News Mobile phone gaming - the next big thing?

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2006/09/13/Mobile_phone_gaming/

 

it is nothing more than a fad or a timewaster... why - when you have the choice - would you play a game on a phone, with a tiny tiny screen when you could play on a console or a pc.

 

Not the next big thing ... not even the next small thing.

Mobile phones are getting annoying enough as they are ... Trying to squeeze everything into one small box - making it a jack of all trades, and master of none - not even making a call easily and smoothly.

 

they have been saying gaming on a mobile is the next big thing for around 5 years.
and they said 3G would rock. And MMS would be a massive money spinner for networks.
They seem to not have a clue still.

 

Hmm youd be surprised. Vrally 3d was pretty much as good as most rally games on the ps1. The reason behind mobile gaming is not to replace pc or console gaming but so you can play say chu chu rocket on the go, or tetris, or vrally 3d, or sonic (and soon sonic 2), or virtua tennis etc. I have worked in the industry for the last year and youd be surprised how much it has progressed, phones are already capable of virtualy matching ps1 graphics and within a few years will no doubt pass psp graphics. If you love any of those classic games that i mentioned, try them on a decent phone (any modern sony ericson, samsung or nokia) and see how much fun you have with them on your bus journey, rather than being snobbish to mobile gaming. You wont see any oblivion/wow style games for an eon but you'll still get some classic action to occupy your dull journey into work.

 

its the having a choice part that mobile games can be a winner. Admitedly if I was sitting at home then there is no chance I would be using my phone to game. However, it is a sanity saving device when waiting for my girlfriend to finish trying on new clothes in a changing room.

 

EA have been making games for mobiles for a long time, so nothing has really changed. I for one wouldn't bother paying for any game for a mobile, and just stick to the ones that come with it.

 

so true...... so true.........

 

exactly my point... they are nothing more than a timewaster

 

but in that case, the term timewaster could be used for every game i play. They are all things to occupy my time.

 

Traffic Jams on our wonderful UK road network also present a good gaming opportunity.
That is if you remember to look up now and again to avoid furious rants from fellow drivers when the traffic starts moving!
The only game I really enjoy on a mobile is vanilla space invaders, I can just about play that with the tiny buttons on the phone and my big fat hands, that is my main problem with phone gaming.

 

^^ but in this case u could say that going to work is a timewaster....dosn't matter. I see no really "next best thing" in this. Phone games will not(IMHO) surpass psp-s. Maybe in a few years, but by then another portable console will hit the market. The phone's games industry has met very many failiures. For one there is the nokia NGage...u bearly see them. Or its successor... It is just not the solution. And if u r a real gaming maniac and can afford it then buy a laptop for the "road". But at the same time they prove to be handy when u wait for ur gf's shoping

 

Phones arn't meant for gaming though. Ergomically they aren't designed for it and in terms of graphical capabilty, and content, they are inferior to the likes of the PSP and DS Lite, and will never meet current top standards. If it was designed around gaming it would lose its design for being a mobile (see the N-Gage) and fail because of that.

Totally agree with that, it seems to be happening with everything. And they never live up to having a product that is specifically designed for one task. I guess mobiles are the best example though. Lets see an average top range mobile does what?... digi camera, mp3 player, video player, portable gaming, alarm clock, calculator, personal planner, web browser, (my g/f's even works as a compact mirror!!!), oh yeah and i almost forgot making phone calls!!!
While some things are little extras that are handy to have, like the calulator, or alarm, most of them are substandard products squeezed on to give it 1 more feature than it's competitors.
I know i'd rather (and do) just carry around my DS Lite, mp3 player, digi cam, and a bog standard mobile.

 

Exactly as FooSai said.
Its the reason why i havent upgraded my phone in a long time. I like it as its able to do what i want. Make phone calls, send SMS's and wake me up in the morning. Anything more than that and im not interested. Its a phone for god's sake, ive played with phones that are so complicated that to just to make a call it takes far too long as the menu access it hiddiously slow. Colour screens are a nice idea but not really needed.

 

This wont work, i hate playing mobile games...This sounds like the Ngage all over again...hahah the Ngage.

Ice

 

EA - Quality ?
As if

 

it's not going to get anywhere :/

...nothings changed so why the fuss now?

 

I'd rather watch video or listen to music on my psp then play some crappy game which makes my eyes bleed.

 

I hate phones anyhow, so I'm biased. My ideal mobile would be a clamshell that can text/e-mail, and have a 1mp camera, and alarm clock. That is all. No calendar, calculator, hi-res camera...
I use the camera for two things: I take photos of small blocks of text or price labels in shops when I'm feeling seriously lazy and can't be bothered writing them down, and for photos to post straight onto a blog if I see something suitably weird/entertaining. 1mp is enough for text to be legible and already takes a photo big enough to need shrinking before uploading to the web - hell, my current phone is 0.3 and nearly enough for both. Expandable memory & Bluetooth are a must for file transfers.

The alarm clock's just handy because my phone lives right by my bed anyway and it's simple software - no space, simple interface. Why have both?

Voice calls... actually, I'd rather not! I suppose I want a camera pager, heh, but I suppose it should be included, I'm a rather niche market.

Games lose out for the same reason as MP3 - I'd only use them on long journeys really, and by then I have a bag and advance warning of prolonged dullness so extra bulk for seperate kit is irrelevant when I have all that storage sat by my feet. (Incidentally, my mobile entertainment? A black & white GameBoy Pocket and a Minidisc player.)

 

Well, luckily I can't be dragged into this fad, because my service provider didn't put games on my phone, and the cheapest game I can purchase from them is $7. No thanks, I'll go upgrade my PC instead.

My friend sits there all day playing bejeweled on his Razr, its pathetic. Even at his house hes all like "yeah level 23,964! finally! All my life spent for this!" and I fight back a tear of sadness for humanity.