It is the new market that opens on Android. We refer to the emergence in the market for game consoles that use Android as an operating system.
Game developers rub their hands at this emerging market. At the moment there are few models that are known anything (NVIDIA Shield or GameStick for example) and even less those that can be purchased right now, such as Ouya.
Few are the answers obtained this week on our social networks about this question, which may be a reflection of the little expectation that this type of device still raises. Will it still be that way in a couple of years? Time will take us out of doubt, but for now, let’s see what you think:
Yes they have a future
As our friends Vicente and Fernando say, Android-based consoles have barely reached the market, so It is to be expected that in a few years, they will offer better hardware, thus giving the possibility of better games.
Another advantage is the price of the games, which although they are not intended to compete with platform games such as Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, I was able to offer good hours of fun for a very competitive price or even free.
The price of these devices also works in your favor, since for about 100 euros we can get an Ouya console. Something that the big ones cannot say.
They have no future
Our friend Kaneda (a regular in this section) is right in saying that a self-respecting “gamer” does not put much hope in this class of devices having a proper console of the current generation. Android evolves very fast, and what today is considered cutting-edge technology, within a year will be relegated to the background, and in two they tend to disappear. As with applications, games will increasingly require a better version of Android and better hardware, and If we do not optimize our equipment easily, in two years it can become obsolete.
Where I have to disagree with our friend (he will surely allow me) is the method of obtaining games. Remember the trend that now exists store everything in the “cloud”. The next generation of consoles clearly bet on the purchase of digital content, so it will be necessary to give card numbers and other sensitive content to opt for a lower a priori price than if we acquired it physically. In fact, platforms like Steam are growing a lot in recent years.
Another widely held opinion is the fact that if I already have a smartphone or tablet that allows me to play games, why should I buy a console that does the same? Presumably, developers will start to look at this class of devices to offer better products, focusing on the quality offered by a television screen compared to a mobile device. Each console will have its own market in which to purchase the games, and cannot be purchased from the usual Google Play.
My personal opinion
I am not a proper gamer. I have an Xbox 360 and I barely play a couple hours a month, so I wouldn’t buy myself an Android-based console right now. The quality of the games is still far below the great ones, but I have to admit that the idea is very good. Within a few years the hardware of a mobile terminal could be placed not too far from a computer, so the chances of finding very good games is a perfectly valid idea.
I do believe that Android-based consoles have a future, but as has always happened, more than the console itself, it will depend a lot on the catalog of games they have, so it is more a work of the developers than of the manufacturers of these devices.
Nobody remembers the beginnings of Andoid, and that nobody bet on this system? Look where it is now!
If you are new to this section, don’t miss the previous installments on radio implementation, unibody terminals, screen size, building materials, native Android or customization layer, ROM’s, Chinese brands, on processors, How many cores are really necessary? Android fragmentation, the reasons why you prefer Android, what is your favorite manufacturer, how many updates would the manufacturers have to offer, if you use an antivirus on your terminal and if you prefer mobile phones of free origin or funded by speakers.
If you want to continue giving your opinion, pay attention to our Twitter, Facebook and Google+ accounts, as we will be launching questions in which your opinion will be essential.
