Source: Pixabay
Here in the ninth generation of gaming consoles, the big three names are still those of Sony with the PlayStation 5, Microsoft with the Xbox Series, and Nintendo with the Switch 2. While Nintendo has continued its dual console/handheld setup from the original Switch, Sony and Microsoft maintain their traditional static-only systems. This seems to be about to change, with Microsoft making moves into the mobile space, and Sony returning to where it left off following 2011’s mobile PS Vita.
In other words, the coming generation seems to be one where the only real competitors in the mainstream console space are all embracing play on the go. This raises the questions of why this path seems to have grabbed so much attention, and what Sony and Microsoft are aiming to achieve in the generations ahead.
Understanding the Market
There are two primary causes of this modern drift towards mobile systems. The first is the need for every publicly traded company to maintain growth. In addition, gaming production is becoming increasingly expensive, with more complicated worlds and more detailed graphics being much harder to build.
To solve both of these problems, mobiles are a natural target. This is an overwhelmingly valuable market, having long proved itself in and out of video games. There’s a direct comparison here to other forms of digital entertainment, like online iGaming and casino platforms, which started confined to computers and now find enormous success in offering broad mobile access. Bolstered by special features like free spins and bingo sign up offers, players are provided the same experience they’ve always loved, but now on the go.
In video games, the Switch has proved just how much handhelds still have to offer. Selling around the same number of units as their older DS handhelds, the Switch is the second or third most popular dedicated gaming platform of all time. Beating the competitors in the last generation, it’s natural that the other manufacturers want a piece of this pie.
Fulfilling the Potential of Mobile Platforms
While Sony and Microsoft have marked their intentions to explore the handheld space, whether they can accomplish this feat remains to be seen. Nintendo was in a rare position to take advantage of this direction that the other two aren’t. With the original Switch, Nintendo consolidated its two separate long-running lines of console and handheld platforms into a single package. Microsoft doesn’t have this legacy, and Sony’s two platforms with the PSP and Vita never came close to Nintendo’s success.
There’s also how Nintendo is a company happy to lean on graphical style over raw detail and polygon count. Its games still look good, but in a very different way than Sony and Microsoft’s cutting-edge main platforms. While the other two might follow Nintendo’s lead here, there isn’t much precedence on which customer faith can be placed.
With Microsoft’s early attempts at handhelds arriving to very mixed reviews thanks to a confused direction and design, the future for anyone other than Nintendo in this space is in real doubt. While Sony’s experience might prove a real help, finding enough market share to justify its investment is another thing entirely. Still, even if these attempts just let players engage with titles from the previous generation flawlessly on the go, at least many millions of players will be happy.
