They’re a growing threat, these simple games with their simple designs, simple controls, and simple graphics. They don’t offer the full, premium experience that the real gamers want. They aren’t hardcore enough. They aren’t serious enough. They’re just too… casual . In the ’90s these were all complaints used to describe the strengthening console menace. Back then, a younger me squandered his meager income at the local Babbage’s or Electronics Boutique, stores full of PC games in cardboard boxes — console titles relegated to a few little shelves. It wouldn’t take long for those consoles to take over those stores and, along the way, the entire industry. Between just 1998 and 2006 console software sales more than doubled, from $2.5 billion to $6.7 billion, while PC game sales dropped from $1.8 billion to $970 million. Even the FPS, once exclusive domain of the PC, is now a console enterprise, with Call of Duty: Black Ops launching on 4.9 million sales on the Xbox 360 and PS3. The PC version, meanwhile, sold less than 400,000 copies (the NPD lumped them in with sales of the Nintendo DS and Wii versions). Who cares about ancient history? If you’re a gamer you should, because it’s happening again. This time, though, its console gamers lobbing the same lamentations at Angry Bird players, Words With Friends addicts, and ever-sneaky Fruit Ninjas . As smartphones and tablets get more powerful, the dedicated gaming machine looks more and more quaint. Where once software supported hardware in one big, happy family, it’s all becoming rather more… disjointed. For a gamer like me, that’s a little troubling. If app gaming does for consoles what those consoles did to the PC scene a decade ago, a lot of big game studios are going to be in trouble, and a lot of gamers are going to be pining for the good ‘ol days. Continue reading Console vs. PC redux: how mobile gaming will reshape the industry (again) Console vs. PC redux: how mobile gaming will reshape the industry (again) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posts Tagged ‘nintendo’
Console vs. PC redux: how mobile gaming will reshape the industry (again)
June 16th, 2011 
admin 
Posted in engadget 
Tags: 3ds, along-the-way, electronics, engadget, entry, gaming, nintendo, playstation suite, strengthening, time, wii u, wiiu, xbox 
No Comments »Apple reportedly hires top UK gaming PR execs from Nintendo and Activision
April 11th, 2011 admin As you may have noticed, Apple has been more serious about gaming lately that it was even during its Pippin-fueled haze in the mid-1990s, and it’s now offering yet more evidence of just how invested it is with a pair of new hires. While the company isn’t confirming the move just yet, MCV is reporting that Apple has snatched up Nintendo UK’s former head of communications, Rob Saunders, who just left the big N last week and will apparently be focusing on PR for iOS apps at Apple. What’s more, he’ll reportedly be joined at Apple by former Activision PR director Nick Grange, who’s said to be focusing specifically on the iPad — which, as we’ve seen, can be a pretty versatile gaming device in its own right. Apple reportedly hires top UK gaming PR execs from Nintendo and Activision originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 04:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted in engadget Tags: activision, apps-at-apple, engadget, hires, joined-at-apple, nikon, nintendo, nintendo uk, robsaunders, the-mid-1990s No Comments »N64oid brings Nintendo 64 emulation to Android devices
March 5th, 2011 jedwan There’s not exactly a shortage of video game emulators for Android devices, but there has been one notable, 64-bit exception. That’s finally been rectified with the just-released N64oid application, however, which finally brings emulation of Nintendo 64 games to the platform — and, like the other emulators from developer Yongzh, it’s conveniently available right in the Android Market (for $5.99). As you might expect, there are a few glitches and hiccups to be found even on high-end phones like the Nexus S, but it does seem to run remarkably well for an initial release and, as Download Squad points out, you can also use a separate, freely-available app to add some Wiimote controls to the proceedings. Also, it means you can play Goldeneye on your phone . Video after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Continue reading N64oid brings Nintendo 64 emulation to Android devices N64oid brings Nintendo 64 emulation to Android devices originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted in engadget Tags: available-right, download-squad, emulator, engadget, entry, even-on-high, n64oid, nintendo, nintendo 64, other-emulators, video-game, video-games, videogame, yongzh No Comments »Switched On: A suite segment for PlayStation games
January 31st, 2011 admin Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On , a column about consumer technology. One thing that has set Sony apart from its home console rivals has been the extended lifecycles of its hardware. Riding the momentum of a massive install base, both the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 each kept selling strong nearly a decade after their debut, and years after their respective successors were introduced. In fact, as late as 2009, Audiovox began offering a PS2 integrated into an aftermarket ovehead car video system with a 10″ screen. Sony could pursue this strategy in home consoles because the PS2 was the runaway unit volume leader of its generation. Not so with the PSP. When Sony introduced the PlayStation Portable , it entered a portable console market with fierce, entrenched competition from the incumbent Nintendo, and the powerful widescreen handheld was outsold by the Nintendo DS and its later derivatives. Sony couldn’t attain the market share it needed to steamroll existing competition. With Sony’s announcements this week, however, the PlayStation purveyors seem to have found a way to take their one-two punch on the road with a strategy that takes the PSP and segments its evolution. Continue reading Switched On: A suite segment for PlayStation games Switched On: A suite segment for PlayStation games originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Jan 2011 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted in att, engadget Tags: entry, ngp, nintendo, playstation, playstation suite, portable, psone, ross rubin, rossrubin, sony, suite-segment, takes-the-psp No Comments »LovePlus: Konami's Dating Sim Gets Otaku Cell Phone Chargers
December 3rd, 2010 jedwan In September last year, Konami Japan released a dating simulation called LovePlus that went on to become a huge hit on the Nintendo …
Posted in Cell Phone Tags: dating-simulation, huge-hit, konami, konami-japan, last-year, nintendo No Comments »3D cellphone is cheap and doesn't require glasses | DVICE
October 26th, 2010 admin Spice Mobility has a new cellphone that it wants you to know about. Introducing the M-67 3D — your standard GSM-based cellphone with a 2.36-inch 240 x 320 resolution screen. Just like the Nintendo 3DS, the M-67 3D packs the 3D pop …
Posted in Cell Phone Tags: 320-resolution, gsm, like-the-nintendo, mobility, nintendo, spice-mobility, standard, your-standard No Comments »Motorola Bravo, Flipout and Flipside hands-on: hastily handled and summarily shot (video)
October 8th, 2010 admin Looking for a new Android form factor on AT&T and don’t mind a bit of BLUR? Motorola’s got you covered, with the mid-range Bravo, low-end Flipside and budget Flipout you see immediately above. We spotted the trio of Android 2.1 devices at CTIA 2010 and had to give them a try, and though none really impressed they’ve got some interesting designs. You won’t hear us clapping for the $129 Bravo, as it’s basically a pared-down Defy — the same 3.7-inch WVGA slatephone, but with a fixed-focus three megapixel camera and without the ruggedized outsides. Meanwhile, surfers, skaters and virtual keyboard haters could possibly enjoy the $80 Flipout and $100 Flipside. The former’s got the same sort of irresistible, pocketable style that made Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance SP an instant hit half a decade back, arguably even more so than its inspiration , though as you’d imagine the 2.8-inch QVGA screen and other Charm features leave much to be desired — it’s a painfully slow, low-res experience for those used to serious smartphones — and though the Flipside throws in a decent landscape keyboard and an HVGA screen, they don’t help much when it’s got the exact same silicon and yet another iffy three megapixel shooter inside. Still, the wonderful thing about the internet is that you can look before you buy, so feast your eyes in galleries below and videos after the break! Gallery: Motorola Bravo, hands-on Gallery: Motorola Flipout, hands-on Gallery: Motorola Flipside, hands-on Myriam Joire contributed to this report . Continue reading Motorola Bravo, Flipout and Flipside hands-on: hastily handled and summarily shot (video) Motorola Bravo, Flipout and Flipside hands-on: hastily handled and summarily shot (video) originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted in engadget Tags: after-the-break, blur, bravo, engadget, entry, flipside, hastily-handled, internet, motoblur, motorola, motorola flipside, motorolaflipside, nintendo No Comments »Marvell’s quad core Armada processor won’t see tablets or phones, destined for a mystery game platform
October 1st, 2010 admin Looks like that quad-core Armada processor won’t be having apps for breakfast after all — confronting Marvell’s Jack Kang at Mobilize 2010, he told us the chips proved too power-hungry for devices without a dedicated cord. That doesn’t mean we won’t see them soon, however, as the man let slip that it’s actually the quad-core chip that will appear in a new game system , though we can probably rule out the Nintendo 3DS for the same reason as the phones. Marvell’s still hoping to get in the mobile market in a big way, though, and that’s what the tri-core Armada 628 is all about, which uses low power profiles to save battery life. According to Kang, however, the system’s actually a little more exciting than that — its two up-to-1.5GHz cores kick in when the system’s under a multimedia strain, but actually shut off completely for day-to-day use, relying instead on the third 624MHz processor which slowly sips your battery juice. All we know is, we’d better find out which devices will sport these chips, and soon — our curiosity is beginning to gnaw. Marvell’s quad core Armada processor won’t see tablets or phones, destined for a mystery game platform originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 20:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted in att, engadget Tags: arm, engadget, jack kang, marvell armada, nintendo, processor, quad core, quadcore, soc, system-on-a-chip, tri-core, tricore No Comments »NES controller pressed into service to Android overlord (video)
September 3rd, 2010 jedwan Perhaps the worst, and least repairable, shortcoming of touchscreens is their failure to act as viable game controllers. Keyboard-equipped smartphones alleviate that pain a little (particularly if you pair them with a Game Gripper ), but ultimately we’d all prefer real controllers for our real games. Such was clearly the thinking behind the homebrewed setup here, which combines an HTC EVO 4G — with Android and an NES emulator inside — with an Arduino board, a BlueSMiRF Bluetooth module, and a classic NES control pad. The result might look like a mess of wires, but who cares when you can rock Super Mario 3 the way Nintendo surely intended? Continue reading NES controller pressed into service to Android overlord (video) NES controller pressed into service to Android overlord (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 03:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted in engadget, htc Tags: bluetooth, controller, engadget, entry, failure, gamecontroller, htc, mod, nes, nescontroller, nintendo, super-mario, surely-intended, video, worst No Comments »Sharp 3D phone – Sharp demos new 3D cellphone at IFA 2010
September 3rd, 2010 admin Sharp 3D phone – It looks like Sharp will not let the Nintendo 3DS have all the fun with their latest smartphone that is equipped with a 3D display and will hit the market as rumored before the year is over. To make…
Posted in Cell Phone Tags: before-the-year, latest, latest-smartphone, market, market-as-rumored, nintendo, rumored-before, sharp, the-fun, the-year, will-hit, year No Comments »
