Alright so, I wanted to share my prediction of what will eventually happen to the portable/mobile games market in the next several years, and see what you guys think. It's my personal belief that around the time the iPhone 5 and iPad 3's release (1-2) years these tablets and smart phones will begin to compete directly with nintendo and Sony for the 'portable gaming' real-estate, and could in time actually become more profitable. Let's face it, mobile gaming has always been a pretty ill respected and weak facet of the industry. Even before the iPhone the games on there have been pretty crummy as well as the technology backing them. It wasn't until recently (iPhone 3/4) that people are 'slowly' taking notice of these devices as potential gaming platforms. One example of this being Infinity Blade, a game built with the unreal engine that has amazing graphics and intuitive controls. It quickly became the fastest grossing app ever, and has sold over 13 million copy's, a remarkable achievement and in alot of ways a turning point in mobile gaming. Now all of a sudden, these devices, which in terms of gaming have always been thought of as gimmicky, with simple 2D platformers such as Angry Birds and Zombieville USA holding the reigns, can now run games with amazing unreal powered graphics and house innovative gameplay. So as epic releases unreal tech to developers, and a slew of games begin development, a year later it's still not enough to turn heads let alone compete with Sony or nintendo. Around this time apple goes ahead and creates the A5 chip, which was initially introduced in the iPad2. Over a year later there is not one game that has come close to utilizing the full potentiall of this chip, it's THAT powerful. So as developers continue to try to cash in on the simple 2D platformers hoping to get a piece of the pie, there is not much in the way of innovation or pushing the platform forward. And so here we are, with what is slowly becoming a powerhouse gaming machine, and yet with very very few games to support this new technology. It's like having the PS3 come out but developers continue to stick to the PS2 because in there eyes, that's where the consumer base is at, and why fix what is not broken? Epic games, without a doubt realizes this, which of course explains why they were at the apple keynote introducing Infinity Blade 2 for the iPhone 4S (A5) chip, to help promote this amazing technology and try to show people the potential for gaming on these devices. So than you have nintendo DS and the upcoming playstation Vita. Nintendo has always dominated the portable games market, if anything because they had no real competition and also because they have a solid lineup of good games. Well what would happen if the developers of these games, realizing the potential of these devices began making there games for the iOS or android platforms? Well, it just happened a few weeks ago with scribblenaughts, a very popular nintendo DS game. It quickly became apples 'game of the week' and sold very well. What's even more amazing, is while this game cost 40$ on a nintendo DS it sold for 5-10$ on the iPhone, and that is including part 1, 2 and ten bonus levels. Why the price difference? Because it's sold digitally and does not require a publisher. This is a win/win for developers and gamers alike. And than we have the playstation vita. Touted as the first 'next gen' gaming device with technology that rivals the current gen consoles. This is a device that's technology will not change throughout it's entire life span. Well not only will the iPad 3 and iPhone 5 have similar specs (A6 chip) we will likely see the A7 chip or higher in these devices before the vitas lifespan wears out. So with all of this in mind, why would you 'really' need to buy these portable gaming platforms when the iOS devices are in fact just as much if not more powerful? If the same game that is awesome on the nintendo DS or Vita is on your phone or tablet and cost way cheaper? What could possibly convince the customer that spending 400$ on a DS or vita is a smarter investment than a tablet or phone that is not only more powerful gaming wise but also has all these other great features such as Internet, camera, apps, ect ect? The only advantage I see them having is physical controls, but will that really matter that much to people when the same games are on there phone for a fraction of the cost? I think it's just a matter of time before people start to realize wow, not only can my device do all these things, but now it's a gaming machine too! What do you guys think?
i know what u mean about developers not utilising the a5 chip, and that does bug me, but i can also see some of their reasoning, they dont want to limit their market to customers who only have a 4s or ipad 2. and for the first yr or so, no developers utilise the full power of consoles either. so it may possibly come soon when developers for the ios do start utilising the a5. but as for becoming a contender in the portable games market, i totally agree with you, nintendos sales of the 3ds shows they are losing their hold on that market. as for the vita, the physical controls will in my opinion make it a better platform for fps, tps games. but will no way match the ipad for strategy games... just hope sega release a total war game, even if its rome or shogun 1
In my view: Future is too bleak unless pricing of games increase,physical controls be added and commercial games be released by commercial companies (no ripoffs from Gameloft). Why?because of the cost of all the devicesS Vita:$250 (WiFi only),$300 (WiFi and 3g),and iPad 2:$500 and iPhone 4S:$900,I mean this is an important factor.The device itself is not that cheaper and the quality of the games will degrade because of the cost of the games range from $4 to $5,good things do come in big prizes,afterall. Sales mean nothing to the buyer,if sales are boosting of iDevices,then it should not make you think that it is the best in the gaming industry,people buy an iPhone for other purposes and not for gaming.
