Gears of War 4 Cross-Platform Multiplayer Trial for Xbox One, Windows 10 Is This Weekend

Microsoft has announced that it will trial cross-platform multiplayer in Gears of War 4 for Xbox One and Windows 10 gamers this weekend, to “evaluate the potential of a more permanent Crossplay solution”.

“Crossplay is divisive in any Versus experience, and Gears of War 4 is no different,” The Coalition’s community manager TC Octus wrote in the Gears of War forum. “From the beginning, we stated our intention to keep both platforms separate in non-cooperative game modes in order to preserve competitive balance. Conserving a fair, competitive environment remains a top priority for us.”

He went on to add that they would be using the weekend as a “trial run”, with the developer collecting data and feedback to see what gamers thought about the experiment. It also assured people in its announcement that it won’t make any dramatic changes after this weekend, so players need not be worried.

The reason most gamers tend to not favour cross-platform competitive action with first-person shooters is down to the major difference in input methods. While players on consoles need help with aim assist thanks to the controller’s analogue sticks, those playing with keyboard and mouse on PCs benefit from better accuracy and speed upfront.

Hence, Microsoft is keeping the test limited to a single playlist, running from Friday, December 2 to Monday, December 5. Here are the full settings for it:

Playlist Type: Social
Modes: Team Deathmatch, Dodgeball, King of the Hill
Maps: All (including Checkout and Dry Dock)
Win XP: 1500 (up from 600)
Loss XP: 750 (up from 100)
Maximum Squad Size: 5