Microsoft Doesn't Have Plans For a Dedicated Handheld Gaming Device 84
DroidJason1 writes: "Rumors have persisted for a while now that Microsoft is working on a dedicated handheld gaming device to go against the Sony PS Vita or Nintendo 3DS. The head of Xbox has now responded to a question about it from an eager gamer on Twitter who asked whether there were any plans for a 'handheld Xbox-One-like gaming device.' The answer is no. Microsoft is focused on Windows Phone, tablets, and perhaps both with controller support someday."
Microsoft is dead (Score:1, Troll)
They lost the battle when they couldn't force everyone to use their shit on every device owned. High five to them for trying though.
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It's actually refreshing to see Microsoft decide to not pursue a product line that they have no experience with for a market segment where they're a late comer.
Is this due to new management?
Control a platformer with a flat sheet of glass (Score:2)
Granted, there are hardware features like buttons, sticks and 3D screens that aren't in a phone
So what's the best way to control a platformer on a touch-screen phone without having to use a clip-on Bluetooth controller by MOGA? I tried the demo of Pixeline and the Jungle Treasure for Android, and I had trouble making jumps until I broke out a Bluetooth keyboard. It turns out that an on-screen jump because the thumbs drift over time from where they're supposed to be, and a flat sheet of glass provides no tactile feedback to position the thumbs over the controls. The only remotely platformer-like games
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Get a handheld gaming device
Which is, of course, the correct answer, but directly contradicts GGPs assertion that "no one needs both a smart phone and a handheld game console."
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How else would you do it?
Something like the Xperia Play.
Market for games that need one of these (Score:2)
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You don't need to ask that question. Because the answer is in this question:
"Have you ever seen someone with a clip on controller attached to their phone?"
The handheld gaming device market is DEAD (Score:1, Interesting)
Not to defend MS, but when was the last time you saw ANYBODY using a handheld gaming device anywhere? When was the last time you saw a sign for a PSP or NDS (outside of a GameStop store)?
The market is dying a fast and miserable death. There is no need for any company to waste resources on a product guaranteed to be a flop because the market no longer exist .... completely replaced by mobile devices.
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when was the last time you saw ANYBODY using a handheld gaming device anywhere?
I visited my aunt this past weekend and saw my cousin using a Nintendo 3DS and his younger sister using a DS Lite.
There is no need for any company to waste resources on a product guaranteed to be a flop because the market no longer exist .... completely replaced by mobile devices.
Some video game genres are believed to work far better on a device with physical buttons. For example, good luck doing Mega Man or Castlevania on a touch screen. So is there now no market for games in these genres?
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For example, good luck doing Mega Man or Castlevania on a touch screen. So is there now no market for games in these genres?
Not on a smartphone no. It's a niche market on handheld devices and doable (but not that popular these days) on PCs and consoles.
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In other words, PC is the only platform for that genre unless you're a well-known company.
No, if it fits into the indie requirements of the various console platforms then those are applicable platforms for the genre too.
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They do (Score:2, Funny)
Windows Phone. ... now whether it is successful or not is another story.
But xbox live and Halo is on it for the few dozen users
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It happens sort of automatically at some point... (Score:2)
It is just a matter of time that the device world catches up with the Xbox. The underlying development tools will eventually allow game deployment on other windows hardware. I also think this will be true for casual gaming to the Xbox, and a universal platform for all sorts of other goodies to come.
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Windows 9 is the answer. They had a peak of a unified platform but it was not finished at BUILD last month. MS made a mistake and should have made Windows 8 apps work across all.
I think next year we will find out but it maybe too late ... like freaking 7 years late after ANDROID and IOS where METRO is the new OS/2. They became the old IBM for being behind the times and not quick and nimble like Apple and Google.
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to be fair microsoft has been trying to get tablet windows machines since forever. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_tablet_computers [wikipedia.org]
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So did IBM.
Apple had a far superior product. MS just got some cheap plastic and put XP on it with a digitizer and called it the day and wondered why they didn't take off? They did not really make a tablet like Steve Jobs did.
Love him or hate his guts I give the man credit for making sure the products are ready, sleek, work, well, and perfected. MS and Blackberry deserved to lose. They didn't even try to make a good product and thought marketing droids would sell them.
Apple made the whole thing mobile inside
Good... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Good... (Score:4, Interesting)
Good, the hand held gaming console is dead...
Oh i dunno... there is still a niche for 6 to 12 year old kids before they merit getting a phone. Right now tablets are eating heavily into that niche... but the right device could still find a home.
A handheld gaming tablet from nintendo... ipad form factor + some physical controls + a cart slot ? I don't know N would need to allow it to load and play android games or soemthing though to really hit a home run... and that's not really in their corporate culture. But for them to hold off the tablets they need to let go of their iron fist over the store; and the high prices.
People will still drop $40 bucks for a new Pokemon title; and add the Play store to the 3DS XL and my kids wouldn't even care about ipads.
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I would argue that it's a niche geared towards 4 to 12 year olds and 18 to 40 year olds. 13-17 year olds are too cool for Nintendo. 40+ year olds did not grow up with Nintendo. But other than teenagers and old people, Nintendo 3DS is a hit.
As anecdotal evidence, I was at a meeting with a variety of people including executives, marketing managers, engineers, etc... when my 3DS XL slipped out of my pocket. At the end of the meeting, the president of the organization approached me and asked me what was the gol
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As for the fantasy iPad Nintendo clone. Not going to happen. Why would they downgrade their offering to cater to the "Too cool for Nintendo" crowd?
They could rake in the cash though by supporting android games. Even if they didn't allow access to the play store, but just opened up their store to the same content and pricing, and made their indie dev process that friendly.
Then all those ipad games that are eating into their market would be 3ds games giving them a 30% cut. I think a lot of the best selling ga
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Good, the hand held gaming console is dead...
No it's not. You are just too stupid to realize the world doesn't evolve around what you and your friends do.
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Good, the hand held gaming console is dead...
If that is the case, then why praytell have used Game Boy systems (from the Pocket to the Advance SP) been consistent sellers for me on Amazon the past few months, with prices ranging anywhere from $24.95 for a clear Game Boy Pocket to $64.95 for an Onyx Black Game Boy Advance SP?
In fact, the only handheld I have left in my Amazon store is a black DS Lite.
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Good, the hand held gaming console is dead...
I still can't believe people are so intent on declaring both game consoles and PCs as "dying" platforms. They're not dying, but they're very likely moving into more of a niche role, or else will be merging functionality so as to make themselves more relevant (like consoles acting as media centers). The reason hand held console games won't completely die is because they're vastly better gaming platforms than phones or tablets for a large number of genre types - typically anything that requires a lot of fas
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Dead you say?
Nintendo [wikipedia.org] has a rebuttal with their 3DS sales. Sony [wikipedia.org] disagrees as well. Each of their handhelds has reportedly sold 4 million+ units in their 2.5 years or so of being on the market. While that's no rush to 6 million of the PS4 and XB1, it's still a significant amount of hardware to sell.
Unless you mean that the hardware itself doesn't work anymore, in which case I'd have to ask what you're doing with it. My Gameboy color and Game Gear work just fine.
Controller Supporrt? (Score:1)
My Windows tablet already has controller support. As much as any other x86 Windows box does. There isn't really any class of controller that won't work on it.
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Xbox 360 controllers are bulky (Score:3)
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It's a lot easier to carry a Nintendo 3DS than to carry a Windows tablet and a bulky Xbox 360 controller
And if all you really want is gaming then you can do that. If you have a Windows tablet then buying a 3DS just for games that might work better on a controller is a bit silly (and also more expensive) so just buying a controller (or using your existing ones if you have them) seems like a far more logical thing to do.
which is the only kind of controller that works with Windows Store apps.
Most apps are not Windows store apps, in fact relatively few are.
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Most apps are not Windows store apps
Then most apps are not Windows RT apps because all Windows RT apps are Windows Store apps. Reasonably priced Windows (x86) tablet computers, as opposed to Windows RT tablet computers, are a fairly recent development.
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Then most apps are not Windows RT apps because all Windows RT apps are Windows Store apps.
Yes, but I think that's pretty obvious given the age and lack of adoption of the platform.
surely typos are abound! (Score:2)
asked whether there were any plans for a 'handheld Xbox-One-like gaming device. "The answer is no. Microsoft is focused on getting reamed by Sony, perhaps with controller support someday."
FTFY
(it's just a joke, guys!)
Neither do I. (Score:1)
Although, I have been very unsatisfied with my cellphone lately.
Really Dice? (Score:1)
Smart (Score:2)
Convergence is where it is at. No one wants to lug around a ton of different devices.
Microsoft doublespeak (Score:2)