Can Microsoft , Sony and Nintendo go only mobile or handheld gaming next-next gen ?

[arijoytunir]

Recently i saw crysis 3 running on a razer edge tablet . Its a really cool idea of playing AAA titles on a tablet like device with a battery life of an average laptop.Today tablets and smartphones are the most successful product categories leaving pc , tvs and game consoles behind . On ios platform the most downloaded apps are games . So games have a great potential on mobile devices.

So how about Microsoft , Sony and Nintendo go only mobile next-next gen ? it can address a wider audience .

can ps4 or xbox next be converted into a handheld console within 3-5 years ? or making a small upgrade in specs and naming it ps5 / psvita 2 handheld gaming console.?

 

[Deleted member 13524]

Well, there's two different things: shrinking the current/next-gen into a mobile form factor or releasing yet another handheld console.

I think another gaming-only handheld like Vita is out of the question. The smartphone/tablet/MID market is way too powerful and developing at a very fast pace so there's really no space for other handhelds.
The 3DS has found its space within he kids, but there are lots of talks about the Vita being dreamcasted..
We're more likely to see smartphones/tablets/MIDs with controls/accessories adapted for gaming (like Xperia Play) from Sony for Android, perhaps playing against nVidia Shield.
And Microsoft doesn't need to do much. They only need to wait for Haswell/Kaveri level hardware to be brought to handheld proportions and they'll already have the largest-ever software line-up.

The closest console to be able to go mobile (as a tablet) is the Wii U, because it already uses small everything: small cpu, small gpu, small memory controller, small memory, etc.
OTOH, releasing such a console within the next two years would require Nintendo to use a state-of-the-art manufacturing process for its chips, changing the CPU/GPU to implement power-saving techniques and actually spending more than $1 on a battery.
IMHO, Nintendo won't do any of those things because the people pulling the shots on the hardware in that company are idiots.

Comparing Durango to PS4.. if the rumours about Durango are right, then Durango should be a lot easier to shrink than PS4 because it uses a smaller SoC and slower memory.

 

[arijoytunir]

wouldnt there be storage problems for mobile AAA gaming - like occuping 25-50GB for each game ?

 

[tuna]

The real problem is that all the input methods suck. And that will only change with SUPPORTED dedicated hw.

 

[Prophecy2k]

I think this is a good question in principle OP.

I am also convinced that this is Sony's end goal with the PS mobile platform as a successor to the PS Vita.

I mean given Vita's apparent (and decidedly regrettable) failure commercially, whilst on the other hand Sony's seeming increasing success with their flagship Xperia mobile line, I can very much see them moving all internal first-party Vita development onto their PS Mobile dev platform and focussing on builsing that into "the defacto mobile gaming platform", which in my mind is still up for grabs at the moment.

Imagine Sony shipping their Xperia phones with a bluetooth control pad built into flip open phone case. Imagine something like the flip-top case of the MS surface, avec magnetic attachment, but the flap is thicker and a real controller with real buttons and "pop-out" dual analogues. Sony could easily ship them with every Xperia, whilst still earning a healthy profit on each handset, whilst also pushing their PS mobile platform for all their major first-party handheld franchises.

They could still take advantage of 3rd party handsets with PS mobile by releasing a bluetooth controller specification that allows third party vendors to create "PS mobile certified" controller peripherals for other popular 3rd party "PS certified" handsets. They certainly have the ability to leverage the two platforms rather nicely.

On the other hand MS too is in a reasonably good position to do something similar with Win Phone and the XB brand with XBLA games. However, given they don't make any handsets, and that their mobile OS is limited only to one handset manufacturer, it's unlikely they can achieve the same sales potential that Sony could if they really pushed PS mobile as their dedicated gaming "mult-platform" mobile platform.

This is more along the lines of what I see the big three looking towards down the line. Their home console businesses will continue on as always imho. There's no way tablets will take over from home consoles, unless Sony, MS and Nintendo foolishly stop trying.

 

[dagamer]

I think this is a good question in principle OP.

I am also convinced that this is Sony's end goal with the PS mobile platform as a successor to the PS Vita.

I mean given Vita's apparent (and decidedly regrettable) failure commercially, whilst on the other hand Sony's seeming increasing success with their flagship Xperia mobile line, I can very much see them moving all internal first-party Vita development onto their PS Mobile dev platform and focussing on builsing that into "the defacto mobile gaming platform", which in my mind is still up for grabs at the moment.

Imagine Sony shipping their Xperia phones with a bluetooth control pad built into flip open phone case. Imagine something like the flip-top case of the MS surface, avec magnetic attachment, but the flap is thicker and a real controller with real buttons and "pop-out" dual analogues. Sony could easily ship them with every Xperia, whilst still earning a healthy profit on each handset, whilst also pushing their PS mobile platform for all their major first-party handheld franchises.

They could still take advantage of 3rd party handsets with PS mobile by releasing a bluetooth controller specification that allows third party vendors to create "PS mobile certified" controller peripherals for other popular 3rd party "PS certified" handsets. They certainly have the ability to leverage the two platforms rather nicely.

On the other hand MS too is in a reasonably good position to do something similar with Win Phone and the XB brand with XBLA games. However, given they don't make any handsets, and that their mobile OS is limited only to one handset manufacturer, it's unlikely they can achieve the same sales potential that Sony could if they really pushed PS mobile as their dedicated gaming "mult-platform" mobile platform.

This is more along the lines of what I see the big three looking towards down the line. Their home console businesses will continue on as always imho. There's no way tablets will take over from home consoles, unless Sony, MS and Nintendo foolishly stop trying.

I dunno, didn't Sony already try the "make the gaming device the smartphone" already? It was called the Xperia Play and it bombed worse than the Vita did.

The biggest problem with that kind of device is a) it assumes everyone will buy it and b) it assumes games will be made for it, both of which are huge leaps. And because its a smartphone, if I really like iOS, there is absolutely no way I'm going to also get a $600 Xperia Play or it's successor (because for some idiotic reason, a smartphone actually costs hundreds of dollars more than the 3G PS Vita, which is how you KNOW the system is rigged).

Because of that, going down that path again is foolish.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

One failed attempt doesn't disprove a possibility. Numerous people tried the tablet computer and failed, but that didn't prove there was no future in the concept as iPad and Android now shows us. The failings of the Xperia Play don't reflect on what could or couldn't be done in future handheld mobile console offerings.

 

[dagamer]

One failed attempt doesn't disprove a possibility. Numerous people tried the tablet computer and failed, but that didn't prove there was no future in the concept as iPad and Android now shows us. The failings of the Xperia Play don't reflect on what could or couldn't be done in future handheld mobile console offerings.

Thing is, I don't consider it a console if the hardware has constantly changing specs. You end up with a continuously sliding scale of hardware performance (like a PC), end up needing to test on multiple devices (like a PC), only to have to deal with performance issues with various hardware/software combinations (like a PC) and almost none of the benefits of a console (extracting maximum performance out of hardware).

That and, again, the devices with good GPUs cost $500+. And Apple certainly isn't going to support this, so you've already knocked out 30-40% of your potential market, an extremely valuable portion of the market at that.

It's not that I don't see where Sony could make money with such an product, but it just doesn't sound very appealing to me. And in a world where carriers control WAY too much with smartphones, plus Sony only has a casual relationship with AT&T and no other US carrier, I just don't see the light at the end of the tunnel here.

And like I've said before, $30 games on a smartphone are an absolute non-starter. You only need to look at the top grossing games on iOS to see that. All of them are free to download. Perhaps 1 (Real Racing 3) begins to approach console-quality development effort. If current handheld devs tried to enter the market, I think there would be a bloodbath.

 

[Arwin]

While it is a good question in principle, I am 100% against it - I personally don't feel there is such a thing as 'enough power' on the horizon, until I can play a LittleBigPlanet where I can use natural elements like water, sand, fire and wind in a fully realistic way.

 

[Prophecy2k]

Thing is, I don't consider it a console if the hardware has constantly changing specs. You end up with a continuously sliding scale of hardware performance (like a PC), end up needing to test on multiple devices (like a PC), only to have to deal with performance issues with various hardware/software combinations (like a PC) and almost none of the benefits of a console (extracting maximum performance out of hardware).

Well we'e talking about mobile gaming platforms not consoles, and the most successful mobile gaming platforms at the moment are iOS and Android.

That and, again, the devices with good GPUs cost $500+. And Apple certainly isn't going to support this, so you've already knocked out 30-40% of your potential market, an extremely valuable portion of the market at that.

Well Sony doesn't really need to get PS mobile on Apple devices for PS Mobile to succeed (as much as it would be a major boon to them). They only need to get PS Mobile onto all the major Android Smartphone and tablet providers, i.e. Samsung, LG, Google etc etc. If you've been following the trends globally, Android and particularly Samsung's devices are rapidly becoming the mobile devices of choice for consumers.

Also, mobiles are all bought on contract, so upfront costs are pretty much a non-issue (i.e. people seem to love debt).

It's not that I don't see where Sony could make money with such an product, but it just doesn't sound very appealing to me. And in a world where carriers control WAY too much with smartphones, plus Sony only has a casual relationship with AT&T and no other US carrier, I just don't see the light at the end of the tunnel here.

You're missing the point here. PS Mobile's potential for success here comes not from it being a service exclusive to Sony-manufactured and sold devices. But instead, potentially all Android devices. My point was that if Sony managed to get real games that gamers would be willing to pay more than $0.99-free for on a dedicated gaming mobile platform, and provide a means to control those games with a reasonable packed-in "attachable" peripheral (note the term, as Xperia play used a form factor undesirable to non and caaual gamers, and also many gamers for that matter), then they could in fact manage to succeed in translating perfectly the software ecosystem from deidcated gaming portables like the 3DS and Vita to mobile platforms like phones and tablets.

And like I've said before, $30 games on a smartphone are an absolute non-starter. You only need to look at the top grossing games on iOS to see that. All of them are free to download. Perhaps 1 (Real Racing 3) begins to approach console-quality development effort. If current handheld devs tried to enter the market, I think there would be a bloodbath.

Again, I feel you may be missing the point here, as nothing precludes Sony setting prices for software on PS Mobile at $30. That's not the end goal. The end goal is being able to make the platform available to enough devices, i.e. phones and tablets that sell in the multiple hundreds of millions of units, such that economies of scale will allow games developed with the same scope of PS Vita and 3DS games to be sold at prices only slightly elevated above the current AppStore and Google Play game status quo. Sony is also embracing free to play with the PS4, so there's absolutely no reason to assume that PS Mobile won't allow the same business models to thrive on their service.

 

[Deleted member 13524]

I don't think Google would be fine with PS Mobile taking a chunk of the AAA games from Google Play.

 

[arijoytunir]

how about the playstation os that kaz hirai mentioned to theverge.com at ces 2013 ?
today the demand of a device that does everything is enormous . this is why the tablets and smartphones does so well. i think sony is trying to make up a good catalog of apps and games on psvita which i guess runs The playstation os . And afterwards sony can run that os on its tablets , etc.

 

[Prophecy2k]

I don't think Google would be fine with PS Mobile taking a chunk of the AAA games from Google Play.

It's not upto Google though. Sony just needs to get the major handset manufacturers on board.

If anything, anything that gives more reason for people to buy Android devices over iOS ones is a boon to Google.