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Or a portable game system (Whatever the most recent DS/PSP thing is). On the one hand it sucks to carry two devices on the other hand, many of the really good

by Goladus 13y ago

Or a portable game system (Whatever the most recent DS/PSP thing is). On the one hand it sucks to carry two devices on the other hand, many of the really good games are designed to be played with D-pads and buttons, not a touch screen and softkeyboard.

mcdougle 13y ago
Actually, that's a good point. Maybe, for a smartphone to become a "real" gaming platform as stated above, it's not game titles we need first, but hardware. I know there have been Android phones introduced designed for gaming, and I think they flopped pretty hard (I didn't hear much about them for long). But maybe instead of a whole phone, a company could produce and sell a gamepad that plugs into the phone? Then they ("they" being the producer of the gamepad, and any companies that it enables to sell bigger titles) could target the DS/PSP/portable console market. Interesting thought.....
ANTSANTS 13y ago
To be fair, most people use their 3DS/DS/Vita/PSP/whatever more like a tablet than like a phone. They're meant for curling up on the couch on a lazy afternoon (or, uh, as something to keep you occupied on the toilet...), not for whipping out in public while you're waiting in a queue. The low battery life of the newer handhelds seems relevant: iirc the 3DS's is around 3 hours, and the Vita's is comparable.
- Goladus 13y ago
  I see people using portable game systems on the subway. But then whipping it out in public for 5 minutes at a time is not particularly conducive to the kind of deep games that we're talking about.
  - ANTSANTS 13y ago
    You're right, I should have mentioned long commutes in public transportation as the other main usage scenario of portables (especially in their country of origin), but that's not as relevant a consideration to (what I'm assuming is the average HN user) Americans living in areas with poor or nonexistent public transportation.

by Goladus 13y ago

mcdougle 13y ago

Actually, that's a good point. Maybe, for a smartphone to become a "real" gaming platform as stated above, it's not game titles we need first, but hardware. I know there have been Android phones introduced designed for gaming, and I think they flopped pretty hard (I didn't hear much about them for long). But maybe instead of a whole phone, a company could produce and sell a gamepad that plugs into the phone? Then they ("they" being the producer of the gamepad, and any companies that it enables to sell bigger titles) could target the DS/PSP/portable console market. Interesting thought.....

ANTSANTS 13y ago

To be fair, most people use their 3DS/DS/Vita/PSP/whatever more like a tablet than like a phone. They're meant for curling up on the couch on a lazy afternoon (or, uh, as something to keep you occupied on the toilet...), not for whipping out in public while you're waiting in a queue. The low battery life of the newer handhelds seems relevant: iirc the 3DS's is around 3 hours, and the Vita's is comparable.

Goladus 13y ago
I see people using portable game systems on the subway. But then whipping it out in public for 5 minutes at a time is not particularly conducive to the kind of deep games that we're talking about.
- ANTSANTS 13y ago
  You're right, I should have mentioned long commutes in public transportation as the other main usage scenario of portables (especially in their country of origin), but that's not as relevant a consideration to (what I'm assuming is the average HN user) Americans living in areas with poor or nonexistent public transportation.