transience posted...
MS has no portable. Vita isn't going after the same market.
I'm not sure what that has to do with buying smaller companies that can develop ios/android/wp7 games. They're not porting Mario over there.
I think this is the last true handheld generation. we're about five years away from phones that can do everything you'd want in a portable gaming device. Apple has actually allowed others to live by refusing to include buttons. if they ever go that route, or if someone can compete with apple in the smartphone space that offers a device that can do this effectively, portables may just go extinct.
I'm with you half-way, but not all the way. I know companies already make controller products for phone/pad products, but I do think the phone is still viewed as a phone proper such that you still have a proper and separate gaming market for it. I think the environment a gamer prefers is still suited towards the DS design. Plus, while young people have phones, I think handheld gaming still goes younger. Battery life is important - I wouldn't want my phone to be my handheld gaming device and I have a hard time seeing that change. 10 minutes of Angry Birds on the train is different than hours of Mario/Pokemon. I'm just saying... there are obstacles still.
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Donny: Are they gonna hurt us, Walter?
Walter: No, Donny. These men are cowards.