Will the smartphone be the new Gameboy?

Mobile gaming has outgrown its original niche for years. More powerful mobile devices and a high penetration rate of them create a potentially massive user base. It’s really worth it when a mobile game becomes a real hit, like the WoW inspired Hearthstone, or also well-known titles like Candy Crush Saga.

In addition, these games are usually conceptually quite simple. You usually don’t have to expect particularly deep gameplay here. However, the graphics have continuously improved in line with the ever better and more powerful end devices and will certainly continue to do so.

The possibility for game publishers to potentially make a lot of money with games that are kept quite simple but have an impact on the public has meanwhile also brought heavyweights in the industry such as Nintendo and Blizzard onto the scene, who also want to have part of the sales cake with numerous titles. All we need to think about here is Pokemon Go or Hearthstone, which also have a large community of players on smartphones. However, many hardcore gamers are again less impressed by this development and announce the downfall of the game evening land. Will we all soon only play shallow, uninspired “casual murks” on our mobile phones? Are smartphones the new handheld consoles for the young generation and were (retro) games, such as those you can play on the PlayStation Classic or the C64 Mini since December 3rd, simply better?

Handhelds are dead, handhelds live long!

When you think of the handhelds as a gaming veteran, you quickly become sentimental. Because almost inevitably you have to think of the good old Gameboy. The probably definitive handheld device in the minds of most gamers. Nintendo conquered the handheld market with the Gameboy. And although strong competitors such as Sega, Atari and later Sony also tried their hand on this market, none of Nintendo could hold a candle to it.

However, one should not forget one thing despite all the nostalgia. The Nintendo DS has sold even more than the original Gameboy. In fact, with over 154 million units sold, this is Nintendo’s (so far) most successful device. And the 3DS is still running quite well with over 72 million units sold. Nintendo is and remains the handheld king. There are always rumours on the net and among industry experts that Sony, for example, could possibly have a new handheld in development. The reason for this rumour lies in a patent for a cartridge system registered by Sony in 2017.

What do these developments want to tell us? If mobile gaming has not yet managed to displace its most obvious “competitors” with handhelds, why does the inclined gamer seriously believe that PC and console gaming could be threatened by mobile gaming? Fact is: Mobile Gaming is a completely different market! To suppose that it could soon replace the actual gaming, because the developers are overflowing by the scrum …that’s like worrying about heavy metal, because Justin Bieber has too many concerts.

Candy Crush Saga is one of the most successful mobile games, colorful, easy to play and yet motivating to still want to create a level.

Mobile gaming does its own thing

The fact alone that almost everyone who would describe himself as a hardcore gamer usually does not leave a good hair on mobile gaming should make us think about all these considerations. But at the same time, mobile games are getting better and better and new titles are constantly appearing in the Google Play Store or iTunes. What does that tell us? Apparently, the one does not necessarily have much to do with the other, or overlaps only in marginal areas. Even though mobile games are no longer as simple as snake games on Nokia mobile phones, their basic orientation is still the same. Basically they want to offer an easy to digest, mass compatible and beginner-friendly gaming experience. Something that you can quickly play for 10 minutes on the bus. Most representatives of mobile games are colorful and simple casual games such as Candy Crush Saga, or even mass-produced online games like Clash of Titans or Pokemon Go.

We must not forget a factor that has greatly increased the popularity of mobile games in recent years, the Free2Play model on which most smartphone games are based. The player can install the game for free on his mobile phone and play as long as he wants without having to pay the publisher anything. But if you want to advance faster in the game, or want to own unique items or items, you can’t avoid buying “special packages” with real money. If the game is well balanced here, you will quickly find many players who like to spend smaller amounts to gain an advantage. And that’s exactly what makes the developers’ tills ring again with a large number of players.

Although many games are played on mobile phones due to all the incentives discussed above, consoles and PC gaming are therefore not immediately threatened with extinction. On the one hand, the platforms are aimed at a different audience, which overlaps in some respects, but still has its justification, and on the other hand gamers want to continue to play elaborately designed and sophisticated games on a large flat screen TV with all the details. However, the platforms will probably continue to grow together in the future and the orientation will probably change here and there, adapted to technical developments and the preferences of gamers.

In any case, we can look forward to exciting new concepts such as “game streaming” in the near future.