Is it time for a handheld Xbox console?
Biff! Smack! Oof! Oh pardon me, I was just envisaging a crazy John Woo-esque fight between myself and Log, having read back this month's Hot Topic, in which we discuss the likelihood/desirability of a handheld Xbox. In case you didn't know, Log and I are Wing Chun Kung Fu experts. Well, he is. I only did it for a year, which basically means I can get up slightly faster than the average human being, at some cost to my stomach muscles. The debate over whether Microsoft should release a gaming handheld is an ancient one, of course, but it's picked up a little momentum of late thanks to Xbox SmartGlass, the success of 3DS, Microsoft Surface and other industry news that pertains to portability. Which side will triumph? Come, Mr Blyth - it's time to TEST OUR MIGHT.
Log says: YES!
This could be the future and our history
A few years ago, I remember the rumours that Microsoft would be joining the handheld battle. The way things have gone is interesting - using tablets and touchscreens is a clever way of letting people use their existing tech to play in new ways. But then I look at the competition, the Vita and the Wii U's Game Pad. I see thumbsticks, and I want them.
Touchscreen games are getting better - XCOM, Frozen Synapse and Eufloria all use the format brilliantly. But all the tablet-related stuff we've seen at E3 feels like idle support - not particularly rewarding for the player with the oil-smeared screen.
Releasing a proper handheld wouldn't just enhance the abilities of SmartGlass. Make one that matches the performance of the Xbox 360, and make it compatible with my huge collection of XBLA games. Not enough storage? Sell me a hard drive on which I can store my library, accessible at home via wi-fi. Store my save games in the cloud, on my Gold membership. Let me transmit what's on my handheld to the TV, via the Xbox One. Make all original Xbox games available digitally, for a fiver. That alone would have me hurling cash at you.
This would make Microsoft look like the protector of its own legacy. It would show customers that it cares about the money we've already spent. It would demonstrate a well-deserved pride in its heritage, instead of a reckless dash for the big new thing.
My utterly merciless comeback is over the page.
Ed says: NO!
Give SmartGlass a chance, you savage
If the last few years have proven anything, it's that any dedicated gaming handheld that isn't a Nintendo is basically doomed, and even Nintendo's run into difficulties of late, as smartphones and tablets wend their way ever deeper into consumer pockets.
The sales figures tell a sorry tale of people shunning dedicated devices, in favour of playing games on one they already own. Thumbsticks do have a certain timeless appeal, but touchscreen gaming is going from strength to strength. The other month I went hands-on with Halo: Spartan Assault, for instance, which features new virtual stick tech. It's rather magical, and bodes well for other first-party franchise spin-offs.
I'd also suggest that hankering for sticks presumes that analog-based game types will remain the gold standard, which seems limiting. Riddle me this: which would you rather use to play a real-time strategy game like Halo Wars - a tetherable tablet, or a pad? And what other game types might developers concoct, if they're given reason to invest in SmartGlass rather than asked to crowbar third- and first-person shooters into some botched, ungainly medley of screen and controller?
I don't buy the legacy protection argument, finally. There are many ways Microsoft could pay tribute to the past decade of Xbox releases. Trotting out its own, overdue take on a concept that's going the way of the Dodo seems a spectacularly unwise one.
Microsoft has already brought a number of Xbox titles to tablet, as below. Would you prefer a "proper" gaming handheld, or are touchscreen ports enough?
Source: Rheena.com
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Re: Is it time for a handheld Xbox console?
Originally Posted by nutty6
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