Can Mobile Phones Takeover from Traditional Consoles?

[Starscream]

I've just read that the CPU of the N80 and other new Nokia phones has a clock speed of 220 Mhz (Ngage has 104).

Should be helpful for any future emulation projects we will hopefully see.

The SDKs are still freely available from Nokia, right?

And it's also ARM. Are GP2X or DS apps portable to it then?

[mrbob3]

Even if my k750i was 10 times more powerful than a ps3 how the HELL would i play pro evo 6? mobile phones have tiny keys and joysticks, they can up up down left and righ and maybe 1 more key!!

[DaGamer]

I stated pretty much the same thing on an Engadget forum a few months ago. Packing around several gadgets is a real pain. People often only have room for just one object with them. And if you're going to take only one gadget with you, it's going to be a cellphone.

The real question is, how could they make this work? After all, the Cellphone is designed for dialing numbers and talking to people. It's not something you look at once you start using it, since it's up against your face. It needs to be comfortable to talk on for long periods of time.

The handheld gaming system, on the other hand, needs to be comfortable to play on for long periods of time. You need to stair at the screen, so the screen must be very large. And it needs adequate controls available to manage these complicated 3D games. Even the PSP, with it's 17 control buttons and analog stick, is still seen as having limited controls to really manage a 3D game.

So how do you fit ALOT of buttons and two joysticks on a phone, with a HUGE display, and without making the phone too uncomfortable to talk on for long periods of time?

And bear in mind, you can't make this too big either! It's got to be very small, and yet still have a VERY large display and numerous controls. It's also got to fit a large battery for long periods of gameplay and long periods of talk time. And it needs as much CPU power as possible. No small order.

A bluetooth headset can get around the talking problem, if you're used to using wireless headsets. I dunno about you, but I've tried Bluetooth headsets and found them to be too annoying to use much. I feel stupid leaving it on my ear, and it's too fragile to put in a pocket. Sometimes it doesn't connect at all, and it's yet another device I need to remember to charge. Too bad they don't make the headsets built into the phone itself.

The N-Gage tried to mix a phone and gamepad controller together. They did a pretty good job, but it was lacking in these ways:

1. Screen was FAR too small.
2. The controls were too close together.
3. The CPU was FAR too slow for 3D games.
4. No camera! (I use mine all of the time)
5. Made a lousy phone.

How about a contest to see who can design the best cellphone/handheld gaming device? Maybe we can ask Microsoft to consider using the design for their handheld X-box, should they ever make one.

Agreed, but I HAVE read about the microsoft handheld! it was on some pc magazine... lol i remember it featured touchscreen and pretty similar to windows style, and im SURE its gonna pack a powerful cpu, heck it mite even b able to use as a phone, I think it was bigger than 1 hand, but this mite just be rumor.

[jwilds73]

I have a Sprint PPC6700 PDA phone it is a quite powerful phone and I have run some emulators on it but it simply doesnt have the ergo's of a good handheld console. On the bottom it has a usb mini connection and I put this crappy concept controller that would plug into it and allow you to hold the phone sideways while gaming with it. So as to allow you full access to the keyboard also. Mind you this was done with paint as I have no image programs on my pc. It's based off these two other controllers

[acn010]

I have a Sprint PPC6700 PDA phone it is a quite powerful phone and I have run some emulators on it but it simply doesnt have the ergo's of a good handheld console. On the bottom it has a usb mini connection and I put this crappy concept controller that would plug into it and allow you to hold the phone sideways while gaming with it. So as to allow you full access to the keyboard also. Mind you this was done with paint as I have no image programs on my pc. It's based off these two other controllers

funny pick you got there, is thatt a new psp there?
lmfao
ill give you credit for that pick.
well..... phones been for years evolving, being added with features and even now some phones can play 3d graphics, and im wondering....waht the hell is de PDA doing the work of a computer and a phone!.
so, basically the computers has more advantage