Probably because the iPhone lacks tactile input buttons/joysticks.
Isn't iOS 7 supposed to add some sort of support for bluetooth gamepads? Will that help out?
Why Do Dedicated Game Consoles Exist?
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Re: Why Do Dedicated Game Consoles Exist?
#12Speaking to the portable gaming space, I'd also add that a big part of games is the controls. Phones don't have a d-pad and buttons (or analog sticks, etc..). That pretty much makes games like Super Mario Brothers impossible. You can have your simplified endless runners, and that will probably satisfy most people. But for serious gamers, you need more precise control than a non dedicated console can provide.
Xperia Play
Re: Why Do Dedicated Game Consoles Exist?
#13Speaking to the portable gaming space, I'd also add that a big part of games is the controls. Phones don't have a d-pad and buttons (or analog sticks, etc..). That pretty much makes games like Super Mario Brothers impossible. You can have your simplified endless runners, and that will probably satisfy most people. But for serious gamers, you need more precise control than a non dedicated console can provide.
Check The Open Pandora Pocket Gaming Handheld. It has physical controls and IS portable. Way better than a phone for Gaming, and it comes with a full Linux distribution for more serious applications.
Re: Why Do Dedicated Game Consoles Exist?
#14A good reply to such articles: http://www.lostgarden.com/2005/09/nintendos-genre-innovation... > As a side note, folks who argue Nintendo should just make games for other platforms are completely missing the point. Nintendo needs to control their hardware platform in order to force innovation to occur in the control mechanisms. Other console manufacturers who rely on the hardcore audiences and standardized genres don…
I feel like PCs are a sliding scale. You have to keep updating them to play the latest games. Wheras consoles are a known - you pay once, and it's good for what, 5 years?
That's less and less true for PCs. I had to update my PC every year or so before to keep up with the latest games, but nowadays it's clearly a slower moving target, and even with a 2 years old PC (equipped with a good graphics card at the time) I play most games in full/medium details in Full HD.
Re: Why Do Dedicated Game Consoles Exist?
#15The reason I prefer console games is the control. I prefer a controller where my hands are upwards, like a Playstation, instead of a keyboard and mouse. There are peripheral controllers for PC, but since games are built with the expectation of just a keyboard and mouse, they don't make maximum advantage of the peripheral control (except flight yokes and steering wheels).
Re: Why Do Dedicated Game Consoles Exist?
#16Tactile controls are something that most phones are missing. But there seems to be a problem of culture. The games developed for mobile phones are targeted at mainstream casual markets. And there is also a culture of free beer with mobile gamers. When the client won't pay a proper price for the game, it is too much of a risk to create a large game. Which is why developers target simple casual games, and tries to nickel and dime with some targeted psychological tricks.
I enjoy more complex game, even with mobile platforms such as Nintendo 3DS. My most played games are Fire Emblem Awakening, Etrian Odyssey IV, Devil Survior Overclocked and Monster Hunter 3 U. The first three games would not even require tactile controls; but I don't think any mobile gamer in the current culture would buy them for 30 to 40 dollars.
With dedicated game consoles the culture of actually paying for a good large game is still alive and well. And I think that is the reason why developers make games for them. If the day comes when free-to-play casual games are the only mobile games available, it will be a sad day for me.
Re: Why Do Dedicated Game Consoles Exist?
#17> Is the custom hardware so fundamentally critical to the experience that you couldn't provide it otherwise?
You could spin the question around and ask why do point & shoot cameras (analog: consoles) or SLR's (analog: PC's) exist when you're always carrying a camera in your pocket? The answer is level of control, depth of experience and quality. Such hardware will be used by enthusiasts, whereas those who just want something to snap selfies, dinners out etc will stick with whatever is most convenient.
I can play games on my phone anywhere I go but they lack the richness and intensity of playing a multiplayer FPS or RTS game on a stable wired connection and dedicated controller.
A way around this was mentioned in the article - tactile displays. A display or bezel that can raise parts of its topography into customizable shapes that react to touch. This will largely solve the input issue. It might even make it better than the fixed human-machine interface like a controller because it provides freedom for the developer (or user) to craft the input mechanism to perfectly suit the game/app.
Re: Why Do Dedicated Game Consoles Exist?
#18Because people are still buying them.
Once they do, they have to buy your product and it's harder to pirate, so publishers win.
Why do people buy them
A. People get a quick high when they buy objects, this is big part of capitalism.
B. They are only game machines. When you use a console there's no emails coming through to stress you out, your body relaxes in game state. (Why ebooks readers if they are smart won't add features, books are meant to be stress free)
C. 80-20 rule. The little bit of extra work on a PC can be a deal breaker, even if it's cheaper and better.
Re: Why Do Dedicated Game Consoles Exist?
#19The reason I prefer console games is the control. I prefer a controller where my hands are upwards, like a Playstation, instead of a keyboard and mouse. There are peripheral controllers for PC, but since games are built with the expectation of just a keyboard and mouse, they don't make maximum advantage of the peripheral control (except flight yokes and steering wheels).
> There are peripheral controllers for PC, but since games are built with the expectation of just a keyboard and mouse [...]
These days, that's simply just not true. Sure there are a good amount of games that are just kb/m, but the many of the newer games support the have full 360 controller support (or PS3 controller if you want to fiddle around with some settings).
Re: Why Do Dedicated Game Consoles Exist?
#20The reason I prefer console games is the control. I prefer a controller where my hands are upwards, like a Playstation, instead of a keyboard and mouse. There are peripheral controllers for PC, but since games are built with the expectation of just a keyboard and mouse, they don't make maximum advantage of the peripheral control (except flight yokes and steering wheels).
> There are peripheral controllers for PC, but since games are built with the expectation of just a keyboard and mouse [...] These days, that's simply just not true. Sure there are a good amount of games that are just kb/m, but the many of the newer games support the have full 360 controller support (or PS3 controller if you want to fiddle around with some settings).
Haven't played video games in about 5 years, so you're right that things have probably changed.