. Yet Blizzard leaves their Console Players in the loop that nothing is being done for them.
Final remark: Take note that I did not even mention anything about smurfs until this bit right here. Why is this? Because this problem lies in the designs of the Consoles themselves, and as such it’s more or less out of the control of the Overwatch Development Team. The items which I have listed are things that are IN the control of the Overwatch Development Team, and that they CAN address for their Console Players.
Given that last paragraph, any other questions on your end?