Holy photoshopped prototype, Batman!(Thanks to PVG.com)
Last 2 years there was rabid speculation, fueled by Dean Takahashi's insider muckraking, that Microsoft was busy at work on a competitor to Sony and Nintendo in the handheld gaming space. Given the source of the speculation, the news seemed logical — after all, what were so many idle Xbox 360 engineers supposed to do with themselves after the launch of their precious console? Later in 2006, representatives from Microsoft came out and killed the rumors, revealing the uninspiring Zune music player to the world instead.
1. So Lonely
We already have stunning 3D graphics and multimedia on the PSP and innovative causal games from Nintendo to pick up on the go. However, if there is one thing that portable game consoles have not yet perfected, it is the online multiplayer experience. Crippled by short battery life, lack of developer enthusiasm, and cumbersome friend codes, the current handheld offerings leave us wanting more in the realm of multiplayer gaming. A handheld device that could connect me with my social network and let me play cooperative arcade matches with my friends would rock my world. Especially if it cost less than $200.:D
2. Cross-Platform Compatibility with Live Arcade
Does anybody remember the Turbo Express? This piece of gaming history was arguably way ahead of its time. Sporting a massive black plastic case and a price tag higher than a modern Sony console, the Turbo Express was the cadillac of mid-1990s handheld gaming. Its large and bright color screen was enough to put even Atari Lynx owners into a jealous rage. Despite its inevitable commercial failure at the hands of the technologically inferior Gameboy, the Turbo Express did a number of things right. The first was that it implemented a TV tuner add-on which was like having Wi-Fi in the days before Al Gore invented the Internet. The other thing it did correctly was allow players to use the same Turbo Graphx 16 cartridges that they already owned for their home console. I'm sure that for the 12 or so people in North America who owned a Turbo Grafx 16, this was a sweet prospect, and one that almost justified the $250 price tag of the portable device.
Fast forward to the 21st century, and we can easily envision a Microsoft gaming platform that leverages the XBLA experience by allowing users to freely transfer and play XBLA titles that they already own for the 360. No need for messy optical drives or expensive cartridge-based media, just a USB cable and a couple of gigs of flash storage.
3. A growing stable of software titles that demand portable spin-offs
Some of us have been eagerly following the homebrew Halo side-scroller project. How about a Viva Pinata Card Fighter? Or a top-down Fable RPG? The developers of Blue Dragon were so pumped to make a portable version of the game that they decided to put it on the DS, for lack of a competing device from Microsoft. With such high-quality IPs already in place, it makes good business sense to leverage them on all possible platforms. And no, that does not include the woefully underpowered Zune.
4. Lessons Learned
Sometimes being in third place can be advantageous. In the current home console race, Nintendo has shown that dismissing the underdog can be a risky proposition, not least because they are often better positioned to take creative risks. The DS and the PSP have both staked a claim to very specific portions of the gaming market, and this leaves room for Microsoft to innovate and fill in the gaps. Microsoft can also learn from and improve upon the decisions made by their competitors. How hard could it be to include two analogue sticks on the device, for example? How about a slightly higher-capactiy battery than the PSP? How about a friend code system that actually works across all of your games? These simple changes alone could make a big impact on the handheld gaming market.
5. Market Dominance
Microsoft might be considered the underdog in the mobile device market, but they are anything but in the console and software fields. Microsoft has been gobbling up small developers left and right, while bragging that the Xbox 360 has finally achieved profitability. Very few companies possess the resources and in-house design chops to successfully pull off a portable gaming device (only Apple comes to mind here, perhaps they deserve their own speculative editorial). Maybe more importantly, Microsoft has become a household name in console gaming, and their brand name alone would ensure that they are taken seriously by consumers. The Gizmondo, on the other hand, not so much.
In conclusion, there are reasons why Microsoft wouldn't strongly consider releasing a portable game system. They are well-positioned to do so, and they have enough experience with multiplayer gaming on consoles to come up with a serious contender. The inclusion of XBLA cross-compatibility would be a killer feature, but it would also demand hefty processing power. That may be one reason why Microsoft has been quiet about a handheld — maybe they are simply waiting for the appropriate technology to be affordable enough for a low-cost device. I love the idea of a Microsoft portable so much that i'm going to go ahead and give it a name: The Xbox 180. As in, "Aww, it's a little 180 — isn't it adorable?".
Thanks: [PVG.com]
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