Square Enix tells us what to expect from now on.

[Tyrath]

Ok so smartphone gaming is fucking terrible for some of you and you will never submit but what about the tablets?

Tablets are even worse. Same control problems in a bigger device that isn't as comfortable to hold.

Thats pretty much it.

[Charismatic]

I can't wait for this smartphone/tablet trend to die already.

At least for people to stop pretending that playing games on them is actually good LOL
I'd love to see someone try to play Ninja Gaiden Sigma or any similar action game (and enjoy it) on a phone or tablet.

I guess you maybe could if you buy a separate controller or something but handhelds have all that right outta the box.

[Madeline]

just wait until i can use my handheld as a ph--oh with a vita with skype can technically do just that

SUPERIOR

[Mizango]

AAA refers to the amount of money spent on the game, not how good it is.



For real? Play some better RPGs then.

Preach.

[Ratatapa]

For those saying to attach bluetooth on yur phone or tablet, ok fine but

I don't see myself taking my ipad putting it on my lap then taking my Ps3 controller in the train or the subway ....

THE IMMERSION IS NAT THAR!

[Grey Jorildyn]

I can't wait for this smartphone/tablet trend to die already.

You're gonna be waiting a long time!

[Aristio]

Tablets are even worse. Same control problems in a bigger device that isn't as comfortable to hold.

I can confirm this. Playing anything with emulated buttons is a pain.

[Salodin]

If you're going through the trouble of hooking up a blue tooth controller to your tablet to play an emulated game, wouldn't you be better off just emulating it on a pc and saving a few hundred bucks on a tablet?

You can't be mobile with a blue tooth controller any ways, so wtf is the point?

[Headspace]

If you're going through the trouble of hooking up a blue tooth controller to your tablet to play an emulated game, wouldn't you be better off just emulating it on a pc and saving a few hundred bucks on a tablet?

You can't be mobile with a blue tooth controller any ways, so wtf is the point?

It's easier for me to bring my iPad to my office or to class than a desktop.

[Kohan]

There are plenty of companies thriving in the AAA market and this will continue for the foreseeable future.

No, this is incorrect. As Correction stated:

There are really not that many third party publishers in the AAA space and whether or not they're 'thriving' depends on how long of a historical view you take. Are Ubisoft, Take Two, EA and Activision going away anytime soon? Probably not. Did all of these companies come out of this gen of hardware as strong as they were at the end of the last gen of hardware? No, not at all. Especially EA, and as shown here, definitely not Square Enix. And this is just looking at the publishers, not the wasteland of the AAA development scene. The number of development studios that entered the market and dropped dead is staggering.

The question I have is if these smaller cheap-to-produce games can even sustain a company with a large overhead of higher-ups like SquareEnix or EA.

Absolutely. Everyone can't have "Angry Birds," but "Angry Birds" generated enough money to start a whole new and multifaceted media franchise. It didn't cost millions of dollars to develop, either. Major console titles do, and they may not make that back. This is why smart device titles are substantially more profitable and sustainable.

[Salodin]

It's easier for me to bring my iPad to my office or to class than a desktop.

Maybe I'm not hard core enough to turn my tablet into a console at school. Or work.

I guess I just don't see the appeal.

[Shiyo]

It's easier for me to bring my iPad to my office or to class than a desktop.

You'd rather bring a giant expensive ipad than a small cheap PSP with better games and controls? Weird.

[Headspace]

You'd rather bring a giant expensive ipad than a small cheap PSP with better games and controls? Weird.

1. He asked why someone would bring a tablet. I bring my ipad with me most places, especially on campus. I don't game on it, I was just giving reasons why. It's portable as hell.

2. I get more functionality out of my iPad (bought it for books, research articles, multimedia consumption) than I do a handheld system

3. If I had a PSP, I would probably prefer to game on that. I would like a Vita, but the support for those types of handhelds is pretty poor.

[Salodin]

You don't think it's kinda ridiculous lugging to a (comparatively) giant tablet with external controller for gaming when a psp does that all... Better?

When I can't walk and game at the same time, it stops being portable (or even better since that's what we're comparing).

[Lucavi]

True, you seriously have to sit down and get set up to play a tablet with any sort of coordination.

[Kohan]

You don't think it's kinda ridiculous lugging to a (comparatively) giant tablet with external controller for gaming when a psp does that all... Better?

I don't.

I work in the videogame industry, I'm a long-time fan of it and electronic entertainment technology in general, and all of my portable dedicated consoles stay at home. Smart phones and tablets do far more than play games, but if I actually have time while on the go to fire a title up, it's easier for me to do it on an all-in-one device that I'll always have than on a dedicated one that serves no other purpose. Obviously, it's also much more efficient.

[Correction]

When I can't walk and game at the same time, it stops being portable (or even better since that's what we're comparing).

Er, what?

"Portable gaming" doesn't mean you're walking, doing backflips, fucking or solving mysteries while you game. It means gaming you can carry with you to play anywhere you like. Most of the time when I'm away from home I'm still parked somewhere or moving very, very slowly if I want to game on the go.

[Headspace]

You don't think it's kinda ridiculous lugging to a (comparatively) giant tablet with external controller for gaming when a psp does that all... Better?

When I can't walk and game at the same time, it stops being portable (or even better since that's what we're comparing).

The problem with handheld/portable gaming is that it's not supported. The Vita is close to $300+ and does not have a lot of support from developers yet, but with the current state of gaming, it may not get that support. My girlfriend offered to get me one for Christmas last year, and as badly as I wanted some kind of handheld, I decline because I need to see more support.

The reason most people will game on phones/tablets is because the market for that is huge compared to handheld consoles and it's cheaper to produce.

[Lucavi]

I fail to call Angry Birds for a tablet more of a "supported" system than a 3DS, what with its myriad of games.

[Salodin]

I agree, but then I go back to the point brought up earlier that using touch screen buttons on my emulated psx are a damn challenge.

It's just too uncomfortable on a tablet, but cell phone sized screens aren't big enough to play and see what's going on, making me go to a dedicated console if I want to play a game that isn't angry birds or temple run. Maybe, if the mobile gaming genre had games that rival the quality of consoles or portables, but it doesn't. If it does, its a rerelease of a console game optimized for touch screens. Too bad there's only a handful of those.