23rd June 2014, 5:29 PM
24th June 2014, 2:12 PM
At a certain point, it'll become feasible to simply skip the larger console sized form factor entirely, and go straight to handheld. At that point, the "living room" experience will still be wanted, and perhaps needed for certain sorts of games. So, the handheld-as-console will need the capability to attach to new peripherals (done and done if it's got Bluetooth, and it will), and a mini-HDMI port (or something similar) to allow direct connection to an entertainment center. Later models of PSP had this capability, but the Vita does not (ostensibly due to the touch screen, but considering the Playstation TV "Vita for your TV" device Sony is making, that issue seems to have been resolved). However, every time it seems like this future is "inevitable", the market realizes one little thing. A bigger device can be a more powerful device. Any "handheld as a console" platform will result in "pure console" competition touting their superior graphicses.
So where does that leave us? A lot of people criticize the Wii U's gamepad as being "useless". I've seen it used well, but yes, fact is that those moments are few and far between. I can count the games that use it for any real purpose on one hand. I use the other hand for counting the games that put the "GBA-Gamecube" link cable to any real use.
I then put my hands together and produced the solution Nintendo should have gone for. My conclusion is Nintendo really shouldn't have bothered with their custom touch gamepad included with every system. Instead, package a standard controller and use your dominance of the portable gaming market to get the equivalent in gamer's hands. That is, why not just use the 3DS AS the gamepad in those few games that really use it for a unique experience? Now, at the moment the 3DS can't really work that way. Even counting the circle pad pro accessory (which isn't even being sold any more, and was never really popular even inside Nintendo to start with), the bandwidth the 3DS is capable of over wireless isn't sufficient for the real time audio/video stream the Wii U gamepad depends on. However, Nintendo's NEXT handheld could be designed with that "high speed bluetooth" bandwidth built in from the ground up. Further, the next Nintendo console can be designed to allow, say, 4 simultaneous high bandwidth streams instead of just the 1 that the Wii U is currently capable of (a crippling shortcoming made up for only by the prevalence of original Wii remotes that most multiplayer Wii U games are built to support, heck I bet your grandma has a few of those things lying around, and she's never even bought a Wii).
So where does that leave us? A lot of people criticize the Wii U's gamepad as being "useless". I've seen it used well, but yes, fact is that those moments are few and far between. I can count the games that use it for any real purpose on one hand. I use the other hand for counting the games that put the "GBA-Gamecube" link cable to any real use.
I then put my hands together and produced the solution Nintendo should have gone for. My conclusion is Nintendo really shouldn't have bothered with their custom touch gamepad included with every system. Instead, package a standard controller and use your dominance of the portable gaming market to get the equivalent in gamer's hands. That is, why not just use the 3DS AS the gamepad in those few games that really use it for a unique experience? Now, at the moment the 3DS can't really work that way. Even counting the circle pad pro accessory (which isn't even being sold any more, and was never really popular even inside Nintendo to start with), the bandwidth the 3DS is capable of over wireless isn't sufficient for the real time audio/video stream the Wii U gamepad depends on. However, Nintendo's NEXT handheld could be designed with that "high speed bluetooth" bandwidth built in from the ground up. Further, the next Nintendo console can be designed to allow, say, 4 simultaneous high bandwidth streams instead of just the 1 that the Wii U is currently capable of (a crippling shortcoming made up for only by the prevalence of original Wii remotes that most multiplayer Wii U games are built to support, heck I bet your grandma has a few of those things lying around, and she's never even bought a Wii).