Nintendo’s Wii U GamePad
We’ve known about the Wii U since last E3 but the similarity in appearance and functionality of the GamePad must be reiterated. Rectangular tablet that’s white? Check. Handheld touch screen? Check. Touch control gaming? Check. Right now it just seems like the logical gaming conclusion to the existing link between iPads, iPhones and the Airplay functionality of Apple TV. After all, the rumors are already very strong that Apple will announce this specific sort of functionality for their Apple TV update at WWDC. However, unlike the iPad that can go wherever you go, the Wii U GamePad has to be tethered to the game system to work. That gives them a serious disadvantage to the iPad. It makes sense not to compete with their own portable handheld, the 3DS, but the portable standalone functionality could have made this a serious iPad rival.
Microsoft’s SmartGlass
Speaking of Airplay, Microsoft is straight-up doing a version of this with some extra features. Instead of trying to force their own handheld device on people, SmartGlass technology takes your pre-existing devices, such as Windows Mobile phones and connects them to your Xbox 360. The device can then function as a remote controlling the TV or display handheld supplemental content. An exciting example of this used HBO’s Game of Thrones, displaying maps of character locations that change with each scene to help people keep up with where the many characters are. At this stage it sounds like a mix between Nintendo’s Wii U gamepad and Apple TV. Now here’s the surprising bit: at least initially, they’ve claimed it will be iOS compatible! Did you ever think you’d see a day when Apple devices would work in tandem with Microsoft and it is their own doing? Strange times are here.
Sony’s Wonderbook
The details of the Wonderbook are still pretty vague. From what we can tell, it uses AR (augmented reality) to make a pop-out interactive reading experience for children. J.K. Rowling’s (of Harry Potter fame) Book of Spells is the flagship title for the device, showing children reading spells that pop off the page and interact with the story through touch and motion controls. This one is perhaps the farthest removed from the Apple sphere but even it has shades of iEnvy. Anybody with children or who’s been out to a restaurant in the past couple of years knows that iPads are integral entertainers/pacifiers for kids. Books with interactive touch features have been delighting children for a while now; interactive reading experiences are nothing new. Sure, this definitely takes reading to a new level of engagement that’s somewhere between 3D TV and iPad books, but there’s an underlying problem. To experience this innovation, children need all of the following: a TV, PS3, PlayStation Eye Camera, PlayStation Move, Wonderbook and the specific book content (game). That’s a long, expensive list of gadgets just to read. By default it also means it’s only made for living room enjoyment. The simpler touch activated books of the iPad can be taken and read anywhere, anytime. For an idea of what iPad books can do, check out the Yellow Submarine book—visually impressive and completely immersive, interactive content.
Obviously each company is taking these fundamentals in their own direction, but the influence can’t be denied. Like it or not, Apple’s iOS devices have changed the way we think about gaming and interactive experiences. It was only a matter of time before the touch-focused, casual gaming market started having an effect on both the hardware and sales of the console realm. Instead of trying to glean ideas from Apple they should focus on providing what iOS gaming doesn’t provide: the familiar, fun feeling of a controller in the hands, having a fun (if somewhat nostalgic) in-home experience with gaming. But since they’ve taken a bite of the Apple, it begs the question: do any of the Big 3’s ideas seem like they will succeed? Are any of them real competition for iOS gaming? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments.
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