Handheld Gamers Moving From Dedicated Devices to Smartphones

[HBK]

Industry Gamers reports on the results of a new survey from market research firm Interpret revealing that users of handheld games are increasingly moving away from dedicated devices such as the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP in favor of smartphones such as the iPhone.

The report, "The Phone Gaming Revolution: Do the DS and PSP Stand a Chance?," found that 43.8% of the phone/DS/PSP gaming market plays games on phones, which represents a significant 53.2% increase over the past year. At the same time, Interpret says that the proportion of those who play on the DS or PSP has fallen by 13%.
But while that data could indicate that the market for handheld gaming is simply expanding with the increasing capabilities of phones, other data shows that users of dedicated gaming devices are in fact abandoning those devices in favor of their phones.

The company notes, "Gamers appear to be defecting from their handheld gaming devices to phones to get their gaming kicks: a full 27.2% of consumers who indicate that they play games on their phones only (and not on the DS/PSP) actually own a DS or PSP, but do not actively use the device(s)."
With existing dedicated gaming devices being forsaken in favor of all-in-one smartphone devices, some analysts are questioning whether dedicated devices have a significant role in the future portable gaming market. Sony at least appears to be responding to the threat with a "PlayStation Phone" of its own that appears to be an Android-based device offering many of the features of a smartphone while also including hardware buttons akin to those found on traditional handheld gaming devices.

Source: MacRumors

What do you guys think?

What I think is that if it's PSP related then it's pretty justifiable (the PSP has seen better days), but true die hard fans of the DS will obviously keep on Nintendo's side. As for the indecisive, get the best of both worlds: DS AND iOS. Skip the PSP.

 

[nutella]

That's because the majority of games on the iPhone are less than $5 and provide 5 minutes of enjoyment. It's more of a convenience thing really.

 

[monkat]

Eh. Not sure how this data was recorded exactly, but it sounds like they just asked "Do you own?" and "Do you play?", without regard to how much.

Do I play Angry Birds sometimes? Well...yeah.

Do I play my DS a lot more? Yeah.

 

[The Catboy]

Personally I am going to keep with my DS. I don't really care if my cellphone plays games or not, all I really want it for it making calls and sending texts.
I don't think the handheld gaming market really is that threatened by the cell phone gaming market. If it really is, then this is the generation of the saddest gamers ever.

 

[Harsky]

I'm one of those that abandoned my DS for my Blackberry. The reason? 3G internet. Not to mention that limited pocket space means I can only carry one device at a time so ultimately, the smartphone wins out.

 

[narutofan777]

o rly? i wuldn't even buy a smartphone for games.

 

[granville]

What foolishness. I have a smartphone and love it, but would never consider playing games on it as anything besides a major chore. I've tried it, the experience is horrid. Unless of course you get lucky and happen to have a phone with a keyboard, which is STILL awkward as hell compared to real controller buttons. Perhaps slower paced RPG's would be ok, but anything else is bleh.

Let me know when phones get large quantities of games superior to first gen half-assed PS1 games, AND a proper button configuration. Then maybe we'll discuss things. Harsh but true. Phones are not on their way to getting much better in terms of gaming.

 

[Deleted User]

Smart Phones have terrible battery life. Last I read the Droid X has something like 7-8 hours of battery life (under minimal power conditions). Just because something be a gaming device doesn't mean that it should be a gaming device.

So far we can pretty much argue that Smart Phones are currently kinda in the process of over-extending themselves. Ultimately, they're not for gaming, remember? They're designed, as Cat Boy reminds us, for calling and texting people. I'm pretty firm in saying that the next-gen devices PSP-2 & 3DS will be what set the standard...

The dedicated hand-helds are going to obviously secure fans from previous generations. There's a reason these new devices are getting Street Fighter, Castlevania, Zelda, OOT and iPhone/Mobile devices aren't. Smart phone caters to the casual gamer, there are very few ambitious games that would appeal to THIS community for example. It's a niche/niche market.

 

[Jotokun]

I have a smartphone. I play games on it. I also carry it around with me everywhere I go, unlike my DS.

I do this because its a phone. Its a necessity. I dont like playing games on it because I cant stand the lack of buttons. But when its all I have, I make due. Dedicated handhelds arent going anywhere. What these numbers are saying is that more people are carrying around smartphones and using them because of pure convenience, not because they prefer them to dedicated systems.

As for lessening interest in existing handhelds, they're at the end of their life. When the 3DS and the PSP2 are out, I'd bet the dedicated handheld market will see a huge resurgence.

 

[Warrior522]

Personally I am going to keep with my DS. I don't really care if my cellphone plays games or not, all I really want it for it making calls and sending texts.
I don't think the handheld gaming market really is that threatened by the cell phone gaming market. If it really is, then this is the generation of the saddest gamers ever.

This.

 

[nutella]

Phones are not on their way to getting much better in terms of gaming.

Of course not, but what this articles neglects to mention is why gamers are moving to smart phones which essentially makes this article useless, as usual. It doesn't say that smart phones are a better platform, it just says that people are gaming on it. As I've stated, people are gaming on smart phones for convenience, not because it's a better platform.

 

[IBNobody]

I own a smart phone + a game grip (dpad overlay). Cell phone games, while fun for a few hours, are no match for some of the good DS games in terms of playability.

That being said, it really sucks that my phone has fantastic graphics and crappy games, but my DS has crappy graphics and fantastic games.

 

[Wintrale]

The largest problem is that people can't differentiate between handheld gaming and mobile gaming. There's a significant distinction between the two. Mobile gaming centres on indie and low-budget titles, never costing more than a few thousand pounds, whereas handheld gaming often costs hundreds upon thousands of pounds per game to develop. I'll admit that iPhone games certainly look really damn awesome but even the iPhone's relatively AAA titles, RAGE and Infinity Blade, are barely more than half an hour long from start to finish. You're paying a fraction of the full price for a fraction of a full game, basically, and mobile gaming will never become more than that because indie developers can't afford to develop anything bigger and the majority of mobile phone owners won't spend enough to warrant the more complete games. What's the chance of a £30~£50 ever being released on the iPhone?

I'll never give up on handheld gaming. I want a dedicated video game console, not a phone that just happens to play games too.

 

[Rydian]

One thing these studies leave out is the overall number of gamers. I'm willing to bet money that if they included those stats you'd see they increased as well.

Phones capture casual and new gamers in ways dedicated gaming systems can't; they don't need to buy one, all it takes is a few bucks for a device they already have.

 

[EJames2100]

What I think is that if it's PSP related then it's pretty justifiable (the PSP has seen better days)

So has the DS

QUOTE(HBK @ Dec 9 2010, 12:53 AM) but true die hard fans of the DS will obviously keep on Nintendo's side

And true PSP fans will keep on Sony's side.

And those of us in the middle will just be loyal to something that can play a decent length game and has a ton of titles and get annoyed over simple fanboyism for one or the other.

Honestly I've played phone games, some of the very simple ones like scoring free kicks, rubbish in a trash can, all very entertaining and is something I'd play on a bus or something but not something I'd spend any decent amount of time on.
They are getting better however especially in the graphics area which is very appealing to quite a big market and the thing also has internet, can text, phone and play music and most at the same time so I can see why some have converted.

£200 All in one
£120 Console

And of course, it's the natural trend to have these new phones and all the games on them, just like when the DS and PSP came out.
And not to mention that they are both quite old and not as popular as they used to be.

 

[KingVamp]

I'm one of those that abandoned my DS for my Blackberry. The reason? 3G internet. Not to mention that limited pocket space means I can only carry one device at a time so ultimately, the smartphone wins out.
Objection!

So you abandon it because of 3G internet is not on a gaming handheld?

It for games with just a little sketch to other medias while a smartphone is opposite of that.

Other words this about playing games on a phone vs playing on a dedicated device.

You got for the 3G not gaming therefor ds is better for gaming.

The 3G internet is pretty much irrelevant in this case!

QUOTE(granville @ Dec 8 2010, 09:10 PM) What foolishness. I have a smartphone and love it, but would never consider playing games on it as anything besides a major chore. I've tried it, the experience is horrid. Unless of course you get lucky and happen to have a phone with a keyboard, which is STILL awkward as hell compared to real controller buttons. Perhaps slower paced RPG's would be ok, but anything else is bleh.

Let me know when phones get large quantities of games superior to first gen half-assed PS1 games, AND a proper button configuration. Then maybe we'll discuss things. Harsh but true. Phones are not on their way to getting much better in terms of gaming.

How 'bout that psphone coming out?

 

[ShadowSoldier]

I'm sorry but I've never seen the appeal in gaming on smartphones, especially the iPhone/iPod/iPad combo.

I've always.. ALWAYS preferred a physical d-pad/analog stick + buttons than to virtual touch screen controls. It just feels better and it feels like I have better control.

Even if it was the PSP, I'd pick the PSP over the smartphone simply because it has actual buttons and controls.

 

[Slyakin]

Uh-huh... nope. I'm kind of guessing they're estimating this with number of gaming apps sold? Well, those are great for 5 minutes and all, but... my DS still wins out.

 

[Jakob95]

That's because the majority of games on the iPhone are less than $5 and provide 5 minutes of enjoyment. It's more of a convenience thing really.

That is so true. I play games on my Android and iPod Touch when I am outside and want to do something fun for 2 minutes like play a quick game of Angry Birds.

 

[DeMoN]

Don't read this if you're a Sony fanboy:

Spoiler

Since when was there any interest in the PSP to begin with?

And I can see where this is going. iPhone games are limitless and there are many great ones out there, such as those by Gameloft. Hell, there's even Resident Evil 4 and it's awesome. Plus, it's a lot easier to pirate games on the iPhone because of built-in WiFi. Lastly, the graphics are better, and I know this accounts for a lot to many people.
I don't necessarily blame the iPhone for my lack of interest in the DS now, but rather the lack of good games for the DS. Like I said, games for the iPhone are limitless, everyday I go on *snip and look for exciting new games to download and try out. Where for the DS, I have to wait months or years for just one good game to come out.

When the 3DS comes out, then we'll see what's what.