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ARM ecosystem director Nizar Romdan claims that smartphones will be able to generate greater visuals than the PlayStation 4 or the Xbox One by the end of 2017.
For years, analysts have predicted that smartphones would be the end of traditional console gaming as we know it. After all, smartphone gaming revenue has surpassed handhelds, and the market shows no signs of slowing down. Of course, mobilegames are traditionally smaller experiences, with console titles able to produce visuals that are just not possible on most current Android and iOS mobile devices. By the end of 2017, that could change.
That is, if statements by the ARM’s ecosystem director Nizar Romdan turn out to be true. Speaking at the Casual Connect conference in Amsterdam this past weekend, Romdan claimed that ARM is developing chips for mobile devices that will be able to produce graphics greater than what is currently outputted by the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This boost of power means that games that have so far only been playable on home consoles or PCs may now be playable on smartphones and tablets as well.
It’s also been suggested that this additional power could also be used to push the virtual reality movement in the mobile space. If rumors of Google making a new VR headsetturn out to be true, the tech giant, and others experimenting with mobile VR options, would be able to use the additional power to create VR experiences closer in quality to those that will be found on Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR.
So, do more powerful smartphones and tablets spell the end of traditional gaming? It’s unlikely. The mobile market is markedly different than the console one, with completely different audiences. For example, the people that helped Kim Kardashian: Hollywood be downloaded over 84 million timesare probably not the same people that led Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 to be the best-selling game of 2015.
This means that while smartphones and tablets will technically be capable of producing graphics that outdo PS4 and Xbox One, there probably won’t be many games developed that actually do so. Until there is a proven audience for such experiences on mobile devices, expect that market to continue to be dominated by low budget games.
While traditional gaming hardware won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, this significant boost in power for mobile devices should still expand the platform’s possibilities. We suspect that most developers will use the more powerful technology to craft mobile VR experiences that are perhaps more complex than what we’ve seen so far. Ultimately, time will tell, but we should find out for ourselves within the next couple of years.
Source: Venture Beat