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For, what must be, well over a year now, the media has been raving about the future of mobile phones and their ability to play mini versions of our favourite games. Well here we are, well over half way through 2002 and what’s that kid playing on his phone over there? Snake. Hey, he was playing that last year wasn’t he? And the year before?
Personally, I could not care less if we never see the likes of Lara Croft and Colin McRae on our mobile phones, and for the next thousand words or so, I’m going to tell you why!
Companies such as Nokia and Siemens are claiming that future models of their phones will be able to do wonderful things such as allowing users to share music files and even play games together, thanks to massive advancements in processing technology.
Naturally, developers making games for mobile phones will have the power, if you will, to be even more creative in their designs, making full potential of the hardware at hand. Users (and notice I use the term ‘users’ rather ‘gamers’) will have access to hundreds of complex, involving and genuinely enjoyable games that feature SNES-like visuals in the palm of your hand!
But hold on a second here, there seems to be a problem. No, scratch that, there seems to be several problems that I, for one, have yet to see the likes of Nokia address.
How long does YOUR phone last before you need to stick it on charge? If you leave it on constantly and send/receive the odd text message, a couple of days. Make a few lengthy phone calls...24 hours max. Not too long then really, but, it gets worse! Got a WAP phone? Go on the, rather primitive, internet occasionally? Then you’ll know what I’m going to say next – your phone is dead in no time at all!
Now, fast forward to next year, if your lucky, and how long do you think you’re going to spend slaying tigers in Tomb Raider on your phone? If you’re having difficulty working it out, let me tell you – not very long AT ALL. It’s all very well and good if you happen to own a small generator, but that kind of defeats the object of the whole portable thing. :)
Basically, we’re being stuffed full of info on how much memory and graphical goodness they can cram into these dinky devices, but have YOU heard anything about the power supply? Tomorrow’s technology with today’s batteries means there’s going to be lot’s of frustrated users out there! Imagine it...after several goes, you’re finally owning the end-game boss and about to finish him/her off when, noooo...your phone dies on you!
What’s worse, you’re in for a tough time even getting to that final boss. Not necessarily due to the game’s difficulty, but by the device you’re forced to use to control the game! Developers are promising leaps and bounds in terms of the complexity of the games, but can you imagine trying to direct Miss Croft through some detailed caves using a phones key pad? And then what about viewing the objectives screen, pausing the game, opening a door, selecting a weapon, firing a weapon...the list goes on, but a phone’s keypad doesn’t!
Ofcourse, they could always add on a d-pad, a couple of action buttons and some shoulder pads, but then imagine how big the phones would be! Here, mobile phone manufacturers are faced with a very fine line between functionality as a mobile phone and ability as a games controller. Now I admit to being pretty hopeless at Snake, mainly because I get the closely-spaced buttons mixed up, so I dread to think of how I’ll fare controlling a rally car through a forest at 100mph!
Next point – price. You could go out tomorrow and buy yourself a reasonable, functional mobile phone for about £50 as well as the current pinnacle of portable gaming – a Gameboy Advance – for £65 (not including games). Total? £115...say £140 with a AAA game.
Being the latest and greatest thing, these next-gen mobile phones are going to set you back more than an X-Box and a copy of Halo would. I kid you not. So, I ask you, what is the point is spending that much money, when you can spend far less on a half-decent phone that does all the same tricks without the trimmings and a, probably, far superior gaming device. Sure, it would be nice to have both capabilities in one device, but if you’ve got any sense at all, you’ll know what I’m getting at.
Finally, let’s all remind ourselves of what mobile phones were invented for in the first place. Over the decade, the popularity of mobiles has gone through the roof and any hardware company with sense has jumped aboard S.S. Mobile Phone.
Everything was great at first and even better with the advent of pay-as-you-go (even if some kids do abuse it), but now, predictably, things are getting out of hand. A mobile phone is a method of communication. Companies are creating all kinds of nifty extras which aren’t really necessary, but will simply do more damage to our wallets.
Instead of making phones more complex, how about trying to make the technology behind them simpler, making the cost more pleasing for us, the consumers?
If I want to know what my friend’s doing tomorrow, I use my mobile phone. If I feel like a 5-minute blast on Mario Kart, I leave that to the GBA. Get the picture?
Thanks for your time,
Uncle Albert
Personally, I could not care less if we never see the likes of Lara Croft and Colin McRae on our mobile phones, and for the next thousand words or so, I’m going to tell you why!
Companies such as Nokia and Siemens are claiming that future models of their phones will be able to do wonderful things such as allowing users to share music files and even play games together, thanks to massive advancements in processing technology.
Naturally, developers making games for mobile phones will have the power, if you will, to be even more creative in their designs, making full potential of the hardware at hand. Users (and notice I use the term ‘users’ rather ‘gamers’) will have access to hundreds of complex, involving and genuinely enjoyable games that feature SNES-like visuals in the palm of your hand!
But hold on a second here, there seems to be a problem. No, scratch that, there seems to be several problems that I, for one, have yet to see the likes of Nokia address.
How long does YOUR phone last before you need to stick it on charge? If you leave it on constantly and send/receive the odd text message, a couple of days. Make a few lengthy phone calls...24 hours max. Not too long then really, but, it gets worse! Got a WAP phone? Go on the, rather primitive, internet occasionally? Then you’ll know what I’m going to say next – your phone is dead in no time at all!
Now, fast forward to next year, if your lucky, and how long do you think you’re going to spend slaying tigers in Tomb Raider on your phone? If you’re having difficulty working it out, let me tell you – not very long AT ALL. It’s all very well and good if you happen to own a small generator, but that kind of defeats the object of the whole portable thing. :)
Basically, we’re being stuffed full of info on how much memory and graphical goodness they can cram into these dinky devices, but have YOU heard anything about the power supply? Tomorrow’s technology with today’s batteries means there’s going to be lot’s of frustrated users out there! Imagine it...after several goes, you’re finally owning the end-game boss and about to finish him/her off when, noooo...your phone dies on you!
What’s worse, you’re in for a tough time even getting to that final boss. Not necessarily due to the game’s difficulty, but by the device you’re forced to use to control the game! Developers are promising leaps and bounds in terms of the complexity of the games, but can you imagine trying to direct Miss Croft through some detailed caves using a phones key pad? And then what about viewing the objectives screen, pausing the game, opening a door, selecting a weapon, firing a weapon...the list goes on, but a phone’s keypad doesn’t!
Ofcourse, they could always add on a d-pad, a couple of action buttons and some shoulder pads, but then imagine how big the phones would be! Here, mobile phone manufacturers are faced with a very fine line between functionality as a mobile phone and ability as a games controller. Now I admit to being pretty hopeless at Snake, mainly because I get the closely-spaced buttons mixed up, so I dread to think of how I’ll fare controlling a rally car through a forest at 100mph!
Next point – price. You could go out tomorrow and buy yourself a reasonable, functional mobile phone for about £50 as well as the current pinnacle of portable gaming – a Gameboy Advance – for £65 (not including games). Total? £115...say £140 with a AAA game.
Being the latest and greatest thing, these next-gen mobile phones are going to set you back more than an X-Box and a copy of Halo would. I kid you not. So, I ask you, what is the point is spending that much money, when you can spend far less on a half-decent phone that does all the same tricks without the trimmings and a, probably, far superior gaming device. Sure, it would be nice to have both capabilities in one device, but if you’ve got any sense at all, you’ll know what I’m getting at.
Finally, let’s all remind ourselves of what mobile phones were invented for in the first place. Over the decade, the popularity of mobiles has gone through the roof and any hardware company with sense has jumped aboard S.S. Mobile Phone.
Everything was great at first and even better with the advent of pay-as-you-go (even if some kids do abuse it), but now, predictably, things are getting out of hand. A mobile phone is a method of communication. Companies are creating all kinds of nifty extras which aren’t really necessary, but will simply do more damage to our wallets.
Instead of making phones more complex, how about trying to make the technology behind them simpler, making the cost more pleasing for us, the consumers?
If I want to know what my friend’s doing tomorrow, I use my mobile phone. If I feel like a 5-minute blast on Mario Kart, I leave that to the GBA. Get the picture?
Thanks for your time,
Uncle Albert
Mobile phones are made for sending/recieving calls, games consoles are made to play games, it is better to get more features onto a console or a phone but sometimes they are just gimmicks, gimmicks which cost a lot and the novelty wears off.
I think you are already looking too far ahead for the technology that is already/is becoming available. The first stage in the launch of mobile gaming will not be of Tomb Raider standards, indeed i doubt it will change for a decade at least.
The prospect of mobile gaming is very exciting indeed. I think your main concern with its use is the shortness of life you would get from the batteries. In Japan the technology has already been integrated into mobile phones for games, indeed my friend who now lives in Japan can download new games to his phone whenever the mood takes him, at the moment he has 3, one of which is Resident Evil Gaiden.
Now in Japan we all know that the technology is vastly different to that used over here, all Japanese phones are relatively common in their technologies, so there is very little issue with compatibility.
This i think is a much bigger issue than the life that you would get out of your battery. Every mobile producer in Britain is trying to out-do each other and release the most cutting edge technology whenever possible, as such every model is different to each other.
Now correct me if i'm wrong but the most profitable way to launch mobile gaming would be to have a large userbase. At the moment this is not possible, not only do lots of people have lots of different types of phone, but since phones are still very expensive in this country, people will be unwilling to change.
Now it is estimated that in just five years time mobile phone gaming will have enticed an incredible 80% of the phone owning population in the United States and Western Europe. Hardly to be sniffed at considering that this is estimated to generate a revenue of $6 Billion.
Now how this money would be generated, i can only speculate that a pay per download service would operate, still a new game on your phone every week is a novel concept, even if a small fee is charged. Of course the cost of the downloads could be offset with sponsorship deals from large corporate logos being tacked onto the games. At the moment I am stuck with 3 games on my phone, and i mean stuck. They are boring me now, what this new technology will offer is a sense of choice and freedom, which is a great selling point to the public.
Now you say that the phones required to play these games will cost more than a games console and a few games. This is true to an extent, the first generation phones, such as the Nokia 7650, which can play java games retail at around £300-£400 for sim-free unlocked handsets. Now this is expensive, you could get all 3 major consoles for this price, but as the technology becomes more widespread and production costs reduced, the phones will become more affordable.
Furthermore, you are paying for a truly portable device. And whilst the games will not be of Halo standards, do they really need to be? If you have a games console at home, i doubt you will really be looking for a replacement. The mobile phone games will be more akin to tackling the boredom faced on a long commute, than a real epic adventure.
Initially games will be like Hang-man and space invaders, and as such will not pose a major drain on battery resources. And as newer and better games become available i am sure that energy storage technology will progress to compensate.
If anything i think this will boost interest in games from mobile phone moguls, and that can't be a bad thing. I can't see battery life becoming a problem for a few years after the technology is actually implemented. Let us just bask in the glory of our technological advancements.
Thanks for reading.
The prospect of mobile gaming is very exciting indeed. I think your main concern with its use is the shortness of life you would get from the batteries. In Japan the technology has already been integrated into mobile phones for games, indeed my friend who now lives in Japan can download new games to his phone whenever the mood takes him, at the moment he has 3, one of which is Resident Evil Gaiden.
Now in Japan we all know that the technology is vastly different to that used over here, all Japanese phones are relatively common in their technologies, so there is very little issue with compatibility.
This i think is a much bigger issue than the life that you would get out of your battery. Every mobile producer in Britain is trying to out-do each other and release the most cutting edge technology whenever possible, as such every model is different to each other.
Now correct me if i'm wrong but the most profitable way to launch mobile gaming would be to have a large userbase. At the moment this is not possible, not only do lots of people have lots of different types of phone, but since phones are still very expensive in this country, people will be unwilling to change.
Now it is estimated that in just five years time mobile phone gaming will have enticed an incredible 80% of the phone owning population in the United States and Western Europe. Hardly to be sniffed at considering that this is estimated to generate a revenue of $6 Billion.
Now how this money would be generated, i can only speculate that a pay per download service would operate, still a new game on your phone every week is a novel concept, even if a small fee is charged. Of course the cost of the downloads could be offset with sponsorship deals from large corporate logos being tacked onto the games. At the moment I am stuck with 3 games on my phone, and i mean stuck. They are boring me now, what this new technology will offer is a sense of choice and freedom, which is a great selling point to the public.
Now you say that the phones required to play these games will cost more than a games console and a few games. This is true to an extent, the first generation phones, such as the Nokia 7650, which can play java games retail at around £300-£400 for sim-free unlocked handsets. Now this is expensive, you could get all 3 major consoles for this price, but as the technology becomes more widespread and production costs reduced, the phones will become more affordable.
Furthermore, you are paying for a truly portable device. And whilst the games will not be of Halo standards, do they really need to be? If you have a games console at home, i doubt you will really be looking for a replacement. The mobile phone games will be more akin to tackling the boredom faced on a long commute, than a real epic adventure.
Initially games will be like Hang-man and space invaders, and as such will not pose a major drain on battery resources. And as newer and better games become available i am sure that energy storage technology will progress to compensate.
If anything i think this will boost interest in games from mobile phone moguls, and that can't be a bad thing. I can't see battery life becoming a problem for a few years after the technology is actually implemented. Let us just bask in the glory of our technological advancements.
Thanks for reading.
For, what must be, well over a year now, the media has been raving about the future of mobile phones and their ability to play mini versions of our favourite games. Well here we are, well over half way through 2002 and what’s that kid playing on his phone over there? Snake. Hey, he was playing that last year wasn’t he? And the year before?
Personally, I could not care less if we never see the likes of Lara Croft and Colin McRae on our mobile phones, and for the next thousand words or so, I’m going to tell you why!
Companies such as Nokia and Siemens are claiming that future models of their phones will be able to do wonderful things such as allowing users to share music files and even play games together, thanks to massive advancements in processing technology.
Naturally, developers making games for mobile phones will have the power, if you will, to be even more creative in their designs, making full potential of the hardware at hand. Users (and notice I use the term ‘users’ rather ‘gamers’) will have access to hundreds of complex, involving and genuinely enjoyable games that feature SNES-like visuals in the palm of your hand!
But hold on a second here, there seems to be a problem. No, scratch that, there seems to be several problems that I, for one, have yet to see the likes of Nokia address.
How long does YOUR phone last before you need to stick it on charge? If you leave it on constantly and send/receive the odd text message, a couple of days. Make a few lengthy phone calls...24 hours max. Not too long then really, but, it gets worse! Got a WAP phone? Go on the, rather primitive, internet occasionally? Then you’ll know what I’m going to say next – your phone is dead in no time at all!
Now, fast forward to next year, if your lucky, and how long do you think you’re going to spend slaying tigers in Tomb Raider on your phone? If you’re having difficulty working it out, let me tell you – not very long AT ALL. It’s all very well and good if you happen to own a small generator, but that kind of defeats the object of the whole portable thing. :)
Basically, we’re being stuffed full of info on how much memory and graphical goodness they can cram into these dinky devices, but have YOU heard anything about the power supply? Tomorrow’s technology with today’s batteries means there’s going to be lot’s of frustrated users out there! Imagine it...after several goes, you’re finally owning the end-game boss and about to finish him/her off when, noooo...your phone dies on you!
What’s worse, you’re in for a tough time even getting to that final boss. Not necessarily due to the game’s difficulty, but by the device you’re forced to use to control the game! Developers are promising leaps and bounds in terms of the complexity of the games, but can you imagine trying to direct Miss Croft through some detailed caves using a phones key pad? And then what about viewing the objectives screen, pausing the game, opening a door, selecting a weapon, firing a weapon...the list goes on, but a phone’s keypad doesn’t!
Ofcourse, they could always add on a d-pad, a couple of action buttons and some shoulder pads, but then imagine how big the phones would be! Here, mobile phone manufacturers are faced with a very fine line between functionality as a mobile phone and ability as a games controller. Now I admit to being pretty hopeless at Snake, mainly because I get the closely-spaced buttons mixed up, so I dread to think of how I’ll fare controlling a rally car through a forest at 100mph!
Next point – price. You could go out tomorrow and buy yourself a reasonable, functional mobile phone for about £50 as well as the current pinnacle of portable gaming – a Gameboy Advance – for £65 (not including games). Total? £115...say £140 with a AAA game.
Being the latest and greatest thing, these next-gen mobile phones are going to set you back more than an X-Box and a copy of Halo would. I kid you not. So, I ask you, what is the point is spending that much money, when you can spend far less on a half-decent phone that does all the same tricks without the trimmings and a, probably, far superior gaming device. Sure, it would be nice to have both capabilities in one device, but if you’ve got any sense at all, you’ll know what I’m getting at.
Finally, let’s all remind ourselves of what mobile phones were invented for in the first place. Over the decade, the popularity of mobiles has gone through the roof and any hardware company with sense has jumped aboard S.S. Mobile Phone.
Everything was great at first and even better with the advent of pay-as-you-go (even if some kids do abuse it), but now, predictably, things are getting out of hand. A mobile phone is a method of communication. Companies are creating all kinds of nifty extras which aren’t really necessary, but will simply do more damage to our wallets.
Instead of making phones more complex, how about trying to make the technology behind them simpler, making the cost more pleasing for us, the consumers?
If I want to know what my friend’s doing tomorrow, I use my mobile phone. If I feel like a 5-minute blast on Mario Kart, I leave that to the GBA. Get the picture?
Thanks for your time,
Uncle Albert
Personally, I could not care less if we never see the likes of Lara Croft and Colin McRae on our mobile phones, and for the next thousand words or so, I’m going to tell you why!
Companies such as Nokia and Siemens are claiming that future models of their phones will be able to do wonderful things such as allowing users to share music files and even play games together, thanks to massive advancements in processing technology.
Naturally, developers making games for mobile phones will have the power, if you will, to be even more creative in their designs, making full potential of the hardware at hand. Users (and notice I use the term ‘users’ rather ‘gamers’) will have access to hundreds of complex, involving and genuinely enjoyable games that feature SNES-like visuals in the palm of your hand!
But hold on a second here, there seems to be a problem. No, scratch that, there seems to be several problems that I, for one, have yet to see the likes of Nokia address.
How long does YOUR phone last before you need to stick it on charge? If you leave it on constantly and send/receive the odd text message, a couple of days. Make a few lengthy phone calls...24 hours max. Not too long then really, but, it gets worse! Got a WAP phone? Go on the, rather primitive, internet occasionally? Then you’ll know what I’m going to say next – your phone is dead in no time at all!
Now, fast forward to next year, if your lucky, and how long do you think you’re going to spend slaying tigers in Tomb Raider on your phone? If you’re having difficulty working it out, let me tell you – not very long AT ALL. It’s all very well and good if you happen to own a small generator, but that kind of defeats the object of the whole portable thing. :)
Basically, we’re being stuffed full of info on how much memory and graphical goodness they can cram into these dinky devices, but have YOU heard anything about the power supply? Tomorrow’s technology with today’s batteries means there’s going to be lot’s of frustrated users out there! Imagine it...after several goes, you’re finally owning the end-game boss and about to finish him/her off when, noooo...your phone dies on you!
What’s worse, you’re in for a tough time even getting to that final boss. Not necessarily due to the game’s difficulty, but by the device you’re forced to use to control the game! Developers are promising leaps and bounds in terms of the complexity of the games, but can you imagine trying to direct Miss Croft through some detailed caves using a phones key pad? And then what about viewing the objectives screen, pausing the game, opening a door, selecting a weapon, firing a weapon...the list goes on, but a phone’s keypad doesn’t!
Ofcourse, they could always add on a d-pad, a couple of action buttons and some shoulder pads, but then imagine how big the phones would be! Here, mobile phone manufacturers are faced with a very fine line between functionality as a mobile phone and ability as a games controller. Now I admit to being pretty hopeless at Snake, mainly because I get the closely-spaced buttons mixed up, so I dread to think of how I’ll fare controlling a rally car through a forest at 100mph!
Next point – price. You could go out tomorrow and buy yourself a reasonable, functional mobile phone for about £50 as well as the current pinnacle of portable gaming – a Gameboy Advance – for £65 (not including games). Total? £115...say £140 with a AAA game.
Being the latest and greatest thing, these next-gen mobile phones are going to set you back more than an X-Box and a copy of Halo would. I kid you not. So, I ask you, what is the point is spending that much money, when you can spend far less on a half-decent phone that does all the same tricks without the trimmings and a, probably, far superior gaming device. Sure, it would be nice to have both capabilities in one device, but if you’ve got any sense at all, you’ll know what I’m getting at.
Finally, let’s all remind ourselves of what mobile phones were invented for in the first place. Over the decade, the popularity of mobiles has gone through the roof and any hardware company with sense has jumped aboard S.S. Mobile Phone.
Everything was great at first and even better with the advent of pay-as-you-go (even if some kids do abuse it), but now, predictably, things are getting out of hand. A mobile phone is a method of communication. Companies are creating all kinds of nifty extras which aren’t really necessary, but will simply do more damage to our wallets.
Instead of making phones more complex, how about trying to make the technology behind them simpler, making the cost more pleasing for us, the consumers?
If I want to know what my friend’s doing tomorrow, I use my mobile phone. If I feel like a 5-minute blast on Mario Kart, I leave that to the GBA. Get the picture?
Thanks for your time,
Uncle Albert