“Mobile devices will compete with dedicated handheld gaming devices, but select consumer segments like core gamers and those individuals who do not want or have a smartphone or tablet will still provide some demand.”
Some demand hardly seems like a positive outlook for the future. Makes sense though since forecasts are down for gaming devices and more people are buying devices like the iPhone. Gaming companies are paying a lot more attention to mobile devices too.
This is essentially what happened to the market for Flip video recorders and point-and-shoot digital cameras–a huge drop in sales now that smartphones have these built in. Handheld video game systems are next.
Yep, handhelds will go first and consoles will follow in the not so distant future, especially if the companies don’t get some mindshare back.
LIke it or not, casual gaming is the more popular especially with the younger users who are just as happy playing anything on Mom or Dad’s iPhone and less likely to have their own 3DS etc. If these companies like Nintendo were to port some of their older games they might generate additional interest that can be used to their advantage if played right.
No not really. Kids while young maybe happy playing with anything. When they grow up they’ll want to start playing bigger and better games, transitioning from games that are targeted at the casual audience, to games that are targeted at the core audience. Also for major game companies, casual games won’t begin to dominate their business. It’ll be an important part of their company, no doubt. But as time has shown, the casual audience just isn’t a reliable source of revenue. Why entirely focus on people who will spend a few bucks every so often, when there are people who are more than willing to spend more, and more often on games. Handhelds will probably go away, but all in all, traditional gaming will stick around for a long time, whether or not some kid wants to play Angry Birds on his Mom’s iPhone.