The Gamer's Quarter

Ketch · . Joined: 17 Sep 2005 Posts: 420

I've realised that Handhelds are the way of the future! It just seems so archaic having my X-Box 360 plugged into the tv, and worse still now that one of them has blown up. So that we only have one tv so it is either Watching TV or Playing Games. Likewise when we had two tvs it seemed very antisocial to have to go somewhere else to play a bit (ie. if we were watching a film that I've seen before).
The more immediate nature of Handheld games also seems more appropriate, you can just pick 'em up and play - then (usually) quick-save / or use sleep-mode (which I don't because it is a waste of power).

With the DS you can have wireless multiplayer games.
And most of all the DS has got games that my mother likes, such as Pheonix Wright 1 + 2, Another Code, Brain Training and even a quick shot at Project Rub.

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silentmatt · Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:18 am Post subject:

I've heard that argument many times... and, while I do love my PSP and my GBA, I do not think that a handheld can compete in the larger, social context of gaming.

This was recently emphasized at our place by the awesomeness of Guitar Hero. Non-gamers and gamers alike have been flocking by our apartment to play and the results are often hilarious and fun.

Games like this (and systems like the Wii) are making videogames a family/social experience again. Handhelds just drive home the single player, isolated experience - which does still have some merit (sometimes I miss staying up all night by myself playing something, as opposed to having to wait for one of my friends to come-by so we can experience the storyline together) but, I really think the 'future' of videogames lies more in multiplayer and social experiences than solitary gaming.
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wourme · . Joined: 01 Jul 2005 Posts: 362 Location: Maridia

I don't like handheld video games, personally. I have good memories of games on my spinach Game Boy when I was younger, but now that portable games are no longer a novelty I much prefer a TV screen.

My indifference became annoyance when Circle of the Moon switched from PS2 to GBA. I did eventually get a Game Boy Player for it and the few other GBA games that interested me, but I still can't help but think about what a 2D platformer might be like on a current-gen platform. Well, I guess they aren't current-gen anymore--when exactly does that officially change?

Nana Komatsu · weak sauce Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 1293

Handhelds are the future. Mobile gaming is the future. Games on cell phones and portable devices (your treo/blackberry/iphone/sidekick) is the future because soon everyone will be carrying one of these devices and the idea that you carry a separate gaming machine will be ridiculous. Given the current state of the industry in the US, I'm not thrilled with this, but the technology is converging and I see things as only being inevitable.
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dmauro · . Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Posts: 303 Location: Brooklyn

I kind of thought convergence was on the way out and then everyone got all excited about the iPhone.

With console games there is definitely a sense of investment that doesn't come with handheld games. I will often turn on my DS just to play Recca for like the first two levels until I die, and then turn it off. When I sit in front of the TV to play videogames, it's going to be at least for thirty minutes (putting Wario Ware Wii in a weird place, but still leaving me wanting). And if I'm going to sit down and focus on something for that long, I'd often rather read or watch a movie, so the portable, throwaway gaming appeals to me much more.

Despite the DS and PSP's wireless gaming possibilities, they get no multiplayer time from me, so I think of them exclusively as singleplayer game machines. When I want to game with friends, that is when the consoles really come in handy. This is why I want the multiplayer to be good in Ware Ware Wii, and why I keep the Dreamcast around (besides for Under Defeat).

As for the future: the more things change...

Pijaibros · Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 11:08 am Post subject:

Mister Toups · Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 11:15 am Post subject:

simplicio · . Joined: 03 May 2005 Posts: 1091

That's also because convergence has thus far meant doing a bunch of different things poorly. iPhone is probably trying to change that, but it'll never work unless they can lower the price (and I still don't think it has everything it needs, anyway).

If people can replace their camera, mp3 player, phone and datebook/palm with one device that's not cost prohibitive, they will. If you can throw games on there that's fine, but I don't think it's as much of a driving force.

The one thing Apple does have going for it is its popular cache; people won't be afraid to switch from the comfortable social ubiquity of their iPods to another apple product. It won't be the smash hit because of price and Cingular exclusivity and contracts, but then Apple has Cingular in their palm (what're they going to do, drop the iPhone after spending millions to upgrade their network for it?), and in the next generation they can add a good camera, or make it cheaper, or offer it on additional networks. Plus the public will have had time to figure out that it's hip. So I see it as a starting point for a portable convergence device, and I'd be shocked if Apple actually thought they were going to get everything perfect and achieve market dominance in the first go around.

The games will remain totally tertiary, though.

Nana Komatsu · weak sauce Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 1293

I don't think convergence is such an out there concept still. The PS2 sold really well because it could play DVDs (albeit poorly) and Sony is betting on the PS3 doing the same with blu-ray.

Convergence is happening in the mobile market already. People are using their phones for more than just talking, you have your cameras, SMS, recording video, and even moreso with people using blackberries/treos to get email anywhere or access the web. The way I figure it, it is only a matter of time before things like media consumption and eventually games make their way (there will need to be a stable platform, whether that's OSX or Windows Mobile first) and I believe the trends that are occuring in Japan and all of Asia is a sign of where things are heading here.
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Mister Toups · Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 3:33 pm Post subject:

Well I'll believe it when I actually see it happening. Maybe it's because I live in the south but the idea of convergence just sounds too hifalutin' to ever work.
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Pijaibros · Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 3:50 pm Post subject:

Really. It's hard enough teaching people to use the features of their own phones properly.

I don't see things like this being mainstream for at least a generation. We gotta kill off the Baby Boomers before we can actually do things.

Nana Komatsu · weak sauce Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 1293

Well I'm saying that it is happening. Not just in silicon valley either: if you know someone who works in an office for a big company, ask them if they know what a blackberry is. My understanding is they are basically synonymous with business these days (and being used by many baby boomers still in the workforce). I mean checking your email and stocks on a phone isn't as glamorous as playing games on a PSP, but that is still convergence.

I agree before these things get to the masses they can't truly be considered successful, but three years ago nobody knew what an iPod was either.
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simplicio · . Joined: 03 May 2005 Posts: 1091

I think the idea of portable convergence is more valid than home convergence too, and that will help it in the long run. When you can throw out your palm pilot and/or physical address book, mp3 player, camera and portable dvd player because your phone does all that without compromising quality, the space and weight and hassle saved on a daily basis is pretty tangible. Not that the iphone does all that, or even comes very close maybe, but it's a big step in the right direction.

And you never call it a convergence device in public, of course. That's just insider tradeshow talk. It's iPhone with a capital (i)P.

player 2 · . Joined: 10 Jul 2005 Posts: 585 Location: Madison, WI USA

Mark my words:

Right now Asus is developing a wireless laptop docking station that will interface with monitors, printers, anything a normal docking station does. The only problem is cost. Once prices go down, expect to see handhelds that interface with your television in the same way. Portable media players probably will come first, but games aren't much more of a step technologically after that.
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