The Future of Gaming

Note: this blog has been migrated to Medium, with the articles here available to preserve permalinks. Please see this post at https://medium.com/@ianrbuck/the-future-of-gaming-14a00f40ca57

Now that all of the major players have put their cards on the table, I would like to give my thoughts on what is going to happen. Given the events of the last week, I think we are on the verge of a very different distribution landscape, and I am looking forward to it. Let's start out small.

Mobile gaming isn't going anywhere; it's definitely going to continue to grow. However, we need to get people more used to paying $10 or more for a quality game if we are going to see more than these simple little high-score focused social-oriented free-to-play games that are the bane of our existence. Why is it that Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery is still the only mobile game with a decent story that I have played?

The Ouya tried to encourage those kinds of games to come to Android, but they really dropped the ball. It took them so long to release the darn thing that Nvidia came out with a new version of the processor they were using by the time Kickstarter backers got their hands on the system.

Nintendo is in an interesting position. The Wii U isn't doing very well, but the 3DS is selling like hotcakes. As we have seen over the last decade, Nintendo can do well by simply having a strong first-party title lineup. This is something nobody else can claim, and I don't see them changing their strategy.

Now to the good stuff. This week Valve announced SteamOS, Steam Machines, and the Steam Controller. SteamOS is based on Linux, which is really the only way that they could have done this. Yes, Linux doesn't have nearly as many AAA games as Windows at this point, but licensing Windows for all of the Steam Machines would drive their prices up. Valve gets around this by streaming Windows games from your PC over your home network. Because of that, Steam Machines will initially only sell to people who are already into PC gaming. Not to worry, Valve is working on encouraging big publishers to bring their games to Linux. Because there will be a Steam Machine for all occasions, they will be competing directly with everything from the consoles to the Chromecast.
I am much more interested in the controller they unveiled. Having it emulate mouse and keyboard inputs for games that don't support controllers was a brilliant move, and it means that is the one thing they announced this week that I will definitely be getting as soon as it comes out.

There were a couple of interesting stories about Sony and Microsoft this week. Both are looking into streaming their games to devices other than their core consoles. Sony is considering everything from PCs to tablets to TVs. Microsoft of course will probably only make this available on Windows and Windows Phones. If Valve succeeds in getting everyone to support Linux (I really hope they are) then the only reason for PC gamers to stay with Windows (aside from familiarity) would be for Microsoft to make Xbox games available on Windows as well.
Sony seems much more likely to support Linux, as they have no reason to push Windows sales. I like the way that they talk about treating the PlayStation brand as a service rather than just hardware. And think about it for a moment: how does Sony make money? Not by selling consoles, but by selling the games on those consoles. If they can bring their games to more people by offering a streaming service, I think they will.

The piece of hardware that I am most excited for is the Oculus Rift. These headsets are already incredibly popular, and they haven't even released yet. Innovations like this and the Steam Controller are only possible on open platforms, where they can support games that weren't even made with anything but mouse and keyboard in mind.

My dream for the gaming industry for some time has been for the hardware people to focus on making hardware, the software people to focus on making software, and the distributors to bring us services that add to our overall gaming experience, all on top of an open software platform. This has been how most of the PC gaming world has worked for as long as I can remember, and Valve and Sony seem to be the distributors most poised to take advantage of this model.

Guide for New Android Users

Note: this guide is horribly out of date at this point, so take everything with a grain of salt. I am leaving this article here as it is for posterity.

My best friend +Ian Decker recently got the HTC Thunderbolt, and it is his first Android phone ever. So I figured I should be a good friend and influence the way he uses his phone. Note: most of the links in this article go to the Google Play site for that app, where you can conveniently click "install" and that app will install on the device you selected. No need to even touch the device.

Step 1: Picking your device
Android devices run the whole spectrum of price, size, and even shape. Everyone has their preferences, but the one thing that I can say to everyone is this: make sure that the device you are buying runs Android 4.0 or higher. There are a lot of apps that aren't available on older versions, and 4.0 is the cutoff for a lot of them. I also prefer stock Android to pretty much any skin, so I would recommend a Nexus or the Google Play edition of one of the third-party phones.
+Marques Brownlee has a great YouTube channel where he does reviews of tons of phones, so check him out.

Ian's reasoning behind getting the Tunderbolt was that it is the cheapest phone running Ice Cream Sandwich on the Verizon network. And being that it was the first Verizon phone with 4G/LTE I'm sure it is a quality phone, if a bit dated.

Step 2: Apps
It's important to find quality apps for all of the things you will be doing with your device. Google makes really good first-party apps, but sometimes there are third-party alternatives that are better.

Google
Most of Google's apps come pre-installed, but if they aren't you'll have to go grab them.
Chrome: I know that there are a lot of browsers on Android, and some of them run more smoothly than Chrome; however, I've stuck with it because it syncs with the desktop version of Chrome.
Gmail: by far the best email app out there.
Maps: this ain't no Apple Maps. It's never steered me wrong, and Google's collection of Street View images is unbeatable.
Search: the Google Search app is so much more than just search. Google Now strives to give you the information you need at any given time, before you have to ask for it. The weather is always there for your location, and things like your next appointment, upcoming flights, tracking packages that are being shipped to you, updates on sports, nearby events, and time to get home are displayed when appropriate. It is the most useful feature of having a device that is always with you.
Calendar: how else will you keep track of your life?
Google Drive: it is surprising how many different types of documents you can edit with the Drive app.
Keyboard: Google's stock keyboard for Android 4.0+ just blew the competition away with gesture typing and voice dictation all in one keyboard, and now even people with non-stock devices can use this wonderful app.
Goggles: this is a pretty cool app that will search by taking a picture. If you see a painting or landmark that you don't recognize, try taking a picture of it with Goggles. It also recognizes QR codes.
My Tracks: I used this app to record some hiking trips we went on during our trip to Yellowstone.
Cloud Print: Google originally came up with this when they invented ChromeOS. If you need to print something but you're using a device that isn't connected to a printer, send it to cloud print and your computer at home will print it for you.
Keep: great for quickly jotting things down for later. It can also store pictures and voice recordings as notes.

Media Consumption
Google Music: definitely the easiest way to get your library onto your Android device. Install the Music Manager onto your computer and upload your music files to Google. You can then play them from any computer or Android device. Their new All Access program is a great deal: everything in their store for $10 a month. I don't think that I will ever buy music again.
Google Books, Kindle, Nook: no matter who you buy books from, there's a way to read them on Android.
BeyondPod: I know you are all faithful listeners of my podcast and many other podcasts. BeyondPod is my favorite podcast manager for Android.
YouTube: duh.
Feedly: this is definitely the best alternative to the late Google Reader (may it rest in peace.) If you don't use an RSS reader, you should really start. It's incredibly useful for keeping up with comics, blogs, and news sites that have new content on a regular basis.

Communication
Hangouts: Google's integration of their chat services is complete, and Hangouts is the result.
Google Voice: even if you don't have a phone, you can still have a phone number! Google Voice allows you to text and make calls over wifi, and it synchronizes with the desktop version.
Skype: not as good as Hangouts, but maybe you have friends who are only on Skype.

Social
Google+: my favorite social network.
Facebook: not the best designed app, but it sure beats using their mobile site.
I'm sure that whatever social network you enjoy using has an app. I know for a fact that there a bajillion Twitter apps.

Games
I haven't been gaming a ton on my Nexus 7, but here are a few suggestions.
Superbrothers Sword & Sworcery: if you like story-based games, music, and/or tongue-in-cheek humor, you will love this game. I know I did.
Super Hexagon: This is a really fast-paced reflex game where you just try to last as long as possible without getting hit by the edges coming towards the middle of the screen.
Beat Hazard: an Asteroid-like twin stick shooter where the pace of the enemies and the strength of your weapons is determined by the music you are playing. It's a blast.
Keep an eye on the Humble Bundle. They occasionally have Android games.
There are emulators available on Android, but I haven't checked any of them out. I believe that the legal stance on emulators is that if you own the game itself, it is legal to have a ROM of that game.

Miscellaneous
DashClock: I like this widget because it displays a lot of important information at once. The time, unread email, upcoming events on my calendar, etc.
ES File Explorer: one of the things that Android lacks is a proper file explorer. This is usually fine, but power users will definitely want to install this one.
Steam: PC gamers will want to get this app so they can access the Steam chat, store, and community pages.
Wifi Analyzer: I don't know what half the things are that it tells you, but there it is.
Voice Recorder: a nice simple audio recorder.
Zombies, Run!: this is the best motivation for running that I have found. It narrates a story for you while you run, and anytime there are zombies nearby you have to run faster.
MTG Counter: if you play Magic the Gathering you've probably gotten tired of having to keep track of how much life you have left. This app does that and has a dice roller.
Adblock Plus: I've never met anyone who has said that they like seeing advertisements on websites. It will also sometimes prevent ads from popping up in other apps, which is probably why they aren't in the Play Store anymore.


Step 3: Customization
Now it is time to make your device your own. Organize your apps. Change your wallpaper. Put some widgets on your homepage. Change your ringtone. Android is endlessly customizable. This is really a matter of personal preference.

Step 4: Enjoy!
Go to town and start using your new Android device. And let me know if you find new stuff that I don't know about.

Superbrothers Sword & Sworcery EP

Note: this blog has been migrated to Medium, with the articles here available to preserve permalinks Please see this post at https://medium.com/@ianrbuck/superbrothers-sword-sworcery-ep-20c1f3f06cdb

Up until now all of the games I have reviewed have been on the PC. Now that I have a Nexus 7 I can start playing some of those mobile games that I didn't have access to before. I'm still discovering more, so if you have suggestions for games that I would enjoy, shoot me an email.

The first game I've tried out is called Superbrothers Sword & Sworcery EP, and I am quite pleased with my choice.

As the name suggests, it is a bit of a musical experiment wrapped up in a video game. Records (or Big Black CDs as I used to call them) show up with some frequency in the game as little reminders to pay attention to the awesome sounds being gently pushed into your ear canals. I enjoyed the music so much that I went and bought the soundtrack.

As you can see most of the visuals are very simple, very 16-bit. But every once in a while there is something that is nice and smooth. These objects usually don't belong with the rest of their surroundings, and the difference in visual style helps to emphasize that sense of alienation.

Despite the fact that the visual style is very pixelated, there were quite a few moments that just took my breath away. The best part about them is that I didn't see them coming, so the awe factor was even greater.

Most of the game is spent with the device in landscape, and you walk around by either holding down on the spot you want your character to walk to, or you double-tap there.

However, when you rotate the device into portrait, she will unsheathe her sword and prepare for battle. Obviously whenever there is an enemy nearby this is what you want to do.

The combat always follows the pattern of "tap the shield when your enemy is going to attack" until "your enemy is vulnerable, tap the sword." Each enemy has different patterns to them (usually the music gives you a hint at what that pattern is) so you have to stay on your toes. The boss battles are really intense, especially if you make a couple of mistakes at the beginning and can't afford to get hit when it gets really crazy. I'm pretty sure that I got more than a few weird looks while I was sitting in the TV lounge yelling at my tablet that it wouldn't defeat me.

In between the battles there are quite a few puzzles. The hints are often very cryptic, but they are always enough to get you going in the right direction and once you have started the rest just kind of follows.

The tone of the game is hard to describe, as it has several parts that almost conflict. The game is very meta, and makes references to the fact that you are outside of the game world affecting the events inside the game world. It also has a great sense of humor, and is often very frank with its jokes. At the same time it is very serious, and you are always aware that the events that are taking place cannot lead to a happy ending.

 The game, while being very story-driven, is also very easy to digest in small chunks. This is very important in  a mobile game. The chapters are not too long, and they make sure to remind you what is going on at the beginning of each one.

Sword & Sworcery is available on Android ($3) and iOS ($5). Of course I just checked their website and found out that it has been available on Steam ($8) since April of last year. So I could have played it on my PC, but whatever. If you have a choice I would recommend playing it on a mobile device. It is well worth your time.