Post-Console era? id Software’s Carmack: Mobile to surpass current gen game consoles

[*LTD*]

Post-Console era? id Software’s Carmack: ‘Unquestionable’ that mobile will surpass current game consoles

“id Software’s John Carmack has taken a greater and greater interest in mobile gaming over the last couple years, and the rate at which the hardware iterates in the smartphone and tablet space has allowed the technology to nearly catch up with consoles,” James Brightman reports for IndustryGamers.

“In a recent interview with Carmack, IndustryGamers asked whether mobile could become so popular that it’ll one day overtake traditional console gaming,” Brightman reports. “‘That’s one of the things that we do discuss internally a lot and it’s amazing to think that when we started Rage, iOS didn’t exist. There was no iPhone. All of that has happened just in the space of one project development timeline. And that’s a little scary when you think about it, because major landscape change could be happening underneath our feet as we work on these large scale projects,’ noted Carmack. ‘And we’re going to be doing everything we can to constrain our projects more to not take so long… it’s unquestionable that within a very short time, we’re going to have portable cell phones that are more powerful than the current-gen consoles.’”

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Whether you believe Carmack or not, the speed of mobile development is blistering.

After all, we're already doing stuff like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRwIpIeWE0Q&feature=related

 

[ChazUK]

Sales of cheaper games on mobiles will undoubtedly outsell some £35/40 console games but I've yet to have a full on console like experience on any mobile device. I think both mobile and console gaming experiences are so far apart that it's difficult to compare the two.

Will we ever see a mobile equivalent of Forza, Gran turismo, Halo, Killzone, CoD, Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda e.t.c?

It's great that devs have another avenue to make money either way.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

Sales of cheaper games on mobiles will undoubtedly outsell some £35/40 console games but I've yet to have a full on console like experience on any mobile device. I think both mobile and console gaming experiences are so far apart that it's difficult to compare the two.

Bingo right there.
To me games on mobile devices like the iOS and Android are more about time wasting game. They are not something you can play for hours nor are the games as advances.
Compare that to the consel which have much more advanced games that have longer story lines and much more robust multiplier. Something that you just can not do on something the size of well a phone.
No matter how much processing power, graphic and multiplayer on it at the end of the day the physical size of the device is very limited.
Add to the fact that consels will always have more CPU power, graphic and what not makes them good at what they do.

Have I spent a fair amount of games for my phone and iPod yes. But they are all time wasting games. nothing like lets say Halo, Fonza or games like Too Human.

 

[roadbloc]

Sales of cheaper games on mobiles will undoubtedly outsell some £35/40 console games but I've yet to have a full on console like experience on any mobile device. I think both mobile and console gaming experiences are so far apart that it's difficult to compare the two.

Will we ever see a mobile equivalent of Forza, Gran turismo, Halo, Killzone, CoD, Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda e.t.c?

It's great that devs have another avenue to make money either way.

I agree, although I do think Carmack has a point and mobile gaming will become the more popular beast in the long run. Console and PC gaming however, is going nowhere.

 

[KingCrimson]

Agreed that the profits are in mobile gaming, because that's what kids can afford. They play more often and can buy more cheap mobile games. Doe that mean mobile games are better then full PC/console games or MMORPGs? No - but I'd hope LTD would admit that.

 

[0098386]

Interestingly for all his talk, Carmack hasn't been important in console or PC gaming for an awfully long time.

And of course 59p games will outsell £30 games. Does that make the 59p games better than the £30 games? Nope, not at all. For the same reason cheap processed meats don't taste as good as a proper filling, sumptuous meats. (What's a comparison without mentioning foods or vehicles?)

I'd also be curious to see where lines and loyalties lie. Apple's hardware philosophy is to build expensive machines because it's so quality based. Certain individuals (in this thread) love that, but I wonder if they opt for quantity instead when it comes to games? Personally I love quality hardware and quality games - so I buy Mac hardware and run high-end games on Bootcamp.

 

[*LTD*]

And of course 59p games will outsell £30 games. Does that make the 59p games better than the £30 games?

Carmack's point is that we're moving toward a situation where they will be, a situation where there will be parity between both.

Look at how mobile games have evolved from 2008 to 2011, in terms of depth, storyline, graphical quality, etc. A lot of these higher-end games aren't $1, but substantially more. Then factor in in-app purchases, etc.

The argument that these games are just time-wasters while on your way to work or sitting on the john in the office is outdated. Mobile games - and I'm talking about the iPad especially - are getting bigger, deeper, and more like console games by the month. There's a large crop of these fun time-wasters, of course. There's a fat market for the $1 game. But the diversity and breadth of games in the App Store today is quite impressive.

Carmack's talk isn't fluff. It's a foreshadowing. His line of thinking is on the right track.

 

[KingCrimson]

LTD - do you get up everyday and pray to Steve Jobs? Because it seems every post of yours is all about worshiping Apple. Do you use any non-Apple tech products?

 

[rdowns]

LTD - do you get up everyday and pray to Steve Jobs? Because it seems every post of yours is all about worshiping Apple. Do you use any non-Apple tech products?

Why do you care? If you don't like his fanboyism, stay out of his threads.

 

[KingCrimson]

Why do you care? If you don't like his fanboyism, stay out of his threads.

I had put him on ignore for a while, but now I'm beginning to regret I took him off.

 

[rdowns]

I had put him on ignore for a while, but now I'm beginning to regret I took him off.

Yeah, I always hear excuses like this on the Internet. I think they're BS.

 

[rhett7660]

LTD - do you get up everyday and pray to Steve Jobs? Because it seems every post of yours is all about worshiping Apple. Do you use any non-Apple tech products?

Seriously why do you care? Does he get to that much? Put him back on ignore and move on. Both you and RP should.

I agree with Camack. Hell look at the Nintendo DS or Sony PSP. Big sellers. Of course console or pc gaming isnt going to go away. But I can the mobile market being more profitable. If it isn't already.

 

[zioxide]

this guy is on crack. why the **** would i want to play games on a 3'' iphone instead of a 50'' 1080p lcd?

 

[gkarris]

Mobile Gaming's always been more casual than Console Gaming...

This has been true since the two has co-existed.

Mattel Electronics LED Handheld Football vs. Mattel Intellivision NFL Football on a Color TV set comes to mind...

 

[maflynn]

LTD - do you get up everyday and pray to Steve Jobs? Because it seems every post of yours is all about worshiping Apple. Do you use any non-Apple tech products?

Let LTD live his life the way he wants too, and live your life the way you want too.

If seeing LTD's threads is too much, then put him on the ignore list

 

[roadbloc]

I actually enjoy *LTD*'s challenging posts. He is the only poster who makes this topic interesting. Had some great debates in this forum.

Interestingly for all his talk, Carmack hasn't been important in console or PC gaming for an awfully long time.

As an ID Software fanboy, I'd agree but only due to the fact that they haven't released any major games these past few years. Just wait until RAGE and Doom 4 are released... can't wait...

 

[AAPLaday]

Hasn't pc gaming been dying since the mid 90s?

 

[roadbloc]

Hasn't pc gaming been dying since the mid 90s?

Not really. It's just that console gaming has become more popular, which is a result of gaming in general becoming more popular. PC gaming is on the rise, as is all aspects of video games.

 

[maflynn]

Hasn't pc gaming been dying since the mid 90s?

Its hard to see that a game that retails for 60 bucks have high volumes. I have a PS3 and I wait until those games drop in price

 

[AAPLaday]

Not really. It's just that console gaming has become more popular, which is a result of gaming in general becoming more popular. PC gaming is on the rise, as is all aspects of video games.

Its hard to see that a game that retails for 60 bucks have high volumes. I have a PS3 and I wait until those games drop in price

My fault. I should have used a smiley to indicate my sarcastic meaning. I know its not going anywhere yet, i meant like we have been hearing for ages now how it will be dead in 5 years, and yet it still clearly alive and kicking. My eyes hurt after playing a game on a phone for too long. Console/PC gaming is here for the long term

 

[31 Flavas]

Bingo right there.
To me games on mobile devices like the iOS and Android are more about time wasting game. They are not something you can play for hours nor are the games as advances.

If I may be so bold.... What is stopping mobile games from progressing beyond this? With HDMI mirroring or, say, AirPlay and a wired or bluetooth controller an iPod / Pad / Phone could be a "console" at home and a "time waster" while away.

IMO, of course, but I feel that Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo will have quite a hard time selling their wares when not only are they expensive $400-$600 up front purchases, but have very expensive $60 games to boot.

An iPod @ $230 would be close to half the price or more and sell games for a quarter of the price or less. It'd not only be a "console" and "time waster", but your music player, e-reader, camera, web browser, and phone / texter (if an iPhone).

Compare that to the consel which have much more advanced games that have longer story lines and much more robust multiplier. Something that you just can not do on something the size of well a phone.

Consoles will always have a tech advantage, but as we saw with both the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS this generation.... Tech isn't everything. And in Sony's case, tech cost them two out of three customers compared to PS2 system sales.

John Carmack seems to be saying that "mobile" games will mature very rapidly leaving consoles with few advantages and a very high price tag. Which seems to me to be quite similar to what happened to PC gaming. As consoles and handhelds matured they were just much cheaper then PCs and had very competitive and similar, if not superior, games.

No matter how much processing power, graphic and multiplayer on it at the end of the day the physical size of the device is very limited.
Add to the fact that consels will always have more CPU power, graphic and what not makes them good at what they do.

You could make the same argument for PC gaming. That market, while not "dead", is a ghost of its former self. It also has that huge land mine called DRM, too.

Have I spent a fair amount of games for my phone and iPod yes. But they are all time wasting games. nothing like lets say Halo, Fonza or games like Too Human.

Consoles will still be around sure and as long as Nintendo is around, should, continue to have unique capabilities. But unless they back off of their high prices the market will shrink if not collapse.

 

[Liquorpuki]

Interestingly for all his talk, Carmack hasn't been important in console or PC gaming for an awfully long time.

This is what I was thinking too. And all Carmack has done for mobile gaming so far is put out Rage, which is worth a golfclap and would have gotten a 2/10 on any system other than iOS.

Sony has their PS4 coming out in the future, which includes an integrated Kinect-like device. The WiiU will bring in all sorts of new possibilities that comes from a dual screen with an accurate gyro and AR. And Microsoft will come up with something good I'm pretty sure.

On the mobile end, the Vita looks bleeding edge. And the 3DS will pick up around Christmas when all the must-have games are in stores.

Whatever happens, it won't be because of iOS and it's 10,000,000 flash minigames. An iPad would never pass as a gaming console. What's the point when 99% of the games on it make you wonder why they even bothered to add a GPU.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

You could make the same argument for PC gaming. That market, while not "dead", is a ghost of its former self. It also has that huge land mine called DRM, too.

No tell you the truth you can not make the same argument. The limited size I am refuring to the 4in screen. All the games for 3.5-4.5 in screen. The mirror is not exactly relevant.

You have 3.5-4.5 inch screen that has to house controls, and the game itself. No matter how you slice it that is a major limiting factor.

 

[KingCrimson]

No tell you the truth you can not make the same argument. The limited size I am refuring to the 4in screen. All the games for 3.5-4.5 in screen. The mirror is not exactly relevant.

You have 3.5-4.5 inch screen that has to house controls, and the game itself. No matter how you slice it that is a major limiting factor.

Physical controls on the Nintendo DS are a major selling point for kids. If Apple wanted to destroy Nintendo DS they would make a game-version of the iPod Touch with real control buttons, but that would go against the Jobs/Ive aestheic of unibody design.

 

[Liquorpuki]

Physical controls on the Nintendo DS are a major selling point for kids. If Apple wanted to destroy Nintendo DS they would make a game-version of the iPod Touch with real control buttons, but that would go against the Jobs/Ive aestheic of unibody design.

I think it's a selling point for anyone who wants to play a game that requires more than 2 buttons

And even if they built a dedicated gaming device, they wouldn't be able to do anything because their distribution model is geared toward propagating high volumes of low quality games that could be coded in Flash