Xbox Handheld in the works? (Old Rumor)

http://gizmodo.com/#!5761232/will-zune-be-reborn-as-a-handheld-xbox

Basically, the rumor states that MS might look to transform the Zune devices into basically Xbox handhelds, running a modified Windows Phone 7 like how multiple devices run iOS.

Now, if this happened, we'd have to realise they'd likely distribute games through the Xbox Live marketplace on WP7. Meaning no physical controls, all touch screen controls. I'd imagine they'd have an Xbox handheld trying to help WP7 sales in some way, by sharing functionality.

I'd be willing to have this if it means mobile gamerscore, and some more premium original content like portable Halo's, Banjo's, etc.

I doubt this comes to be true, but its really the closest the tiny rumors of portable Xbox's have been to any truth.

I really would like a WP7 handset for mobile gamer score, but I'm not willing to pay that much for a smartphone with contract. Maybe there is a market for people like me? I don't know, what do you think?

Also, I hope I'm not wrong in thinking this topic would belong in the Xbox 360 forum, as its total speculation at this point

no way would i buy a handheld that was touch screen only, hell i refused to even buy a smartphone that was touch screen only, as usefull as a touchscreen can sometimes be, i always like to have to option of buttons to use, sometimes they are just better in my opinion

and as far as gaming is concerned buttons are essential for high quality games, no matter how good the touch screen is they are never as responsive as a propper button

Touch controls can be great, but usually they need to be acompanied with buttons I think. Even some of the best touch controled games on the DS used at least one button for something. I don't think an entirely touch controled gaming system could work.

Like, it was tough finding a control scheme I liked for Metroid Prime Hunters, an FPS,even with lots of buttons. So there is no way a good control scheme can be made for Halo using touch screen only. I can't even think ofa way to freely move around, let alone shoot, jump, switch weapons, throw grenades, ect.

I'd buy it if it was touch screen only. There are some genres that work very well on touch screens, TBS, RTS (to an extent), RPGs (turn based), Point and Click, Puzzles, Racing, and some others (platformers)

But obviously people would want the type of home console games like COD and Halo on it, and those can work with touch screen only, just they'd have to be dumbed down (also I don't think you could fit enough on screen buttons for a halo game on a touch screen only)

That being said, I'd still buy it for the likes of Hexic, Black & White, Forza, Joy Ride and other non-Halo Xbox titles that I could see working well on a device with minimal buttons

I'd buy it if it was touch screen only. There are some genres that work very well on touch screens, TBS, RTS (to an extent), RPGs (turn based), Point and Click, Puzzles, Racing, and some others (platformers)

But obviously people would want the type of home console games like COD and Halo on it, and those can work with touch screen only, just they'd have to be dumbed down (also I don't think you could fit enough on screen buttons for a halo game on a touch screen only)

That being said, I'd still buy it for the likes of Hexic, Black & White, Forza, Joy Ride and other non-Halo Xbox titles that I could see working well on a device with minimal buttons

darth-pyschosis

And there is no way you can make an FPS without buttons unless it's on rails. How would you be able to freely move in all directions? It's just impossible. Switching weapons and such could be on screen buttons to tapI guess, and you could shoot by taping the screen, but you need to be able move forward, backward, side to side, and turn.

[QUOTE="darth-pyschosis"]

I'd buy it if it was touch screen only. There are some genres that work very well on touch screens, TBS, RTS (to an extent), RPGs (turn based), Point and Click, Puzzles, Racing, and some others (platformers)

But obviously people would want the type of home console games like COD and Halo on it, and those can work with touch screen only, just they'd have to be dumbed down (also I don't think you could fit enough on screen buttons for a halo game on a touch screen only)

That being said, I'd still buy it for the likes of Hexic, Black & White, Forza, Joy Ride and other non-Halo Xbox titles that I could see working well on a device with minimal buttons

lazyathew

And there is no way you can make an FPS without buttons unless it's on rails. How would you be able to freely move in all directions? It's just impossible. Switching weapons and such could be on screen buttons to tapI guess, and you could shoot by taping the screen, but you need to be able move forward, backward, side to side, and turn.

You can do all of that already on the dozens of well reviewed FPS on iOS

I was saying how I can't see Halo working out, because it needs a lot of buttons, too many to put on screen (Jump button, then a shoot button, a melee button, a grenade button, a button to switch types of grenades, a crouch button, etc.

But the COD Zombie games and others work well, if not slower and easier, on my iPod

I'd except this on a portable Xbox, but if there was a portable xbox with buttons I'd like collapsable LT/RT

Like RT and LT Triggers that pop out when the system is opened (like a slide up screen) and then when you close it (Slide screen down on top of bottom portion like a lot of phones) then they collapse into the corners of the system, like a holder for them.

Honestly, an Xbox branded touch screen device running a modified WP7 is probably the closest we will get to a portable Xbox, and with some sacrifices I'd except this. If it played a lot of XBLA games, like Snoopy Flying Ace, Stacking, Super Meat Boy, etc then I'd be down even if it lacked shooters

if mass produced i would totally buy it

[QUOTE="lazyathew"]

[QUOTE="darth-pyschosis"]

I'd buy it if it was touch screen only. There are some genres that work very well on touch screens, TBS, RTS (to an extent), RPGs (turn based), Point and Click, Puzzles, Racing, and some others (platformers)

But obviously people would want the type of home console games like COD and Halo on it, and those can work with touch screen only, just they'd have to be dumbed down (also I don't think you could fit enough on screen buttons for a halo game on a touch screen only)

That being said, I'd still buy it for the likes of Hexic, Black & White, Forza, Joy Ride and other non-Halo Xbox titles that I could see working well on a device with minimal buttons

darth-pyschosis

And there is no way you can make an FPS without buttons unless it's on rails. How would you be able to freely move in all directions? It's just impossible. Switching weapons and such could be on screen buttons to tapI guess, and you could shoot by taping the screen, but you need to be able move forward, backward, side to side, and turn.

You can do all of that already on the dozens of well reviewed FPS on iOS

I was saying how I can't see Halo working out, because it needs a lot of buttons, too many to put on screen (Jump button, then a shoot button, a melee button, a grenade button, a button to switch types of grenades, a crouch button, etc.

But the COD Zombie games and others work well, if not slower and easier, on my iPod

[QUOTE="darth-pyschosis"]

[QUOTE="lazyathew"]I honestly can't see anything working on it aside from stadegy games, RPGs, puzzle, maybe racing, and any point and click games, and even most of those could benifit from abutton or 2. And these aren't enough to support a whole system I think, if they are going to release a portable system, buttons are neccessary I think.

And there is no way you can make an FPS without buttons unless it's on rails. How would you be able to freely move in all directions? It's just impossible. Switching weapons and such could be on screen buttons to tapI guess, and you could shoot by taping the screen, but you need to be able move forward, backward, side to side, and turn.

lazyathew

You can do all of that already on the dozens of well reviewed FPS on iOS

I was saying how I can't see Halo working out, because it needs a lot of buttons, too many to put on screen (Jump button, then a shoot button, a melee button, a grenade button, a button to switch types of grenades, a crouch button, etc.

But the COD Zombie games and others work well, if not slower and easier, on my iPod

It works pretty well given its limitations

Obviously you have less going on in game, and especially the stop and pop third person shooters like Resident Evil work fine on touch screens.

Modern Combat is another example, it controls well given its limitations. The only way is to try it out yourself, for me in COD Zombies for iOS I couldn't pull off nearly as many headshots as easily as I do on 360, but overall the game played the same and within minutes I was mowing down zombies

http://www.slidetoplay.com/story/modern-combat-2-black-pegasus-review

Here is a review of Modern Combat 2, detailing how it works touch screen only. They love the difficulty, and praise the controls as well as the leveling system in online multiplayer (up to 10 people) and the long campaign mode.

Its possible to pull off experiences like this on a touch screen, just trickier

With a touch screen? No way.

Th Xbox portable is pretty much Windows Phone 7, and Microsoft has said it.

They'd just use it to tap into the cell phone games market.

[QUOTE="lazyathew"]

[QUOTE="darth-pyschosis"]

You can do all of that already on the dozens of well reviewed FPS on iOS

I was saying how I can't see Halo working out, because it needs a lot of buttons, too many to put on screen (Jump button, then a shoot button, a melee button, a grenade button, a button to switch types of grenades, a crouch button, etc.

But the COD Zombie games and others work well, if not slower and easier, on my iPod

darth-pyschosis

It works pretty well given its limitations

Obviously you have less going on in game, and especially the stop and pop third person shooters like Resident Evil work fine on touch screens.

Modern Combat is another example, it controls well given its limitations. The only way is to try it out yourself, for me in COD Zombies for iOS I couldn't pull off nearly as many headshots as easily as I do on 360, but overall the game played the same and within minutes I was mowing down zombies

http://www.slidetoplay.com/story/modern-combat-2-black-pegasus-review

Here is a review of Modern Combat 2, detailing how it works touch screen only. They love the difficulty, and praise the controls as well as the leveling system in online multiplayer (up to 10 people) and the long campaign mode.

Its possible to pull off experiences like this on a touch screen, just trickier

No. They would have a tough time entering a market owned by Sony and Nintendo right now. Plus touch controls has failure written all over it.

If it wasn't touchscreen and actualy had the same or better graphics than the Iphone, I would buy it.

I would also like it to be connected to xbox live, as in more gamerscore ect.

I feel like the idea/rumor of an Xbox handheld has been around after the first year of Xbox being around.

I think this is where the problem for most people in the Xbox community is. Should an Xbox handheld focus on excelling on portable gaming, or try to be a mobile home Xbox?

Do they go the Nintendo route, or the Sony route? Make games intended to be pick up and play for X amount of minutes, where you can drop them at any time and come back without losing anything, like Flight Control, Kingdom for Keflings, Joy Ride, Puzzle Quest, and other genres like Turn Based Startegy (like Advance Wars and the Age of Empires portable series) and RPGs that perform really well on touch screens

Or should it try to be a home console that is portable, trying to replicate Action RPGs like Fable and Fallout, FPS like Halo and COD, and Action games like Assassin's Creed?

I tend to side with being a portable platform independant of the type of gaming home consoles possess. I think portables should play portable concepts, I don't want to own 2 of virtually the same platform (one for home and one for the road)

So, if an Xbox handheld ever saw the light of day, I'd hope it didn't focus on portable Halo's, portable COD's. A side scrolling Contra-esque Halo for mobile? Sure, adapt IPs and concepts to make sense on the platform and its individual needs.

But I really wouldn't want an Xbox handheld that was doing what certain companies handhelds do (their name ends with "Ony") because I don't want my handheld to try to be a baby home console.

Now, also is the problem that MS has a hard enough time supporting the 360, and Kinect with 1st party releases, adding a handheld would make it worse without significant changes.

an all touchscreen device would limit the different types of games. touchscreen/button combo allows endless amounts of game types. thats a huge advantage over phone games

So this would be Microsoft's equivalent of the iPod touch? A Windows Phone 7 without the phone?

maybe one day but for now they wont because of sony and nintendos domination of the market it would be unwise while they are making much more sales than sony anyway in the console market. at the moment it would bea bad investment because the hand held would take millions to develop and it would be uneconomical because of price for the consumer. i think it would be like the ngp with touch screen and buttons but just like the ngp i fear that many first time buyers will not feel inclined to buy it or an xbox hand held because even a basic console is the same price if not cheaper.