Ask anyone about their controller of choice, and you will likely get a handful of different answers. Classic gamers may weigh on the side of nostalgia and go with the Super Nintendo or 6-button Genesis variants, but most will likely say the Xbox 360 controller. It does everything you need for modern games, and has become ubiquitous with developers and Microsoft’s Games for Windows initiative making it work across most big releases even on the PC.
This is a revelation. Let’s not get into “the state of PC gaming” discussion here, but controller support on the PC has undoubtedly been a factor in the recent resurgence of big releases on the platform, and has allowed for a trend that I am also a part of, using the PC primarily as a glorified console next to the TV. I feel like it’s time to take this to the next logical step, mobile, and it seems like I’m not alone.
There is no argument that iOS, and to a lesser extent Android, gaming has changed the gaming-on-the-go/handheld space. Nintendo all-but ruled the mobile gaming scene with the original DS, but a lot of forces, including marketplace factors, have made smartphones the current dominant platform. The 3DS launched soft last year, again for a myriad of reasons, but its recent success has proven that there is still a market for a handheld that can offer great games with granular, tradition-style controls, and Sony is banking on the same apparent demand with the forthcoming launch of the PS Vita next month.
I see you virtual buttons
Touchscreen-tailored games have flourished in the smartphone space, but the lack of traditional controls has lead to the on-screen button phenomena. We see it all the time; Look no further than fighting games. They are ill-suited for the platform, but continue to try and capitalize on the marketplace. Namco Bandai’s classic Soul Calibur is set to hit iOS next week, and will use on-screen virtual buttons to control the action. But twitch, classic-style games shouldn’t have to be marginalized, and there are more than a few companies out there trying to realize this dream.
Fling was among the first out of the gate with a solution for onscreen analog sticks on iOS devices with its suction cup-laden analog stick substitute. I picked one up, and it works pretty much as advertised, but it is a stop-gap solution. Numerous other companies have taken it to the next logical step and made actual controllers, and while many see these as overkill or unsuitable for the platform, I beg to differ.
Ion is a big name in this market with the iCade. It’s a unique beast as a mini arcade-like replica that started as a April Fool’s joke, and became reality due to surprising consumer demand. At CES 2012, Ion announced that it will be introducing the iCade Mobile, a traditional d-pad-sporting controller coming to the iPhone and iPod touch later to this year, and it sparked my interest — not because I thought it looked like a great solution, but because its forward momentum in a space that I think deserves to exist.
Smartphones are great for gaming on the go. In line at the bank it’s easy to quickly whip out your phone for a few levels of Tiny Wings, and for that, touchscreens are great. But I don’t think I’m alone when I say that handheld gaming is far from always experienced outside my home. I would argue that the recent big release on the 3DS, Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7, are games that people play at home as much as they do while on the go, if not more. In cases like this, they are just good games — good games that require physical controls to be played. And regardless of them being on a handheld, those who love those types of games, will want to play them. These games sit in a nice middle ground of delivering console-level quality in a more bite-sized package.
Console-style gaming in portable format
There is room for quality traditional games, no matter the platform. One of the PS Vita’s flagship launch titles is set to be Uncharted: Golden Abyss. The approach of putting console-style games on a portable system has been Sony’s approach since the original PSP, and while many might argue that it’s the wrong approach, it’s undeniable that there is a market for it — enough of a market to support a whole system.
Smartphones are already great at being truly portable gaming machines, and that’s the hard part. Nintendo and Sony can’t shrink their devices for increased portability, and even if they did, most only want to carry one device with them at one, so that war is over for the moment. Smartphones also increasingly have the power to drive more console-like gaming experiences for those that want it, but they lack the input options these types of games demand, but adding to something is easier than subtracting.
The iCade Mobile, 60beat Gamepad, or Fling my not be great solutions, but their existence is valuable in presenting a use-case. Traditional controller-required games will not come to smartphones in a big way until those control options are available to people. Peripheral availability is important, but the specific peripherals are not the point here — the point is peripheral support. Console-centric games on PC made little sense in the past with developers tasked with implementing controller support on their own on a case-by-case basis, but the introduction of near ubiquitous controller support on the platform changed this in a big way, and I think this can happen in mobile too. These strap-on, suction cup-laden, and sometimes ridiculous controller solutions are just the first baby steps toward making the device people already own capable of providing more robust experiences.
OnLive makes console gaming mobile
Once again making a case for my argument is OnLive. They have essentially introduced universal controller support for mobile gaming in one fell swoop with the release of its mobile app late last year (still mysteriously pending on iOS). They offer a Xbox-style universal controller that is supported by all OnLive games making robust console games playable on smartphones and tablets. This is a great approach because mobile is just one segment for them. It provides gamers with an option, but the company is not hinging its survival on the sector.
I completely get the argument that adding a controller for gaming on smartphones and tablets is not an elegant solution, but I would suggest that the approach is somewhat misguided here. It’s not a “solution,” its an option. Different types of games for different situations, for different people — these devices are capable enough to deliver both. You may not want to strap a controller onto your iPod Touch, but a kid who finished his lunch early and has to wait in the cafeteria until his next class may not mind. Just like the evolution of controllers in the console space over the generations, there will be hit and miss offerings, but if these platforms offer controller support that all developers can tap into, the onus of creating a good hardware solutions comes down to the hardware manufacturers.
It’s really a chicken before the egg-type situation here. Do physical controllers need to exist before developers will see value in developing console-style games for the smartphone/tablet market, or do games requiring them need to be on the market before hardware manufacturers will see value in producing dedicated controllers? We’ve already crossed the first steps of that conundrum, but there is no doubt that some sort of universal API on the hardware side would incentivize both of these by making the whole market of device-owners much more accessible.
Console games are great when you want to sit on you couch in front of your TV and be immersed in the experience, but the option to have a similar experience when not in front of your TV is nice. Right now, you have to buy a Nintendo or Sony device to have this sort of experience. It may be a long road, but the ability for the device I carry everywhere to do that is something I look forward too, and the pioneers in this space are already blazing the trail.
