3DS a near disaster?

[PLightstar]

I agree with ST, the mobile gaming market doesn't exist yet. Xperia and Ngage have made steps forward, but until phones get proper controls, all you will see is shovelware released month after month. Also the battery tech is no where near ready for mobile gaming. You can kill all the background apps and have the one game running, but it drain that battery quicker than water down a plug hole.

The problem with the 3DS is the software, like the Wii its reliant on first party titles which haven't been released in any real quantity yet. This years E3 showed some great titles coming, but I think its a bit too little too late. Also 3D tech isn't ready for the masses yet, they still need to sort out having a glassless free screen that doesn't over work the eyes and give people headaches after prolong periods. Sony and Nintendo have pushed 3D too early.

 

[Garaen]

I think you need to differentiate between the hard core gamers (most on this forum) and your standard gamer (those who play Angry Birds / Farmville). The mobile market certainly does exist, the amount of $ involved in is phenomenal.

 

[ST^]

I think you need to differentiate between the hard core gamers (most on this forum) and your standard gamer (those who play Angry Birds / Farmville). The mobile market certainly does exist, the amount of $ involved in is phenomenal.

Angry Birds players are not the "standard" gamer, but the casual gamer. The "standard" gamer has a console or a PC. Plays MMORPGS or Call of Duty or FIFA, etc.

 

[Ctuchik]

I don't think they can't make "good" games for smartphones.

If they really wanted to they can make games that rivals DS or PSP games, the problem is that the phones would be to big and clunky.

I fully agree that games for smartphones aren't that deep or involving for me as a "proper" gamer, but a few of them are still good enough to spend a few minutes on while waiting for something and i don't have my PC nearby..

But on the other hand, PSP or DS games isn't exactly a marvel of depth and innovation either. They just look slightly better.

Both games for smartphones and handheld consoles are for casuals, with the difference that smartphones needs to stay as small and light as possible.

Handheld consoles doesn't need to worry about that to the same extent because no one is expecting people to drag one with them in their pockets everywhere they go, and they are purpose built gaming machines.

Smartphones needs to be able to do a lot more then play games.

 

[ST^]

But on the other hand, PSP or DS games isn't exactly a marvel of depth and innovation either. They just look slightly better.

I dunno how games like Dissidia, Crisis Core, KH:BBS, Patapon, Scribblenaughts, The World Ends With You etc can exist if your statement is true. The Square-Enix games are as deep as you'll find on any platform. Hell, LittleBigPlanet is on PSP. Crushed? Peacewalker? The PSP Valkyria games? Monster Hunter?

Are you a portable gamer at all or just making assumptions?

 

[Ctuchik]

Sorry should probably have added that the last portable console i owned was a psp 2 odd years ago, so i'm probably slightly out of touch. But i doubt the market has evolved that far.

Or i just managed to get all the "wrong" games, because compared to PC games i never thought they were anything special.

 

[ST^]

Well PC games are far deeper than you get elsewhere, and even consoles rarely match the kinda stuff made just for PC. But most of those games I listed are PSP games and they eclipse anything ever made for phones. The PSP btw is severely underpowered compared to smartphones from a year ago, so it's not about the tech/graphics.

 

[Raven]

They do yes. But do they make more money? The PSP also has a dedicated graphics chip does it not?

 

[Ctuchik]

Well PC games are far deeper than you get elsewhere, and even consoles rarely match the kinda stuff made just for PC. But most of those games I listed are PSP games and they eclipse anything ever made for phones. The PSP btw is severely underpowered compared to smartphones from a year ago, so it's not about the tech/graphics.

Yes i agree, and i never said that psp game were as bad as mobile games. Well i kinda did, but i didn't mean it like that.

I started comparing PSP/DS games with PC games a few posts back and missed mentioning that...

I need to think my posts through more

Anyway, the PSP might be underpowered, but it's still purpose built for gaming, so it can get more out of less.

A PSP can use *all* space inside for gaming hardware, a phone kinda has to balance it with everything else. If they took away the radio, GPS, MP3 player and phone module and all that other crap i'm pretty certain they could make a damn fine gaming platform with it, but then it wouldn't be a phone any more.

 

[ST^]

They do yes. But do they make more money? The PSP also has a dedicated graphics chip does it not?

Yeah the PSP has some sort of GPU. It's really old hardware though. Some games look awesome, but that's because console game developers have really really good artists. That's one area that is lacking on phone games tbh.

We don't always know how much money each game makes, but yes. The DS has a fair number of games selling upwards of 10 million, while the PSP has a lot of 1million+ sellers. Low numbers compared to Angry Birds downloads, but these games are sold at proper money, not £1 or £2. Of course, they cost a lot more to make, so who knows the final figures.

 

[ST^]

Yes i agree, and i never said that psp game were as bad as mobile games. Well i kinda did, but i didn't mean it like that.

I started comparing PSP/DS games with PC games a few posts back and missed mentioning that...

I need to think my posts through more

np

Anyway, the PSP might be underpowered, but it's still purpose built for gaming, so it can get more out of less.

A PSP can use *all* space inside for gaming hardware, a phone kinda has to balance it with everything else. If they took away the radio, GPS, MP3 player and phone module and all that other crap i'm pretty certain they could make a damn fine gaming platform with it, but then it wouldn't be a phone any more.

Well what helps any console is the combination of standardised hardware and low-level APIs. This is why when the PS Vita comes out, it will likely have games with better graphics than phones, even though phones at that time will probably be more powerful on paper.

Also... game developers that work on consoles hire very good art teams. Mobile developers are very far behind in this area, and unless phone game development budget increases (to the point that companies can charge $20 for a phone game or more), I don't think they'll be hiring artists of that quality.

 

[Ctuchik]

Yes you are right (again damnit!). But it just occurred to me that if they start making graphically demanding games we wouldn't do much else then recharging the battery.

Even some of the more "demanding" mobile games now can drain a cell dry in just a couple of hours.

Can't remember how long the battery lasted on my PSP but i want to remember that it was a fairly decent capacity on it.

So at least the battery's needs improvement before any serious game development can proceed. Or at least if they want to make a serious swing at portable consoles.

 

[ST^]

Well the PSP probably lasts like 6 hours... of course, one huge advantage is that you don't need your PSP unless you're playing games on it. But if your phone runs dead, you're fucked

 

[MYstIC G]

If you want a new DS the 3DS is a better build quality DS imho and you can turn the 3D off. The 3D angle however is utter pap and when I went to the UK launch it was obvious it was going to go nowhere.

 

[Helme]

There's some excellent games for phones, for example Snake II for the Nokia 3310. Don't discount the entire platform yet ST!

 

[Ctuchik]

There's some excellent games for phones, for example Snake II for the Nokia 3310. Don't discount the entire platform yet ST!

True, there are great games on phones.

But Snake II is great because of the concept behind it, not because it's a brilliantly looking game. It's also not great because it's a game with great depths other such stuff.

And it's most certainly not a good looking game, which part of this discussion is about.

So if the phone developers starts to make the phones a beast at gaming, it wouldn't be much use as anything else, or it would go back to the "dog bone" sizes we had ~20 years ago.

So then we are back at my earlier point, you don't buy a phone to use as a gaming platform, because there are way better and more suitable alternatives. It's merely a bonus that you *can* play games on it, but it's still not the primary reason you buy them (hopefully).

It may change in the future as technology advances, but right now gaming on a phone is secondary at best. And probably always will be because you still don't buy a telephone to use as a gaming machine first and foremost.


It's like buying a shed expecting it to work as a fully working house.

Ok that was stupid and not quite accurate but you get what i mean hopefully...

 

[Job]

Mobile phone games are crap, no-one's gonna play classic PC/Console games on something that's actually a phone, God I've tried and I've been kidding myself, they have to be made especially for small screen with limited controls and they have to have a 'get out quick' button, too many games have endless 'are you sure ' screens.
Nintendo should release all their N64 games recoded for mobiles and all phones need D-pads and at least A-B buttons.

 

[Everz]

I'll have you know Sonic (amongst other sega and dos classics) on the iPhone was what got me through the trip round America, there is most certainly a huge market for games on phones. That and playing classics like Phantasy Star or Chrono Trigger for a measly £4-5 is a dream.

 

[Raven]

I am playing playstation 1, SNES, Mega Drive and GBA games on my phone. All flawlessly via emulators. Just a shame the phone lacks L2 and R2 buttons... has all the others

http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/mobilephones/overview/xperia-play?cc=gb&lc=en

/fanboy

edit. the official modern games are terrible though. Every single one.

 

[Embattle]

http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/21/nintendo-announces-extra-large-3ds-ll-with-4-88-inch-top-screen/

 

[soze]

10 minutes gave me a head ache, but 3D TV and Cinema do the same so it is nothing personal. I know 3 people who took it back because of headaches and one because it was unplayable in the sun. I do not know if that was a faulty unit though.

 

[Madmaxx]

having never used an Iphone before, a friend should me GTA 3 / vice city (cant remember which) but it had the full game and the graphics looked alright to me.

 

[Garaen]

http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/21/nintendo-announces-extra-large-3ds-ll-with-4-88-inch-top-screen/

The term flogging a dead horse springs to mind!