Mobile gaming and its chances..

[Rumsworth]

So platforms primarily used for gaming are the current gen Xbox and PlayStation, and 'puters. Mobile games/apps (talking about tablets, too) are always considered casual games, and are never something you're really going to get your teeth sunk into, but do they have a chance? The controls can get super annoying and clunky, and I've never really seen anything brought out that even has a proper, solid story, but is that the device's fault or the developers'?
Pic is a screenshot of "Dead Trigger" being played on my Google Nexus 7. It's essentially a Nazi Zombies rip, but shit has some of the best graphics available on mobiles and it runs flawlessly.
Thoughts?

[Rumsworth]

also here's another screenshot of GTA 2 being played with a Playstation One emulator on the same device. Runs flawlessly, doesn't really look great but it's an old game, and is a real treat to play with a microUSB keyboard (not so much with the touch controls)

[Dean]

I don't like the idea of playing games on a small, touch screen device. That may be partly down to the fact that I'm not really someone who likes handheld gaming. I prefer to be sat down, looking at a TV screen with a controller in my hands. What I do like about mobile gaming is the increase in indie developers we've seen. It has provided a platform that people can release games on without needing a big budget or a team of developers to back them up.

I'm excited to see what happens with the Ouya. It will have the openness of the mobile games market but allow games to be developed for a specific system with a specific controller, rather than games that are developed for mobile devices with varying hardware specs and screen sizes.

I imagine that mobile gaming takes up a pretty big chunk of the gaming market now though. I see people playing games on their smart phones that have probably never owned a video game console. It's opening up the world of gaming to people who otherwise wouldn't care about it.

[Rumsworth]

At 4/8/13 04:29 PM, Dean wrote: I don't like the idea of playing games on a small, touch screen device. That may be partly down to the fact that I'm not really someone who likes handheld gaming. I prefer to be sat down, looking at a TV screen with a controller in my hands. What I do like about mobile gaming is the increase in indie developers we've seen. It has provided a platform that people can release games on without needing a big budget or a team of developers to back them up.

I think that after you've had a tablet or a mobile for a while and you've gotten over the initial curve of trying to get used to only using touch, or a small keypad, you get a little more excited about mobile gaming and any interesting things that get released. That being said, it's undeniable that it'll never create as much atmosphere or immersion, some key points of gaming, as a real big screen and a controller (or keyboard) that you can practically forget is there. For me, that's pretty much where it falls miles short. As for the developer point, you're right, it's definitely created a way for indie developers to get themselves out there and making games, but at the same time if you scroll through Google's play store, for example, there's not really that sense that anybody is trying to push or innovate in gaming on a mobile platform. You tend to see a lot of the same apps being repeated, just for some small bucks on ad money. That disappoints me a little.

[Rumsworth]

Here's some more eye candy. It's a shame that the most fun you can have on a mobile platform is emulating other platforms.

[Rumsworth]

At 4/9/13 12:20 PM, Rumsworth wrote: Here's some more eye candy. It's a shame that the most fun you can have on a mobile platform is emulating other platforms.

Forgot the damn pic.

[Rumsworth]

At 4/9/13 02:13 PM, Crink wrote: of course they have a chance

Sure, they stand a huge chance at being a travelling companion and a casual gaming miracle, but I guess what I'm really questioning is whether it will hit a point where mobile gaming will really take off and start appealing to gamers with real, full games with the same level of story and features as a console game. I think the main things holding it back are simply the controls and the screens. Mobile phones at their current size will simply never be enough to accommodate that kind of game. Tablets stand a better chance but still suffer with the control problem.
I have a plug in keyboard for my tab, and I know the Microsoft Surface comes with a neat little keyboard - That certainly makes gaming a lot easier on these things but then you end up asking yourself "Why not just get a laptop?".
They should start distributing these fuckers with bluetooth controllers or something.

[fawnret]

I mainly find the games on smart phones and such to be sort of like candy. A sweet little treat to enjoy on the run. Casual always seems like a harsh term. Really all it means is a game that's easy to understand. I get a lot of fun out of them when waiting between classes or when I'm in bed and can't sleep. You were saying stories never had an interesting story and usually have clunky controls. I'd recommend you check out the Infinity Blade games. The second game is probably the best ios game out there. It has fantastic graphics, solid controls, and a pretty interesting story with a fair amount of mystery to it, particularly in the second one. It's accessible and can get you addicted to the combat. You'll work to find every little area and secret that you can, cause the game has quite a few of them. It's the prime example of what awesomeness can actually come out of those little ios devices.

[darkjam]

Some games such as nova are good, but it's near impossible to play comfortably on a touch screen, that's why the mediocre, crap ones (angry birds) are the best selling ones, they're easy to play. The more complex games are less popular but more fun and I think they should be brought to consoles, mobiles will be their for the casual gamer or somebody to kill the time, but my local news show is acting like it will be the next big thing! Ha! Bullshit, mobile technology may be rapidly evolving, but even still a dreamcast has more power than most on the market. Bottom line, mobile gaming will stay but never catch on.

[darkjam]

Some companies are trying to make it so that it is more hardcore and better to play, like that accessory that lets you use a Playstation 3 controller with an android phone, and the game stick, which you plug into a HDMI and then you have access to the whole android market, but i doubt it will take over handheld gaming.

[MonoBro]

Smartphones and Tablets lack a dedicated controller. Although a controller can be easily and conveniently attached to the device, most people don't bother. Because most games made for Android or iOS cater towards the largest possible markets, games are usually made with touchscreen controls in mind.

Most people do not own an Android device with a built in controller, and they have little reason to considering most games are made to run on the widest range of Android devices possible. The majority of people with said devices can play the games, but they do not have a controller, therefore games are expected to play on a touchscreen, which will remain clunkier than a dedicated gamepad due to the player's thumbs covering parts of the screen.

Gameplay for a more traditional title for Android or iOS would be similar to playing emulated games on the same device - often difficult. Touchscreen controls (in terms of traditional game genres) only allow casual gameplay.

[orangebomb]

Mobile gaming has a big advantage of being easy to pick up and play and to create, especially on the Android/Iphone system. That said, there are a lot of limitations with mobile gaming, and they will certainly not replace traditional console gaming anytime soon, so more or less, they are a novelty time-waster on the go, which happens to be more accessible because smartphones are in abundance, and they are always with you when your on the go.

Mobile gaming is a niche market in the video game industry, and is supplemental to said industry.