Why the decline of Splitscreen gaming is absurd

MMGN.com: Why splitscreen gaming is still relevant, and why the decline of a splitscreen mode in many games sucks.

[Snookies12]

Splitscreen is at least 10x better than online can ever hope to achieve. It's just not the same without actually having friends get together in the same room and just have a blast playing some co-op or beating the hell out of each other.

Online is a good substitute if you can't get together and play something, but when you "can" it's a real drag to realize a game is only multiplayer online...

[attilayavuzer]

Or the useless travesty that's system link co-op...

[Pushagree]

I can't say I miss split screen gaming myself. It's an archaic and broken concept in this day and age. Anyone who has a screen looker for a friend will know what i'm talking about.

[Tyrus_91]

As much as screen-cheating was so not cool back in the day, don't you think splitscreen is still relevant for couples who want to play campaign co-op together, or friends who want to come over and enjoy the same match of Call of Duty or Halo or whatever they play in the same room?

[Larry L]

I'm personally not a fan of split-screen gaming. Never have been and I've been a gamer since the early days of console gaming (well, not EARLY days, but pre-NES). It just always gives me a headache with the shrunken screen and other movement on the screen not related to my movements. Split-screen is just NOT for me (though I must say the PlayStation 3-D monitor/screen dealie could completely change that for me since it gives you your own screen ostesibly).

All that being said though......I constantly hear people complaining about how split-screen is dying, or it's not in enough games, and that devs in general just aren't doing it as much as they used to. Well, I think that's complete bunk. TONS of games this generation have had split-screen. Just as many that used to have it, really.

Just off the top of my head

Killzone 3 (Killzone HD will have splitscreen as well)
RAGE
Unreal Tournament 3
All 3 Motorstorm games
Gran Turismo 5
(in fact just about every single racing game out there has split-screen)
Driver
Borderlands
Like....every Dynasty Warriors game
FEAR3
Far Cry 3
Lost Planet 2 (i didn't play 1 to know if that had it)
Portal 2
Team Fortress 2 has it, right?
Army of 2
ALL 3 RESISTANCE games
Warhawk
Starhawk
Ghost Recon Future
the Rainbow 6 games
Resident Evil 5 (I'm sure 6 will have it too)
Aliens Colonial Marines is going to have it

SHOULD I KEEP GOING ON?!

ummmmm..........
Twisted Metal has it, right?
Uncharted 3
All the CoDs after 4 I think (tho I havn't played CoD since 4 to know if they ALL had it)
EVEN HAZE HAD IT

This is just me thinking off the top of my head, I can't imagine how many more there are that I don't even know of because they aren't games I care to even be informed about. I havn't even mentioned any downloadable games, many of which have......

WipeOut HD
both Kayne and Lynch games......sorry just thought of those while typing

.......many downloadable games have split-screen. Not to mention all the games that have shared screen local multi-player like EVERY LEGO game.

I mean....give me a break. There are SO many friggin games with split-screen. You people just aren't buying them obviously. More proof positive that people on the internet who complain about stuff are so full of crap that it's rediculous.

This whole damned generation you people have been crying about games not having split-screen anymore, and it's completely made up non-sense. There have probably been more split-screen games this generation than any generation before.

[Larry L]

Edit- nevermind....no sense arguing with non-sense

[beerkeg]

'It's an archaic and broken concept in this day and age.'

So it's archaic to enjoy playing against friends in your own living room? And how the hell is it a broken concept when it is a concept that works well?

You have some strange ideas about what broken and archaic actually mean.

[EVILDEAD360]

Split-screen is what we all came up on..but it doesnt beat Online MP at ALL.

I remember the hours and hours of System link with the original Halo. IMO that was the pinnacle of splitcreen. I remember being amazed at how fun the co-op campign was.

Playing the first two Gears of war on my old big screen TV was Epic. (no pun intended)

But, nothing beats playing online even co-op with you best friends and family and having the entire screen.

Going back to Anniversary and playing co-op without losing half of the screen was priceless.

Playing Halo 3's campaign with 3 other players over and over was a turning point this gen.

I know my house is set-up to play online MP from more than one 360. But I get someone who has kids and they only have one system.

But, I won't lie and say this is always the case in gaming. As Sports games like Madden and NBA 2K are still the most fun from the same living room.

Just my humble take on the subject.

Evil

[Blankman85]

Online multiplayer is wicked! Split screen multiplayer is awesome! Online split screen multiplayer is wicked awesome!!
That is why I love Halo! Me and my bro can take our Halo head shooting skills online on the same console. Doesn't get a whole lot better than that.
What I do miss is the choice to split the screen horizontally or vertically. Personally I prefer vertical split but most games only offer across the middle instead of down the middle.
I wish Battlefield 3/Bad Company 2 had an offline multiplayer, that would be hours of fun.

[MariaHelFutura]

Simulview was a step in the right direction. I just got the Ps Tv the other day, the screen is unreal.

[neogeo]

at least WiiU is a step in the right direction with support for 2 players using 2 screens or 4 players.

[TheFirstClassic]

Really does suck, we need more local mp games. At least halo 4, ps all stars, and lbp karting is coming.

[Tyrus_91]

@Snookies 12: That's what I feel. The competitive element as well as the enjoyment you get when playing with friends and experiencing the same hardships, bosses, or awesome killstreaks or whatever together, that can't be replaced.

I love online gaming as well, but I'd just like to have both options continually offered from my favourite games. Cost and technical stuff are factors, but yeah, some games that have skipped splitscreen mode (such as Dead Island, Binary Domain, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier) have baffled me.

[TiM_FeRNo]

Ah, split screen. The only excuse noobs have for sucking: "Oh, wait! Which screen am I again? I didn't know that was my screen. I thought I was winning!"

[BitbyDeath]

Don't knock the classics :-p

[WiiLovePS360]

It depends, in my opinion.

On one hand, having mates over to play together split-screen is awesome. On the other hand, as you get older and move out of home and start working full-time, the need for split-screen greatly diminishes in my experience.

I used to have friends over after school nearly every day to play Playstation and then Playstation 2. Then I went to uni and maybe once a week people would come round. Then when I moved out and got a job it started happening less and less. When people come round now they don't really want to play games, we just hang out and chat and have some drinks/watch football etc. Then they go home and we play games like Borderlands online together.

In my experience, split screen is a necessity when you're a kid but pretty much ignored as you get older.

[LinLeigh]

Or you marry a gamer and split scree is awesome again.

Especially if the entire campaign is possible in co-op.

[WiiLovePS360]

That certainly would be a good middle ground!

Having said that, if they were a "gamer" they'd probably own the console as well, in which case I would prefer to have our own screen each and play over Live co-op in the same room.

[Timesplitter14]

There's nothing better than playing a co-op game with friends on an old couch in the basement and drinking beer and acting retarded. Be a pr0 online gamurr all you want but in the end having actual social fun is much better.

On a related note, I miss Timesplitters

;_;

[jukins]

So what youre saying is Playing and chatting with friends online is anti social boredom?

[Tyrus_91]

No. I just argued that perhaps the over-emphasis on online multiplayer is stifling the personal and social aspect of gaming that came with splitscreen gaming, which is declining as of late.

Like I said in the final line of the article, I just think developers can and need to recognise the lasting relevance and market of local or online splitscreen multiplayer and continually grant us the option (such as in recent games like Dead Island, SSX, etc, where it makes no sense that it's missing), WHILE also granting us the online-centric game modes that have become the dominant multiplayer model at present. They can do and provide both, it doesn't make sense to discard what once was the most popular form of multiplayer on home consoles (and still is).

"Detracts from the core experience" isn't a sufficient reason from devs.

[Hazmat13]

bring back timesplitters they were the king in spilt-screen! come on PS2 classic king of multiplayer and pretty fun map editor fun storyline and fun cheats and mini games. why is this not a PS2 classic already!?!?!? also BLACK...... that too..... PS2 classic...... do it....

[taquito]

guhhhh.....always hated splitscreen, its just so distracting

its like driving and watching a movie at the same time, only much, much more dangerous.... ;)

now the wiiu has GREAT potential for co-op, one person has the classic controller and the big screen, one persona has the tab controller

personally, for same room gaming with friends, i prefer lan pc gaming, thats why i always have 2 active gaming rigs going, my wife games with me, when my brother comes over or when my buddies swing by we can all play diablo 3 sitting back in a leather recliner with 50" dual plasmas kicking and a 7.1 sound rocking out

split screen is like going back to the stone age man, it was cool when thats all there was, but now, no thanks.

[AusRogo]

Its like with the latest SSX. I absolutely love that game but I miss the split screen like in the older games. Why they don't have split screen is beyond me. It's a lot more fun then playing against friends online. Online just can't beat the feeling of seeing your friends face after beating them, and not having to worry about mics or disconnections.

[one2thr]

Ahhhh the "screen-watcher" era, a part of my childhood that I wish to have stayed strong....

Archaic, yes...
Fun, absolutely...

[Drainage]

psh, cmon. Get 2 TVs in 1 house and have at it in an online pw server.

[Felonycarclub8]

I always hated split screen but it was always fun playing in with friends in the same room . But I like what Sony did with the 3d with multiplayer it's cool and its harder to cheat lol

[Kratoscar2008]

Yeah online will never beat splitscreen is not the same saying "in your face" to the mic than your friend in his face.

[GammaSix]

JUST MAKE TIMESPLITTERS 4 ALREADY!

[glennco]

splitscreen started to disappear when widescreen came out. it does not work for widescreen as well as 4:3. you are stuck between deciding horizontal or vertical divider with neither being ideal. 4:3 screens divided horizontally better and never had vertical option. of course i am talking 2 player. 4 player is good because it is four small quarters which are the same aspect as the original.

vertical does not show enough and horizontal is just too damn wide. one loses height, the other loses peripheral vision.

plus the more effects games have, the more they need to reproduce them for each player. of course this just slows down the game...

...and then online came along.

split screen was always one thing console had over PC

[Nocturne147]

BLUR is Amazing on Split Screen!

[Bathyj]

Ah memories.
Mariokart, Perfect Dark. Timesplitters.

Ive pretty much been a single player gamer since splitscreen died but there was a time when MP gaming got some serious hours.

[DestinyHeroDoomlord]

If a game ever needed split/screen it would be the new ssx for me. That game could of stolen so many hours... There is nothing more dissapointing than seeing that awesome mp only being online.

[LinLeigh]

Actually the reason why I didn't buy it. I used to love playing against my friends. There are just to many games to buy and sadly not being able to have some fun races tipped the scales against SSX

[ALLWRONG]

More games have splitscreen than you might think.

[KMCROC]

Love my online gaming session,love system link, love my Co-Op play time only when the occasion calls for it other than that i prefer when everybody's at their own houses. i save a ton on controllers, but i can not stand split screen couch gaming.That shit bothers my eyes & it still suck no matter how you try to make it better. i have tried big screen TVs & it still annoys the crap out of me , i say we do away with the crap(MHO).

[MasterD919]

The only negative about Splitscreen gaming is that sometimes it's hard to play with multiple people and gets a little tricky to see...not always the case though.

In general, it wouldn't take much for many FPS's to include it in. But co-op is clearly the next best thing.

[MasterCratosKong66]

I hope split screen stays alive. Split is def good for co-op experiences and as for playing in the same room, and there are strides like the multiple screen play on Wii U (not perfected but there) are starting to make screen looking and screen distraction a thing of the past.

[FarCryLover182]

I dont think it's dying because devs don't want to implement it, I just think these consoles can't handle split-screen on many of these latest games that really tax the consoles.

[NoTheMama]

I just bought Borderlands 2 the other day. I was just about to begin my game, when my sister & her son stopped by. But thanks to the split screen option, my nephew was able to pick up a controller & join in. And it was great, we had a blast!
Long live split screen!!

[yokokoroma]

The truth is, if a game is centered around a multiplayer concept (i.e. Max Anarchy/Anarchy Reigns, Dragon's Dogma) then local MP/split-screen co-op should be featured in it. It's not a case of it's completely absent in games this gen, it's that, it's not put in games that it should be. The excuse that consoles can't handle split-screen is absurd, if it was an issue, then why was included in RE:5, LP 2, Army Of Two, Kane & Lynch, etc...It falls on the developer, as to whether or not they have the skills, to do so. The majority of which are obsessed with graphics, and believe that all gamers are as well. Thus, they don't want to reduce the slightest texture or anything related to the graphics, to implement split-screen. The realization is that there needs to be a balance between the two, (i.e. a multiplayer based game should offer both offline and online MP/co-op options) and only a few developers realize that this gen.

[Larry L]

I agree with you except on one point.

I believe if a developer is "good" enough, and dedicated enough, there doesn't even need to be a balance struck between graphics and split-screen. Killzone 3 is the ultimate example of that this hardware generation. It is the #1 most graphically intensive game this console generation thus far, and sacrifices none of the textures, lighting, physics, particles or A.I. in split-screen.

The developers just gotta put in the man-hours to make it happen.

[vlonjati77]

Yeah I love splitscreen,I play online only gt5 though mostly with people I know,im a single player guy.Unfortunately leave in a country and dont have a brother or a friend close by to play split screen since i have a 55' dual view tv with glasses,i tested it and its good we both can see different screen on same tv.Anyway an advice to whoever cant afford to buy many things in life-just work and eran money and u will be able to buy things.I started working since I was 15 and pretty much always bought things I wanted.Im 34 never stopped working.Everyday Is passing wont come back anymore,so .
I just finished building my movie\game room.If i didn work I wouldnt be able to do it.enjoy your day fellow gamers.

[linkenski]

I Think online gaming is a great achievement, but nothing beats splitscreen. If i want to buy a game for multiplayer on PS3, i look if the game features splitscreen, and if not, then it's a no-go.
I hate playing online with my friends, not being able to see them or punch them or vice versa when we kick each other's asses!

[bigjclassic]

to maximize online profits. Now that they reached a certain level, let's all go back to local split screen multiplayer.

and bring back games like:
Timesplitters
Battle Tanks and
Blood Wake

[ninjahunter]

Eh I have more fun in a 10 hour split screen play through that Half a year of playing by myself.

[user9841288]

why you no like online?!?! you no like me yelling racist homo things in youz ears?! you just jelly cause me so good at games and you not!

[1upgamer99]

Do you live in the south? Racist? Homo?...what are you a freaking gamer geek that can't get any and now you want to bring Race and sexual orientation into gaming?

[user9841288]

It's a joke... stay in school k?

[BitbyDeath]

I play splitscreen games with my wife all the time.
Right now going through Borderlands.

[1upgamer99]

Well with the added Wii U gamepad, two players one on gamepad one on tv..The game pad would be quite nice looking considering it would be in my lap.

[1upgamer99]

Please Sony SHOW me what you claim...is it in the works or like a year away.