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3DS and Vita Face Tough Battle Against Smartphones
An article at the Opposable Thumbs blog looks at the struggle between portable gaming devices and smartphones with access to a plethora of inexpensive games.
"...most games simply have to be 'good enough' and convenient. If you already have a smartphone and an hour to kill, plenty of top-notch games can be downloaded in a minute for a dollar. With the 3DS or Vita, you're being asked to buy expensive hardware and then feed it with games that cost $40 and up. Smartphones also present a compelling deal for small, adventurous developers: it's inexpensive to create a game for these platforms, and developers don't have to worry about physical storefronts, packaging design, or cartridge manufacturing. Sony is now pushing for a digital platform that relies heavily on downloads with the Vita, but Nintendo still seems to believe the future rests with expensive, physical carts. Trying to buy one of the few digital games available on the 3DS via the system's e-shop is a slow, frustrating process."
I kind of agree. Maybe the next step for Nintendo and Sony should either be:
1) Open the platform for indie development and offer an online store where people can submit games (similar to Xbox live games)
2) Start creating games for mobile phones
Nr. 2 seems very unlikely, so I think their best bet is to open the platform up for indie development.
race to the bottom is going to seriously affect the gaming industry.
I'm desperate for a good game. Smartphones have games worth playing now? Tell me more.
So what, there is a plethora of analog games for the 3DS? I only knew of catch and hot-potato.
Won't someone please LART these idiots for me?
I don't really see the 3DS/Vita and smartphones as going after the same gaming market (or rather I like to make a distinction). The games on the portable handhelds can be deeper experiences and have lots of buttons to work with. But with a game on a smartphone, you're working with something that is only one or two steps above a Flash game in a web browser. If people are flocking to simple little games in droves, thus proving XKCD #484, then that makes me a sad panda. One day it won't make business sense to make an epic AAA title ever again, except perhaps on PC since everybody has those and consoles are basically PCs these days.
http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2011/08/01
I'm guessing nintendo can depend on the childrens whining to maintain sales though i'm totally unfamiliar with the current state of children with cellphones. Personally i wouldn't pay fora child's cellphone but i guess nintendo could be in trouble seeing as how many parents have no problem buying cars for their children... i was lucky if they bought me food and clothing!
Don't complain about syntax, grammar, or spelling. There is no.hell like input on android.
Maybe when 6 buttons and an analog stick are standard equipment for smart phones Nintendo might have something to be afraid of; multitouch implementations of buttons and dpads/sticks are terrible and take up screen real estate. Clip-on accessories are available for some phones, but most people don't have these, there's no standardization, and thus most games won't support these things; it also contradicts the premise that people are playing these smartphone games when they're bored and just have a few minutes: they aren't going to lug around the clip-on button pad all day every day just in case they're bored for a few minutes.
Oh, and there's the fact that an unlocked smartphone costs more than a 3DS or PS Vita, and you need to pay a subscription for the ability to buy or redownload games. If you don't trust your kid to use a smartphone unsupervised, a dedicated games machine would be a better option.
If you have a dumbphone and are still under contract, then you don't have a smartphone laying around. If you're not technically apt, you don't have a smartphone laying around. If you have an Android/Blackberry and you want an iOS game, you're SOL. If you have an iPod touch, the CPU is too crappy to run the more complex games at full framerate.
Then there's different markets. If you're 40+ and never owned a games machine before, you might download Angry Birds to see what the fuss is about. If you check IGN every day, chances are you'll realize that different systems get different games and there are games that interest you on every platform -- this means you will be interested in games that are only on the 3DS, even if you hate the hardware and have an iPhone.
Analysts seem to be repeating this argument ad nauseum, because they see portable gaming systems as less convenient than mobile phones. This is true, but missing the point. I bought a DS not because I wanted to play games when I'm out that happen to be new, it's that games I'm interested in playing happened to be released on a portable system.
The real question is, why would developers make games for the 3DS instead of smartphone only? The answer has to be: because that's where the gamers are -- the gamers willing to pay $40 per game. That means high production values and budgets, and high-quality games made by large teams for 18+ months. It could also be that something they REALLY want to make requires an analog stick or buttons, but that's less likely.
Personally I appreciate these high-quality large games that aren't just ports of home console games, but are things that wouldn't be released on any other system -- they're too large for a smartphone and too small for a home console.
Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
...when sales SURGE as soon as the 3DS/Vita are cracked.
The people who say that iPhones and tablets are going to kill handheld gaming systems are the same people saying that netbooks and laptops will replace the desktop computer. They're different systems with different intended audiences and are completely distinct in terms of user experience.
Angry Birds is a fun game, but it has a time and a place. You cannot play games like Mega Man or Metroid with a touch screen and motion controls. If the Wii and DS have taught the gaming industry anything, it's that touch and motion controls are not a substitute for buttons.
xmas gifts depend on physical cartridges. as did the quality of your average gba game depend on gift giving.
so with xperia play, you can play all gba games better than on a real gba.
but, the library is still just a handful of good games.
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
Yeah, just like they talk about "digital music" when referring to downloads. I remember the press going crazy when The Beatles got on iTunes, because now their music was available digitally for the first time. Like CDs are analog or something...
Pretty good is actually pretty bad.
I am a Nintendo fanboy. I have a 3DS and an iPad. Right now I use the iPad more for my entertainment purposes. Like any nintendo fan you learn to wait for the good games because there are some great ones. Bu you need something to do while waiting. I tried playing games on the iPad but they are terrible. You would think some games like RTS or Sim City type games would be perfect for porting but with the price pressure they come out horrible. I mean advanced wars for the old Game boy is better than anything I found so far.
The thing people are confusing is my life doesn't have a certain amount of hours reserved for gaming per se. I have leisure time. Right now it is being filled by browsing /. on my iPad.
I love Jesus, except for his foreign policy.
http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2011/08/01
Sums it up pretty nicely.
Summation 2
My nine year old nephew informed me last week that he definitely wanted a 3DS rather than an iPod Touch because it's 3D! That's better than the iPod Touch which isn't 3D at all. But I think in a few years he'll see the benefit of the iPod. Being able to buy a game a week with his allowance rather than saving up for a $30 or $40 game is a big advantage. Nintendo needs to wake up to the fact that game prices are going down. A game like the Legend of Zelda will probably still sell for $50, but they need to be competing more strongly in the under $10 market. That means getting their Internet connectivity sorted out and expanding the selection of downloadable titles.
My nine year old nephew informed me last week that he definitely wanted a 3DS rather than an iPod Touch because it's 3D! That's better than the iPod Touch which isn't 3D at all. But I think in a few years he'll see the benefit of the iPod. Being able to buy a game a week with his allowance rather than saving up for a $30 or $40 game is a big advantage. Nintendo needs to wake up to the fact that game prices are going down. A game like the Legend of Zelda will probably still sell for $50, but they need to be competing more strongly in the under $10 market. That means getting their Internet connectivity sorted out and expanding the selection of downloadable titles.
By "smartphone," don't you really just mean the iPhone? Game devs certainly aren't making a run for the booming Android goldmine. Also, the only genre that touchscreen controls aren't so hot in is traditional action games (platformers, shooters, fighters) where you have to move your character around with fast reaction times. Everything else works pretty damn well, I've found.
It's not just about games. With the proliferation of smartphones, kindles, etc. It really comes down to what would I rather do with my idle time? Instead of paying for a 3DS or Vita, I can read a book; watch netflix (yes, I know you can do that on the 3DS, but thats not a differentiator); play a cheaper game; or surf the web (see netflix comment above). That's why smartphones are going to kill the 3DS and Vita - it is easier/cheaper to waste time on them.
I dunno about the Vita, but I don't know any adults with DSs and I'm sure as hell not buying a child a smartphone.
Go look at the selection of DS games in any store--75% are for children. The DS market is clearly children.
Funny, this got posted now. The 3DS just sold 207,000 units in Japan last week. Apart from that, the only thing I got to say is: Not this sh*t again.
I've said it before and I will say it again. The reason this generation of handheld consoles looks so bleak is simple: The 3DS sucks because 3D is a stupid gimmick. The 3DS doesn't bring enough to the table to warrant an upgrade, which is why I, like most of my friends, picked up a 3DS, then returned it a week later. Sony will always have modest sales that pale next to the behemoth of Nintendo. But Nintendo seems to have pulled another virtual boy.
Yeah, just like they talk about "digital music" when referring to downloads.
I think that started with the legal departments of record labels, which use "digital" as an abbreviation for licensing packages that involve "digital transmission" or "digital phonorecord delivery" as defined in U.S. copyright law. From there, it generalized into delivery of a copy of a work of authorship by way of a transmission over a computer network.
Who would buy forty games for 99 cents each when a DS has WarioWare DIY, which comes with 90 games and an IDE for $35?
more than likely the market is just cyclical.
everyone has a phone so everyone bails on handhelds and plays crappy 20 minute games with either crappy directional controls or good touch ones. people clamor for better controls so (like the new sony phone) they make built in buttons and pads. then better graphics processors then games for those processors. suddenly we have games for only some users (not everyone will have the hardware) then people will want games with more depth than the 20 minute crappy games and be willing to pay for it. aaaaanndd we're back.
just look at netbooks, they were supposed to be uber cheap stripped down and tiny. then people wanted more cpu, a full hard drive, bigger display, now they cost as much as a laptop, but are a bit smaller.
think tablets liek the ipad are the future? sure then one day someone will get the "bright idea" to put a fold up keybored "right on the ipad!" genius! aaannnd we're back.
my phone as a gaming system? yes and no, i have hooked it up to my tv, used a wii remote synced to the bluetooth and run an snes emulator. *that* rocks pretty hard. for actual gaming ont he go the ds is far nicer and better. especially with my ace-card where (like my phone) i can keep 3 dozen games ont he device without carrying a lunchbox full of carts. if the 3ds had a nice ipod hard drive and a slick online market ( with the option to buy and install from carts) i think it would be more relevant in today's market.
The problem is that there are very few gamers nowadays that are willing to pay US$40 for a game.
Nor are there a lot of gamers who would pay $65 per month (estimated price difference between AT&T's service for iPhone 4 and Virgin Mobile USA's least expensive service for a dumbphone) for a games machine.
The best iPhone games use multitouch screen in a way that it's intended to be used - to point and drag objects on the screen.
How would you recommend that a developer make a platformer like Mario or Sonic work by "point[ing] and drag[ging] objects on the screen"?
It allows you to play anywhere (eg. on the couch, laying in bed), you don't have to fight with the rest of the family for the living room TV, you won't distrub anyone sleeping if you play at night and you get privacy.
Are you talking about dedicated handheld game systems, smartphones, or laptop computers?
Just pick up and play, instead of turn on TV, find disc, wait for the console to boot
With the DS, it's no different: find Game Card, turn on system, wait for health disclaimer.
Allowing a more "spur of a moment" gaming in contrast to the "let's sit down and play a game" "planned event" we have with current home consoles.
That's not a planned event. A planned event is a LAN party, in which the host makes sure before everybody comes over that they 1. own a separate copy of the game, 2. own a PC capable of running the game, and 3. "fight with the rest of the family for" permission to borrow the PC for the night. Multiplayer on portable is similar, except #3 is far easier to come by. But with a home console or one of the (admittedly few) games that support HTPCs, you'd just put in the disc (only one, not one per player), plug in or pair your controllers, and go.
Not all 3DS games are $40 carts (most of the best will be though :-)
xmas gifts depend on physical cartridges.
How so? I've heard a lot of cousins ask for an iTunes gift card last Christmas; Nintendo Points cards are not much different. But why do people hold back generosity until a birthday anyway?
The original DS is pretty much my favorite game system right now and I don't even want a 3DS. Not interested in 3D functionality, and there's still countless great games for the original DS I can get used copies cheaply. I do favor that style of game over the 99 cent style time-wasters (Angry Birds was free on android, and that fulfills that niche enough for me), but until there's quality games on the 3DS that match that of the original DS, I'll be waiting.
Apparently their definition of 'top-notch' is much more lenient than mine. 99.9% of smartphone games are crap. And most of the remaining could be more accurately described as 'diversions' than 'games'.
I have a bunch of games on my Ipad and Iphone, but none that I would want to play for more than 10 minutes at a time.
In short, I would rather have 1 Dragon Quest game for $40 than 40 $1 games.
it costs more to play games on a smartphone. The software might be 99 cents but the contracts and data plans for a phone with decent specs exceed 70 bucks a month, plus the cost of the phone itself. When they come up with better controls(like the xperia), don't force me to marry verizon's evil empire and stop releasing a "new" angry birds every 2 months i'll stop using my DS.
Since the VITA does not have a (user) removable battery, it's a no-go for me. I've gone through a couple batteries already for my PSP-1000. It's a portable device, and it's useless if after a year or two you can only play it while plugged in a wall outlet.
I've been playing and massively enjoying Pocket Legends on my android tablet. I've been putting more than a few hours into it, more hours than most paid games. While some may say it's crap, it kicks around the Untold Legends garbage the PSP had.
With developer costs being so low, yeah, there's lots of crap but there's also more to choose from and better chance of stumbling on a rare gem precisely because of accessibility. Cost of trying is much less as well.
You got to turn on the TV, switch the channel, turn on the console, wait for boot, insert game, wait for load.
This is an advantage of phones over consoles in general than an advantage of handheld consoles over home consoles. Other than turning on the TV, the DS has the same steps in a different order: insert game, turn on the DS, wait for health screen, select DS game (as opposed to PictoChat, DS Download Play, or system settings), wait for load.
All these articles nowadays saying dedicated handheld gaming systems are threatened by smartphones need to stop. The justification that smartphones offer cheap and good-enough games is like saying no one would buy a an original Game Boy because buying a crossword puzzle book would be cheaper and good enough. As long as smartphones don't have physical buttons, they are at a serious disadvantage. I'd rather pay 40 bucks for Street Fighter 4 on 3ds than pay 1 dollar for it on an iPhone.
Battery life playing games on the Ipod is terrible and you are lucky to get an hour and a half on a full charge while my PSP still gets about the 5 hour mark and then has the lucury of switching batterys.
I've been going back to my PSP more and more lately and despite not even liking the 3DS I'm tempted to buy it as a stopgap until Vita although mainly just for the Streetfighter IV 3D.
I can also say that after apples court shennagins with Samsung and some other companys I don't intend to ever replace my iPod for a new one so they have lost at least one customer because of it.
The 3DS does not face competition against SmartPhones. It faces competition against the DS and DSi. And the only advantage it has is 3D, which nobody is going to pay $200 for if they already have everything else.
There seems to be a lot of negative sentiment regarding the eShop and how absolutely terrible it is in terms of both content and design and I just don't get it. Sure, anything could be a little better, but the process is absurdly simple and I'm not sure how it could be improved so dramatically and possibly be classified as "frustrating" and a "nightmare".
1. Find the title your looking for, most easily accomplished by the "search" function.
2. Enter payment info.
3. Download it.
4. Play it.
One can have a new game to play in like two minutes. Have people become so incredible lazy and spoiled that they can't even manage this effort to play a video game?
The only way this system could be faster is if payment information was stored on the device or server (see how well that worked for Sony's network or complaints about children racking up iOS game bills) or if the game YOU wanted was magically always on the homepage and you didn't have to use a search function. Not too long ago and even today, one had to drive to the store, muddle through a likely poorly organized selection, and hope the game was even in stock or sold there.
Regarding content, in my experience there's dozens or more high quality games on the eShop, I'd say at least nearly as many worthwhile games in quantity and I'd even argue quality as Android or iOS. Download some of the ArtStyle puzzle games, Elektroplankton titles, Shantae 2, Cave Story, X-Scape, Photo Dojo, Dark Void Zero, Link n Launch, Trajectile, Bomberman Blast, emulated Gameboy games like Zelda: Link's Awakening and Donkey Kong '94. Try out Flipnote Studio or Inchworm Animation or some of the music creation apps. There's even plenty of $2 games that are well worth the price, like the G.G. Series or the Go Series titles.
These are great games and programs and the very least, worth a couple minutes to download and enjoy. Ok, so no Angry Birds, Infinity Blade and the like, and I understand different strokes for different folks.
Overall though, I just don't understand the strong complaints that folks levy towards the eShop. It's kind of amazing the strong terms people will use when complaining about how horrible it might be to wait an extra 10 seconds or re-enter payment info when purchasing a video game. I'd love to have such a great life where I could begin to characterize such trivial inconveniences as a nightmare! :)
Smartphone controls = utter shit, because it's not the focus of a smartphone.
Handheld console controls = 1000x better because that's the only point of the system.
What do I know, I'm just an idiot, right?
I'm familiar with LARP, but not Lart. Is that:
Live
Action
Re
Tardation
??
Cool post bro, highfive \o