‘Diablo 3’: How It Will Play On Consoles

Here’s an overview of how Diablo 3 will play on the consoles.

It was recently announced that Diablo 3 will be released for Xbox 360, PS3 and PS4, much to many action role-playing gamers’ delight. The chance to play the game without requiring an internet connection has many fans already drooling in anticipation. No need for an always-online connection also means no lag, something PC gamers have suffered from since the dawn of time (or at least the dawn of high-speed internet) when other gamers were using slower connections.

Of course one thing possibly holding console versions of Diablo 3 back from superiority over the PC version is that games like this are limited to the buttons available on the controller. PC has always enjoyed the full QWERTY keyboard for control over its games, and you can’t put that many buttons on a hand-held controller without it turning awkward. Thankfully, Blizzard thought that through ahead of time.

Every button of the controller is mapped to an attack or skill, and easily replaced using a radial interface if so desired. Battle is a breeze, as nobody playing the demo had any problems beating monsters down. The addition of a dive-roll makes evasion a snap, so you’re no longer a sitting duck holding in the direction of a baddie.

Inventory control has been made easier by the elimination of a large amount of junk loot. There isn’t as much non-magic, and therefore useless, armor and weapons being dropped from fallen enemies, so you’re not spending half of your post battle time trashing everything you didn’t intend to pick up.

If you’re planning on playing co-op Diablo 3 with a second player in the room, the full-screen inventory UI will put a damper on things, as only one player can have it open at any given time. The console inventory controls have been redesigned, since the controller makes the drag-and-drop style that PC gamers enjoy impossible.

All in all, Diablo 3 has been retooled for the use of any console controller, making the gameplay on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PS4 a breeze.

Are you excited to play Diablo 3 on your console? Does the controller transition bother you?