[citation][nom]ikefu[/nom]A controller is pretty much all the stands in the way of smartphones replacing handhelds.What Apple/Android needs to dethrone Nintendo and Sony:1) The controller needs to either be integrated or in a case slim enough not to make you want to take it off in between gaming sessions. Like cameras, the best gaming device is the one you have with you and keeping track of a phone + temporary case gets in the way.2) They need to go all out with 2 slide pads/sticks and the standard 4 buttons + shoulder triggers. The rest of the buttons (d-pad, start/select) can just be on screen buttons3) I would really like to see a larger screen to go along with the controller. 3.5 inches seems overly small compared to a 5 inch PS Vita. 4.5 inches would do nicely4) Find a way to overcome the stigma phone users have with paying more than $5 for a app/game. If we want the same rich experience you get on a dedicated handheld we need people to be willing to pay $20-30 for brand new games. More than that seems overly high given the digital delivery method but $1 won't support a full dev team[/citation]
most "games" on phones aren't worth more than 10$, and most games that get ported to them are old classics, and they are competing with roms at that point, and its very hard to beat a computer you can plug your old controllers into with an adapter.
they need to make it a case, and not integrate it, because that would ad another skew, not something good for a unified platform.
trust me, if they made a large arcade stick, and you plug the ipad/ipod (preferably ipad) inre and you basically had a portable arcade controls, that would be the best way to go, because most iphone/ipad games are meant to be consumed like arcade games, by the quarter (time investment, not price point)
and with that, you could get a wiiu style case, which from all sources feels great in your hands, and with the ipod, you don't have to compromise the controls for the sake of portability.
the stigma of not paying bigprices for games is because none of them are worth 20-30$
look at most ds and 3ds shovel ware games... would you pay 20-30$ for those?
there are no AAA games on these devices yet, the closest one is infinity blade (i only played 1) and that is SO not a 20-30$ game and was barely worth the what... 15$ i payed for it... its kind of fun, and pretty, but thats it, there is very little replay value in the game besides doing the same crap over and over again infinatly.