Evolution of Handheld Video Games
God of War Handheld
Handheld video games have come a long way, transitioning from the 8-bit gaming scene into a lush 3d world. Lets take a look into where it started, and what it may eventually become.
Handheld video games really made their first impact with Nintendo’s release of the original Gameboy. People could not get enough of Tetris, Kirby and Mario. Admittedly, I was one of those people who were hooked to those games, in into getting a handheld console in one of my favorite colors. 2d video games was the norm for that point in time, so this was not a problem. But as the graphical capabilities of the consoles were increased, the graphics on the handhelds are to be increased as well. So now we move into colored 2d renderings of our video games now. This move was seen as ground breaking back then, but now we do not even look twice at a 2d rendering, no matter how high-def or smooth it looks.
More recently, we have moved into the age of 3d gaming on the handheld video game consoles. With the release of the PlayStation Portable and the Nintendo DS, video game companies have been able to emulate the graphics of systems in the past with ease on these compact yet powerful devices. The graphics, and size, however, are not able to compete with our current consoles capabilities, since we are now having high definition and photo realistic gaming.
The question that many video gamers are having is whether or not the handheld consoles will ever be able to reach the
Kirby on Gameboy
strength and power of a current generation console, such as the PlayStation 3 or the Xbox 360.The answer to that question varies depending on who you ask. A more optimistic person may tell you that it is possible. Since technology is improving greatly, we would have a means of compacting once heavy and large components into mini-devices that would be able to fit the specifications of a handheld device. But a realist will be quick to note, if the handhelds ever caught up to the Xbox 360 or PlayStation3, how on Earth would it be able to have enough battery power to last more than 30 minutes to an hour? Such graphical intensity would be sure to take a toll on the processing, and battery life in all.
Some people think that the layout and shape of the traditional handheld system is going to change into something resembling a NetBook. It will still be small and portable, but it will be larger than something like a PSP because it requires more space for the powerful components. Also, battery life may be an issue that is solved here if the developers are smart. It is just the concept of carrying something that large and developing a layout for it that might be a pain to do.
One thing you may be looking forward to, however, is the new OnLive service, which, in theory, would allow you to have Crysis graphics on any platform. So maybe that is what handheld video games will eventually evolve into, since it is fairly clear that the video game industry as a whole is making a transition into digital distribution.
