Over the past few years mobile gaming has seen an explosion in popularity. Unfortunately it also saw what I believe to be an unfair share of criticism. Many people claim mobile games only provide a casual gaming experience, for kids or more lighthearted gamers....
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Sad to say it...but I don't see the mobile gaming craze slowing down anytime soon. It's just going to get bigger.
The convenience of paying $0-$6 to play a game(regardless of it's quality) on a device you ALREADY own is too great an incentive for Joe Schmo.
Then perhaps both Sony and Nintendo need to re-evaluate what a dedicated handheld system should be. As consumers look for devices that do more than just gaming they need to show more flexibility. They need to advertsie more smaller cheaper titles as well. Why not fight the mobile space with games that are also a $1?
Nintendo is the worst culprit because they feel those devices undervalue the software pricing. Let's face it, Nintendo is an awful lot like Disney in the fact they like to have price protection. Ever notice how Disney home videos are always high priced even long after they first came out? Same thing with 1st party Nintendo games.
The problem i see with dedicated gaming handhelds is as tablets and smartphones advance at record speeds, those dedicated handheld devices simply won't be able to keep up. They are designed to have roughly a 5 year cycle. Software prices need to be high because the hardware is often sold at a loss. The other issue is the Vita and the 3DS only have a certain market. There are far more potential customers on the tablets and smartphones. It's hard to compete by sheer numbers.
These days, if you play Fifa, Halo, CoD or Battlefield you're 'hardcore'. Yawn.
Today's so called 'hardcore' gamer is the 'casual' of 10-15years ago. I'm not even sure hardcore gamers exist any more.
I remember way back, hacksawing the edge off imported Sega Genesis games so they would fit in the Megadrive. Loved that the 'region locking' was nothing more than a slightly different shaped cartridge slot.
Haha same here, absolutely had to play Alien Storm but needed to cut those chunks out of the cartridge bay so I could lend it from a friend. I recall Batman getting stuck inside at one point, tears pouring down my face as I couldn't pull it out of the slot and it wasn't my game. *sniff*
I think hardcore gamers still exist to some extent, just in a different guise. Trophy hunting on a game like Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 or 1000 online hours racked up within 3 months of owning a game would probably pass as more than a casual interest.
What i dont like is mobile games on consoles... -_-'
We're never going to see a proper Halo / CoD clone on iPad, and people should stop judging mobile gamings success or maturity by that criteria (especially if you consider yourself 'hardcore' because you play CoD / Halo etc.
I could name a load of games on iPad that work far better than on a console - most board games for instance. Go win a few games of Ghost Stories against the AI and tell me that's not a challenge.
It's also obvious that developers are starting to get the message. Dead Trigger for instance may not be perfect - but it's a multiplayer FPS that has adapted itself to the limitations of touch controls in this genre with some success (it also has some great bot AI).