Last week at PAX East, I got the chance to stop by the Diablo III booth in order to ask some of the reps about the game’s upcoming crossover to the PlayStation 3/4. As expected, everyone was very tight lipped, but there were a few details that they were able to give.
First of all, the PlayStation versions of Diablo 3 will not be direct ports. Instead, they will be optimized for console performance. When I asked what that meant, I was told that the properties of characters’ skills and abilities would be changed in order to better fit with a console control scheme. No official details were given, but as a hypothetical example, I was told that “startup and range” could be changed to make character attacks feel more like a console action game.
Additionally, PlayStation versions of the game will not include an auction house, so anyone who was thinking about getting rich off of their Diablo 3 addiction can pretty much give up on that dream. Player’s will be able to trade items, much like they could in past Diablo titles, but will not be able to officially sell them. The console version of Diablo 3 will include both online and offline multiplayer modes, and players will be able to trade with each other in either.
Unfortunately, the rest of the details are still being kept secret. Blizzard wouldn’t tell me about any new levels or content that might be added, and no one would discuss a price point.
Still, it’s starting to look like the console version of Diablo III will be different enough that it might be worth buying twice.
Source: PAX East