Scratch

They are, but handheld games are better.

NeilWest wrote:

Apps are great for killing time, but they shouldn't overshadow handheld games so much that the PS Vita had gone off sale at nearly all the video game shops near where I live.

That's really sad.

Apps are better. iOs games have gone where consoles and handhelds have not, offering HD game on handhelds, and often better sound as well. Plus, iOs games are so much cheaper. I have a game on my iOs device that could have easily been a console game, but I got it for seven bucks! I mean, really!

zubblewu wrote:

Infinity Blade. End of discussion. High enough quality to be a console game, as good or possibly better graphics, great storyline, innovative gameplay, etc etc etc. Just my opinion though, and i do think most apps are mainly time killers. However, some of these time killers are quite fun and most keep you interested for a few days of actual gameplay time, and often have pretty good replay value. My thoughts: not yet, but I think apps soon will overshadow console games.

I agree. Replay Value is a important part of a video game. Most apps barely have replay value.

I Agree with zubblewu

16Skittles wrote:

Apps will reign supreme, for a couple of reasons.

The PlayStation Vita failed for a reason. If you look Here You will find a list of all games for it. There are some big name games, but not many. one of the great things Nintendo did with their portables was backwards compatibility. Each new GameBoy was compatible with games from the last, meaning there were always games to play. The Nintendo DS have backwards compatibility for each previous DS, and until the DSi had a GameBoy cartridge slot. The Wii was compatible with GameCube Games. The PS3 supports older PlayStation games, and has an endless number of big name titles. The PS Vita uses a different medium than the original PSP's game disc, so most of its old games are not playable. There is a point that could be made for "oh, but there will be more games in the future," but why buy a console with no games in February when you could wait for December when there are actually games? That logic may explain some of their poor sales numbers.

As phones become more powerful, their ability to replace portable consoles increases. There is no reason why big name developers can't make apps instead of handheld titles. EA and 2KSports both have many apps already. Devices like Sony's Xperia Play will take over mobile gaming, and feature actual buttons and a touchscreen and gyroscopic control method, but also the full Android App Market and some other exclusive games. (Remember Minecraft Pocket Edition was originally limited to the Xperia play) People will always find a way to downsize into one device, particularly on mobile devices. You still have a monitor and a modem and a display and a mouse and a keyboard on your desktop computer, whereas laptops condense those things into one device. Why carry a phone and a portable game console if one device could serve just as well?

If your app "gaming" experience is limited to Angry Birds, you need to spend some more time looking through whatever your app distribution method of choice is. (App Store, Google Play, Android App Marketplace, Cidia, etc.) Angry Birds is an amazing success, not an amazing game. It featured a new mechanic that capitalized on the new features on a smartphone or tablet, but it is basically just the same mechanic reskinned a bunch of times into a bunch of 99 cent apps (1.99 for HD? App Store pricing really irritates me) that happens to have sold millions of copies. EA has ported some of its major games onto the iOS platform, including Dead Space, Battlefield: Bad Company (2?), EA Sports games, and more. Nearly everyone you see walking around has a phone, but rarely do you see a handheld console. There is simply a bigger market. Some apps have been amazing games as well. Infinity Blade, as mentioned above. If you think Angry Birds is the best gaming experience your smartphone has to offer you are not using its full potential.

Wow, That was long.

CheckItNow12 wrote:

S-C-R-A-T-C-H-E-R wrote:

Apps are better. iOs games have gone where consoles and handhelds have not, offering HD game on handhelds, and often better sound as well. Plus, iOs games are so much cheaper. I have a game on my iOs device that could have easily been a console game, but I got it for seven bucks! I mean, really!

You forgot about the most important thing: Fun gameplay.

Handhelds DOMINATE this category, Apps? Not so much.

And once you're done with the app, you're done. There's almost nothing left to accomplish, and you need to buy another app.

But most apps get updated.

Phones aren't ready to do truly serious gaming.
Ports of other bigger franchises will be watered down and take up tons of memory on your phone.
Plus, keyboard on phones is annoyingly small and inaccurate, as well as fingers interrupting the game to use the touchscreen controls.

Apps will reign supreme simply because there's more casual gamers than gamers

Last edited by soupoftomato (2012-08-25 15:23:27)

Bump

About people talking about gameplay in apps; still, after 4 months r whatever, I encourage you to try infinity blade. The point and click walking is a but dull, but it probably has the best or one of the best combat systems I've ever seen on anything, period.

Plus, on an unrelated note, the graphics are as good or better than any handheld game.

Last edited by zubblewu (2012-12-04 22:48:22)

Huh...

I have to say, the touch screen really does mess up the experience sometimes.  Human fingers are just too big and clumsy, and the keyboard is really bad.  You can't really move around with a touch screen as you can with abxy/d-pad.

berberberber wrote:

Huh...

I have to say, the touch screen really does mess up the experience sometimes.  Human fingers are just too big and clumsy, and the keyboard is really bad.  You can't really move around with a touch screen as you can with abxy/d-pad.

I think I'm just going to argue with random points that come up no matter what side they're on. I'll start with this post.
First, I'm not sure if apps refer to just phone or tablet apps too.
But anyways, the lack of buttons is actually a good thing, it leads to innovation and new ways to play/control the game.

Like lostwinds, for example, you can move around with a d-pad, but its better to move around with your finger. It's better cause your fingers aren't just stuck in one place. But not just the moving. Because your finger/hand is already moving around, to control wind, it's much more fun to drag it than use a dpad. And then you also have the other controls like vortex, which is pinch together with two fingers. It's much more fun than say, pressing a button.
And in a real game, you probably won't be using your keyboard that much.
Do you see people typing where to move Mario or which move their Pokemon should use?

[Remember, I'm just arguing for the fun of it...]

And I like console games better (Pokemon, Mario, Zelda, portal, etc) but I do think apps are really becoming more popular due to their pricing and availability (bored on the train? Download this new game!) and the fact that they're much easier, quicker to play, and also less involving. You can just jump into angry birds. The instructions are pictures. However, Pokemon or such requires Mr professor guy to explain what the world is, etc, so it's only suitable for people who actually want to play, not just trying it out because they're bored. By the time they're done waiting in line, they might be able to beat 1-2 cut the rope levels (depending on how smart they are) or maybe they can read how to shoot portals and how they work (of course they won't be playing that in line, but the amount of time is the same).

One last thing is the popularity of smartphones/tablets. To play Pokemon, you have to go buy a DS or whatever, but to play angry birds, you can just use that smartphone that many people already have. And they bring it along them to many places to, as it can do more than play games, so this is usually what they resort to for killing time.

But really, games overall are just to kill time no matter where they are (except for this educational and scientific ones like foldit)

Last edited by kayybee (2012-12-05 02:33:12)