Slashdot Mirror
The Wireless Arcade
KeelSpawn writes "Techreiview has an article on Wireless gaming through handhelds. Quoted from article: "They don't have fancy 3-D graphics, but video games for handheld devices stand poised to capture a huge U.S. market. Why? Because we all have to wait." There are a lot of "Small" games that could be great time killers in lines if ported to cel
phones, and made multiplayer, and cheap. Perhaps something like the Game Boy's Pokemon Crystal, but with hooks to play perhaps the people within X miles of you ;)
Wonderful! Now, not only do we have people yakking all day walking down the street on their phones, they're alsso playing Pokemon! Just when you thought big-city life couldn't get more annoying, comes the daily squeek of "Pikachu!" from a hundred thousand cell phones!!
FP BTW
"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one " -Albert Einstein
how about strip the padmé ?
People run MAME and NES Emulators (even Atari Emulators). Graphics do *NOT* define the game!
Take Doom3 for example. Sure it looks pretty, but if its just another FPS DM game, no one will enjoy it. Its all about gameplay and innovation. These wireless games could become very popular as long as they have good gameplay and innovate the game for the new platform.
I hope this sparks gameplay and innovation on all platforms...
Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
if wireless was a feature on the ti-83, tetris would've been so much more fun during calc class back in high school.
Efren Belizario
headspeak.com
Sort of like the arcade games of old, they were simple but blazingly addictive. However, this new generation of games has the advantages of portability and not having to shovel quarters into them.
This looks like a lot of fun. Too bad it's only in Japan right now.
Great games dont need great graphics, they need great playability. Take Monkey Island, KSirtet, Sokoban and Supaplex.
Life isn't like a box of chocolates. It's more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow.
please include a pause button. The first person who holds up my grocery line while he finishes up a level will get beaten to death with a baguette.
Some handhelds can have 3D graphics... Tomb Raider is being/has been ported to certain handhelds. And isn't Romero and is long, sexy, flowing hair the cofounder of some company that makes games for mobile devices? Monkey-something?
Another platform to port CrystalSpace to.
The particular Sprint phone I have doesn't have any games preloaded on it - you must use their wireless web to access games. Problem is, it's billed as a call the entire time you play. Not very fun.
Heard on radio:
And now for our traffic update. It seems that we have a head-on collision at the intersection of the 2 busiest highways in town. Our listeners report that there are three options. Teleport out of there, call home and kvetch, or join the LAN party in progress on your handheld.
And now, a word from our sponsor, the good folks at Verizon. Can you frag me now?
The one in the corner looking clueless at most everything, but enjoying it, nonetheless.
I'm not sure multiplayer as described would be that big of a hit. My guess is that most people who'd play games on their cell phones want something they can pick and put down quickly, with a minimum of hassle. Unless you can streamline a matchmaking interface so that it takes less than 30 seconds, I doubt you'll see much use for it. If you only have five minutes to play a game, and 3 of those are spent finding someone to play with, you're not going to bother.
"Moderate drinking can help prevent amputated limbs" -- Abigail Zuger, NYTimes, 12/31/02
We already have people taking violent action against cellphone owners whose phones go off at the 'wrong' time. Now, these people are going to have to listen to tinny, repetitive, fairly cheesy music while waiting in lines.
It would be bad enough at the theatre (if they annoy you outside, what are they going to do inside). But what about the lines where people are already frustrated, like the DMV or lunch-hour runs to bank tellers.
All in all, I hope they have a mute button...
"In my values, freedom is more important than 'serving users' in a mere practical sense." -- RMS
Imagine how much this will cost you - without you knowing it. Here in Belgium, these SMS games cost you 1 per message. A simple Login-Question-Answer-Score round would cost you 4. There was a guy who lost 6000 because he played a lottery 3000 times. Now he's complaining he didn't read the fine print.
We need flat-fee access! How long will it take before we can get mobile Internet for a fixed price?
Teenagers these days don't have as much sex as they want each other to think they do.
For a F1 game you can download... it isn't networked though, as there isn't G3 yet.
He tried to kill me with a forklift!
I must say this is something I have been wanting. I bought a Palm VIIx about a year ago, when the big promotion came out from Palm. I used the thing fr HOURS the first month, MINUTES the second month, and then barely at all after that. Wound up cancelling service as soon as was possible under the terms of my contract. The thing is, with high-speed internet at work, an Airport network at home, and dial-ups available while on the road, there was not much that I had left to do with a wireless unit which only did low-tech, no-color internet.
But if it had been able to do wireless gaming, I suspect I would still be an owner and an enthusiastic user. Even without the graphics, even without sound effects, the ability to play new games all the time and to play against real people is compelling.
awhile ago. In a flash of inspiration, I even registered walkaroundgames.com. Somehow, I never really got around to doing anything though.
I'm so tired of reading reports saying "real games in your cellphone/PDA/GPS coming soon!" and then waiting, waiting and waiting for something to show up. I'd like to see one of these games actually making waves with users using a cell phone CPU, especially when you consider the user base of "enhanced" phones like the newest Nokia phone with Java (but no color). We all know this is a killer app, my baby sister can write the business model, but where are the platforms and where's the beef?
Yeah, I'm gonna sound like a snob, but I'd really like to read a book while waiting instead of turning my brain off for yet another Tetris clone. Trouble is, many of the books I'd like to read are too big to fit nicely in one of my pockets. If only I could put them in a palmtop or cellphone... Sure, this method of entertainment is clever and cool, but geez, I play enough games already.
Lately democracy seems to be based on the skybox, the Happy Meal box, the X-box, and the idiot box.
...while waiting in line, on the subway, on hold...
...
:-)
10) Pong
9) Backgammon
8) Nethack
7) Poker
6) Bomberman
5) Scrabble
4) Hearts
3) Columns
2) Go
and
1) FreeCiv
that would make me want to wait on long lines.
-Max
Once I thought I was wrong, but I was mistaken.
..platforms all on innovation and gameplay sparks this hope I.
Platform new the for game the innovate and gameplay good have they as long as popular very become could games wireless these. Innovation and gameplay about all its. It enjoy will one no, game DM FPS another just its if but, pretty looks it sure. Example for doom3 take. Game the define *NOT* do graphics. (Emulators Atari even) Emulators NES and MAME run People.
You should check out Fathammer. I've seen these people on various places on the net and their engine looks pretty cool.
In fact you'll notice from some screenshots that this is the engine used in some of the games that the article talks about
Its seems to me that people are missing the boat a bit. The largest growing martket for cell phones and PDAs is the 12-16 year old tweens. These kids already play their gameboy advance interminably. Why don't they start with a gameboy and add cell phone features. This would be pretty easy, even if they had to add a nother processor, they would make up for it in air time. It would bigger. heck call it gameboy.NET...oh wait.
I post this comment in article written two week ago, and have two downmods to it at same minute:
... no moderator will EVER find this" Friday June 28, @09:45AM ... no moderator will EVER find this" Friday June 28, @09:45AM
* Moderation of "hehehe
* Moderation of "hehehe
methink CmdrTaco are at work again
I think this article was missing some fundamental problems with wireless games on PDAs... graphics do not matter THAT much, but they certainly do matter... in anything other than a text mode role playing game.
I think anyone who uses a PDA, especially a PocketPC based platform, is well aware of the machine's hardware capability. There is just no excuse for not making some games that look half way decent, and are interesting.
It is really a damn shame when my (formerly) $500 Casio E125 with a 16-bit color screen, a 150mhz MIPS processor, 32 megs of ram, and a 256 meg flash card can't produce a single game comparable to a game on my $69 Game Boy Advance.
Has anyone seen Microsoft's Entertainment Pack for PocketPC??? That hing is a joke, it is like a video game rendition of Office Space.
The article is right about one thing, adults are somewhat ignored by the market. I don't think that is the problem with PDAs, I think software developers just think there a) are not enough of them out there and b) people just use them as a rolodex.
These same marketeers have to sit on a subway car during rush hour in Chicago and they will realize nearly one in three yuppies has a PDA.
Once we have a game that is fun to play, then we can talk about wireless. Its the old chicken before the egg scenario here folks.
I don't read or respond to AC posts
The Ericsson T68 includes a Naval Fleet game that can be played by two players over Bluetooth. It may not be that exciting, but it would kill time a little faster when standing in line, although it may be difficult to find an opponent in the same line, with a T68, which is also looking for a Bluetooth game partner...
It has everything this article mentioned except wireless: portability, cheap graphics, multiplayer, and the air of dignity from my sleek black calc. It is also (IMO) the greatest version of Tetris ever made.
It has gotten me through the most boring classes and the longest waits. It doesn't eat batteries like some other TI games I could mention *coughbreakoutcough*, yet it is still endlessly fast and challenging. The two-player battle mode is perfectly balanced, with all sorts of different tactics my Chemistry buddies and I developed in high school. I would seriously consider teaching a class on Tetris Theory if someone would pay me.
So I'll leave my phone in my pocket, thank you. TI has me covered.
Co-founder of GerbilMechs
eat me. I fully intended to do something but ran out of time.
Chess?
Thanks in advance and have a nice Amerikan
home grown marijuana weekend!!
I wish the cell phone manufacturers would spend some time improving the sound output a little instead.
I am really tired of hearing the same beep-beep tunes.
I'd like a mobile phone with at least a Commodore Sid chip inside (yay, Thing-on-a-spring music).
From my Autobiography - "Lifestyles of the Sad and Desperate"...
Did anyone else use to log onto their favorite BBS every day just to take their turn at L.O.R.D, Global Wars, etc?
That would be a killer network app on these things.
-Pete
Soccer Goal Plans
This sure as hell isn't going to be available for my cell phone!
Also, it's sad to see Romero focus on cell phones games... I used to think he was (and probably still is -- one of the most talented game programmers around)
My personal thoughts on this issue are that sure it's a great idea in principle... But I remember when the nokia's started shipping with snake on them, I would see people sitting down at the food courts in malls, at parties, at school in the halls, all playing snake (/w sound effects on!), and it looked pathetic.
No one really *needs* to play games on their cell phone. Also, no one needs a cell phone in their tooth, nor do they need an optical laser mouse, nor a really cheap digital camera built in!
Since when did cell phones become the utility tool of the businessman? Find the right tool for the job! My cell phone will never offer as good a gaming experience as my PC/Console system, nor take a better digital picture than my kodak digital camera, nor... well... okay -- i currently don't have anything built into my teeth besides fillings -- but dammit that's crossing the line!
Cell phones used to be about calling people and being able to get help when the car broke down, etc... Trully -- it's sad to think how consumer oriented this society has become -- every clammoring to get the latest gadget and gizmo on the market. I for one am not buying another cell phone, until mine stops working the way it was designed to.
dmarien
What a marvelous way for amusement parks to make even more money while standing in line for two hours to ride that 45 second ride.
- Enjoyable gameplay is not necessarily dependant on flashy graphics (just as enjoyable movie viewing is not necessarily dependant on flashy graphics - see Hollywood.)
- Multiplayer games on PDAs, cell-phones are somewhat limited by
- cost in phone minutes
- People-on-the-run finding the setup time inconvenient
The tremendous market I see is in multiplayer games of chance, for money. That is to say, let's set up a multiplayer poker game for real stakes (or head-to-head Pong tourney for cash). GAMBLE ON YOUR PDA/PHONE, my friends! All human opponents! Best odds! Get your fix on Route 66 (literally)!Hmmm.. how to authenticate though... sadly, 'wireless security' is an oxymoron, and where there's a bill, there's a way.
oh boy the cell phone makes get to play "how many version of tetris can thier possibly be"
then one of the cell phone makers is gonna come up with a version of tetrinet so you can curse at your phone for lossing to someone with wit teh h4x on thier phone.
It may bring snickers and jeers from some of you,
but a very portable machine that had a 100% working
implementation of the game Nethack would be wonderful to have.
I would actually like to buy a portable for the express
purpose of running nethack 3.4. That's the killer app for me,
and the only app that has to run to satisfy me, but it must
run well, and be both stable and playable. Any other addicts
out there who can point me to a machine worth buying for this purpose?
"But Dad! I'm Bejeweling!
but games on my PDA suck. They are pointless adaptations of pointless games, I'd much rather read a good book, and I don't mean a lousy e-book.
errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
The game in the upper left hand corner that is show isn't mulitplayer or wireless. It was just a demo of hammerhead's 3d engine (which by the way kicks ass). Gotta love the writers for picking the picture that is pretty rather then the right one. Don't know about the other 3 though.
-Benjamin Meyer
Do you changes clothes while making the "chee-chee-cha-cha-choh" transformation sound?
Astrosmash on my phone...very very cool.
-------------------------
slashdot@com.jarnot (swap the domain)
To all you people who post that graphics dont matter in a game, I think you are wrong.
Im not saying that a game cant be good if the graphis are bad, but the newer consoles/higher end PCs out there are getting to a point where the gamedevelopers can create pretty much what they want(i not talking polygon numbers where, im taking possibilities in the gaming world). And this IS great for gaming..
I know that some genres today, are stuck. As somebody commented about Doom 3, its just another 3D shooter. And yes, that is true. But realize that IDs priority is creating new functionality to their engine(Doom3 is pretty much a techdemo). Since that is thier product, more than any of the Quake/Doom/Wolf games that has come out from them. That why at the E3 showing, what there was most talk about on the stand was the engines new algorithm that reduced polycont at runtime(with no visible effect loss on the models, it is actually kinda amazing). But that s only because they want to impress the little up and rising gamehouse from Florida, who are looking for a engine to put their creativity into.
Todays platform games are a great example i think, theres a WORLD of difference between Siderman and Rayman. But more importantly, between sonic and mario the differnce have grown even larger. Platform games was all pretty equal when we had 2D,
the only real diffence between playing sonic or mariobros. Was the speed of which you scrolled through the level(in the ealier versions, you even had to jump the same attack, jump on the enemy =)
And its not just the platform games, games like shenmue, GTA3, BlacknWhite, Everyquest, FinalFantasy and more. Shows what can be accomblished inside a 3D world.
There will probertly allways be the techdemos and the beatemups that will pretty much have their competion on pure gfx quality/speed.
Graphics DOES matter, just my 2euros..
Quick plug: Jeff Minter of Llamasoft fame is now doing games for PDAs. Try and buy them at Llamasoft's webpages.
I have been playing a port of Quake (http://www.pocketmatrix.com/pocketquake) on my IPaq that is able to connect to an existing server via 802.11 wireless. It runs just the same as it did years ago on my old P200 w/64mb RAM. Although it is a bit dark and can be hard to see in bright sun light.
What the fsck happened to reading a paperback book while you're waiting for the train?
I just found the killer application for my Zaurus Linux PDA. Since it has a builtin keyboard, I was able to play the classic textadventure "Zork" with the help of an Infocom game interpreter while sitting in a waiting room for nearly an hour yesterday. (The people around me must have thought I'm crazy while I was trying to figure out how to get down that &%$ chimney.)
And of course I can always switch to a drawing application to make maps of all the rooms.
How to become immortal: Read this signature tomorrow and follow its advice.
When I got my Treo, I didn't know that it was really just a way for people to contact me while I was playing kmoria.
who's moderating the meta-moderators?
The Cybiko is a handheld "kids" PDA that has a 19.2 kbps, 900Mhz wireless connection that supports up to 99 users in a range of 300'. They don't seem to be selling much but it is an interesting platform, just marketed wrong IMHO. http://www.cybiko.com
"I say we take off, nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."
Putting a game on a cell phone is roughly equivalent to playing Quake 3 on a high-volume Exchange server. Your average cell phone has barely enough CPU cycles to manage the cell phone connection, much less handle real-time input needed for a game.
Let's take an example: my cell phone has the game "snake" on it (also sometimes called "nibbles"). I prefer to play it on the highest difficulty, which means the snake moves around pretty fast.
Most of the time.
There are times where the game completely ignores my commands, or decides to respond a fraction of a second after when the button is pressed. Sometimes the snake itself will slow down, only to have a sudden speed boost when the CPU becomes available.
The result is that the game's difficulty comes not from the challenge of avoiding walls and yourself, but from the maddeningly inconsistent performance and response time.
You'd think that the game would become more playable when in a tunnel (or other service-blocking zone), but actually the opposite happens because the CPU spends all its time trying to connect to the phone network.
So, given the choice, I would much rather have a dedicated gaming device such as a Gameboy Advance than eat the battery life of my cell phone with a shoddy gaming experience.
Nathan
All this potential, and still no talk of "Risk" for the Palm OS. I wanna take over Kamchatka during dull meetings.
There's a spiffy game called Jumble on Nextel's WAP deck. They give you a bunch of letters and you figure out what the word is. The hitch is, it keeps score over time (as you create a username and password the first time you play), and it's multiplayer. Usually in the mornings there are five to ten people on, up to fifty or sixty players in the afternoon.
You enter your answer, and then you have to wait 15-30 seconds for all the other players to enter their answers or time out, and then you get to see a rank! Each game consists of a set of ten jumbled-up words to figure out.
The concept might seem kind of lame but when you're waiting on the train, it's fun as hell!
You can reach it on a nextel phone by opening up the net menu, selecting websites, selecting entertainment, and then selecting "Play Jumble".
I see a lot of neat little games like this popping up on wireless devices in the near future.
I should have picked out the nickname Demosthenes!Tecumseh.
Any society coming to the point where any significant amount of goods or services need to be obtained through waiting in line, is bound to crumble and soon. See examples to the East.
Providing "entertainment" to those in lines isn't going to help either...
...but just in case.
Game Boy's Pokemon Crystal remotely multiplayer by a cellphone attachment that Nin. never brought to America.
cannot find a link except for this?
Too bad I haven't heard a thing about this.
forget it.
A friend of mine owns a company which is doing exactly this. They provide games for WAP, SMS or Java phones, and it fully supports multiplayer games. Best of all, its free, other than the copious amount of airtime you'll likely spend on the phone...
I love playing Donkey Kong Country, but playing it emulated presents a problem because I do not have a controller.
If you don't want to buy a game pad for your PC, why not just solder your Super NES game pad into a PC parallel port connector?
Will I retire or break 10K?
Thousands of books are available for free on-line and you can download them, the whole book, into the Road Runner (companiondevices.com) and listen. The Road Runner is a device designed for the blind but it works great for listening while you wait in line at the bank, when you jog, or garden or end up waiting for a companion to finish with make up. Put that wait time to good use, Voctor Hugo, Charles Dickens and Leo Tolstoy are waiting 4 u.
*clap clap* AHOY but I thoughts trolling vegans belonged to Krosnax!
'TIS BE (chorus) {
:hi
nop();
goto hi;
}
I eat my dinner.
I fetch my mails.
I eat my dinner.
I fetch my mails.
(chorus)
I lick my toes.
Sleep all night long.
I lick my toes.
Sleep all night long.
(chorus)
Granma knitting socks for me.
Taking pills.
Granma knitting socks for me.
Taking pills.
(chorus)
(chorus)
It goes along with the polka-alike schnitzelmidi