The Next Greatest Threat to Mobile Gaming
By .ed. Saturday, 14. June 2008, 21:09:56
I should clarify that by 'mobile gaming' I am referring to all types of mobile gaming that are done on portable gaming devices, of which everyone [should know and] can agree that Nintendo DS commands a good portion of that market segment. Therefore my commentary on the topic does apply to PSP, GBA, and mobile phones, etc. to a degree proportional to thier share of that pie.
As many of you know, I have a one hour train commute to and from work every day not unlike many millions of Japanese citizens. Odd for an American, but the status quo in the land of the Rising Sun. And I've done so for 3 and a half years now. I envy Japan's transit system and the penetration of mobile gaming there.
For a while there, I was pleased to see a steadily increasing number of my fellow commuters embrace portable gaming, too. It's not rare to hear the tell-tale "click" of a DS widening it's jaws as riders settle in for their daily journey to work, home, or Hyrule. Tracing white headphone cables down a wearer's jacket to a dual screened device over a 'click-wheeled' one is less and less surprising.
Many factors can be tapped as reasons for this welcome change in an obviously older audience. An aging population of first and second generation gamers as well as more compelling software are among the easiest to identify but the efforts of Nintendo widening the appeal of gaming to more women, older 'non-gamers,' and lessening the taboos of video games as an awkward antisocial movement should also be credited. The Touch Generations series of games including Brain Age and all of the copy-cat software that followed seem to have really done their part.
While these gaming devices end up in more users hands/bags/homes they're always going to be competing with that one thing that crushes mobile gaming devices in install base: mobile phones with data/internet access. There are 6 million 1st generation iPhones out there, and iPhone 3G isn't going to be any less popular (despite being a modest update at best). Opera Mini boasts 44 million users, and works on almost a thousand phones too. Besides these two major players in mobile internet access, there is the always growing number of users learning about the benefits of the phone they already own, and getting online with it.
Even though moble phone hardware dominates in install base vs. portable gaming devices, the gaming devices have the better software for spending hours of downtime with... Until now. The killer app for mobile phones was around before Nintendo DS was even a pre-E3 rumor: Social Networking. As data rates become more reasonable (or justifiable depending on perspective), and phones become better equipped (either out of the box of via the latest version of Opera Mini) social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook (even MyOpera) are getting more and more of user's downtime minutes, and even hours.
Admittedly, 5 years or so ago I was addicted to social networking. By that I mean when I got home, I'd be on there
I gradually matured to a point where I use social networking as a tool. Everyone should. But there's a sucker born every minute and it's no secret the social networking
Traditionally mobile gaming devices step it up with every new system, and it's never been difficult to look at emerging technologies and predict the features of the next mobile gaming device, until now. As Microsoft and Sony attempt to build thier Live and upcoming Home services respectively into social networking engines, Nintendo sits mysteriously enjoying a moment of fame. The next big thing in mobile gaming is not garunteed and therefore poses no immediate threat nor can it lay claim to a portion of the demographic of users who prefer to spend an hour on a phone over a DS. Microsoft has tried to infuse mobile devices with their secretly growing/integrating network of Live services with the latest Zune software, MSN Messenger, Live Spaces, and XBOX Live but it barely touches mobile devices beyond those running Windows Mobile and lets face it, they are in the hands of the wrong user base. Sony has a plethora of devices on the market from the Mylo (which runs Opera
) to PSP and are working steadily to bring the often delayed Playstation Home service to users in some way beyond PS3, but there is very little in the way of integration with phones to predict any type of acheivement in the future. Nintendo... where are you?If the next generation of mobile gaming devices doesn't tie in with a form of social networking, I'd say the two will be placed in comparison to each other far more than anyone expected in the years to come. There is only so much mobile downtime in a person's day, and as that time slowly gets replaced with the desire to socially network by a youger audience, the game industry will need to respond. There is still the ability to play mobile games at home, but companies would be hard pressed to convince investors that games on a 3 inch screen can compete with the dropping prices of HDTVs and the content that inevitably is enjoyed on them.
Needless to say the train is filled with passengers that arent gaming or listening to iPods at all. But more and more as I take a glance at what they're reading, their faces aren't tipped down at a book either, well, at least not a paper one.
Interesting note: I actually took the picture at the top of this post on October 17th, 8:48pm with my phone. And it's a remarkable illustration for this post. It wasn't posed, nor do I know the two people in it.
(31%)
WIDGETIZE
Anton # 15. June 2008, 03:52
DrLaunch # 15. June 2008, 10:39
Kasper Adolph # 15. June 2008, 11:15
The bottom screen could be used as the dial. You'd probably have to wear a headset because of the size of a DS though. It really can't go smaller than the DS Lite since it would mainly be a gaming device. But think of the possibilities!
Oh my science!
Ace Jon # 15. June 2008, 13:24
But when the next Nintendo portable comes out, will it not boast some awesome technology? that's why the DS did so well. It was new, it used new technologies and ideas and it had enjoyable games.
As long as the technical side keeps up and Shigeru doesn't die, gaming will be prominent in the mobile entertainment area.
DrLaunch # 15. June 2008, 14:01
Ace Jon # 15. June 2008, 15:07
.ed # 15. June 2008, 17:52
A MMO that has things like real time facebook apps, and integrates things like the music you play on your device into your player stats (so your character automagically has a favorite genre of music, etc).
It should also integrate a front or rear (or both) facing camera on the device to add the ability to upload images to be mapped to objects in game.
At it's core it would have to be something like Playstation Home or Second Life, where there really is no style, you make it your own. that way it has a wide appeal and comes off being community driven rather than prescribed.
and ideally, just like the Mii system was originally to be included in the menu and hardware for Nintendo DS, it would need to be a part of the system firmware, and be updateable, like Playstation Home, so it can be the conduit through which all comunity action is delivered, games are launched, and chat takes place.
itunes is missing is the community/games, playstation home is missing is the portable device and integration with other websites, and nintendo is missing is the portable microtransaction outlet and a next gen device.
as stated above, the way we always know whats coming is to look at emerging technologies, and all of the peices are there.. it's going to take one company to seriously put them into a business model and dive in like Apple did with itunes.