Gaming is not only restricted to children these days but has covered wider spectrum of audience. Games are available on Consoles, phones, personal computers, internet and even on TV. In my previous articles, I had discussed about the various types of games that make up this industry. In this post, I will be discussing hand held gaming devices.
Category
Currently, hand held games can be put into two categories – touch based and Handheld console games.
Touch based games (casual games)
Touch based games are casual in nature & targeted at casual gamers. These games have very little learning curve and can be mastered by anyone in a very short period of time. Such games are specifically designed for smart phones and tablets and provide entertainment on the go. Touch-based games have comparatively lighter graphics with rich and attractive color art, short storyline, quicker feedback & overall engaging game play.
But, when it comes to running more serious games on a touch based interface, the user experience is not as fulfilling.(My personal opinion: I have tried playing FPS games on a touch device and found it difficult to focus on targets)
Touch devices are designed for multi-tasking, hence are preferred choice of the ‘masses’. Game production for this market is happening on a massive scale. There are thousands of apps for Android and I phone. These games cost significantly lesser then games for handheld consoles in terms of development costs and price paid by consumers.
Top games for touch platform:
Most popular I Phone games
Most popular Android Games
Hand held Console games (serious games)
Handheld consoles like Nintendo 3DS, Wii and Sony’s PS VITA, PSP are portable devices specially built for much more serious hand held gaming. Games for these platforms are much more serious in nature & require dedicated time to learn the ropes. The storyline for such games is also quite elaborate and immersive, with larger production budgets involved. There is a dedicated consumer base of hard-core gamers for these games.
The hand held consoles are specific to playing games, but recently interactive & social capabilities like Netflix and social media interaction are being built in these devices. The cost of such devices & games is relatively higher as they support higher graphics handling capabilities than tablets and smart phones.
Top games for Hand Held Consoles:
Most popular 3DS/DS Games
Most popular PS VITA/PSP Games
Sales so far
Looking at the statistics below, we find an increasing preference for value for money over core gaming. Also, the increasing graphic capability of Smart phones and tablets has contributed to this situation.
Source:Flurry Analytics
Source : Theverge
Future
It is difficult to predict the future of hand held gaming devices in today’s innovative and dynamic market. But numbers show a clear shift in the consumer taste and preference for smart phones in hand held gaming.
Statistical Forecast by HIS isuppli for global Electronic Equipment
Sale of gaming Devices worldwide
To summarise, gaming today is no longer the sole domain of a niche demographic, but a wildly popular form of entertainment with all age groups with smart phones making a widely acceptance in gaming community.
