| Zlejedi said: It makes sense. If you think about it smartphones will rule the casual gaming as everyone needs mobile and soon there will be models with Android/Bada selling for 1$ in cheapest plans. When you can get zylions of small games for a platform you have at dirt cheap prices it kinda makes portable dedicated gaming devide rather pointless. What is left to portables is a market of dedicated gamers who want more than 5 minute long distraction on the bus so all the people who wanted stuff like Mario Kart, Twewy, Valkyria Chronicles, Persona, God of War etc. |
Cell phones have been around for years. Most of them played videogames and the handheld market never collapsed, it expanded massively with the DS.
Smartphones also play music. did the iPod market collaps? And did you read the Iwata Q&A that was posted on this site? Iwata made clear people who play free games are more likely to buy DS games. It has been predicted since the dawn of computers that computers would in some way let console or handheld markets collaps. It never happened. The same goes for Smartphone games.
As long as Nintendo and Sony are able to deliver an experience that is only available on their platforms people will buy them. The reason everyone goes crazy over smartphone games currently is because Apple is trying to get more developers for iOS devices and claims "it is outselling Sony and Nintendo combined" 
Of course people don't buy their iPhone or iPod to play games but to listen to music but you can always spin things the way you want.
I doubt handhelds will be in trouble in the future. If so it'll be because of Nintendo's and Sony's faults not because of smartphones.
And "the casuals" are very well able to play "real" games and know what a good game is. Most gamers are casual car driver, TV buyers, movie watchers, etc. Does that mean we are too stupid to know what a good car / TV / movie / etc. is?
