Mobile Phone Gaming: All Hype and No Jump?

[Jason Dunn]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/02/AR2006050201597.html?referrer=emailarticle

"When it comes to buying and playing video games on a mobile phone, many people have tried it -- but few ever try it again. A report by Seattle-based M:Metrics released yesterday found that prices, choice and lack of interest were the biggest factors that have kept cellphone video game sales from growing in the United States. Less than 3 percent of cellphone users are buying and playing games on their phones -- and that number hasn't grown much in recent months."

This article is more about mainstream feature phones, rather than Smartphones, but it got me wondering: do Smartphone users suffer from the same problem when it comes to buying games? Our phones are certainly more capable, and there are some amazing games out for the platform, but do some of the same barriers such as price, exposure to quality games, exist? I use my Smartphone (an SP5m) on the Fido network, so I don't have any carrier portals trying to sell me games. How do you discover games - using your desktop PC, or directly on the Smartphone? How do you feel about the prices of Smartphone games?

[Jason Dunn]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/02/AR2006050201597.html?referrer=emailarticle

"When it comes to buying and playing video games on a mobile phone, many people have tried it -- but few ever try it again. A report by Seattle-based M:Metrics released yesterday found that prices, choice and lack of interest were the biggest factors that have kept cellphone video game sales from growing in the United States. Less than 3 percent of cellphone users are buying and playing games on their phones -- and that number hasn't grown much in recent months."

This article is more about mainstream feature phones, rather than Smartphones, but it got me wondering: do Smartphone users suffer from the same problem when it comes to buying games? Our phones are certainly more capable, and there are some amazing games out for the platform, but do some of the same barriers such as price, exposure to quality games, exist? I use my Smartphone (an SP5m) on the Fido network, so I don't have any carrier portals trying to sell me games. How do you discover games - using your desktop PC, or directly on the Smartphone? How do you feel about the prices of Smartphone games?

[echosmyron]

I haven't bought a game for my phone yet. Won two games here on SPT and have d/l'd some freeware games. I'm fairly happy with the quality of the ones I've played so far, with my old Nokia 3100 and Handspring Visor as reference points.

I'm also on the Fido network so I don't get much exposure to new games.

[Mike Temporale]

I find them by browsing this Smartphone site or when they pop up on our affiliate site.

In all, I don't play too many games. The ones I do play are more puzzles or involve more skills than a FPS. I'm not surprised that there is a lack of game players in the cellphone market. It's not really the kind of screen you want to sit down in front of for a couple hours while you try to take over the world.