Who says they didn't. Nintendo nailed it but I can't bring myself to play it having watched it in motion. It's sure impressive for a 3DS game but it still looks ugly as sin. Some games my brain just refuses to make allowances for on that hardware and Monster Hunter is one.
I found the graphics quite beautiful actually with the exception being that the more...realistic-ish graphics really make the low resolution screen quite evident compared to something with a less realistic-ish graphics cartoony graphics. In Etrian Odyssey or Bravely default it's not as noticeable that the screen is low resolution. But with all the fine detail in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, the low resolution becomes hugely evident as fine details can't be resolved well.
I'm also guessing the WW install base combined with general software sales performance on 3DS compared to VITA combined with the dual screen development (dual screen is really well done for MH4U) made the prospects of a port to VITA less desirable. Not just the UI, but controls would have to be reworked for a VITA version.
Well I will concede that in this regard reaching at least 720p (corners cases aside) would irons things out. Yet my phone has FWVGA screen and in most cases it is fine. As for the streaming for the PS4, how do scaling is handled, is SSAA applied? It would make for a very clean image and great image quality once the screen properties are taken in account (compared to an overwhelming part of the TV park). Higher resolution could be nice but the PSV screen pixel density is 220, imo it more a matter of scaling not being done properly or psychologic issue (like strong dislike for the idea).
Ah, but we're talking about the next portable, not Vita. Phones and tablets render games at resolutions far higher than Vita does now. The Vita was released in 2011, almost four years ago, it's ancient in mobile graphics technology terms.
It is ancient but it has access to more bandwidth than most devices. Another thing is that from 540p to way more (x4), as it seems you want, we speak of a massive increase in pixels and theirs overheads (processing power, memory footprint, screen own overhead).
Most games are quite simple on Android, they look good on tiny and fancy screen (not even considering resolution, contrast, color reproduction, etc are unmatched by bigger display), I'm not convince they looks so nice in person on a FHD TV. I will grant you that Nintendo and handheld games are simple too. Then there is throttling (the shield portable needs active cooling to avoid it).
In 4 years pushing a humongous (one would say inappropriate) amount of pixels has not become free far from it. It has a beefy cost and I would bet that most tablets or phones can't push demanding Vita games at their native resolution.
More importantly handheld is different market than either phones or tablets, selling prices are different, business models are differents, etc. What you are asking for exists, it is called a Xperia tab, it is in competition with iPad and products with many others manufacturers.
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The night did its work I think I would vote against the thing I described earlier.
1) I always found the controls cramped on handheld, a clamshell design should ease the issue a lot but the second screen (even a lesser, square one) will always be in the way of more appropriate controls.
2) 2 screens is not the most cost effective approach.
What should Sony do if it were seeing potential in the handheld market?
1) Handheld, like some phones, have grown quite big: both the PS Vita and 3DS XL are not that easily pocketable. The PV Vita unprotected screen and various inputs make the issue worse. The 3DS is better in that regarded but screen is really tiny by nowaday standard. May be pocketability should be of greater concern to manufacturers. Clamshell is a must for that type of usage.
2) The DS line second screen allowed for great things that would not have been possible otherwise. But could there be others ways to that extra real screen estate in a more efficient way? How about a different screen format ratio? How about 21:9 screens?
3) Sony should go with a resistive screen + passive stylus, for sturdiness, precision and handwriting recognition.
4) 2 triggers, 4 face buttons, 2 back buttons.
5) fancy hinge.
6) design matched with the Xperia line.
A design with tiny bezels supporting 5" screen could ended a tad more compact than the new 3DS (not XL). 11.86 square inch on the new 3DS against 9.06 square inch of screen real estate on the new hypothetical device.
Using the 3DS LL as the basis a 6.3" screen could fit.
It is ancient but it has access to more bandwidth than most devices. Another thing is that from 540p to way more (x4), as it seems you want, we speak of a massive increase in pixels and theirs overheads (processing power, memory footprint, screen own overhead). Most games are quite simple on Android, they look good on tiny and fancy screen (not even considering resolution, contrast, color reproduction, etc are unmatched by bigger display), I'm not convince they looks so nice in person on a FHD TV.
I have no experience with Android. On mobile I game on my 3DS XL, Vita, iPhone (occasionally) and iPad Mini (retina). The iPad has a 7" 2048x1536 screen and many 3D games render, at very close to, the native resolution. That hardware was launched in 2013.
In a couple of years time I think it may be tricky to find a good quality 5" screen in low resolutions. It's crazy out there in panel manufacturer land, Sharp recently announced a 4K 5.5" screen.
I have no experience with Android. On mobile I game on my 3DS XL, Vita, iPhone (occasionally) and iPad Mini (retina). The iPad has a 7" 2048x1536 screen and many 3D games render, at very close to, the native resolution. That hardware was launched in 2013.
In a couple of years time I think it may be tricky to find a good quality 5" screen in low resolutions. It's crazy out there in panel manufacturer land, Sharp recently announced a 4K 5.5" screen.
I'm close to think that the overall behaviour of the industry and the customers has been closer to mania than anything rational. We are getting close to the end of it, smartphones are commodities I expect that within years now most customers realizes that those 100$ are more than good enough. The manufacturers are desperate to keep the flow of income from high end, crazy expensive phones, it is shrinking. Indian and Chinese are yet to focus their effort on the occidental part of the world. Only a couple of brand (as usual I would say, oligopoly and duopoly...) will secure the profitable spot (Apple seems to be there already), most of the others actors they either won't the critical mass and brand to operate with the razor sharp margins of the newcomers from the east. Wearable won't make up for the loss of income, even less VR or AR solutions.
We've been through a bubble, blended with the awakening of industrial superpowers, the pace of the improvement in the mobile realm has completely decoupled from the technical progress which means that something has to take a hit (margins), lots of companies are on their last legs. It got that bad that some companies are actually slightly raising the price of their low-end offering using LTE as a justification: margins was too sharp
Chinese launched wrench into their plans and their presence on the market is still limited
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The smartphone are to soon lose anything that was magic about them, they won't be a new things anymore and the scope of the services they can offers can't increase forever (either it will greatly exceed individual and typical usages of the devices), once that settle down in most customers minds well as I said earlier ~100$ phones do actually a great job at being smartphones.
Reality is to take over again. But we are quite OT, my fault actually, what do you think it best? We open a thread on one would like the next PSP to be (sorry but Vita doesn't cut it for me) and we continue to happily disagree or stop here for now? Mods? I'm not sure the discussion can go forever either, everything has been tried already... twice... though it is more a matter of putting together the good pieces than reinventing the wheels.
I just an another idea yesterday while trying to find sleep about the controls, something that have been tried on another device.
I wonder if the right part of the controls (4 face buttons, and the analog stick on a PS Vita) could be replace by something akin to the BlackBerry Passport who can act as a touch interface. In the case of the BB it only works for horizontal and vertical movement but I believe the idea can be pushed further, BB simply did not needed to provide more freedom of movement. I don't know for sure how the BB Passport works
I would think that the silver color thing in between rows is doing the work, not the keys
but I think Sony should go from sensing stripes to a sort of grip to increase precision.
Instead of sticking to 4 buttons, Sony push the idea to its fullest and implement lots of keys, 4x3. That is a whooping 12 buttons! And whereas it might not end as precise as a proper touchpad it allows to clicks (many) buttons without having to move from analog<->face buttons. As for the numbering I would go with something akin to old phones numerical + a couple of function key. 4 Keys would use traditional playstation color scheme.
F1-7-8-9
F2-4-5-6
00-1-2-3
The idea is not to provide a glorified Playstation (4) controller but something more akin to Valve's approach that provides inputs useful to a numerous types of games.
As for the device itself, I would still go with a +5" 21:9 screen format ratio, resistive+stylus.
I would go with a clamshell design and would unfold into a contiguous slab/slate (I mean the back of the lid and of the dock would aligned). The device would be meant to be held with the screen "down" and as such the triggers would be on the opposite side of the hinge making their design easier. The could be held the other way if one decides to map triggers to some free face buttons. Interestingly the device could be used flat in creative ways: controls toward the user triggers mapped to free face buttons, or (for right handed) screen+stylus on the right and "keypad" on the left, or do the same but with the device laying flat on a surface or support.
Sony would also produce a bigger unit, akin to the 2DS, that doesn't fold and that offer a bigger screen (+8 inch), SOny could consider an increase in resolution, something that could be made up through increased clock speed (GPU and RAM,) allowed by the form factor ( the extra RAM needed would have been accounted for as part of the OS memory reservation).
Is the Last Guardian being rewritten? I had always assumed the reason this game has taken so long to release is that it was actually just a tech demo. I think Sony got caught up in a uproar tornado and just couldn't say sorry, this was a demo not a game.
Prediction: Sony will refund Shenmue III Kickstarter contributors and game will never be made.
Kickstarter was nothing more than publicity creating stunt for E3.
Sony contributed anonymously to its own Kickstarter to help it 'break records'.
Kickstarter will close around $5 million and Sony will shortly after make a statement that "due to the strong fan support" it's decided to back Shenmue III with a full budget of its own, returning the contributors money and thanking them, while permanently burying the game in development hell.
Is the Last Guardian being rewritten? I had always assumed the reason this game has taken so long to release is that it was actually just a tech demo. I think Sony got caught up in a uproar tornado and just couldn't say sorry, this was a demo not a game.
No they said it's the same game the director wanted to make on PS3. They had too many performance issues on PS3 and decided to shelf the game and wait for PS4.
I said that as a joke when we knew nothing, to express some frustration about the delay... It's one of my most anticipated games.
Well that's nonsense. Divisons Imaging Products & Solutions, Home Entertainment & Sound and Devices are all well in profit. The majority of Sony's divisions are now profitable so shutting them down after several expensive quarters of restructuring and reorganising would be a weird decision.
Their TV and home theatre heavily under promoted. Their phones git the same problem.
The store person even casually says that they promote Samsung and oppo because more cut. Sony is too stingy.
Dunno how correct that information is. Although from my experience, official person often say stuff that should not be said
Heck my isp technician even gave me the secret backdoor password for all of their adsl modem. Spoiler alert : it's the same password for all brands. I also have tested it on restaurant, etc. It is real. That backdoor account also can't be deleted without force flashing the modem.
But if you force flash, the isp won't replace your modem for free if the modem broken. Although they do still give it for free when I need to upgrade to a modem that support adsl and iptv.
Yeah seems a little goofy, from what I read they are doing well in the sensor/camera space especially with Canon being asleep at the wheel. The insurance thing was surprising though, I had no idea they were involved in that.
Imaging sensors are basically Sony's money-printing machines. There is a Sony sensor in pretty much every smartphone in the universe right now, and has been for quite a while.
They're so good at it that even professional camera makers have been using Sony sensors for quite a while. Nikon for sure.
Sony has actually elevated themselves to the top of camera makers in the last few years. Their last full frame mirrorless are just monsters of photography.
Why ? The surface line makes money , I believe their mice and keyboard line ups make money.
Windows phone doesn't make money and they might drop it if windows 10 mobile doesn't help. I don't know if the XBOX makes or looses money at this point.
When was the last time the mobile phone line at sony made them money ?
Are you completely oblivious to the contrariness here? Sony's devices make them money, yet you say Sony should abandon them. Rikimaru was sarcastically showing the error in your thinking. Then you argue in favour of MS staying in devices, while saying Sony should abandon them, even though Sony makes far more money from its devices than MS does.
