Predicting the “Two Screen Experience” War

Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony all plan to use a two screen experience to enhance gaming in the future. What does each approach have to bring to the table, and which company has the best chance at success next generation?

[MultiConsoleGamer]

Sony will use the Vita to counter the WiiU.

Microsoft will shoehorn their new tablet and tablet app into upcoming games for an experience that will be more distracting than anything else.

Nintendo will be the only company to get it right, but few of their 3rd party devs will do the "two screen experience" as well as they do.

Apple will drop a huge bomb on the gaming industry that will change and possibly destroy console gaming as we know it.

[dark-hollow]

"Apple will drop a huge bomb on the gaming industry that will change and possibly destroy console gaming as we know it."

i dont know if you are joking or not, but apple getting into the console market seems possible!

first the rumors about apple and valve doing some business together, then the dualshock-like controller that apple patent it some days ago.

it seems more likely that they are interested in the gaming industry.

[darthv72]

no doubt the vita will compliment the ps3 quite well, however it is a secondary expense that someone who owns a ps3 will have to make that choice of getting the vita to put it all together.

At least with smartglass it can be used on existing phones/tablets. And as for the wii-u, every system sold comes with one so the vita argument is nice but not very practical.

I dont really see smartglass being "shoehorned" in. It simply represents an addition that developers can choose to use. Rather than take up code space within the game they can opt to make non essential features part of the secondary screen. Rather than running in the foreground (on screen) they can run in the background via the smartglass app on the tablet/phone.

What i am most curious about is will there be a performance hit in the games that offer it? Meaning that while dealing with onscreen action is stress enough on the 360. having to feed backend data wirelessly over the web or local wifi adds to that stress. Granted it might not be data that is very taxing because of the end platform that runs it (phone/tablet) it is still having to be processed and streamed from the source.

It certainly will be interesting to play with once it comes out.

[DrRobotnik]

@darthv72

Wouldn't the smartglass be a secondary expense too? And I think once those WiiU controllers start breaking because a game wants you to throw it across the room for extra points, I think it will become very expensive. Vita/Smartglass you don't need to game. WiiU controller...there's no other way.

[Puddlejumper75]

" And I think once those WiiU controllers start breaking because a game wants you to throw it across the room for extra points, "

What? But seriously I am sure the Wii remote strap was a wake up call to them and the Wii U controller will also feature some sort of restraint system.

[WeskerChildReborned]

Wii U will get it right because it just alot simpler to have to screen on the controller cause with the Vita or Xbox Glass, you have to put your controller down and pick up the other things while with Wii U, it's just there in your hands already.

[Erimgard]

With the Vita you wouldn't have to put anything down. The Vita would replace the PS controller.

[WeskerChildReborned]

@Erimgard, only with few games and also, where will the L3/R3 and L2/R2 button?

[tehnoob3]

the L3/R3 and L2/R2 can made up for by using the touchpad on the back with gestures.

[Puddlejumper75]

@tehnoob, You must be new here. The most common complaint about the Wii remote is its lack of buttons and how it uses gestures in some games to replace what could be done with a button.

Those very same people are not going to turn around and now say " hey its okay to replace buttons with gestures." well some of the fanboys will because their opinions always change like that but the general gaming audience isnt going to change their opinion about it.

BTW the new here comment wasnt a slam its just that what you were talking about has been done to death on here and a lot of people will not accept it.

[DrRobotnik]

I doubt apple will get into the console market. Through time, 3 seems to be the magic number. During the 32/64 bit era there were several consoles out at the same time:PS1,Sega Saturn,Neo-Geo CD,CDI,3DO (Panisonic), 3DO (Goldstar),Jaguar, Jaguar CD,N64, Virtual Boy and even Sega CD/32x. It was just so fucking confusing back then. I think during the 128 bit era is when the 3 rule was established. You had Dreamcast,PS2,Gamecube,Xbox. One of them had to take one for the team. Sadly it was Dreamcast.(sob):(

[greenpowerz]

*Turn of phrase*

I'm assume you're using this meaning?

" It can also refer to fitting something where it does not easily fit."

You do know you can do more with tablets than handhelds with some of them being considerably more powerful than current gen consoles themselves. You must be talking about buttons.

What you call shoehorn I call expansion far beyond Handhelds. You don't shoehorn game capabilities and multi media functions on computers designed to compute and operate various multi media and programs, you program on them. Tablets are computers not toys.

Smartglass was never advertised as using a 2nd screen with primary gameplay. It uses the power of mobile devices to enhance the xbox experience.

I actually think the WII U tablet controller for primary gaming is a bad idea
And will turn off core gamers and casuals alike. Adding more gear and complications to casuals when they purchased the Wii for it being simple and pick up and play is going to backfire. Terrible selling point and marketing ploy. Kinect 2 will win over the rest of the non loyal casuals next gen.

[adorie]

People need to understand that Apple will expand into gaming if they deem it necessary. They already have a patent for a gaming controller. That should be hint enough.

I, on the other hand understand that people don't want to hear that.. I don't want it to happen because they will probably ruin gaming, but what I want does not matter.

They have 70+ billion of cash ON HAND and they must be looked at with seriousness and caution.

[shackdaddy]

The Vita thing, while a cool thing for people who already own one, is not a practical counter to the wiiu simply because you have to buy one separately just to do it.

Smartglass is the same thing with the vita - you have to buy a tablet to use it. Also, it wont work as a controller. You would have to put your controller down to use it.

My prediction is that Sony and MS will come out with their own version of the WiiU gamepad - whether it's just an addon or a selling point.

Also, Apple wont go into the gaming business. Jobs in the past has shown his discontent towards gaming a number of times. While he's gone now, I'm betting his ideals still affect Apple's business ventures. That, and Apple has never really done anything to suggest they would. If they were interested, they would have at least start making small games for ios. A company doesn't just jump the gun and instantly start up a new trade...

[_-EDMIX-_]

I have to sit back and laugh at that. Though I believe they have a point in terms of both company's having some form of it, i question to what degree?

The PSP has it? The DS had it? So....i don't get it? What is it that they think will some how NOW happen despite this kind of set up kind being done before and no one really caring.

I think at best it will just be like Kinect or Move....thats it. Games sell on em, sure. Kinect and Move have had there great titles, but none of which that will pull Halo, GT5 type numbers. And as far as 3rd parties go, none of which that will do COD, Madden, BF type numbers.

I really don't see anyone but Nintendo devoting a system to this "novelty" gimmick. Get ready for inventory, menu and map screens. LOL! DS anyone? 3DS anyone? ....Wii U ANYONE! lol.

[mike1up]

I think DS EVERYONE? 3DS EVERYONE? would be more appropriate.

You comment as if the DS and 3DS sell poorly. The DS sold more units than the Wii! Imo Nintendo would be extremely fortunate to have DS type sales for the WiiU.

Furthermore, how can something be a "novelty" gimmick when it's been "done before" (your words, not mine)?

[pokeliar]

A war would require a fight. The fight is over before it begins

Not any one of those options matches what the wii u gamepad can do because its built in very much like what the ds was which was also incredible.

"The Wii U Gamepad will see heavy first party support, and a wide range of uses in the casual market, but will not necessarily excite third party developers looking to make hardcore games"

Says who? Because devs didnt support the ds second screen?

[Erimgard]

A few developers have said that they're not interested in the Wii U Gamepad, but the lack of support is nowhere near as bad as it was for the Wii controller.

As the article said, Ubisoft and EA have pledged a lot of support and showed off some ways they plan to use it, but Nintendo's gotta keep that rolling and get some more people to really get behind them.

[pokeliar]

No they havent actually. Not ones with actual things in dev. And certainly not ones who have worked on nintendo platforms before. So there opinions would be irrelevant

The wii had amazing third party exclusive support. But this will be even better

[SilentNegotiator]

Ultimately, the dualscreen causes pointless experience-hindering "innovations" than it does make improvements.

*Senseless touch patterns
*clunky cameras and scope aiming
*Inevitable gimmicks in Wii-fashion

Not even close to being worth things like touch inventories.

I don't want to connect a Vita to my PS3, I don't want dualscreens to be a focus in Wii U development, I don't want to connect a tablet to my 360....nooooo thanks.

[Erimgard]

I think the biggest issue is the size/distance differences between two screen gaming on a handheld and two screen gaming on a home console.

With the DS, it was massively successful, and clearly showed lots of ways to improve gaming. These other methods can all add gameplay elements as well, but it's trickier to pull it off, because you've got one big screen a few feet in front of you, and one small screen in your hands.

Finding ways to make the gameplay actually relevant and worth adding to the game without making it clumsy is the issue. How do you smoothly make both screens work together without either not giving the player enough indication of when to look at the small screen, or giving too much indication, and cluttering up the experience.

[DrRobotnik]

I agree with you Silent. Nintendo did this before with Gamecube and GBA. All this dual screen stuff is nothing more than gimmicks...wait a sec, actually my beloved Dreamcast was the one that started it all with the VMU...Dammit, but it was cool then.

[Firebird360]

Apple would absolutely destroy consoles, it would mean endless dlc and endless shovel ware. Disc based games would be a thing of the past and we'd be stuck buying licenses to games we don't actually own. They did it with CDs.

[pokeliar]

what a frightening future

[wiiulee]

lol..nintendo always innovate and the other two copy and their fanboy trolls all day speaking negative of nintendo then embrace these same ideas a year later...the wiiu will be a great success and the leader once more

[DivineAssault]

wii u was built for having a 2nd screen.. $250 is really expensive for a controller but its a handheld too so its worth it for sony.. MS smartglass wont function unless u have a controller PLUS a separate touchscreen device close by.. I dont see the precision needed for games being used on a touchscreen alone.. who knows? a 2nd screen wont be used for much other than HUDs, inventory, & maps anyway.. Look at ds-3ds.. what was made from 3rd party that one would HAVE to have a 2nd screen? maps, inventory, & HUDs... Nothing more

[imXify]

Loool, Apple in the console market will do nothing, people are too familliar with actual consoles. Just like Windows owns Mac OS in popularity.

[IHateYouFanboys]

i dont care what anyone says, SmartGlass will be absolutely essential for me and used EVERY time i use my 360 IF microsoft make it so all game invites/messages/chat is handled through SmartGlass. if i can join peoples games, invite people to my game, set up chats, set up parties, etc all without ever having to bring up the in-game guide, doing it all on my ipad, that will be enough for me.

[metroid32]

Smartglass has lag like 5 times the wiiu so devs that want instant hardcore gaming will not use smartglass and when Ninty put Metroid out with the most insane gameplay using the GAMEPAD that's when devs will really understand the shortcomings the Smartglass hass ???

WiiU will get cheaper and cheaper in terms of the console and the GAMEPAD and with the console able to do HD3D/1080p 60fpf,support SM 5.0/OpenGl 4.1/Compute shader 11/32MB EDRAM shared with cpu/gpu/2 gig RAM its just in terms og graphics power way way ahead of anything out there except PC.

Smartglass tell me how many devices do you need to play the thing plus its ugly and as big as an Ipad ??? not to mention using a 360 controller and a phone with it I DONT THINK SMARTGLASS IS EVEN REMOTLY COMPETING WITH GAMEPAD?WIIU.

[metroid32]

Oh its not they all plan to use a second screen its Nintendo officially using a second screen thats been in development for years and has been refined to have less lag than a TV set,Smartglass is just an expensive desperate ADD ON that needs about 4 devices to work and still doesnt represent a WIIU.