3D gaming will take off

In 2006, phones proved they were up to the task of running 3D games. This will continue in 2008, as more people upgrade their phones to find that they've actually got a pretty powerful games machine in their pocket, even if they didn't explicitly ask for it.

Besides Nokia's next-gen N-Gage, there's been a lot of talk within the mobile games industry about 'native' gaming ?games which use the raw power of your mobile's innards rather than running on top of the Java platform. If you've got a Symbian or Windows Mobile handset, for example, there'll be more and better games coming out in glorious 3D for it.

However, we'd offer a warning. 3D mobile games will only be as good as their control systems. We'd like to see handset manufacturers paying more attention to including features that improve gaming ?better joysticks for example, or button layouts that support landscape gaming (holding your phone sideways). Sony Ericsson has been good at this in the past, but we hope its rivals do likewise. And in the meantime, mobile developers should continue to refine their control systems to ensure that mobile 3D can still mean one-thumb gaming.

One little problem: such phones would need a disk or another type of external memory, since the built-in memory is simply to small to contain your list of phone numbers, your mp3s, full 3D games, the pictures you made with your phone, etc. That will probably make them bigger, and IMHO it is not really "handy" to have a cell phone as large as a DS or PSP. With which it is probably easier too make games for that are "working" (the requirement you mention about using one thumb stands in the way). But let's see how the future developments will be.

Concept pictures of the PSP phone. It's patent can be found here.

Mobile gaming has been taking off like crazy these days, although I wonder if integrating a real handheld into a phone would do the trick. It's always been more of a flash game thing on phones and I wonder if it will ever outgrow that. The thickness wouldn't really be an issue. Replacing the umd disc with a fast micro sd disc would do the trick.

Originally posted by Gazz@Dec 19 2007, 02:11 PM
Replacing the umd disc with a fast micro sd disc would do the trick.

Just insert a micro SD card into your card reader (with an SD adapter if necessary) and put some mp3s or so onto it. Then you will notice that the speed may be a little too low for games that are graphically better than the average PSP game (I think). So for next-gen handheld gaming (regarding PSP/DS as current-gen), it may turn out to be a bottle neck. And I didn't mean the thickness or size in its litteral maening, but more the idea of going back to times known as the Refridgerator Era. IMHO, a "big" phone is not of these times anymore.

Lately phones have become bigger in my opinion. It has a camera, walkman, notebook and all that crap built into it. I sometimes wonder if I am the only person who only uses it too call and make an occasional text message. Text messaging must be the dumbest thing ever btw, who would do that in te era of mailing and making a quick call is usually cheaper.

Edit: then make it an xd card. Same size but faster. More expensive too but that's because they aren't in the mass production numbers that sd cards are.

Originally posted by Gazz@Dec 20 2007, 08:21 PM
Lately phones have become bigger in my opinion. It has a camera, walkman, notebook and all that crap built into it. I sometimes wonder if I am the only person who only uses it too call and make an occasional text message. Text messaging must be the dumbest thing ever btw, who would do that in te era of mailing and making a quick call is usually cheaper.

Well, I also use it only to make an occasional call or text mesage, or as a MP3 player.

Originally posted by Gazz@Dec 20 2007, 08:21 PM
[...] then make it an xd card. Same size but faster. More expensive too but that's because they aren't in the mass production numbers that sd cards are.

Are you sure a Micro SD card is as large as an XD? Check out this pic from a Micro SD card, SD adapter and the XD card slot from my card reader.

Not completely, I do have a camera that takes both sd and XD and those sizes hardly seem different. Could be some small differences of a couple of mm (assuming a standard sd card, not micro)

Originally posted by Gazz@Dec 20 2007, 09:34 PM
Not completely, I do have a camera that takes both sd and XD and those sizes hardly seem different. Could be some small differences of a couple of mm (assuming a standard sd card, not micro)

Allright, but first you started about a micro SD. So after that, I supposed you meant the micro edition.

I took out my xd card and it's way smaller then any sd card. Bigger then a micro sd though. Anyway, some more nice pics of the new psp phone.

Edit: I read some comment on another site where someone said it was a rip off from the Iphone. It's always nice to laugh about the Apple fanboys who will now compare everything with a color display and buttons to a rip off of their precious Iphone. Ofcourse tons of models already have buttons and a colour display so they have their work cut out for them.