After taking player feedback into account, NetherRealm Studios is attempting to improve Mortal Kombat X's online play, which will begin by allowing fans to sign up for an enhanced online beta on January 19. Anyone who has spent at least an hour playing Mortal Kombat X online is free to enroll, but not everyone who puts their name in will get to partake immediately, as more players will get added over time.

In order for developers to pinpoint fundamental problems, the Mortal Kombat X beta is expected to be a bare-bones approach to gameplay at the outset, with the only four characters offered at the beginning being Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Johnny Cage, and Jacqui Briggs, with more to be included as the test continues. Furthermore, at the end of every session, players will need to answer questionnaires about game performance, so that NetherRealm Studios can get the clearest view possible of how to improve the overall experience.

The developer has stated that the main goal is to move away from a “dynamic input latency model” to a roll-back system akin to Mortal Kombat X's offline mode, and to update the networking code. Unfortunately, though, the change isn't precisely the acclaimed GGPO (short for Good Game, Peace Out) middleware system that helps create a near-lagless online experience, for as seen in the video below, MKX community specialist Tyler Landsdown compares the two models.

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As of writing, NetherRealm has only confirmed that Mortal Kombat X's enhanced online beta will be for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but it may still be possible to become extended to PC players as well, especially since its PC port has experienced problems in the past. At any rate, with the beta a few days away, more details are likely to be revealed soon enough.

As many fans will argue, the online system that NetherRealm Studios is focusing on should have been implemented from the start. After all, lot of Mortal Kombat X's online players have complained about the lags in gameplay from the get-go to little or no avail. Taking that into consideration, it's feasible that developers are just now working on ensuring that the online works smoothly due to Street Fighter 5's release date being just around the corner, and the company wants to retain as many players as possible when Capcom's fighter drops.

Nevertheless, the fact that NetherRealm Studios is attempting to fix Mortal Kombat X's online component and is supporting the title well after its release is a good thing. With multiplayer modes being one of the largest contributors to titles' replay values nowadays, it's important for developers to maintain games' networks. Plus, should NetherRealm wish to continue releasing new characters like it's doing with the most recent Kombat Pack 2 DLC that contains Alien and Leatherface, it's a wise decision to repair the game's online aspects.

Mortal Kombat X is out now and is available for Mac, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, as well as Android and iOS devices.

Source: Mortal Kombat X Enhanced Online Beta (via Destructoid, Mortal Kombat Community – YouTube)