SDK's for Wireless Games - Will They Succeed?

Memetic asks: "There is a software development kit for wireless games, downloadable from TTPCom, a wireless devices IP vendor. It's described as: 'an open API delivering access to all the mobile phone's features in order to develop a new generation of on-line and multi-user games...it is possible to take advantage of the GSM, GPRS or 3GPP networks by downloading these games over the air, sending SMS messages between players, and creating multi-user content and games. Technologies such as Bluetooth or GPS are also made available' My question, does anyone see independent developers emerging for donloadable gaming or will this market be driven by the network operators / handset manufacturers?" While using this technology to build games on cell phones doesn't intrigue me, adapting this for our current and future crop of handheld computing devices does. What kind of future do you think there is for games development on such platforms like the Visor, the PalmPilot, and the next-generation-Gameboy that may come down the pipe in the next couple of years?

Games for Palms

[krugdm]

What kind of future do you think there is for games development on such platforms like the Visor, the PalmPilot, and the next-generation-Gameboy that may come down the pipe in the next couple of years?

Head on over to PalmGearHQ [palmgear.com] and see how many games are available. Some good, some bad, many identical. Many are good enough that they have resided on my Palm, almost since day 1.

Palm has done a good job of avoiding creating a handheld PC and instead creating an advanced organizer. They've left it to other developers to do that work instead. Tools like this make that job just that much easier.

On my honeymoon...

[Chagatai]

While I was in Japan, you couldn't go through a subway or crowded intersection without seeing two or three people playing games on their cellphones (even a mini version of Space Channel 5 for the Dreamcast). Some of these cellphones even interacted with others, with people playing games against each other. In America, we have taken small strides like this with such toys as Hasbro's Pox, a handheld game that autonomously detects and "battles" other consoles in its broadcast radius. But with the popularity of cellphones and such, I don't see cute little portable games like this so much as an "if" than a "when". I can see old NES and SNES games being the first ported.

--Chag

game developer magazine

[simpl3x]

the november issue had several articles on just these issues (http://www.gdmag.com/backissue2001.htm#nov01). a very good resource, btw.

Re:Who needs them...

[jquirke]

cellulars stil suffer from extreemly limited bandwith

Many GSM networks around the world now have the General Packet Radio (GPRS) extensions enabled which offers a much faster packet-switched connection to your wireless device (40kibibits). GPRS is charged by volume, not time, and you always stay connected. [optus.com.au]

This is the kind of technology that will allow wireless-device gaming to take-off, at least outside North America :-(

SMS Sdk & Linux

[metlin]

For those of you interested in messing around with SMS from Linux (and Windows), check out this project. [freshmeat.net]
Damn cool, but generally getting it running is a pain (although the site does not state any dependencies, there are a few).

In fact, me and my friends were trying to get SMS working so that a centralised Linux box could be used to play simple games. This way, we got about 5 people on SMS at the same time :-) playing simple word games. But again, for all these thingys to be working, your provider must support messaging from the net (which most do).

Although we did not go any further, it was fun doing it. If someone is interested, I'd be happy to help them start some SMS based centralised gaming (yes, OSS). Nothing great, but even simple ones could be great fun!

Re:reach back to the early eighties

[Maserati]

That was Ace of Aces, and it was a terrific game. I got through whole semesters of study hall passing moves back and forth/

By PDA I hope you're talking about a Palm unit, 'cause I must have a link to that right now.

Boing ball anyone?

[KILNA]

Last I checked, Amiga [amiga.com] was working on a multimedia API for small devices, with a focus on games. The Amiga environment is present on the new Sharp Zaurus [sharpusa.com]. The SDK [amiga.com] looks interesting, in spite of it being java-based. :)

Re:bare bones != gaming

[Anonymous Coward]

Note that cell phones capable of gaming are already out and very popular in Japan, Korea, etc. The US/European market is lagging, but the hardware is already there (the chips typically come from US manufacturers.) For example, the current generation of phones out this year in Japan use color screens and the same processor as the Game Boy Advance (17mhz ARM7), or faster (some have 50mhz). Devices from Nokia, Docomo, etc. coming out in the 1-year-plus horizon will have processors more powerful than the 206mhz SA110s in iPAQs. The Japanese market has already established that gaming can be very popular on phones & personal communication devices. It remains to be seen how well this translates to US & European markets.

Sam Trychin