By Matt - 10/09/11 at 02:41 PM CT
Greetings fellow gamers! It is great to be a guest on the MeltedJoystick blog. Nelson asked me to fill in for him while he’s on vacation.
My adventure into the world of gaming began with the NES and has continued through this current generation. Since I am a child of gaming in the '80s and early '90s, I have a distinct love and admiration for platformers and RPGs. My brother and I spent countless hours mastering all the ‘Super Mario Bros.’ games for the NES and the SNES, along with many other platformers for the Genesis, Game Boy, and, later, the PlayStation.
Over the years my gaming habits have evolved and grown for better and for worse, which brings me to the topic of this blog post: portable game systems, particularly my love/hate relationship with them. Unfortunately, my career and life choices have dictated that I spend more time with portable systems than consoles, and I am sure that I am not alone in this camp. So I would like to reflect a little on portable systems; the problems they face, the potential they have, and my predictions for portable gaming in the future.
First, the problems: Portables systems, in my mind, have three basic flaws, 1) the limitations of their hardware, 2) the quality of games available, and 3) the lack of ingenuity from hardware makers like Nintendo and Sony. The current generation of portable systems from popular gaming hardware makers are hampered by crappy hardware. Small screens, awkward controls, and ancient technology all make it uncomfortable to play games for extended periods of time. My iPhone is way more powerful than my DSlite or even the new 3DS. The touch screen on the DS is a pain to use – just play “The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks” to see what I mean. It is awkward to blow into the microphone as a means of input, and it is annoying to follow content on two screens because of poor game mechanics. All of these things contribute to a sub-par experience from Nintendo’s recent portable game systems.
Portable systems also tend to lack quality, substantive games. Just look at the titles currently available for the 3DS to get a picture of the poor state of its library. There are not many long-form games with great stories that take over ten hours to play (because of limitations of the hardware), and there are too many short puzzle-type games that take just minutes to play (games like “Angry Birds”). Most of all, I feel that the lack of ingenuity on the part of Nintendo and Sony in the portable sphere is the biggest problem for traditional portable systems. I say traditional, because the smart phone is clearly the new portable game system, and Nintendo and Sony have failed to see that and thus failed to compete with their new competition.
Nintendo has bigger problems than Sony it seems. The lackluster sales numbers for the 3DS is evidence of this lack of ingenuity. I mean, come on, Nintendo, how many times will you revise the old DS system with just the bare minimum of system enhancements? The DS has been around since 2004, and Nintendo hasn't made any earth-shattering changes to it, and the DS, I predict, will die soon (and if it doesn't it should). Sony could bring about some innovation with the Vita, but it is yet to be seen where they will take it. I sense great potential with the Vita, but it is Sony that is calling the shots and they have made quite a few missteps lately.
Despite all of these failings, portable systems still have the possibility to be incredible. First of all, portable systems are portable. Yes, I know that is redundant and obvious, but imagine having all of your games with you at all times. No matter if you are in the comfort of your living room or if you are on the other side of the country (or world for that matter), you can play what you want. Secondly, new advancements in technology make potential portable systems very lucrative. Imagine beaming your game from your portable system onto the nearest HDTV. Any TV, no matter where you are, could become the screen for your system. Apple is doing it right with AirPlay, now when will the gaming hardware makers see the writing on the wall and follow suit? Moreover, the latest round of mobile hardware available to cell phone makers is more powerful than this previous generation of consoles. Stunning graphics are available in mobile form factors, which, coupled with the ability to play the games on a HDTV wirelessly, would be amazing. The portable system could become the ultimate system because it would allow you to play games wherever you want, on whatever form factor you want – small screen or HDTV, in your living room or on the plane. Game developers could create long-form content, designed to take hours to play instead of minutes, knowing that it was possible to play it in any situation. And short games, like “Angry Birds,” would be just as profitable and available to play when there is not a lot of time.
Finally, my predictions for portable gaming: I am worried for portable game makers like Nintendo and Sony. If they do not radically change their approach and innovate in the portable game sector, they will die. The smart phone and the tablet will take their place. I also, peering into my crystal ball, wonder if, dare I say, the console will eventually die, eclipsed by portable systems that share their content with HDTVs. The WiiU might be the transition to such a world where traditional consoles no longer exist. All games will be played on portable systems that are able to interact with televisions. Now, I firmly realize that this might not be the brave new world that some would like to see, but I could see the market moving in this way. Next year should be very interesting for the gaming community. The Vita and the WiiU will be fascinating to watch as they grow into platforms. They might answer some of the questions facing the gaming industry, and the threats from non-traditional game makers and systems.
Comments
Nelson Schneider - wrote on 10/16/11 at 07:28 PM CT
*ninja editor runs by with a big bag of punctuation*
*ninja editor leaves, his bag empty*
Here are my thoughts on what you said:
1. Tablets and smartphones are insanely expensive unless subsidized by a wireless contract. A handheld with comparable hardware would cost too much.
2. Tablets and smartphones have just as many gimmicky control features as the DS, which you said you dislike.
3. Nobody has successfully made and marketed a controller add-on for a phone or tablet.
4. Sony's Xperia Play is a smartphone with a slide-out controller instead of a slide-out keyboard. So they actually are innovating a bit, but limiting it to a product nobody will buy instead of putting it in their flagship portable system.
5. There are plenty of long-form games for the DS and PSP, but they are frustrating to play because handhelds aren't suitable for long play sessions with their tiny screens and piddly battery life. They are also not very good (in most cases).
6. Currently, handhelds are providing a platform for Japanese developers who haven't been whoring it up with cutting-edge PC development, leaving them with PS2-level graphics capabilities. Without these platforms, these developers would be forced to develop for the Wii (as the bottom end hardware of the generation), expanding the Wii's library considerably.
7. I love the idea of a handheld that could wirelessly transfer its display to any nearby HDTV. It would completely remove the need for dedicated adapters like the Super Game Boy and Game Boy Player.
Chris Kavan - wrote on 10/16/11 at 01:21 PM CT
With the widespread use of iphones, ipads and Android devices, I think you're right that Nintendo and Sony need to come up with something if they want their portable gaming services to survive into the next generation. I myself haven't picked up a portable device since the original DS and even that was only for Scribblenauts (a disappointment anyway). I'm interested to see if the VIta can turn the trend around or if, as you suggest, the companies finally make it able to connect your device directly to your TV - now that I could get behind.
