The Near-Future of Mobile Gaming Is Going to Be Pretty Epic

[theogt]

http://gizmodo.com/#!5789093/the-near+future-of-mobile-gaming-is-going-to-be-pretty-epic

The Near-Future of Mobile Gaming Is Going to Be Pretty Epic (But Maybe Not on Android)

Matt Buchanan — The light-spraying, shadow-bending dreamscapes carved out of our noir nightmares made possible by the latest version of the Unreal Engine are the reason why we're always looking for what's next in gaming.

....

But what's remarkable about mobile gaming is that the performance curve is very different from what we're used to in console gaming: In consoles, you see "a 10-20x leap in performance every 7-8 years." So Apple's performance curve, ramping 9x in a single year, is both "astonishing" and rising at an "alarming rate," says Sweeney, and "there's things that we like about that upgrade cycle" versus consoles, where you have "one great hardware ship and then it's the same for 7-8 years." Just a couple years ago, the 3D performance in the iPhone 3G wasn't capable of doing what Epic wanted to accomplish. (The iPhone 3GS was the first.) While it's hard to directly compare performance cross-platform, for lots of reasons—consider now that the iPhone 4's A4 CPU is roughly "comparable to a single Xbox 360 core" in Sweeney's estimation. In the iPad 2, there's "far far more potential in that platform than we're exploiting today." And "iPad 3, 4, 5—we can do what we can on the Xbox 360 and beyond." Meanwhile, the 3DS is still below Epic's minimum specs for Unreal Engine 3, which require "relatively high-end DirectX 9-class capabilities."

 

[CowboyWay]

Three things you can count on. Death....Taxes.....apple vs everyone threads.

I do really enjoy them though. Let us begin...........

 

[theogt]

Three things you can count on. Death....Taxes.....apple vs everyone threads.

I do really enjoy them though. Let us begin...........

I didn't post this for the Apple/Android part (I even took that out of the title to deemphasize it). I thought the discussion about the power of gaming on mobile devices was more interesting.

I actually think the author's point about Android is quite silly. Eventually even the least common denominator in mobile technology will be able to perform at a high enough level.

 

[Dallas]

I didn't post this for the Apple/Android part (I even took that out of the title to deemphasize it). I thought the discussion about the power of gaming on mobile devices was more interesting.

I actually think the author's point about Android is quite silly. Eventually even the least common denominator in mobile technology will be able to perform at a high enough level.

:laugh2: Im sorry. I just cannot for the life of me ever take you seriously in a thread anymore regarding GAMING or anything Mobile.

For 1 your fanboydome gets in the way and for 2 you haven't a CLUE of gaming on any platform let alone mobile platforms.

The dig at android on your way out of your original posts supports what I am saying. No clue!

 

[theogt]

:laugh2: Im sorry. I just cannot for the life of me ever take you seriously in a thread anymore regarding GAMING or anything Mobile.

For 1 your fanboydome gets in the way and for 2 you haven't a CLUE of gaming on any platform let alone mobile platforms.

The dig at android on your way out of your original posts supports what I am saying. No clue!

I'm not sure I said anything for you to not take seriously. I simply posted an article.

 

[Meat-O-Rama]

The sheer power we hold in our hands with smartphones these days compared to dedicated gaming platforms of a few years ago is astounding.

 

[Baileyneverfailey]

A platform like a smartphone or an ipad will never be able to match the input level expected for any serious gaming. This type of gaming won't even be able to match handheld platforms like the DS or PSP. Sure, angry birds is cool and all, but you need more input than a touch screen for serious gamers.

 

[Hoofbite]

I have like 5 games on my iPhone. Real games. Battlefield, Tiger Woods, COD Zombies, Madden. Bought em when they were like $1 a while back. Played for a few minutes and that's about it.

Mobile gaming seems pointless. Who honestly has time to get into a game on small screen and for only a few minutes at a time.

I'd rather just get my gaming fix at home when I can relax with some XBOX Live action.

 

[SaltwaterServr]

I have like 5 games on my iPhone. Real games. Battlefield, Tiger Woods, COD Zombies, Madden. Bought em when they were like $1 a while back. Played for a few minutes and that's about it.

Mobile gaming seems pointless. Who honestly has time to get into a game on small screen and for only a few minutes at a time.

I'd rather just get my gaming fix at home when I can relax with some XBOX Live action.

Exactly. We can do ALL of this mobile gaming on incredible platforms, with itty bitty screens and 30 minute battery life. :laugh2:

 

[theogt]

A platform like a smartphone or an ipad will never be able to match the input level expected for any serious gaming. This type of gaming won't even be able to match handheld platforms like the DS or PSP. Sure, angry birds is cool and all, but you need more input than a touch screen for serious gamers.

You can theoretically use any type of controller with mobile devices. It's just a question of someone developing one and the industry coalescing around it.

I have like 5 games on my iPhone. Real games. Battlefield, Tiger Woods, COD Zombies, Madden. Bought em when they were like $1 a while back. Played for a few minutes and that's about it.

Mobile gaming seems pointless. Who honestly has time to get into a game on small screen and for only a few minutes at a time.

I'd rather just get my gaming fix at home when I can relax with some XBOX Live action.

Serious gaming on a phone is not going anywhere, I agree. But I don't think tablet gaming is pointless. Infinity Blade on iPad is a lot of phone and is just the tip of the iceberg.

Also, you'll be able to stream 1080p over WiFi from your tablet to your television in the near future. Think about a device that has the graphics power of an Xbox, but can be carried around with you.

 

[Baileyneverfailey]

You can theoretically use any type of controller with mobile devices. It's just a question of someone developing one and the industry coalescing around it.

Come find me when you convince people to hook up a USB 360 controller to their smartphone so they can play games on it.

Seriously, mobile phone gaming is Angry Birds. That type of simplicity is as good as it's going to get for a long time.

People who want to play actual mobile games do so on a mobile gaming system that has better battery life and decent control inputs. The best handheld games like the God of War PSP games, or some of the great DS games just can't be played without the actual control inputs, and nobody is going to lug around a controller to connect to their phone.

 

[theogt]

Come find me when you convince people to hook up a USB 360 controller to their smartphone so they can play games on it.

Seriously, mobile phone gaming is Angry Birds. That type of simplicity is as good as it's going to get for a long time.

People who want to play actual mobile games do so on a mobile gaming system that has better battery life and decent control inputs. The best handheld games like the God of War PSP games, or some of the great DS games just can't be played without the actual control inputs, and nobody is going to lug around a controller to connect to their phone.

It doesn't have to be USB. It can be wireless.

I'd guess that in the very near future more people will play games on tablets than dedicated mobile gaming devices.

 

[daschoo]

It doesn't have to be USB. It can be wireless.

I'd guess that in the very near future more people will play games on tablets than dedicated mobile gaming devices.

how do you control it? i assume 2 handed? in which case where do you put your phone? if its on a desk would you not be better with a traditional gaming set up? they may have the potential to run serious games but i doubt they'll be much of a success, much like we have the technology to make video calls on our mobiles but who wants to get a video call at 10 in the morning if your sleeping off a hungover and look like ****, therefore we can but we don't. gaming will be the same in my opinion

 

[theogt]

how do you control it? i assume 2 handed? in which case where do you put your phone? if its on a desk would you not be better with a traditional gaming set up? they may have the potential to run serious games but i doubt they'll be much of a success, much like we have the technology to make video calls on our mobiles but who wants to get a video call at 10 in the morning if your sleeping off a hungover and look like ****, therefore we can but we don't. gaming will be the same in my opinion

For a phone, you would have a device that attaches to the phone.

For a tablet, you could stream the signal to the TV and use the controller without holding the tablet.

 

[Dallas]

For a phone, you would have a device that attaches to the phone.

For a tablet, you could stream the signal to the TV and use the controller without holding the tablet.

You realize the system performance needed to do that from a tablet/phone and then put out enough oomph for a quality game once done?


It just isn't going to compete w/ any proper gaming platform to entice REAL legit gamers to x-over.

Just how LARGE would you like your iPad, to be theo?

 

[daschoo]

For a phone, you would have a device that attaches to the phone.

For a tablet, you could stream the signal to the TV and use the controller without holding the tablet.

tablet could work i guess, don't know enough about the technology. as for the phone though where is the phone while you're holding the attached device?

 

[theogt]

You realize the system performance needed to do that from a tablet/phone and then put out enough oomph for a quality game once done?


It just isn't going to compete w/ any proper gaming platform to entice REAL legit gamers to x-over.

Just how LARGE would you like your iPad, to be theo?

[youtube]ALKm0Leuc7c[/youtube]

 

[Dallas]

[youtube]ALKm0Leuc7c[/youtube]

That is gorgeous 1080 out. What happens if I need to push a button or need direction other than left and right in the game?

What do I do if I have to jump or IMMEDIATELY target a player to shoot him in the face? Do I just throw the tablet into the air?

This whole tablet gaming thing just ain't gonna cut into the gaming market anytime soon that I can see. No need to worry Sony/Nintendo/MS, all is well for the next 5 years.

To many unknowns yet.

I thought you said all of this control was wireless.

 

[theogt]

That is gorgeous 1080 out. What happens if I need to push a button or need direction other than left and right in the game?

What do I do if I have to jump or IMMEDIATELY target a player to shoot him in the face? Do I just throw the tablet into the air?

Ummm....get a wireless controller?

I thought you said all of this control was wireless.

No, I said it can be done. It's not in place right now, but it's not as if the hardware isn't a possibility.

There are home made wireless devices on youtube.

 

[Baileyneverfailey]

If you think people are going to play games on a tablet that aren't as good as the 1st party exclusives they'd get on a dedicated handheld gaming system, AND they're going to use a separate controller they have to lug around, then, well, let's just say there's a reason why you're not in video game marketing, or R&D. :laugh2: