4 ms·

Sure, in theory you could replace an existing console with a tablet that has HDMI out and a range of bluetooth controllers. The selling point of consoles is th

by jiggy2011 14y ago

Sure, in theory you could replace an existing console with a tablet that has HDMI out and a range of bluetooth controllers. The selling point of consoles is that they provide a game playing experience right out of the box. You know that the hardware in the box will be capable of running games for some time. Compare this to an android tablet or iOS device where there is likely to be a replacement in a year with uprated graphics and suddenly game developers don't want to support your old thing any more. The Xbox360 also ships with a controller that is standardised so will be well supported by all games and you know the quality is reasonable rather than having to dig around looking for third party peripherals. A dedicated console also has to make less concessions for portability and power. An Xbox360 is not expected to have to run from a battery and if adding an extra pound on inch of thickness to the design helps reduce costs then it is usually a clear win. OTOH this makes a nice change from "PC gaming is dead, consoles will take over" that I hear every so often. The next big seismic change in gaming is likely to come from devices like the occulus rift rather than tablets.

mikerg87 14y ago
What if Airplay became Gameplay and you could throw the game you had on your phone up on your nice big TV via Apple TV or similar device. Then in fact your controller is the game. when to get new hardware and game play experience is left in your hands. I don't know how it is for IOS developers but I have been quite happy how well apps have remained playable and available from iPhone version to iPhone version.
- zwily 14y ago
  AirPlay can already put your game on the tv via AppleTV. What were you thinking of in addition to that?
  - mitchty 14y ago
    Having used it it also sucks latencywise due to wifi. Try playing infinity blade on airplay. Not a fun time.
  - ConstantineXVI 14y ago
    It needs to work in reverse. Instead of sending a video stream, send the app itself and run on the ATV (or equivalent), using your phone/tablet for control. The Apple TV is already using binned A5s and running iOS, this wouldn't be a huge leap.
    - AJ007 14y ago
      Out of all of the players out there, Apple could do this the quickest and do it well. Something between an Android box from Google or a Steam console could come in second. Apple is 95%+ of the way there, they just have to provide a great user experience playing iOS games on the TV. As pointed out, Airplay is unusable due to lag. The output cord gets rid of the lag issue but is too short, cumbersome, and limited. As for Google or Valve, they have compatibility issues that will make for a rough ride. It could take perhaps a year or two before we started to see an adequate volume of games, and new games, that played natively at an acceptable level. I agree with the original poster, that this will not be "the next big seismic change." To me this is more about opening the console up to a far bigger market of developers, which helps to hasten to pace of innovation. That will make way for the next seismic change. Or, as I say in relation to my business "A giant leap ahead rather than many tiny micro percentage gains."
- jiggy2011 14y ago
  I assume you mean using the iPhone itself as a game controller? The big problem with that is that your eyes are focused on the TV and at the same time you are trying to control it without any tactile feedback. The beauty of the Xbox controller is that I can feel the position of the stick and buttons with my fingers which makes it easy to make small adjustments. Also things like the trigger buttons allow me to feel how far down I am pressing. Contrast that to a touchscreen where your thumb could easily slide off the area that is emulating the stick without you even realising. Regards compatibility between iPhones, that's simple enough for games like angry birds but when you get to more demanding "console like" games you get to the point where last years hardware doesn't cut it. For example "Real racing 3" was the game demo'd with the iPhone5, I'm guessing it won't run too well (if at all) on an iPhone 3GS. The iPhone3GS was released in 2009, the Xbox360 was released in 2005 and still runs new games.
chaostheory 14y ago
> Compare this to an android tablet or iOS device where there is likely to be a replacement in a year with uprated graphics and suddenly game developers don't want to support your old thing any more. This is actually what will make it really hard for the traditional video game consoles. Mobile hardware evolution is way faster than video game hardware evolution. It won't take long for it to catch up to the video game consoles in the next cycle. Moreover, the app stores in general just have a lot more variety from indie developers. With the resurgence of PC gaming from Steam and others, it doesn't look too great for consoles. I don't feel that traditional video game consoles will completely die given the innovative stuff that both MS and Nintendo have been able to do, but it will be a lot harder for them to reap the same profits as they did in the past.
- jiggy2011 14y ago
  It's difficult to say that mobile evolution is faster until we have seen the next gen consoles. It will be difficult to beat a console in terms of price/performance since there is no portability/battery power tradeoff for consoles and console makers seem happy to subsidise the console in order to sell more games (compared to Apple who make big profits per iPad sold). A PC resurgence doesn't have to mean the death of consoles, we go through this cycle many times. In the mid 90s consoles had an edge because PCs were expensive and difficult. In the late 90s/early 2000s PCs had an edge because of better graphics , more internet gaming options as well as the modding scene. Late 2000s it began to swing back in the consoles favour again because of Xbox live etc as well as HDTV. There's no reason that next gen consoles cannot include plenty of indie games via a digital download marketplace, Xbox already has this to an extent.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]

mikerg87 14y ago

What if Airplay became Gameplay and you could throw the game you had on your phone up on your nice big TV via Apple TV or similar device. Then in fact your controller is the game. when to get new hardware and game play experience is left in your hands. I don't know how it is for IOS developers but I have been quite happy how well apps have remained playable and available from iPhone version to iPhone version.

zwily 14y ago
AirPlay can already put your game on the tv via AppleTV. What were you thinking of in addition to that?
- mitchty 14y ago
  Having used it it also sucks latencywise due to wifi. Try playing infinity blade on airplay. Not a fun time.
- ConstantineXVI 14y ago
  It needs to work in reverse. Instead of sending a video stream, send the app itself and run on the ATV (or equivalent), using your phone/tablet for control. The Apple TV is already using binned A5s and running iOS, this wouldn't be a huge leap.
  - AJ007 14y ago
    Out of all of the players out there, Apple could do this the quickest and do it well. Something between an Android box from Google or a Steam console could come in second. Apple is 95%+ of the way there, they just have to provide a great user experience playing iOS games on the TV. As pointed out, Airplay is unusable due to lag. The output cord gets rid of the lag issue but is too short, cumbersome, and limited. As for Google or Valve, they have compatibility issues that will make for a rough ride. It could take perhaps a year or two before we started to see an adequate volume of games, and new games, that played natively at an acceptable level. I agree with the original poster, that this will not be "the next big seismic change." To me this is more about opening the console up to a far bigger market of developers, which helps to hasten to pace of innovation. That will make way for the next seismic change. Or, as I say in relation to my business "A giant leap ahead rather than many tiny micro percentage gains."
jiggy2011 14y ago
I assume you mean using the iPhone itself as a game controller? The big problem with that is that your eyes are focused on the TV and at the same time you are trying to control it without any tactile feedback. The beauty of the Xbox controller is that I can feel the position of the stick and buttons with my fingers which makes it easy to make small adjustments. Also things like the trigger buttons allow me to feel how far down I am pressing. Contrast that to a touchscreen where your thumb could easily slide off the area that is emulating the stick without you even realising. Regards compatibility between iPhones, that's simple enough for games like angry birds but when you get to more demanding "console like" games you get to the point where last years hardware doesn't cut it. For example "Real racing 3" was the game demo'd with the iPhone5, I'm guessing it won't run too well (if at all) on an iPhone 3GS. The iPhone3GS was released in 2009, the Xbox360 was released in 2005 and still runs new games.

chaostheory 14y ago

> Compare this to an android tablet or iOS device where there is likely to be a replacement in a year with uprated graphics and suddenly game developers don't want to support your old thing any more. This is actually what will make it really hard for the traditional video game consoles. Mobile hardware evolution is way faster than video game hardware evolution. It won't take long for it to catch up to the video game consoles in the next cycle. Moreover, the app stores in general just have a lot more variety from indie developers. With the resurgence of PC gaming from Steam and others, it doesn't look too great for consoles. I don't feel that traditional video game consoles will completely die given the innovative stuff that both MS and Nintendo have been able to do, but it will be a lot harder for them to reap the same profits as they did in the past.

jiggy2011 14y ago
It's difficult to say that mobile evolution is faster until we have seen the next gen consoles. It will be difficult to beat a console in terms of price/performance since there is no portability/battery power tradeoff for consoles and console makers seem happy to subsidise the console in order to sell more games (compared to Apple who make big profits per iPad sold). A PC resurgence doesn't have to mean the death of consoles, we go through this cycle many times. In the mid 90s consoles had an edge because PCs were expensive and difficult. In the late 90s/early 2000s PCs had an edge because of better graphics , more internet gaming options as well as the modding scene. Late 2000s it began to swing back in the consoles favour again because of Xbox live etc as well as HDTV. There's no reason that next gen consoles cannot include plenty of indie games via a digital download marketplace, Xbox already has this to an extent.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]