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I want a proper gaming phone. It is time.
- Thread starter thomasmahler
- Start date
That sounds like what the OP is looking for. A phone with detachable controller halves.
You would have to make the controllers detachable. I don't think there's a market for a phone that always has the controllers attached since that would make the phone too bulky and uncomfortable to hold up to your head for phone calls. A slide out mechanism is an option but then you're left with really shallow buttons/sticks. Plus controllers wear out so being replaceable is convenient.
I personally think something like the Razer Kishi is going to be the future. You can make it optional to use in wireless mode or by making it wrap around the phone and connect to the USB-C port like the current Kishi does. We're at the point now where the hardware and software can play pretty much any game with emulation and streaming, the only problem left to solve is the controller and it looks like we're pretty much there.
OP clearly didn't want it badly enough
Phones are moving away from having physical buttons/inputs so it's unlikely any company would want to go in the complete opposite direction.
Plus, when the buttons/stick get stuck or break, you're going to have to fix it or send it in for repair quite a bit. It isn't going to be as easy as replacing a controller when the buttons on it break especially if you want the controls to be part of the phone.
Plus, when the buttons/stick get stuck or break, you're going to have to fix it or send it in for repair quite a bit. It isn't going to be as easy as replacing a controller when the buttons on it break especially if you want the controls to be part of the phone.
iPhone + stand + Dualshock is my phone gaming solution. We're seeing some pretty decent ports on iOS now with controller support, plus Apple Arcade. it ain't perfect, but shit is sure better than it was 12 months ago...
At the end of the day, I want my phone to primarily be my phone. I like the idea that the gaming solution for it for me is modular. I add a stand and a pad when I want to play. Then I put them away.
I don't want my phone to look like a gaming device. I don't want it to have a built in d-pad, analog sticks or slide out trash To break and go wrong. mobile gaming is a nice to have, and I've had great experiences, but it's not a driver for my buying decisions.
At the end of the day, I want my phone to primarily be my phone. I like the idea that the gaming solution for it for me is modular. I add a stand and a pad when I want to play. Then I put them away.
I don't want my phone to look like a gaming device. I don't want it to have a built in d-pad, analog sticks or slide out trash To break and go wrong. mobile gaming is a nice to have, and I've had great experiences, but it's not a driver for my buying decisions.
Also, if we can get handheld PCs of decent quality now, I think it's fair to think phones with built-in gamepads are at least somewhat viable from a business point of view.
100% with you OP.
Best thing I've found when digging into this every few months or so is the Moqi i7s. I'd recommend checking it out if you haven't already.
I think Sony patented the slide out controls, thus forever f*@£ing over my ideal mobile gamepad solution.
Best thing I've found when digging into this every few months or so is the Moqi i7s. I'd recommend checking it out if you haven't already.
I think Sony patented the slide out controls, thus forever f*@£ing over my ideal mobile gamepad solution.
Ha i just realized that n gage is supposed to be engage and n cause of nokia.
My phone is more so a utility. I do not want my phone to have any game branding nor association to my gaming hobby.
No one's going to integrate game controllers into their phone aside from extremely niche 'gamer phones' if they try and build such a thing. Who the hell has room for the added bulk on a daily carry item?
The alternative would be accessory controllers, but if you go that route you might as well just support any BT controller as there's likely to be more people with a working PS4/XBO controller or any other thing with bluetooth. It's certainly possible for any one of these manufacturers to make a controller that's more or less 1:1 size w/ their phones which would make carrying a snap, but I doubt there's a market for people willing to spend $60+ on such a thing.
But really, beyond even the fortnites and minecrafts there's plenty of touch optimized games already, and no one cares enough to pay for mobile games that are controller optimized. This was the future we were destined to have when devs capable of AAA games decided to put nothing more than throwaway versions of games on app stores instead of attempting to build a base for higher priced games.
The alternative would be accessory controllers, but if you go that route you might as well just support any BT controller as there's likely to be more people with a working PS4/XBO controller or any other thing with bluetooth. It's certainly possible for any one of these manufacturers to make a controller that's more or less 1:1 size w/ their phones which would make carrying a snap, but I doubt there's a market for people willing to spend $60+ on such a thing.
But really, beyond even the fortnites and minecrafts there's plenty of touch optimized games already, and no one cares enough to pay for mobile games that are controller optimized. This was the future we were destined to have when devs capable of AAA games decided to put nothing more than throwaway versions of games on app stores instead of attempting to build a base for higher priced games.
I think devs just need to get creative with the available touch inputs on phones. So many games that try to emulate full fledged console or PC games just emulate controller touch buttons which usually suck.
I remember being so stoked when GTA Chinatown Wars was announced for iPhone only to drop it because the emulates controller inputs we're just god awful.
I think the only "action" game that ever got mobile touch controls right is World of Tanks: Blitz. Those controls are smooth as hell relative to everything else on the mobile market and it still isn't perfect.
I remember being so stoked when GTA Chinatown Wars was announced for iPhone only to drop it because the emulates controller inputs we're just god awful.
I think the only "action" game that ever got mobile touch controls right is World of Tanks: Blitz. Those controls are smooth as hell relative to everything else on the mobile market and it still isn't perfect.
I came to this thread skeptical, as all gaming phones seem pointless because of the lack of proper input, but you just sold me on this phone. Now I want one.
You are not going to get a gaming phone with buttons and sticks, there is no market for such a thing.
You will need one of those phone controllers (Razer Kishi seems most popular) or a phone clip for your Xbox One or PS4 controller. Then pair it with any huge flagship phone, those are also the most powerful phones available.
You will need one of those phone controllers (Razer Kishi seems most popular) or a phone clip for your Xbox One or PS4 controller. Then pair it with any huge flagship phone, those are also the most powerful phones available.
OP
OP
That should be the exciting thing. You create the market by creating the category and get people excited about it. A couple of years ago, all the analysts touted how handheld gaming is dead, the Vita was a failure, Nintendo is doomed, blablabla. Then Nintendo came along and created one of the most successful handhelds ever. I don't know how some people in this thread can be so shortsighted. Fuck the Status Quo, just because currently X or Y is the norm doesn't mean that it has to be this way. With current Tech, you could easily fit everything the Switch can do into your phone and create a marginally thicker phone than what's out there that then would also work as your gaming device. Hell, you could even create a dock for it and use it to play on your TV if you wanted to. Do all that, support the device properly and sell it with a subscription to subsidize the costs and you got a winner.
Yes, I pointed that out before and all these devices are sub-par. It's the same shit as using a 'Booster Boy' for your old GameBoy. Nobody is carrying that crap around, the moment you go for that, you already lost. None of those devices get it truly right, they're all clunky and shitty and uncomfortable. For this stuff to truly work, it'd have to be a slick part of the phone. I think Sony was onto something with the Xperia Play and that thing could've worked with another revision and better support. It's crazy that almost 10 years later, nobody has even tried to give gamers a slick alternative.
The solution to all this is AR, I can see someone like Apple selling a physical controller as a pack in for AR glasses as a tie in to Apple Arcade. Your phone stays in your pocket and casts to the glasses. There, now you're only having to hold one thing while playing something on a virtual screen in front of you, no clip ons necessary.
People want thinner phones these days OP, not bulkier, so as nifty as that slide out Xperia was for the time I don't think even core gamers care to have something that thick for their phone.
The dedicated handheld will continue to thrive on things like the Switch, the hybrid phone with built in physical controls is gone.
People want thinner phones these days OP, not bulkier, so as nifty as that slide out Xperia was for the time I don't think even core gamers care to have something that thick for their phone.
The dedicated handheld will continue to thrive on things like the Switch, the hybrid phone with built in physical controls is gone.
OP
OP
Tell that to all the companies that make folding phones that are thick as fuck. The Xperia Play was a fairly thin device, you're telling me that this couldn't be even thinner than that with an OLED screen? Get outta here.
Did you have an Xperia Play? Because I did. Still do somewhere actually. The thing was garbage. Oh, don't get me wrong, the controller part worked surprisingly well, though having to fit on the same size as a phone made it not particularly ergonomic either. A bit better than my modern phone clip for comfort, but not much, and just not worth it to have such a garbage phone. The volume button literally fell out after 6 months. My brother who had the same phone had the same thing happen. I had to carry a penny around to stick in there and turn it up or down. The screen was terrible. The battery was atrocious. It froze all the time and I work on phones, I know how to keep them running well more than 99% of people out there. That's what any attempt to do what you want is going to be. A cheap cash in where they cut costs on everything about the phone knowing that they can appeal to a niche market by being the only option. There's no need for more, most people are happy with their current solutions. The current solutions are continuing to grow.
I dOnt like mobile native gaming but I LOVE cloud and streaming gaming
Samsung a71 (don't need a powerhouse for streaming ) 6,7 inches oled display + razer kishi. The gameplay screen size is comparable to a switch lite because of the ratio
I play stadia / Xcloud / ps4 Remote play local or internet / pc with it
Stadia (And Switch size comparison. Hence the switch lite size for gaming )
Ps4
pc
Xbox
Samsung a71 (don't need a powerhouse for streaming ) 6,7 inches oled display + razer kishi. The gameplay screen size is comparable to a switch lite because of the ratio
I play stadia / Xcloud / ps4 Remote play local or internet / pc with it
Stadia (And Switch size comparison. Hence the switch lite size for gaming )
pc
Xbox
OP
OP
Nobody ever said it was perfect. Far from it. But slide-out was a better approach than anything on the market atm.
Then you know something I don't. I think everyone understands that Apple struggles with the market saturation and their new phones aren't selling what they used to. They're already scrambling to come up with a new category. There's an untapped category out there that makes a ton of sense, that's what this thread is all about.
Sony messed up twice with this. Their problem is canabalising their other products and they couldn't position the Vita against their other phones. The Vita even had a 3G option that suggested a potential future phone SKU, but they didn't go that far.
@ thomasmahler
The Xperia play inputs were shallow and rather inadequate. Sony couldn't even implement proper L2/ R2 buttons even on the Vita, so another iteration of Xperia Play wasn't looking like a phone controller combo device that would be adequate.
MS did next to nothing with Nokia and their phone dvision when they had it, and are more focused on streaming services now.
Nintendo are probably in the best position to release a modern Nokia Ngage. A pro version of a Switch-like device with 5G integration and smartphone functionality is there for the taking. They have the handheld mobile gaming market, and can enter the 4G/5G market like a new player similar to how Apple did with the iPhone. But they like their 'withered' technologies and over pricing strategy. So this is too cutting edge for them. Still, they can market a premium price and test the waters.
Anyway, if you are happy with a Switch-like device with smartphone capabilities, then something like a more compact Razer Kishi, where you just leave it attached permanently is not that for off.
Always thought Nintendo should've entered the phone market in the late 90's/early 2000s with a phone capable of running Gameboy games (or essentially a Gameboy capable of texting and making phone calls). That could've been huge back when Snake was about the best thing you could get in a phone gaming-wise.
Anyway, I believe that there could be enough market for a gaming-centered phone with built-in physical controls to be worth the effort still, if implemented correctly. Although I think the biggest potential of the idea was years back, released now it would likely be a more niche product.
Anyway, I believe that there could be enough market for a gaming-centered phone with built-in physical controls to be worth the effort still, if implemented correctly. Although I think the biggest potential of the idea was years back, released now it would likely be a more niche product.
I wouldn't mind a phone case with flip out disk analogue sticks and thin buttons. But problem is, most mobile games only allow screen input.