Former EA CEO John Riccitiello talks about what next-gen consoles need to get right - Polidicks

[url]http://kotaku.com/all-the-research-i-have-read-tells-me-that-my-experienc-508886282[/url] It's a long article, but I quoted some of the more relevant parts here: [quote]All the research I have read tells me that my experience with mobile games is very much the norm. We all do it. We do it often, in short sessions. Most of the time, we’re doing something else while we’re playing. Put down that burrito, because console gaming is very different. I don’t have the fastest thumbs, so playing with any skill at all requires my focus. I am fully engaged. All-in. The room with the biggest TV is the most important entertainment room in my house. And there, console gaming rules. In the room where the entertainment stakes are the highest, console gaming wins. When I am exploring Columbia, or taking down Necromorphs, solving Portal Puzzles, or running as Faith over building tops (OK, so I still love that game), I am all-in. Fully committed. It is a commitment I am happy to make.[/quote] [quote]The first and most obvious of these pitfalls is if Sony or Microsoft forgets who brought them to the dance in the first place. Gamers. I certainly see the temptation to emphasize all sorts of experiences that these boxes might bring to the living room. These new machines can do a lot. The risk is that either or both of the new platforms emphasize these “value-add” experiences too much, both in the user interface on the consoles themselves, or in the story they tell consumers when they unleash their avalanche of advertising. To paraphrase a political slogan, it’s about the games, stupid. The risk here is real. Both Sony and Microsoft want to be seen as revolutionary companies. To capture that bit of magic that Steve Jobs had running Apple. Reinventing the Living Room sounds so big and sexy. It will read as brilliant in the Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, People and The New York Times. But the risk of complexity in the new console UI (User Interface) is real. Give us too much on the screen, and we’ll never find our games.[/quote] [quote]Some gamers fear the new consoles could be more about a DRM-walled garden than about enabling new types of connected gameplay. More about squashing second-sale (used games) than allowing us to play the games we own at our friends houses, in dorms or at home, without having to bring the disk with us. I don’t believe consoles managed as walled-gardens will succeed longer term. We will want console games that seamlessly connect with our iPhones. Games that change and update in the background while we’re sleeping, to make tomorrow’s gameplay different and far more dynamic than today’s. I believe we’ll all want the ability to bring meaningful achievements in our PC and mobile game to our new consoles, and from our new consoles to our PC and mobile games. It needs to be simple, seamless and without a bunch of headaches with multiple registration, identity and pay gates. The walled garden will fall eventually. At launch, Sony and Microsoft must avoid putting up new and alarming DRM schemes, and focus on enabling the cool new game experiences that seamlessly connected consoles allow.[/quote]

getting tired of the whole Mobile thing but they got DRM and used game thing right

stop trying to be relevant, john ricearoni go home

[quote]Some gamers fear the new consoles could be more about a DRM-walled garden than about enabling new types of connected gameplay. More about squashing second-sale (used games) than allowing us to play the games we own at our friends houses, in dorms or at home, without having to bring the disk with us. I don’t believe consoles managed as walled-gardens will succeed longer term.[/quote] This is particularly funny coming from Riccitiello of all people. Granted, it's at a level that has a CONSIDERABLY bigger impact than DRM in games but funny nonetheless. Right on about the whole focusing on the extras though. Especially MS feels like it's going this way, what with Netflix, Twitter, Facebook and such coming to the 360.

Smartphone "gaming" isn't the future, it's merely just another market. It'll soon be over-saturated with content and the fad hype will die, and then there's no quick money to be made there anymore.

EA telling console manufacturers what they need to "get right"? Oh the irony.

Well there was a lot that you needed to "get right" that you didn't, but maybe thats why you're the former CEO.

[QUOTE=Daniel M;40716371]EA telling console manufacturers what they need to "get right"? Oh the irony.[/QUOTE] Not EA, just John.

[QUOTE]All the research I have read tells me that my experience with mobile games is very much the norm. We all do it. We do it often, in short sessions. Most of the time, we’re doing something else while we’re playing.[/QUOTE] I don't. My 3DS is gathering dust since months and the closest I get to "mobile gaming" now is playing on my laptop.

[QUOTE=Daniel M;40716371]EA telling console manufacturers what they need to "get right"? Oh the irony.[/QUOTE] The former CEO of the second largest third party publisher probably has atleast a little authority on the matter.

John Macaronipizza should be talking about what EA needs to get right instead. Not that he'd know.

Mobile Gaming, while not going to replace PC and Console gaming, is shaping up to be a real market. Games are pushing console quality visuals, and games like X-COM Enemy Unknown, Grand Theft Auto III/Vice City, Max Payne, etc. are playable in full on smartphones. But touch analog sticks are nowhere near as good as a touch D-Pad.

I hate how companies look at what's making them money at the moment, and declare it the future, regardless of any logic.

A lot of people seem to be attacking him mostly for being the former CEO of EA, but it doesn't make what he says any less valid. You can argue anecdotes about how mobile gaming is useless, but it will always exist. It's not going to go away. I think you're all missing his point. What Riccitiello was saying is that mobile gaming [b]will not[/b] take over gaming. Playing a game on a console is something you dedicate and immerse yourself into. Mobile games are dumb, short little 5-10 minute games you play while waiting in between something. There may be some big, full-scale mobile games, but they will never replace the experience of playing it on a console.

[QUOTE=Amiga OS;40717369]Mobile gaming is shit, the controls are awful on every touch-screen game. I'd seriously prefer to use a Virtualboy over smartphone games. [editline]20th May 2013[/editline] Virtual analogue sticks are worse than Hitler.[/QUOTE] as a former holocaust victim i can confirm that they are indeed worse than hitler

[QUOTE=Daniel M;40716371]EA telling console manufacturers what they need to "get right"? Oh the irony.[/QUOTE] yo dog john ain't reppin' for EA anymore he's representing every ceo's shattered dreams [editline]21st May 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=Amiga OS;40717369]Mobile gaming is shit, the controls are awful on every touch-screen game. I'd seriously prefer to use a Virtualboy over smartphone games. [editline]20th May 2013[/editline] Virtual analogue sticks are worse than Hitler.[/QUOTE] i think mobile games that try to emulate actual handheld or console games are very bleh quality. mobile developers need to focus on making shit that works for the device and touchscreen shit, like angry birds or shit.

[QUOTE=Steve Harvey;40722002]as a former holocaust victim i can confirm that they are indeed worse than hitler[/QUOTE] as a Hitler I can confirm that they are worse than me

[QUOTE=Amiga OS;40717369]Mobile gaming is shit, the controls are awful on every touch-screen game. I'd seriously prefer to use a Virtualboy over smartphone games. [editline]20th May 2013[/editline] Virtual analogue sticks are worse than Hitler.[/QUOTE] so don't try to play console/pc-style games on mobile? all the fps games and other such genres on mobile are shit. games that are actually designed exclusively for a mobile device can be really good fun

[QUOTE=Talishmar;40722259]as a Hitler I can confirm that they are worse than me[/QUOTE] As an analogue stick, I can boast that I am proof for the non-existence of God.

[QUOTE=ChestyMcGee;40723048]so don't try to play console/pc-style games on mobile? all the fps games and other such genres on mobile are shit. games that are actually designed exclusively for a mobile device can be really good fun[/QUOTE] NOVA 3's controls work well, and it has gyroscope aim optional, and I assume other Gameloft games on that engine work just as well.

[QUOTE=Amiga OS;40717369]Mobile gaming is shit, the controls are awful on every touch-screen game. I'd seriously prefer to use a Virtualboy over smartphone games. [editline]20th May 2013[/editline] Virtual analogue sticks are worse than Hitler.[/QUOTE] This post needs to be presereved in the Library of Congress.

Guys? Why am I agreeing with John Riccitiello? Guys? [sub]Help?[/sub]

Real Racing on iPhone is really good, I play it more ofter than BF3 on my £1500 gaming PC. When travelling, that is. I can confirm that mobile gaming market is here to stay, but it shouldn't be put in same tier as console and PC market.

[QUOTE=KillerJaguar;40718010]A lot of people seem to be attacking him mostly for being the former CEO of EA, but it doesn't make what he says any less valid. You can argue anecdotes about how mobile gaming is useless, but it will always exist. It's not going to go away. I think you're all missing his point. What Riccitiello was saying is that mobile gaming [b]will not[/b] take over gaming. Playing a game on a console is something you dedicate and immerse yourself into. Mobile games are dumb, short little 5-10 minute games you play while waiting in between something. There may be some big, full-scale mobile games, but they will never replace the experience of playing it on a console.[/QUOTE] The danger to console gaming is that the mobile experience, different as it is, will be 'enough' for a large majority of gamers. If that turns out to be true then you'll have a large pool of people gaming on their mobile devices, with a smaller PC game niche market and a small console gaming niche market. Hardcore gamers will always want their type of game, whether it's PC or console. But not everyone is a hardcore gamer, the pool of possible customers is limited. Meanwhile EVERYONE owns a mobile device of some sort, so the pool of potential casual gamers is vastly larger. Another thing to consider is PC gaming and console gaming is a mature market, meaning these games are about as developed and innovative as they'll ever get. Graphics may get more detailed but controls and gameplay are stagnant. Meanwhile mobile gaming has barely been born. There is still a lot of room for making mobile games far better than they are now. Mobile gaming has barely advanced out of its Atari phase, to compare mobile games to console games.