Because rendering the game 4 times over is pretty intensive on the resources of the system.

Especially considering that so many games are multiplat, they'd need to get it to work across all the platforms at acceptable performance. For many games and developers, its hard just getting them to perform the same across two platforms with only 1 player.

XaosII

is it just me, or is this the biggest "let's talk about what i don't know" post ever?

The only thing you're actually rendering extra with another person on the same console is the person's model, and perhaps their guns (it matters if when the gun is picked up it has a extra LOD and the new weapons the person brings on field). This doesn't really have any impact.

You do understand that the way developers render splitscreen games, as well as how I render them (hobbiest game maker), they just have 2 different camera locations. You'd have to be the dumbest developer in the history of mankind to want to render it 2x for splitscreen.

It's the same case for Portal. Do you think they have it render the whole environment when you put out a portal? No, they have it do something like- portal camera view X and when you go through it warp to that location.

* but anyway, in response to the tc, you should really try more xbox games. Pretty much all their exclusive games that allow for co-op, have co-op, mostly. Halo has it, gears has it, pdz has it, kameo has it, pgr has it. There's probably more, but that's all I can think of.

I am disappointed with Call of Duty for lacking any kind of splitscreen. Vegas has it for single player and terroist hunt, ut you can't go online w/ a guest. Neither does GRAW. Or Team Fortress-yes- you can do it. Obviously, 1vs. 1would suck (but they should still let you do it), but why not have 2 people splitscreen for online mp?