They should scrap the PS3 version.

[indira]

This is irrelevant. No MMO, final fantasy or otherwise, should be released on consoles. Also, just because a franchise is historically released on one platform, doesn't mean that can change- it in fact has changed many times, both for Square Enix and many other developers.

The reason is simple. Virtually all MMOs demand an extendable, upgradable platform, because the games themselves are extended and upgraded over time. Such games should not be released on platforms not capable of that. This isn't about being a PC fanboi, it's about simple facts and reality. Look no further than FFXI and PS2 limitations for the prime example of why an MMO should not be on a console. I have owned every Nintendo console ever made except the virtual boy; I don't hate consoles. But certain kinds of games are not well suited to them.

Capcom was very smart (in a rare display of smartness) with the Monster Hunter series. While the other games were released on consoles, Capcom chose to make their MMO, Monster Hunter Frontier, on the PC in order to be free of the limitations of the consoles avialable at the time. Later, it did release on the xbox 360 (Microsoft threw a lot of money at them to get them to do it), but that was the next generation and the hardware wasn't too likely to be stressed by the game for a while to come.

well WoW upgrades every expansion to use the new tech out there. proof it works to stay on a scalable platform

[Kinseykinz]

well WoW upgrades every expansion to use the new tech out there. proof it works to stay on a scalable platform

There is no reason that over time, they WON'T keep scaling this game for both PC and later, Playstation 4. (I believe Yoshi P even said/hinted during the last live letter that they do plan on upgrading the game overtime) However, currently, the market is better supported using the PS3 and PC model. Not everyone has 'awesome' rigs. Go check out some of the benchmark scores posts. There are people playing on all sorts of machines due to what they can afford, how much graphics matter to them personally, space, etc.

Also, by marketing to the PS3 crowd, you get to market to an otherwise untapped MMO playerbase. PS3's are more affordable than gaming computers, and not only that, but as I don't believe there are PS3 MMO's, or at least there would be very few, the competition to keep the players attention on FFXIV and not another MMO is lessened. FFXI was a gateway MMO for many people, FFXIV might serve the same function.

Part of the problem 1.0 had in even getting an audience back at initial release was that it basically required a new, fairly expensive/top of the line computer...or that the user understood how to build a gaming computer. It's great that so many of you know how to build solid rigs or have the money to buy them, but not every gamer (most in fact) can afford such machinery...or to upgrade their gaming consoles/computers every 2 years. Offering the PS3 as an option to play as well as lessening the system requirements* to play on a PC help open up the game to a wider playerbase.

It's actually a good thing they are doing their best to release this game on both PS3 and PC...it is also great that they learned to lessen* the PC requirements for the game. It will mean a much larger player base which means more people to play with for us but also more subs for them to continue to develop and update the game. In 4-6+ years, if the PS3 starts limiting what they can do development wise and if the household ownership/cost of owning a PS4 is reasonable, I'm sure they will try to upgrade to a PS4 version of the game....unlocking more longetivity for PC users if needed. Although seriously, the game seems to run fairly smooth and looks great in the current version so really, what's the worth in worrying about what it could be like in 5+ years?

*I don't think they lessened the system requirements for PC as much as 2 years time has passed and people have newer machines/upgraded machines in general now. I have not compared the original system requirements from 1.0 release to the recommended ARR ones. I just know ARR will run better on the same computer I used for 1.0.