*Updated on 3/16/2016: On Tuesday, Sony responded to Microsoft's offer. We have added the comments at the end of this story. *
Xbox One owners might be able to play online with players on other consoles soon—if Microsoft gets their way.
In a letter on the Xbox website, Chris Charla, director of the independent games program for Xbox One and Windows 10, announced today that they're enabling developers to support online play across different "platforms"—a videogame industry euphemism for other gaming consoles.
Charla went on to say that Rocket League, the utterly brilliant car soccer game by Psyonix, would be one of the first to take advantage of the new functionality, "enabling cross-network play between Xbox One and PC players, with an open invitation for other networks to participate as well."
Other networks like, say, Sony's PlayStation Network. Since, y'know, currently the PlayStation 4 is the only other console Rocket League is on.
Microsoft has been touting for a while the ability for Xbox One players to engage online with their counterparts on PC. But console networks are a different story. Historically, they've been walled gardens, communicating with themselves and no one else. This has changed over time, with console-to-PC play becoming more and more common. But online play across different consoles? That's unheard of.
