新一代游戏崭露头角
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未来的视频游戏机会发展成什么样子？这是一个所有人都在猜测的话题。微软（Microsoft）、任天堂（Nintendo）和索尼（Sony）每隔几年就会发布新的游戏系统，互相争抢顾客，这已经成了一种惯例。不过在三大游戏公司推出新游戏之前，还有三家公司虽然在传统游戏领域经验甚少，但也有可能给传统游戏三巨头重重一击。 目前关于新一代微软Xbox和索尼Playstation游戏机的信息很少，只是坊间普遍推测它们会在2013年左右上市。三大游戏厂商中，只有任天堂透露了一些信息，它在今年夏天展出了该公司即将发布的新游戏机Wii U。Wii U是任天堂Wii的后续产品，它将于明年正式上市。它有一个像平板电脑一样的6.5寸触屏控制器，它兼有手持游戏设备和网络浏览器的双重功能。打个比方，玩家可以拿它当游戏手柄，在电视上向游戏里的敌人发射飞镖。 不过问题是，它的功能听起来像市面上已有的另一款产品——苹果（Apple）的iPad也可以当成Apple TV的游戏控制器来使用。的确，来自苹果、谷歌（Google）和名不见经传的初创公司OnLive的一些产品正准备乘上游戏业最强劲的一股东风，甚至有可能对传统游戏巨头的市场造成严重影响。赌局上的筹码也是很高，因为据国际数据公司（International Data Corporation）的数据显示，到2015年，全球游戏机硬件和软件市场将增长到397亿美元。 苹果公司在短时间内已经成了游戏业的一股重要力量。虽然长期以来，苹果似乎一直和游戏机市场不搭边，但iPod和iPhone的出现却改变了这种局面。开发者一窝蜂地涌向苹果的App Store，在过去几年里，在苹果iOS平台的帮助下，开发者们推出了新一代的《超级玛丽》（Marios）以及《愤怒的小鸟》（Angry Birds）等游戏。Firemint公司的创始人罗伯•默里称：“针对iOS系统进行开发易如反掌。”Firemint是电子艺界（Electronic Arts）公司旗下的一家游戏开发公司。默里说，他的公司有一款相当成功的游戏，只花了不到一周的时间就开发成型了，这对于任何最简单的传统游戏机游戏来说，都是闻所未闻的速度。 苹果还在今年6月推出了Airplay，它可以使应用将流媒体内容上传到附近的Apply TV上——这有点类似任天堂即将推出的Wii U。默里称，有了这个功能，《实况赛车2》（Real Racing 2）等游戏就可以把iPad变成一个方向盘，把电视屏幕变成汽车的挡风玻璃，在电视上玩这款游戏。秘诀就在于苹果强大的处理能力。默里说：“苹果的A5处理器是我们迄今为止见过的最强大的芯片。这就是我们为什么能在电视上做文章。现在我们有了两块屏幕，而且可以运用强大的芯片能力来驱动它们。” 与此同时，谷歌的Google TV却因销量缓慢、软件研发滞后等问题而一直发育不良。不过Google TV却使许多类似的功能变成可能。休闲游戏开发公司GameHouse的总裁马特•休利特就非常看好谷歌，他指出Android移动平台的增长也为谷歌的电视产品提供了动力。GameHouse公司研发的游戏产品包括热门的跳跃涂鸦小游戏DoodleJump。休利特表示，Android软件的进一步发展可以带来Google TV游戏的激增。“真的，如果把眼光放到三年或四年以后，你会发现传统游戏机的增长趋平，而所谓的‘微额交易’则会和过去的游戏机一样，占据市场的半壁江山。” OnLive公司则采取了另一种策略。OnLive不仅可用于个人电脑、iMac、平板电脑、智能手机，还可以通过一个99美元的适配器连接到电视上。今年许多发行商都史无前例地迷上了OnLive，他们要么将才发布几个月的新游戏搬到OnLive上，要么就是将旗下已有的流行游戏移植到到OnLive上。今年夏天，好几款备受瞩目的新游戏都于发布当日在Onlive上同步推出。OnLive的诱惑力还在于游戏玩家们现在不必在游戏发布日排着长队购买了。有了OnLive之后，只要游戏一上线，他们就可以在自己的卧室里玩到它。游戏《毁灭公爵》（Duke Nukem）的研发商Gearbox Software的总裁兼CEO兰迪•皮兹福特称：“这是项非常有趣的新兴技术，也是一种向人们提供在线互动娱乐的新方式。” 或许OnLive再怎么增长也无法和微软或索尼相匹敌，但它可能标志着“云游戏”趋势的兴起。皮兹福特称，云游戏使开发者不必花大力气去支持平台。一般来说，由于Xbox和Playstation是两个完全不同的平台，因此开发者必须为每个平台编写独立的软件程式。但OnLive的主机却可以通过流媒体格式下载游戏的Xbox、Playstation或PC版本。 苹果、谷歌或OnLive有可能取代微软、任天堂或索尼吗？不太可能。因为传统游戏三巨头的产品是为玩家量身打造的，而苹果、谷歌和OnLive则是以游戏为工具，帮助公司扩展其它业务——苹果和谷歌用游戏来促进软、硬件销售，OnLive则用游戏来扩大用户群。不过他们的成功最终可能会夺走玩家的注意力，后者对于传统游戏三巨头来说宝贵弥足珍贵。 译者：朴成奎 |
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. . |
