Pros:
- Less Cheaters
- Less Lag
- Better Matchmaking
- No Clan Servers
- No Custom Configs
Cons:
- No Mod Support
- Chance that IW could disconnect and end servers at anytime for any reason
- No Clan Servers
- No Custom Configs
- Unable to play on “favorite” servers, only way to play with same group of people is to be in the same party or clan
While console gamers have never had their own dedicated servers (save a few games like Section 8, Evolution 4x4, and a few others), it's rare for a PC game to do away with it (and yes, COD4 had dedicated servers). Why this move was made is beyond anybody's idea however it seems that Infinity Ward would like to either
- Nazi their PC players
- Pave the way for a pay-for service
- Get rid of Modders
- Genuinely want to get rid of hackers
- Announce that they are taking it away, to drive some gamers away, then announce that they will include it, and gain even more gamers to it due to the news (IE: New Coke)
- Kill the ability for pirated copies of MW2 to be played online.
While it's honestly most likely to be reasons D and F, one can't be too surprised if Infinity Ward tried to make IWNet a pay-for service, maybe not for MW2, but for other games coming down the pipeline. Rumors of a Infinity Ward developed MMO made rounds a few months ago (and we all know how much Acti-Blizzard <3's MMO's) and maybe IWNet could be the jumping off point.
In response to the news, many PC players signed an internet petition requesting that IW reviews their decision. Over 110,000 people have signed, which elicited a quick response from IW. No, they said, as of right now they aren't going to review the decision. That said it wouldn't take much to add it back in, and if enough people sign the petition, who knows, maybe something will happen.
Who knows what Infinity Ward's real motives are, but it doesn't look like dedicated servers (or mods, or hackers, or pirates) will be making it into Modern Warfare 2, but don't worry, they're always be MW1 mods, and someone will probably make MW2 maps for MW1...
The PC system requirements were also released en masse via GameStop, who had posted the whole cover:
While it doesn't say whether is supports 7 (why wouldn't it?), it does say it requires Vista or XP. An AMD 64 3200+ or Intel P4 (that's right, P4) at 3.0 ghz or higher. 16Gb of free hard drive space as well as 512mb of RAM (for Windows XP, Vista requires you have 1gb). It only requires a paltry nVidia GeForce 6600 GT or ATI Radeon 1600XT or better. You can be assured that these are not the recommended specs.
