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CES Summit Brings Together 'GameBoy Killers'
Thanks to GameSpy for their article covering a panel at CES in Las Vegas discussing the future of the handheld gaming market. Representatives for the Sony PSP, Tapwave Zodiac, Nokia N-Gage, and for Intel's 'standard portable platform' XScale technology were in attendance, and it was noted that: "Intel, Nokia, and Tapwave are attempting to expand the market by offering powerful platforms that also offer other productivity and entertainment features." However, Sony are staying out of allowing other kinds of software on the PSP, suggesting: "We feel very strongly that what the consumer wants is a dedicated gaming device." A retail representative also voiced concerns with the new diversity of portables: "I don't know if there's room for tons of other devices. You've got to sell to the core gamers and expand from that."
PSP will sell a lot, simply because it's SONY. However, the other consoles have no chance in hell.
However, Sony are staying out of allowing other kinds of software on the PSP, suggesting: "We feel very strongly that what the consumer wants is a dedicated gaming device."
Translation: Unlike Intel, Tapwave, and Nokia, we're not fucking stupid.
Read the reviews of the N-Gage. What do most people complain about beyond the ridiculous price? The thousands of buttons out of which only a few have any real gaming function. But thousands of buttons, as much as they make gaming next to impossible, are almost certainly required in any portable that wants to do much more than play games. The only other solution is selling optional accessories (a mini-keyboard, for instance), and that has almost as many problems.
Actually, there is one other possibility: Make the screen touch-sensitive a la PDAs. I'm not sure how practical this is for these types of portables, though.
Of course, even if Sony did make a portable that could do everything, it would probably still sell. This is Sony we're talking about here.
Rob
TO: Nokia
CC: Anybody else making a system to compete with the GBA
FROM: Captain Obvious
SUBJECT: Portable gaming systems
You all have it entirely wrong, but even getting it right won't save you at this point.
A set-top-box console will cost you $100-200 right now. Even the X-box has a relatively reasonable pricetag right now. They all have huge libraries of games, especially the PS2.
The successful portable systems (GBA, and the Wonderswan at least could move units in Japan) are under $100 bucks, and have huge libraries.
These new portables cost $300-500, and have a handful of games available. You lose. It's almost forgone conclusion. You're following almost the exact same business model that Nokia did with the N-Gage, and like a herd of lemmings you're all running out to sea.
They're too expensive, and have too few games to buy as a set-top-box, but as a portable, they're worthless. A portable should be cheap because it's at the most risk, and it's a lot more likely to need replacing than a set-top console.
My GBA gets bounced around a lot. It's taken trips down stairs, it's been dropped in puddles, stepped on, kicked, thrown in frustration, and it still works (although I did break the contact edge on my Golden Sun cart). If I do manage to break it, it's cheap enough to replace - $80 isn't peanuts, but it won't mean skipping meals.
I have a friend who has an N-Gage. Or should say HAD an N-Gage. Let's say it broke well. He dropped it once onto a carpeted floor, and it doesn't work anymore. And at $300 to replace, he's not getting a new one. Instead, he bought a GBA and SIX games, and still had enough money left to pay off the bet I made him that he'd buy a GBA before the year was out.
I tried to imagine how much money I'd be out if my GBA was as fragile as an N-Gage. It gave me a headache. I'd probably have had to sell my car by now.