Next-generation gaming? It may already be here

[pocketmego]

Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony are gearing up to battle one another with a new generation of gaming gear. Turns out, a few other companies may already be beating them to it.

 

Full article here...

 

http://tech.fortune....lready-be-here/

 

Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony are gearing up to battle one another with a new generation of gaming gear.

 

Turns out, a few other companies may already be beating them to it.

 

By John Patrick Pullen, contributor

 

FORTUNE -- What the future of console video gaming will actually look like is anybody's guess. Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony have made a ritual out of releasing new game systems every few years and battling it out for customers. Now, before technical barbs have been traded or glitzy launch plans drawn up, three companies with little experience in traditional gaming may be beating them to the punch.

 

Little is know about the next Microsoft (MSFT) Xbox or Sony (SNE) Playstation, despite an uptick in speculation about the consoles expected around 2013. Of the three major game makers, only Nintendo has revealed anything, showing its upcoming Wii U this summer. Launching next year, Nintendo's Wii successor comes with a tablet-like 6.5-inch touchscreen controller that doubles as a handheld gaming device and web browser. Players could use the controller, for example, to shoot ninja stars at enemies displayed on a television.

 

Trouble is, that sounds a lot like a product already in stores: Apple's (AAPL) iPad can be used as a controller for games beamed to an Apple TV. Indeed, products from Apple, Google (GOOG) and startup OnLive are poised to make the most of the biggest trends in gaming and -- possibly -- put a serious dent in the ambitions of gaming's traditional players. And the stakes are high: the global console hardware and software market is expected to grow to $39.7 billion by 2015, according to International Data Corporation.

 

In short order, Apple has become an important force in gaming. Though the company long seemed indifferent to the market, the advent of the iPod and iPhone changed that. Developers flocked to Apple's App Store and, over the last few years, its iOS platform helped launch a new generation of Marios, including Angry Birds. "iOS is easy to develop for," says Rob Murray, founder of Firemint, a game developer owned by Electronic Arts (ERTS). He says one of his firm's most popular titles was prototyped within a week, a time-frame unheard of for even the simplest console games.

 

In June, Apple introduced Airplay, which allows apps to stream from a handheld device to a nearby Apple TV -- a setup similar to Nintendo's upcoming Wii U. Murray says that enables titles like Real Racing 2 to turn an iPad into a steering wheel and a TV into a windshield, for instance. The secret? Apple's processing prowess. "The A5 is the most powerful chipset that we've encountered so far," he says. "That's why we were able to do this TV out. We've now got two screens and we're able to drive them with that power."

 

Google TV, meanwhile, has been stunted by slow sales and delayed software. But the Mountain View, California company's approach makes many of the same features possible. Casual game developer GameHouse president Matt Hulett is bullish, noting the growth of the Android mobile platform which also powers Google's television products. The developer of titles including the bestselling DoodleJump, Hulett says better software could lead to a surge in gaming on Google TV. "This is real," he says. "If you look out three or four years, console gaming is flattening down and micro transactions are going to be as big as console."

 

OnLive takes a different tact. It is a streaming gaming service available on PCs, Macs, tablets, smartphones or a $99 adaptor that connects to televisions. For the first year, publishers were either bringing their games to the service months after launch, or posting popular titles that had already seen their day. This past summer, however, several high-profile games became available with OnLive on their release date. Part of OnLive's lure is the promise that gamers won't have to stand in line on launch day. Instead, they can have their game served to their living room as soon as it's available. "It is an interesting, emerging technology, and it's a new way to deliver online interactive entertainment to people," says Randy Pitchford, president and CEO of Gearbox Software, developer of the most recent Duke Nukem title.

 

While OnLive may not grow into a competitor to Microsoft or Sony, it could signal an emerging trend of cloud gaming. Developers don't need to do much to support the platform, says Pitchford. Typically, since Xbox and Playstation are completely different, programmers have to write the unique software for each platform. OnLive's central computers, however, can stream from the Xbox, Playstation, or PC version.

[onlysublime]

If iPhone and Onlive gaming is the the next gen, please freeze time...

[+HammR25]

Yeah, a bunch of iphone mini-games are the future.

[Segataritensoftii]

Everything is turning into the 3DO. Kinda-sorta.

[Animan]

I had the interesting opportunity to go on an AT&T tour as part of our Engineering Class at our school, and some guys there giving us the tour were mentioning cloud computing as the future. Afterwards, while we were all having lunch, I threw out to one of the guys "I like the concept of cloud computing, but I'm worried about how hard it will be to convince people it's safe and worth it".

 

He agreed, and said that's the main problem with getting cloud computing mainstream. He also mentioned that he's somewhat confident that they can convince consumers to use cloud computing because online banking has had success.

 

Just a few cents in the conversation.

[onlysublime]

online banking does not put demand on your Internet connection like gaming does. online banking does not worry about latency, compression, etc. people have no problem with cloud computing as long as it's fast and easy. But with gaming, there are a lot of issues besides simply storage.

 

I do see something like Onlive as being the future in maybe 5-10 years when hopefully we have faster, cheaper broadband. But right now, it's not fast enough at a price that everyone can get. I know a lot of people on 3 mbps or 1.5 mbps still.

[Metal Ghost]

Hah....the future is already here. Move over Mass Effect 3 and Gears of War 3, it's now all about Angry Birds and Where's My Water!

 

I don't doubt that there are 'disruptive' technologies out there and that some major companies would love to have a piece of that gaming market. But I don't think a light switch is going to be flipped and the current model is gong to just be turned inside out.

[+HammR25]

Developers will definitely want the Onlive model in the future since it will kill used games sales and make piracy a lot more difficult.

[pocketmego]

Everything is turning into the 3DO. Kinda-sorta.

 

Because Trip Hawkins is one of the GREATEST prophets of business this industry has ever known. He has always been able to detect trends and see where they were going. His problem is how REALLY FAR a head of his time he so often is.

[Austin]

OnLive's central computers, however, can stream from the Xbox, Playstation, or PC version.

 

Is this correct? I don't believe there is an OnLive client available for the XBOX or PlayStation 3. Correct me if I am wrong.

[Hyper_Eye]

OnLive's central computers, however, can stream from the Xbox, Playstation, or PC version.

 

Is this correct? I don't believe there is an OnLive client available for the XBOX or PlayStation 3. Correct me if I am wrong.

 

That isn't what they are saying. They are saying the content they stream can originate from any one of those versions of a game. That is a matter of how the content is served as opposed to how it is delivered which is what you are talking about.