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Forums - Gaming Discussion - Insomniac Not interested In Developing For Sony NGP Will Stick To Consoles

trent44 on 30 March 2011
rocketpig said:
greenmedic88 said:

The big question for dedicated handheld gaming platforms is really a matter of how much of a market there is for $20-50 games in the days where games on Android or iOS rarely ever go over $10, with the vast majority being less than $5.

This isn't even a question of comparing big budget (for a portable games) production values with something that was created by a small team in a fraction of the time, but what the majority of consumers will continue to buy and play on the go. In other words, where the growth lies.

While I think there will always be the children's market to include anyone too young to have their own cell phone, even this market is being erroded in light of all the mini-apps developed for smartphones that are targeted directly at these demographics. I see parents handing iPhones and iPods to small children every time I see a family eating at a sit down restaurant and I know there are volumes of learning apps and play apps that kids love. No need for a DS. Certainly no need for $30 games.

For dedicated gaming handhelds, one of the few remaining reasons for carrying one is to play specific franchises on the go that are platform specific like Pokemon, Monster Hunter, etc. and this particular niche of gamers will remain a niche that simply may not be able to sustain all the projects in development directed at the dedicated core gaming demographic in the near future.

In the case of the NGP, about the only potential general application use I can see offhand without a finished product, is specifically the 3G network connectivity for web browsing and smart phone type data apps (locators, GPS, maps, shopping aids, search apps, etc.). And this would largely be useful only if you weren't already a data network subscriber with a smartphone (redundant otherwise). Since these apps aren't likely to be subsidized by advertisers on SCEs closed development platform, I don't expect to see volumes of these popping up in the PSN Store either as offerings are likely to remain game centric.

I'm still buying one, but I just don't see myself taking it anywhere (same for the 3DS other than to try out StreetPass after which I'm unlikely to ever carry one around again). About the only reason to buy either of these current gen handhelds is specifically for whatever platform specific titles are available now or in the future.

Exactly. The market, at best, is stagnant. At worst, it's shrinking by the day just as Sony and Nintendo are entering it with $250 devices and $30-40 games.

I don't see a big enough market for both of these devices to survive and there may not even be enough for one device to rake in cash and stay profitable over its life cycle.

As you said, even kids are moving to convergence devices. I have three nieces and each owns a DS. Over the past year, I've seen less and less of that DS and none of them care about the 3DS because they all own iPod Touches now and the oldest (17) is clamoring for an iPhone.

So the casuals aren't going to care about these devices, the kids around me don't care about them, and my friends (older hardcore gamers) don't care about the devices. Exactly WHO is going to buy these things in large enough numbers to warrant their existence?

PS. to be clear, I think the 3DS will probably do okay. It's the NGP that I think is going to go down faster than Lindsay Lohan trying to score a free eightball.

I actually see it from the other direction.

When the DS launched, It was uncontended in the handheld gaming space and went on to break all previous sales records, which depended alot on the casual audience and a significanly lower price point.The PSP launched very soon afterwards and has gradgually gained significant market share (your absolutely kidding yourself if you think the 7th best selling console of all time is a failure).

Obviously this time around, the iOS and Android devices have pulled a lot of the DS's previous market away and, going into to next gen with the 3DS, Nintendo will probably fall significantly short of its predecessor (at least in terms of units sold).

The NGP on the otherhand does not target the same demographic as the iOS and Android. They target specifically gamers that want a home console experience on-the-go (and is actually attracting new consumers that never played a handheld in their life, because it replicates the home console experience better than any handheld previously made). If the NGP launches at the same price the PSP did ($250), then it will at minimum exceed the PSP's market.



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greenmedic88 on 30 March 2011
Mr Khan said:

The problem with your argument of utility and cost is that it falls short in the face of the increased utility of PCs and much lower-cost games that exist on PC (though these can't be compared to console games in the cheaper cases, neither can most of the cheapo mobile games be compared to the bread-and-butter handheld games)

We're going through the same cycle in the handheld space  now as we were in the console space 25 years ago. The question is if the handheld providers themselves provide content compelling enough to make sure the devices don't fall by the wayside when compared to the device with greater utility, but that market is at the same crossroads and most of the same arguments come into play

Far fewer people carry around laptop PCs with the continued growth of smartphones and tablet PCs as such general use devices provide just the right amount utility for the majority of mobile users. More specialized PCs, to include laptops, are generally only required for specific tasks whether that be spreadsheets, workprocessing, graphic design, whatever; they're generally not needed outside of the workplace when the most typical mobile uses would be e-mail and web browsing; both of which are done on more portable devices with faster access to data and better power management.

With the growth of tablet PCs, there will be far many individuals carrying these around than traditional laptop PCs. It's not a trend; it's disruption. There are more indepth apps for productivity on traditional PCs, but to the average mobile user, that doesn't matter. Mobile devices still work and work well and more importantly, they're always on and always as available as one's phone.

There really isn't any comparison with today's market relative to 25 years ago where such devices were literally science fiction.

Gaming devices, are essentially task specific devices with their primary purpose being entertainment (gaming). As a typical smartphone user, if I'm only going to carry one device with me, it's not going to be a handheld gaming console unless I'm heading to some sort of gamers' gathering to play games. Mobile iOS or Android games are fine for the majority of consumers in most circumstances. If I'm only playing for 5-10 minutes at a time typically, I don't need a $40 game for that.

Currently the biggest market for handheld game consoles are gamers who prefer portable gaming. And that's one market that really isn't growing. Regardless of how compelling the games are, they're essentially selling to the same audience as the previous/current generation.