新一代游戲嶄露頭角
|
????未來的視頻游戲機會發展成什么樣子？這是一個所有人都在猜測的話題。微軟（Microsoft）、任天堂（Nintendo）和索尼（Sony）每隔幾年就會發布新的游戲系統，互相爭搶顧客，這已經成了一種慣例。不過在三大游戲公司推出新游戲之前，還有三家公司雖然在傳統游戲領域經驗甚少，但也有可能給傳統游戲三巨頭重重一擊。 ????目前關于新一代微軟Xbox和索尼Playstation游戲機的信息很少，只是坊間普遍推測它們會在2013年左右上市。三大游戲廠商中，只有任天堂透露了一些信息，它在今年夏天展出了該公司即將發布的新游戲機Wii U。Wii U是任天堂Wii的后續產品，它將于明年正式上市。它有一個像平板電腦一樣的6.5寸觸屏控制器，它兼有手持游戲設備和網絡瀏覽器的雙重功能。打個比方，玩家可以拿它當游戲手柄，在電視上向游戲里的敵人發射飛鏢。 ????不過問題是，它的功能聽起來像市面上已有的另一款產品——蘋果（Apple）的iPad也可以當成Apple TV的游戲控制器來使用。的確，來自蘋果、谷歌（Google）和名不見經傳的初創公司OnLive的一些產品正準備乘上游戲業最強勁的一股東風，甚至有可能對傳統游戲巨頭的市場造成嚴重影響。賭局上的籌碼也是很高，因為據國際數據公司（International Data Corporation）的數據顯示，到2015年，全球游戲機硬件和軟件市場將增長到397億美元。 ????蘋果公司在短時間內已經成了游戲業的一股重要力量。雖然長期以來，蘋果似乎一直和游戲機市場不搭邊，但iPod和iPhone的出現卻改變了這種局面。開發者一窩蜂地涌向蘋果的App Store，在過去幾年里，在蘋果iOS平臺的幫助下，開發者們推出了新一代的《超級瑪麗》（Marios）以及《憤怒的小鳥》（Angry Birds）等游戲。Firemint公司的創始人羅伯?默里稱：“針對iOS系統進行開發易如反掌。”Firemint是電子藝界（Electronic Arts）公司旗下的一家游戲開發公司。默里說，他的公司有一款相當成功的游戲，只花了不到一周的時間就開發成型了，這對于任何最簡單的傳統游戲機游戲來說，都是聞所未聞的速度。 ????蘋果還在今年6月推出了Airplay，它可以使應用將流媒體內容上傳到附近的Apply TV上——這有點類似任天堂即將推出的Wii U。默里稱，有了這個功能，《實況賽車2》（Real Racing 2）等游戲就可以把iPad變成一個方向盤，把電視屏幕變成汽車的擋風玻璃，在電視上玩這款游戲。秘訣就在于蘋果強大的處理能力。默里說：“蘋果的A5處理器是我們迄今為止見過的最強大的芯片。這就是我們為什么能在電視上做文章。現在我們有了兩塊屏幕，而且可以運用強大的芯片能力來驅動它們。” ????與此同時，谷歌的Google TV卻因銷量緩慢、軟件研發滯后等問題而一直發育不良。不過Google TV卻使許多類似的功能變成可能。休閑游戲開發公司GameHouse的總裁馬特?休利特就非常看好谷歌，他指出Android移動平臺的增長也為谷歌的電視產品提供了動力。GameHouse公司研發的游戲產品包括熱門的跳躍涂鴉小游戲DoodleJump。休利特表示，Android軟件的進一步發展可以帶來Google TV游戲的激增。“真的，如果把眼光放到三年或四年以后，你會發現傳統游戲機的增長趨平，而所謂的‘微額交易’則會和過去的游戲機一樣，占據市場的半壁江山。” ????OnLive公司則采取了另一種策略。OnLive不僅可用于個人電腦、iMac、平板電腦、智能手機，還可以通過一個99美元的適配器連接到電視上。今年許多發行商都史無前例地迷上了OnLive，他們要么將才發布幾個月的新游戲搬到OnLive上，要么就是將旗下已有的流行游戲移植到到OnLive上。今年夏天，好幾款備受矚目的新游戲都于發布當日在Onlive上同步推出。OnLive的誘惑力還在于游戲玩家們現在不必在游戲發布日排著長隊購買了。有了OnLive之后，只要游戲一上線，他們就可以在自己的臥室里玩到它。游戲《毀滅公爵》（Duke Nukem）的研發商Gearbox Software的總裁兼CEO蘭迪?皮茲福特稱：“這是項非常有趣的新興技術，也是一種向人們提供在線互動娛樂的新方式。” ????或許OnLive再怎么增長也無法和微軟或索尼相匹敵，但它可能標志著“云游戲”趨勢的興起。皮茲福特稱，云游戲使開發者不必花大力氣去支持平臺。一般來說，由于Xbox和Playstation是兩個完全不同的平臺，因此開發者必須為每個平臺編寫獨立的軟件程式。但OnLive的主機卻可以通過流媒體格式下載游戲的Xbox、Playstation或PC版本。 ????蘋果、谷歌或OnLive有可能取代微軟、任天堂或索尼嗎？不太可能。因為傳統游戲三巨頭的產品是為玩家量身打造的，而蘋果、谷歌和OnLive則是以游戲為工具，幫助公司擴展其它業務——蘋果和谷歌用游戲來促進軟、硬件銷售，OnLive則用游戲來擴大用戶群。不過他們的成功最終可能會奪走玩家的注意力，后者對于傳統游戲三巨頭來說寶貴彌足珍貴。 ????譯者：樸成奎 |
????What the future of console video gaming will actually look like is anybody's guess. Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony have made a ritual out of releasing new game systems every few years and battling it out for customers. Now, before technical barbs have been traded or glitzy launch plans drawn up, three companies with little experience in traditional gaming may be beating them to the punch. ????Little is know about the next Microsoft (MSFT) Xbox or Sony (SNE) Playstation, despite an uptick in speculation about the consoles expected around 2013. Of the three major game makers, only Nintendo has revealed anything, showing its upcoming Wii U this summer. Launching next year, Nintendo's Wii successor comes with a tablet-like 6.5-inch touchscreen controller that doubles as a handheld gaming device and web browser. Players could use the controller, for example, to shoot ninja stars at enemies displayed on a television. ????Trouble is, that sounds a lot like a product already in stores: Apple's (AAPL) iPad can be used as a controller for games beamed to an Apple TV. Indeed, products from Apple, Google (GOOG) and startup OnLive are poised to make the most of the biggest trends in gaming and -- possibly -- put a serious dent in the ambitions of gaming's traditional players. And the stakes are high: the global console hardware and software market is expected to grow to $39.7 billion by 2015, according to International Data Corporation. ????In short order, Apple has become an important force in gaming. Though the company long seemed indifferent to the market, the advent of the iPod and iPhone changed that. Developers flocked to Apple's App Store and, over the last few years, its iOS platform helped launch a new generation of Marios, including Angry Birds. "iOS is easy to develop for," says Rob Murray, founder of Firemint, a game developer owned by Electronic Arts (ERTS). He says one of his firm's most popular titles was prototyped within a week, a time-frame unheard of for even the simplest console games. ????In June, Apple introduced Airplay, which allows apps to stream from a handheld device to a nearby Apple TV -- a setup similar to Nintendo's upcoming Wii U. Murray says that enables titles like Real Racing 2 to turn an iPad into a steering wheel and a TV into a windshield, for instance. The secret? Apple's processing prowess. "The A5 is the most powerful chipset that we've encountered so far," he says. "That's why we were able to do this TV out. We've now got two screens and we're able to drive them with that power." ????Google TV, meanwhile, has been stunted by slow sales and delayed software. But the Mountain View, California company's approach makes many of the same features possible. Casual game developer GameHouse president Matt Hulett is bullish, noting the growth of the Android mobile platform which also powers Google's television products. The developer of titles including the bestselling DoodleJump, Hulett says better software could lead to a surge in gaming on Google TV. "This is real," he says. "If you look out three or four years, console gaming is flattening down and micro transactions are going to be as big as console." ????OnLive takes a different tact. It is a streaming gaming service available on PCs, Macs, tablets, smartphones or a $99 adaptor that connects to televisions. For the first year, publishers were either bringing their games to the service months after launch, or posting popular titles that had already seen their day. This past summer, however, several high-profile games became available with OnLive on their release date. Part of OnLive's lure is the promise that gamers won't have to stand in line on launch day. Instead, they can have their game served to their living room as soon as it's available. "It is an interesting, emerging technology, and it's a new way to deliver online interactive entertainment to people," says Randy Pitchford, president and CEO of Gearbox Software, developer of the most recent Duke Nukem title. ????While OnLive may not grow into a competitor to Microsoft or Sony, it could signal an emerging trend of cloud gaming. Developers don't need to do much to support the platform, says Pitchford. Typically, since Xbox and Playstation are completely different, programmers have to write the unique software for each platform. OnLive's central computers, however, can stream from the Xbox, Playstation, or PC version. ????Will Apple, Google and possibly OnLive displace Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony? Not likely. The later have tailored their products to gamers, while the former are using games to help build out other businesses — hardware and software for Apple and Google, subscriptions for OnLive. Still, their success may end up taking valuable attention away from the traditional big three. ????. |
