iOS Gaming: Now I Believe
As I mentioned in my last post, I recently jumped on board the iPhone train. After spending some time with it and sampling some of the many games that are available for the device, I can honestly say that my time with dedicated handhelds is probably over. Affordable games, impressive visuals and sound, and plenty of variation in genres and offerings make iOS devices compete favorably with the DS and Vita handhelds we see now.
I’m certainly not out to sway anyone from their preferences. If you bought and if you enjoy your 3DS or Vita, that’s fantastic. I’ve always said that there will be a market for them. For me, though, I was very surprised with the gaming experiences that awaited me on my iPhone 4S. Augmented reality is there. Tilt controls are there. Touch controls, while obviously not as responsive or accurate as traditional controller inputs, are acceptable as long as the game is built with touch in mind and not a port with adapted control schemes. I’ve got pinball games to hold my interest from Farsight Studios and from Zen Studios. I’ve got arcade-based games like Galaga S and Galaxian S that work surprisingly well. I’ve got a pretty neat puzzler in Castlevania Puzzle, which appeals to me as a fan of the series and adapts the idea for a touch screen instead of porting an older game with potentially rough play control. I’ve got a really cool shooter in Star Wars: Falcon Gunner that satisfies my arcade and Star Wars appetites while letting me dabble in augmented reality if I wish.
The Death Star has never looked better on a portable platform.
For what amounts to the price of a downloadable game on Xbox LIVE Arcade or the PlayStation Store, I have a library of seven games to play on the go… and I haven’t even taken a look at free offerings too much just yet.
I’ll admit that I’d rather play with a more traditional controller, as that’s what I’m used to. I admit that sometimes my thumbs get in the way of the action, and, on occasion, the touch screen is inconsistent with its sensitivity. It’s not a perfect experience, but when I consider everything else that I can do with this device– phone calls, text messaging, web, decent photo and video tools, productivity apps, and a lot more that I haven’t even tried yet… thinking about spending $250 on a Vita or $200 on a 3DS seems redundant. I don’t want to carry two gadgets when one fills my needs adequately or better.
I know that I’m not alone in thinking this way, either.
People are still playing video games, and will for a long time. The problem is that portable tech has caught up to dedicated handhelds in many respects, and the biggest attraction is that there’s a lot to choose from and it’s almost all significantly cheaper than what we see on the Vita and 3DS. There aren’t enough reasons for more casual players to make that second investment when they already own smartphones and tablets. Core players will still buy handhelds and will always rail on the lack of a controller, and that’s perfectly fine. For me, smartphone gaming is an imperfect but still enjoyable experience that’s less expensive, more varied, and is good enough to satisfy my gaming urges when I’m not here at home.
Castlevania Puzzle is deceptively fun and supplies fan service to Symphony of the Night players.
As an analyst, it’s been clear to see that a gradual market shift has been occurring as handheld hardware sales– despite new platforms– have been generally struggling here in 2012 while the mobile sector has been growing. Now, as a longtime video game player and with first-hand experience of what iDevices bring to the table, I can see why the shift is happening. You can complain about lack of depth, lack of a controller, the advancement of the freemium model, and more… but a growing number of people don’t care enough about any of that.
It will be very interesting to see how Sony and Nintendo deal with the challenges posed by the mobile sector as we move forward. It looks like more games will be coming for both the 3DS and the Vita later this year, which solves one problem. Now they have to get consumers to buy in… and not just the core consumer that has been on the fence, either. Trying to win back the casual consumer is important; without them, revenues will continue to slide and questions about the viability of the dedicated handheld market will continue to be asked.
“For me, smartphone gaming is an imperfect but still enjoyable experience that’s less expensive, more varied, and is good enough to satisfy my gaming urges when I’m not here at home.” Tell me you own both a Vita & 3DS before saying this! im confused after the 3ds’ initial pricing issue the Unit started selling better than it’s Predecessor & soon nintendo will recover it’s cost form it’s losses THIS year ( which no other company in this industry has done). I can’t speak for the vita when it comes to sales but console like experience on the go? yeah it’s here.
Here in the US, at least, 3DS sales have cooled considerably and are less than half of Japan’s number this year. Q4 2011 was big for Nintendo, thanks to the holidays, a price drop, and two Mario games… but there’s been nothing in the first half of 2012 to stimulate flagging sales here.
Others can certainly decide that they want to spend additional money on a dedicated handheld, and that’s fine, but as for me? It’s no longer a priority. I was less than impressed with the 3DS as it was, thanks to few games and weak third-party efforts to fill gaps when Nintendo games aren’t in the pipeline. The Vita is much too expensive as a perceived value, given the high cost of software and the added expense of a memory card on top of the hardware price. The iPhone came as part of a contract upgrade, replaced my dying older Android phone, and does a heck of a lot more (and for cheaper) than the 3DS and Vita do.
I’m not suggesting that anyone else follow my lead here. I’ve just found that the iOS experience is sufficient for my portable needs without the added expense and transport of other devices, and I can see why others may very well be doing the same.
but clearly not for the audience you’re addressing… & if your an analyst as you claim, why are you relating to first quarter sales, the slowest time after the big Q4?!?!? this isnt the device release either ( for the 3ds we’re talking about). also flagship games for the 3ds have been released in japan (monster hunter) so that might explain why sales are higher. -_- “given the high cost of software” for it’s value?!? hell were you playing games back in the day when they were short as hell but still had a high price tag & a small amount of content? “was big for Nintendo, thanks to the holidays, a price drop, and two Mario games… but there’s been nothing in the first half of 2012 to ” i guess activision should release call of duty in april & ignore the holiday money maker. take this argument to a photographer “why do we still need cameras when iphones do it more conveniently for me.” & it’d be ripped to shreds like this one is. a lot of 3rd party software has been spread of in 2012 also so we’ll have to see. in the end the 3ds is selling well. to the response of why japan is selling more copies, lol look at what japanese games have been released. monster hunter, dragon quest, kingdom hearts, Inazuma Eleven GO, etc. clearly third party titles that would sell a system. i have no problem with your opinion / wanted to play on iOS games but it’s practically the same as Sony CEO’s / Presidents bashing Nintendo or Microsoft calling Linux a cancer.
Oddly enough, I was a big proponent of iOS gaming… until I bought a Vita last week. Now its limitations are painfully apparent — not to mention how obnoxious the excessive degree of microtransaction-based monetization which infests the platform suddenly seems when you start playing games where it isn’t present.
It’s where the money is, though. People are willing to pay through the nose for “more coins” or virtual goods. I for one don’t begrudge them that if that’s what they choose to waste their money on — I just hope people like me continue to have an alternative where you pay once and just get to play the game as it was designed. I have no objection whatsoever to paying considerably more than the average cost of an app for that privilege.
(If you want the current hotness on iOS and an example of a free-to-play game that even core gamers seem to find palatable, pick up a copy of Pocket Planes.)
I’ve run into a few games like that, but have generally found low-cost options that suit my needs and that don’t require further monetization. I’m aware that freemium is the model that publishers are gravitating towards, but I’ve been more than satisfied so far with the number of games that I’m interested in and their relatively low price points.
Yeah… I keep hearing about Pocket Planes. I’ll have to see what the 4-1-1 is on that.
The other thing too is that there are all sorts of quality RPGs and other games on iOS (and also Android) that can keep you entertained. I know Square has ported their remakes of FF1-3 to iOS and also their updated remake of FF Tactics. Then, there are original games like “Final Fantasy: Dimensions” and “Chaos Rings” that make the platform even more awesome.
The only reason for me to get something like a 3DS is simply for the first-party games that Nintendo does. And beyond that, I think iOS and Android devices are very stiff competition for the dedicated handheld platforms.