An article on Tech Crunch really got me thinking, the rise of mobile as the new handheld, and the possibility of merging the media stick with the handheld.
I mentioned previously about the idea of the war for the living room. Consoles will be in a safe place for the time being. They are the hardcore gaming media outlet. A PS4 and Xbox One offer all the functionality of a Roku or Apple TV, but their draw is primarily playing video games. If a consumer picks up a console, they don't need to purchase anything else; it would be redundant spending.
Handhelds can't offer the same excuse. In today's app market, mobile has them pinned for 90% functionality, and most consumers have some type of smart phone. It really comes down to how does that 10% differentiate itself. Is there a strong enough case to stop the consumer from redundant spending?
There's an app for that, I get it. Consumers can write, check emails, call, text, GPS, and everything else, and games are no slouch in that regard. Sega is constantly putting its backlog for purchase. Square-Enix has GO versions of some of their biggest franchises, while having nearly all the Final Fantasies remastered and for sale, plus other rhythm games and mobile exclusives. Capcom is putting more money into mobile, even going so far as to bastardize one of their revered franchises to Trojan horse their way in with Breath of Fire 6.
And hey, even Nintendo isn't going to let that mobile money run away from them.
That 10% has to be a strong enough to get people to want to carry another device. My pockets are full as it is, with my wallet, car keys, and ever growing cell phones. In fact, I can purchase Metal Slug on the Google Play Store right now for good emulation at an affordable price.
And while buying 3DS and PS Vita games is incredibly affordable right now, with very few games costing over $20, the initial price shock is still too high. A PS Vita is $200, and depending on the 3DS or 2DS model, it's $100 or more. I know there are certain stores that sell a little lower, but it can't beat the price of a sunk investment, the smartphone, with games being much cheaper.
When we look at the previous generation of dedicated handhelds, we saw a healthy competitive ecosystem for the first time with the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS. The PSP sold about 82 million units worldwide, and the DS sold 154 million worldwide. Now they're selling a third of those total sales or worse.
It just goes to show what a force mobile was in a single generation. The Wii U and 3DS are Nintendo's worst outings, and there is no reason to believe anything will change in the immediate future.
This is why the rumors about the NX using Android technology are flying around, because for once it sounds like a good idea. The NX can be what all these media hubs want to be, but at a more competitive level for the consumer based on price and functionality.
Nintendo is working on this unified NX, so a dedicated handheld may be gone. Sony can try again with their PS TV line, however much of a long shot that is. These big companies are getting creative with how to take some of these big markets.
Amazon's new Fire TV includes two games a controller, and a memory card. Where the Apple TV falters in terms of drawing games as a competitive angle, the Fire TV knows what a selling point it can be to consumers.
The idea of a device that can always be upgraded, yet always backwards compatible to all it's software is enticing, and something I think we'll see more of in the future. Until then, I'm going to keep buying the ever dwindling selection of PS Vita games at my local stores.
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