Comments on: The future of gaming: Casual Gaming

By: Wayne Smallman

Wayne Smallman — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 11:38:49 +0000

M, you’re too kind.

You’re going to see some wide-ranging topics, but I try to keep the stuff I talk about challenging and interesting to read.

So thank you.

BTW, in your first comment, I deleted the link from with the comment itself and moved it into to URL field.

This is because the comment body is “nofollow” while the URL field isn’t.

Plus, “deep linking” is perfectly fine, so long as the article is relevant.

I’m no ‘Net Nazis…

By: M

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:32:41 +0000

Wayne, I think you have a point too.
I also think that again, it’s down to the fact that marketing and branding is extremely subjective and it depending on how you define yourself, the results are going to always differ. If Nintendo defined themselves as a family oriented entertainment company, their customers are going to very different to what their customer would be like now.
I like this blog. It seems to have more intellectual people here than over some other tech blogs I’ve been looking at, where the comment-ers (commentators?) sound like 10 year olds fighting over which Power Ranger is stronger.

By: Wayne Smallman

Wayne Smallman — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:57:35 +0000

M, I think you make a valid point.

I can see where you’re coming from, but in the end, it’s about perception, market share and ultimately cold hard cash.

In the eyes of your average Jill & Joe out there, they have a budget and they’re going to choose between the three consoles — PlayStation 3, Xbox and the Nintendo Wii.

It’s unlikely that they’re going to buy the PlayStation 3 or Xbox for the death-kill-thrill and the Nintendo Wii for edifying enlightenment.

So it’s going to be either one or t’other.

Also, in the minds of both Sony and Microsoft, regardless of the target audience, because it’s a question of either family or personal budget, they too will see Nintendo as a direct competitor, too.

BTW, watch out for the second installment, lined up for Monday.

And thanks again!

By: M

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:20:12 +0000

I’ve thought about this long and hard - whether or not Wii deserves to be compared with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox. they’re selling (almost) completely different things and just because they are all gaming consoles is kind of like saying all MacDonald’s and [insert Michelin-star restaurant here] are all the same - that they sell food. so it prompted me to write an article about not thinking of Wii going head on with PlayStation 3 and Xbox to see what the response was.

By: Wayne Smallman

Wayne Smallman — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:22:32 +0000

Hi Jonathan! I think the article I linked to sort of nailed it for me. Because both Sony and Nintendo are already in that space, Microsoft are under a lot of pressure to deliver.

Hi Doug! Having tried out a Sony PlayStation Portable, that sort of screen size isn’t that bad.

Those early Nokia N-Gage devices were terrible, though…

By: doug m

doug m — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 23:31:32 +0000

Casual gaming is a huge market, and it will grow significantly in the next several years. The only problem is the limitations of size for all the screens. Having a tiny screen hurts a lot of people’s eyes, and the sound quality is nowhere near that of a next gen system.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:09:00 +0000

I don’t know whether the portable Xbox will ever happen, but Microsoft did announce games for their Zune media players at this year’s Game Developer Conference. Also, I’ve been hearing rumours about casual gaming tie-ins with mainstream Xbox 360 and PC titles, whereby you would buy a game for the 360, which would perhaps have a puzzle aspect, which could be loaded onto a Windows Mobile phone or Zune, so you could take it on the go, play casually, and affect your progress through the main game on the bigger platform. It’s an interesting idea!