According to an interview with Neil Young, CEO of ngmoco, a successful mobile game developer/publisher, the Next Generation Portable (NGP or Sony PlayStation Portable 2 for those not in the know) will be “dead on arrival” when it comes out later this year. According to Young, the NGP will have a tough time competing against mobile phone games due to the price of apps. With the average mobile phone games costing a couple of bucks or less, it’s going to be hard to justify paying more than $20 for a game when there are so many other games out there that cost much less. He also mentioned that Nintendo’s 3DS, although gimmicky, might stand a chance because of the huge amount of support Nintendo has from its extensive catalog of popular franchises.
While it’s hard to argue that cheaper games are more enticing to the casual gamer, the demographic are willing to pay a higher price for highly immersive games that are hardly found on mobile devices. But all this will change as mobile phones become more powerful, and touchscreen controls become the norm. But who’s to say that Sony or Nintendo won’t evolve their consoles with the times? And for all we know, game developers might start charging more for their games once they realize that games can be sold at higher prices. What are your thoughts on the future of handheld gaming consoles?
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