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The mobile gaming future, who is ready? Is Nintendo moving in the right direction?

K

Kimawolf

Member
So with the eventual mobile future getting closer everyday, its evident that all platform holders will have to address it eventually in some form, rather its through a new kind of device or gaming platform.

At the moment, Nintendo seems to be positioning themselves for this mobile future with the NX, and statements from them about creating mobiles and potentially embracing mobile gaming with devices which can play said games.

Several third parties have already embraced it and have been creating mobile software, which is growing more and more sophisticated as time goes on, from Square Enix, EA, Capcom even, are all embracing the mobile gaming boom.

Obviously this is more of a long term strategy for these companies, and for Nintendo especially to stay relevant and grow their business, but do you believe it is a sound one and can they succeed? What do you think the NX needs to be to succeed in that environment? And what do you think the other platform holders can do? do you think they even care or are looking into the future?

My thoughts? Nintendo should embrace mobile completely, partner with Square Enix and other mobile gaming companies to put their mobile only games on their NX platform, push them worldwide, continue to develop their own mobile games as well, and make the NX platform a home for those games in addition to more traditional games as well.

Sony, I don't think they care about mobile gaming, or that future, they have abandoned the Vita and seem to have given up on the whole Sony mobile thing they were doing. I think they will be in for a rude awakening in the not so distant future.

MS, I believe Windows 10 will be their way to get into that mobile gaming/computer gaming space, and I think they'll begin to transition completely to a Windows 10/X gaming platform in the not to distant future and get away from "home boxes".
 
N

Neifirst

Member
I'd be fine with Nintendo going completely mobile IF I had the option to buy and play their games with a Nintendo-created and branded controller. I just don't want them to end up like Sega and have a mass exodus of their internal software developers.
 
D

DJIzana

Member
As long as there's an option to play high budget games still and transfer them to big screen then I'm fine.
 
W

WhoaIsThatMars

Member
Kimawolf said:
My thoughts? Nintendo should embrace mobile completely, partner with Square Enix and other mobile gaming companies to put their mobile only games on their NX platform, push them worldwide, continue to develop their own mobile games as well, and make the NX platform a home for those games in addition to more traditional games as well.
Click to expand...

That would never happen. That would just be another handheld. The convenience of mobile is that it's on your phone and you almost always have that on you.

Also, we don't know what NX is. Just rumors
 
S

Scientist Supreme!

Banned
I don't think i could properly answer what Nintendo is doing or should do but I do know that I'm ready and really don't see why others aren't.
And by "others" I mean people who absolutely hate mobile.
 
B

BlueDEF

Neo Member
I think you are counting the chickens before they hatch, in that I doubt that mobile gaming will be a major thing. I mean it is nice to have a good amount of adopters who use it for everything (note I am typing this from my phone). But the one issue I see is that market is drowning in titles which is quite worrying.
 
M

Mauricio_Magus

Banned
When games on mobile are as good as they are in handhelds, sure.


But I don't know how long that will take if ever. Hopefully Nintendo makes the transition somehow faster/better.
 
cireza

cireza

Member
Mobile means phone ? If yes, then I am a definitely ready
to continue playing my older consoles.

If it is hand-held gaming on dedicated consoles, like the PS Vita, then I am already in and I love it.
 
I

ironcreed

Banned
mr-jones-c-s-u-masterbate-o.gif


I'll never embrace this so called 'mobile future' you speak of.
 
F

Finale Fireworker

Member
There is no mobile future. Mobile is a separate business that caters to a different audience than us.

Edit: I changed "industry" to "business" for clarity.
 
F

Finale Fireworker

Member
Scientist Supreme! said:
Really? I kinda don't think so..
Click to expand...

Most console games are impossible on smartpones. They require controllers. They require big screens. They require processing power unsustainable by an all-purpose handheld device with a puny battery. A mobile takeover would mean all of these games would simply not exist.

That's a huge industry to simply vanish. Console games still sell millions of copies! That's a huge base of enthusiasts with desires and money who would no longer be indulged. Do you think the appetite for The Last of Us will go away in favor of Angry Birds and Puzzles and Dragons exclusively?

I'm really not worried about it.
 
K

Kimawolf

Member
Finale Fireworker said:
There is no mobile future. Mobile is a separate industry that caters to a different audience than us.
Click to expand...

you're crazy if you think mobile gaming and consoles aren't the same industry. They absolutely are, you can tell by the effect they've had by looking at handheld gaming. It destroyed Sony's handheld game and hurt Nintendo's to a point they had to change direction somewhat.

It will begin affecting consoles once the games get bigger, which they are, and mobile hardware gets more powerful, which it is. its why I think nintendo should absolutely embrace mobile, make a handheld which can play those games, and their traditional games, perhaps add LTE/4g to it, let people skype or something on it, give people options who want to play those games with a bit of traditional structure.
 
F

Finale Fireworker

Member
Kimawolf said:
you're crazy if you think mobile gaming and consoles aren't the same industry. They absolutely are, you can tell by the effect they've had by looking at handheld gaming. It destroyed Sony's handheld game and hurt Nintendo's to a point they had to change direction somewhat.

It will begin affecting consoles once the games get bigger, which they are, and mobile hardware gets more powerful, which it is. its why I think nintendo should absolutely embrace mobile, make a handheld which can play those games, and their traditional games, perhaps add LTE/4g to it, let people skype or something on it, give people options who want to play those games with a bit of traditional structure.
Click to expand...

Did television replace movies? Did blogs replace books? Did cars replace public transport?

New markets emerge, older markets shrink, and then they both stabilize. I'm not trying to sound naive. I'm just really pretty sure that the millions of customers who buy AAA games will not lose interest because their smartphone gets more powerful.
 
F

Fantastapotamus

Wrong about commas, wrong about everything
Geez people, come on. There will always be at least two gaming focused devices, the market is way too big to just go away entirely. It'll probably not be like this (3 consoles and PC) forever, but it's not going to be "Hey, have you played the new Call of Duty on iOS yet?" either.
Especially not as long as people aren't willing to pay more than 99 Cents on those devices.
 
F

Finale Fireworker

Member
SlipperyMoose said:
We are a dying breed my friends.
Click to expand...

So much negativity here!

Can anybody think of a single industry that was eradicated and replaced with a markedly different experience? Can you imagine craning over your iPhone to play a version of Last of Us on a five inch screen with no buttons?

Even it battery power improves. Even if you can connect your phone to your TV. Would you want to sacrifice all functionality of your smartphone so you can plug it in across the room and play with a controller?

Digital watches didn't replace analog watches. Microwaves didn't replace ovens. Electric drills didn't replace screwdrivers. Smartphones didn't replace high-end cameras.

My friends, we are not the same market. We have different needs that are fulfilled by different products. Just because we are smaller doesn't mean we are doomed.
 
S

Scientist Supreme!

Banned
Finale Fireworker said:
Most console games are impossible on smartpones. They require controllers. They require big screens. They require processing power unsustainable by an all-purpose handheld device with a puny battery. A mobile takeover would mean all of these games would simply not exist.

That's a huge industry to simply vanish. Console games still sell millions of copies! That's a huge base of enthusiasts with desires and money who would no longer be indulged. Do you think the appetite for The Last of Us will go away in favor of Angry Birds and Puzzles and Dragons exclusively?

I'm really not worried about it.
Click to expand...
Ok. I don't see what that has to do with mobile game being a separate industry.
 
J

James Coote

Neo Member
There'll still be a niche for console and PC gaming decades from now, made up of those who grew up with console/pc.

I don't think it can sustain 3 dedicated console makers producing AAA games in the long term though. One line of thinking says 95% of people on this planet are either non-gamers and/or are from developing countries where it's not economic to buy dedicated gaming hardware, so if you're going to go after that market, now is probably the time to make the jump.

However, I see the future more as games being far less rigid in terms of "this game only works on this device". So, you customise your character on your mobile device on the train back from work, then when you get home, you launch into battle with said character on your TV. It's all a single, seamless experience. There is only one game and it's not a case of being "on" one device or platform. Even if the game runs natively on the device (as opposed to streaming the whole thing, graphics and all), the game state sits in the cloud and is regularly synced with whatever device you're playing on at that moment.

If the NX is as rumoured, then it would fit in the middle of that, though if you can't connect your phone with it, then it might become more of an intermediate technology, until we live totally in a world of device agnostic gaming
 
K

Kimawolf

Member
Finale Fireworker said:
Did television replace movies? Did blogs replace books? Did cars replace public transport?

New markets emerge, older markets shrink, and then they both stabilize. I'm not trying to sound naive. I'm just really pretty sure that the millions of customers who buy AAA games will not lose interest because their smartphone gets more powerful.
Click to expand...

I understand what you're saying, right now, those experiences are exclusive to consoles. but my thing is soon your cell phone will be powerful enough to run that kind of experience, when that happens and you upgrade your cellphone or whatever device (tablet etc), why buy a console if your other device you use more often can provide those gaming options?

And all new devices have HDMI out, some even getting wireless HDMI out, so what is to stop you from using it when those games come?

I guess I look at it like dedicated music players; they are still around but only for audiophiles. I think consoles will end up the same, only for "gameophiles."
 
F

Fantastapotamus

Wrong about commas, wrong about everything
Kimawolf said:
you're crazy if you think mobile gaming and consoles aren't the same industry. They absolutely are, you can tell by the effect they've had by looking at handheld gaming. It destroyed Sony's handheld game and hurt Nintendo's to a point they had to change direction somewhat.
Click to expand...

Handheld gaming and console gaming are two different markets. Of course handhelds will be more effected by iOS gaming since they both serve the same need Play games on the go.

Consoles don't do that. They are a different market and serve different needs.
 
K

KANYE WEST

Banned
It's coming buddy. Mobile AND streaming. Your PS6 is gonna be amazing playing Uncharted 7: Drakes legacy exclusively on the limited edition Drake PS6 bundle.
 
F

Finale Fireworker

Member
Scientist Supreme! said:
Ok. I don't see what that has to do with mobile game being a separate industry.
Click to expand...

I mean. The same way Nikon and Canon's cameras are not the same industry as the Samsung Galaxy and the iPhone. One has a singular purpose and does it well, one has more many purposes and wider distribution that passively provides a similar feature.

You are targeting a different audience. That's all I'm saying. You're identifying customers with particular needs and you provide products for them. But fine, they're still separate products within the same industry. But one is not entirely dismantling the other.

I hope my point is still clear without the semantics of terminology, though.
 
W

whipihguh

Banned
I don't think mobile gaming is gonna be the be-all and end-all of gaming in the future. Sure, it might be significant part of the gaming industry and will likely consume the handheld market eventually, but it's not gonna replace traditional gaming anytime soon, if ever. Phones aren't really built in a way to play many of the games that there's a market for on console, and barring revolutions in controls and battery life on the mobile front, I don't see it ever being built for it.

There's still a big market for console games, and while we might have seen that market's peak, I don't think it's ever gonna go away, unless PC gaming suddenly replaces it somehow.

So I think in the case of both Sony and Microsoft, who only seem to be interested in the console sphere at this point, they should be mostly okay. Nintendo is the company that has to worry the most, but I think they're going the right path with DeNA and creating games for the mobile market, even if the mobile market doesn't consume the handheld market completely.
 
B

Boombox On

Member
I like how people got so defensive over the idea of consoles dying when OP doesn't actually suggest that.

Kimawolf said:
Sony, I don't think they care about mobile gaming, or that future, they have abandoned the Vita and seem to have given up on the whole Sony mobile thing they were doing. I think they will be in for a rude awakening in the not so distant future.
Click to expand...

Disagree. Playstation Now is what Sony is using to address that issue.

Kimawolf said:
F2P will come to consoles, just wait.
Click to expand...

Also disagree. F2P is built upon a massive userbase, and the business model requires adding content over a long period of time. Console gamers as an audience is smaller than both PC and mobile, and that audience usually plays a lot of games in a short time. Plus that number completely resets every 6 or so years. It's not a good playing ground for F2P.
 
T

Tealmann

Member
Call me when there's some decent games on Android or Windows Mobile
Right now all the good stuff, Monster Hunter, Ace Attorney, The World Ends with You, etc are iOS only, and I'm not paying the Apple fee
 
W

Wagram

Member
I'm so glad that analysts we wrong in regards to mobile gaming replacing consoles. The success of PS4 and XONE prove that both markets can co-exist. The day mobile becomes the only way to play is the day I no longer play.
 
S

Scientist Supreme!

Banned
Finale Fireworker said:
I mean. The same way Nikon and Canon's cameras are not the same industry as the Samsung Galaxy and the iPhone. One has a singular purpose and does it well, one has more many purposes and wider distribution that passively provides a similar feature.

You are targeting a different audience. That's all I'm saying. You're identifying customers with particular needs and you provide products for them. But fine, they're still separate products within the same industry. But one is not entirely dismantling the other.

I hope my point is still clear without the semantics of terminology, though.
Click to expand...
Ok, now I can see what your saying. I think the use of "industry" messed me up.
I still disagree with you in the terms that mobile is targeting different audiences though.
 
davepoobond

davepoobond

you can't put a price on sparks
Finale Fireworker said:
There is no mobile future. Mobile is a separate business that caters to a different audience than us.
Click to expand...


i think this analogy works --

TV:Movies :: Mobile:Console/PC


you can have crossover, such as made-for-tv movies. but generally you see the same sort of thing where "TV" was seen as the lower form of the other, and only after a long while TV was brought out of that negative light.


Scientist Supreme! said:
Ok, now I can see what your saying. I think the use of "industry" messed me up.
I still disagree with you in the terms that mobile is targeting different audiences though.
Click to expand...

you think that 50+ year olds who play games on mobile exclusively aren't a different audience than the traditional gaming audience????
 
K

Kimawolf

Member
Wagram said:
I'm so glad that analysts we wrong in regards to mobile gaming replacing consoles. The success of PS4 and XONE prove that both markets can co-exist. The day mobile becomes the only way to play is the day I no longer play.
Click to expand...

it wont ever be the only way, but just like you can still listen to music on dedicated music players, or take pictures with dedicated cameras, you'll always have consoles, I just think they'll go the way of dedicated cameras and audio devices. niche for those true core gamers.
 
F

FStubbs

Member
Finale Fireworker said:
Did television replace movies? Did blogs replace books? Did cars replace public transport?

New markets emerge, older markets shrink, and then they both stabilize. I'm not trying to sound naive. I'm just really pretty sure that the millions of customers who buy AAA games will not lose interest because their smartphone gets more powerful.
Click to expand...

Books replaced scrolls.
Electric washing machines replaced scrub boards.
Cash registers replaced the abacus.
Refrigerators replaced iceboxes.
PCs replaced mini computers.

More to the point:

Mobile has already gored the following devices:

PDAs
Dumb Phones
mp3 players
e-Readers
Portable scanners
Point and shoot cameras

What makes you think handhelds are immune? They're going to get gored too, just like every other electronic handheld device. In fact, sales have shown the following is starting to be gored as well:

Tablets

Smartphones are a juggernaut.

There are some things Nintendo can do to stave it off, but if they can't create a device which can do useful things mobile can't do, to where mobile's "good enough" isn't "good enough", then NX will fail.
 
F

Finale Fireworker

Member
Scientist Supreme! said:
Ok, now I can see what your saying. I think the use of "industry" messed me up.
I still disagree with you in the terms that mobile is targeting different audiences though.
Click to expand...

Really? You think Puzzles and Dragons is targeting the same audience as Uncharted 4?

Because it's not just a difference in scope, it's a difference in how they are played. One is passive, situational, and played in short bursts.
It's a "time-waster." It's a game meant for bus rides or waiting rooms or boring family holidays. The other is a larger, multi-hour experience that commands a commitment from the player. It requires an engagement, it's a sought-out experience. Somebody might "pick up" a smartphone game, but they "seek out" a console/PC game.

This doesn't mean the same person can't buy and enjoy both. I just feel that the commercials for Clash of Clans and Game of War aren't interested in me, while the commercials for the Uncharted Collection are.

You know what I mean?

Which is why I'm not worried. There is always somebody to sell you something. As long as we buy games and consoles, they will always make them. And even if we pick up more smartphone games, will we really buy less on our dedicated home machines?

When I first bought an iPhone, I was glued to Fruit Ninja and Bookworm and Angry Birds and Jetpack Joyride. But as soon as I would get home, I would put them all down to play Red Dead Redemption.

That's the future I see.

edit: I always feel like I sound so abrasive when I read my posts back. I apologize if I sound combative, I don't mean that kind of tone at all.
 
Bl@de

Bl@de

Member
I'm ready when the following happens:
- Full price AA/AAA games like Dark Souls/Uncharted are available
- Wireless controller like the DS4
- HDMI out to a TV/Monitor (via charging dock) with a TV interface designed around games (maybe even PSN)

So basically ... When smartphones become a mobile console. As long as we have games like clash of clans or other f2p/5€ titles I'm not interested. I'd rather watch movies or read a book then play games like that.
 
D

DudeWithNoName

Member
Mobile gaming to me is just a fun distraction while at work or during short downtimes. Sure, I play Clash of Clans a bit, and enjoy it.

However, my true "gaming" requires a large immersive experience with a controller and television (plus soon, VR?). Not little finger swipes on my Galaxy Note.
 
H

heringer

Member
Eventually this distinction will cease to exist anyway. Mobile and console gaming will converge in one device that does everything. If you plug a super powerfull mobile to your TV and use a controller is that mobile gaming?
 
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