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Report shows that AAA games for iPhone and iPad aren't a hit with users

9to5mac.com

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Re: Report shows that AAA games for iPhone and iPad aren't a hit with users

#11

Post by bitwize »

gjsman-1000 wrote: post #8
kibwen wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's face it, doing basically anything in the form factor of a smartphone just sucks. For "consumption" devices they're absolutely terrible UX even for consumption, with literally their only selling point being that they're portable and fit in your pocket. A disheartening technological regression.

I don’t believe this. Most people really like apps, and there’s a reason why people revolve around their phones far more than their laptops now. Also, they have plenty of other selling points - like their camera, or calling other people, obviously. Some things, like photography or phone calls, are great. Some are so-so, like web browsing. And some, like AAA Gaming, are not suited well at all. But on the inverse, call…

The "no wireless, less space than a Nomad, lame"/"why do I need Dropbox when I can just rsync?" crowd hate smartphones, but normies love them.

Re: Report shows that AAA games for iPhone and iPad aren't a hit with users

#12

Post by nemomarx »

gjsman-1000 wrote: post #8
kibwen wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's face it, doing basically anything in the form factor of a smartphone just sucks. For "consumption" devices they're absolutely terrible UX even for consumption, with literally their only selling point being that they're portable and fit in your pocket. A disheartening technological regression.

I don’t believe this. Most people really like apps, and there’s a reason why people revolve around their phones far more than their laptops now. Also, they have plenty of other selling points - like their camera, or calling other people, obviously. Some things, like photography or phone calls, are great. Some are so-so, like web browsing. And some, like AAA Gaming, are not suited well at all. But on the inverse, call…

I mean calling people on a desktop or laptop isnt' great, but at the same time I do it there way more often than a phone - Discord calls with friends, Teams meetings for work, etc.

Re: Report shows that AAA games for iPhone and iPad aren't a hit with users

#14

Post by fastball »

NoPicklez wrote: post #10
kibwen wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's face it, doing basically anything in the form factor of a smartphone just sucks. For "consumption" devices they're absolutely terrible UX even for consumption, with literally their only selling point being that they're portable and fit in your pocket. A disheartening technological regression.

I disagree, there's plenty of things I think a small form factor excels at. Do I enjoy using Word on my phone to write a document? No. Do I enjoy writing texts and messages on my phone? Yes. Would I get my laptop out to write a text message or make a call all the time? No. The fact it's portable and can fit in your pocket, is the exact point and I can navigate the entire device with two thumbs.

I'm not entirely sure you disagreed. It sounds like mostly what you value is indeed the portability ("I don't want to get my laptop out"). But the actual experience of writing a text on your laptop is better (at least for me). If I ever need to write a long message or many messages, I do get my laptop out because the hassle of that is outweighed by how much faster I can type on a computer than on my phone.

Re: Report shows that AAA games for iPhone and iPad aren't a hit with users

#15

Post by kevingadd »

The article seems to overlook one factor, which is that all of these releases previously came out on other platforms, so a lot of the people who might be interested in playing them already had an opportunity to buy and play them on a better gaming platform.

I do think the price point is likely to be an issue, as suggested by the article, though. The price for RE4 seems to be quite steep based on what's in the store listing (and they go out of their way to hide it, presumably so you'll try the free part first) - it looks like it's ~$40 right now, and based on some news articles I dug up, it was originally $60. That's a big up-front price for a phone game, even if it's really an AAA console experience. And you can't plug it in to your TV and undock the joycons like you can with a Switch title.

Does anyone know whether titles like RE4 iOS have crossplay on macbooks? Or would you have to buy it twice?

Re: Report shows that AAA games for iPhone and iPad aren't a hit with users

#16

Post by dcow »

kibwen wrote: post #5
NoPicklez wrote: post #2

Playing desktop style AAA games in the form factor of a smartphone just sucks, its awkward and clunky, unless you have a handheld cradle or controller mount.

Let's face it, doing basically anything in the form factor of a smartphone just sucks. For "consumption" devices they're absolutely terrible UX even for consumption, with literally their only selling point being that they're portable and fit in your pocket. A disheartening technological regression.

Not a regression. Don’t be hyperbolic. I say that with love.

Re: Report shows that AAA games for iPhone and iPad aren't a hit with users

#17

Post by gjsman-1000 »

bitwize wrote: post #11
gjsman-1000 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t believe this. Most people really like apps, and there’s a reason why people revolve around their phones far more than their laptops now. Also, they have plenty of other selling points - like their camera, or calling other people, obviously. Some things, like photography or phone calls, are great. Some are so-so, like web browsing. And some, like AAA Gaming, are not suited well at all. But on the inverse, call…

The "no wireless, less space than a Nomad, lame"/"why do I need Dropbox when I can just rsync?" crowd hate smartphones, but normies love them.

A mandatory, and painful reminder, that people deeply vested into technology are equally likely, and perhaps even more likely [1], to be delusional compared to the general population.

[1] People who have exaggerated confidence in their own intelligence, and thus implicit superiority, are often their own worst enemies.

Re: Report shows that AAA games for iPhone and iPad aren't a hit with users

#18

Post by hajile »

Paying big prices for old AAA games on a substandard UI isn't a winning proposition. Most people already have those old games on Steam or their console if they want them. While we're on that topic, using the App store generally sucks compared to Steam and isn't cross-platform, so people are WAY more likely to buy a game on Steam instead.

Re: Report shows that AAA games for iPhone and iPad aren't a hit with users

#19

Post by gjsman-1000 »

hajile wrote: post #18

Paying big prices for old AAA games on a substandard UI isn't a winning proposition. Most people already have those old games on Steam or their console if they want them. While we're on that topic, using the App store generally sucks compared to Steam and isn't cross-platform, so people are WAY more likely to buy a game on Steam instead.

I’m a little surprised that the iPad with Magic Keyboard isn’t a viable option - perhaps because it’s too niche. I have right now one of the newer iPad Airs with the M2 chip, combined with the Magic Keyboard, and I could totally see gaming on this thing.

I tried NVIDIA GeForce Now, but I couldn’t get the mouse to move in Windows greatly limiting the utility. It said I would need a gamepad, but by the time I’m bringing along a game controller…

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