Why aren't there more online handheld games?

by Tracy Erickson

After more than a decade of experiments with online gaming, its role is settling down. Single-player experiences sell games, but multiplayer modes offer longevity. Online gameplay still isn't usually a feature that will exclusively compel a purchase (MMOGs aside), but it will keep players engaged long after the single-player experience has faded.

So why are there so few online experiences on current handhelds? Demand for online content is at an all time high, so what is holding publishers back? Will we ever hold World of Warcraft in our hands, as in the mock-up images illustrating this piece?

Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable are ready for online experiences right out of the box, but the obstacles are many. From development time to wi-fi availability to the inclusion of non-gaming features, overcoming the barriers to online functionality is the next big challenge for portable platform holders.

Both Sony Computer Entertainment and Nintendo share the belief that incorporating online functionality in every game simply doesn't make sense. "If it lends to the experience," Nintendo of America director of corporate communications Beth Llewellyn tells Pocket Gamer, "then it's encouraged, like in the case of Mario Kart DS."

Racing, puzzle, and sports games seem ideal for online features, whereas more linear experiences such as role-playing and action games may not be conducive to connected play. Nintendogs, for example, doesn't feature any online component because it's inherently a single-player experience.

Ms. Llewellyn's counterpart at Sony Computer Entertainment America, senior marketing manager John Koller, echoes her sentiment, saying that PSP developers are "strongly encouraged to include support for Ad-hoc and Infrastructure modes," but they are only pushed to do so "when it makes sense." Mr. Koller adds that "most first-party titles have some connectivity in mind."

Perusing recent first-party additions to the PlayStation Portable library – Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters, MLB 07: The Show, SOCOM: US Navy SEALs: Fireteam Bravo – there's a clear effort to take titles online.

Capture the flag

With both companies encouraging development of online features, the question must be raised as to why more titles aren't incorporating connected elements. Drives by each platform holder are certainly there, but where are the third-party efforts?

Ms. Llewellyn argues that first-parties historically push the bounds of any platform before third-party publishers join suit. "Nintendo as a first-party has to initiate online development," she states, "then third-parties will follow."

There's little doubt that third-party publishers won't dive into territory that isn't first sanctioned by a platform holder. Simply put, publishers wouldn't have started making online games for Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable without Nintendo and Sony taking that risk first.

Given this third-party hesitance to venture online, Nintendo's rather hesitant entrance into the online market was puzzling. When questioned about the late launch of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Ms. Llewellyn responds, "It didn't feel quite right at the time [of the Nintendo DS launch]. Market acceptance for online gaming is much better now that it was two years ago." Greater access to wi-fi hot-spots, more awareness by consumers, and vocal desires by publishers to develop online content now versus three years ago do much to prove her point.

For Sony Computer Entertainment, which launched PlayStation Portable with a handful of online-enabled games, the explanation behind so few decent online third-party releases involves time. Mr. Koller observes, "A lot of developers look at online and see the time as the primary obstacle: either make their release, or add months of development time for online play."

Encouraging publishers to take their games online is a difficult challenge, one that is dependent on first-party initiative and the time needed to develop connected game elements. Addressing both of these issues is something that must be done if more third-party titles are to arrive on shelves bearing credible online features.

Mr. Koller outlines the measures Sony Computer Entertainment is taking to bring third-parties into the online fold, "We're working to lift the veil on what the hardware can do, informing our partners of what's capable of PlayStation Portable." Opening up wi-fi hot-spots and increasing consumer demand are also part of the online equation, he adds.

Both are areas in which Nintendo have excelled. In concert with the November 2005 launch of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, the company partnered with McDonald's to enable over 6,000 free hot-spots across North America. The strategy worked wonders, bringing in a million unique users in four months and mainstream attention to the handheld's online capabilities. It took Microsoft 18 months to pull a million users into its Xbox Live service.

Much of Nintendo's initial success can also be pinned on Mario Kart DS, seen by some as the killer app complementing the launch of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. After a week of sales, Nintendo reported that over half of all owners of the game had played online.

Waiting for our World of Warcraft

Nintendo understands, as does Sony Computer Entertainment, that to bring players into the online fold, they need to provide compelling experiences. Upcoming hopes are pinned on The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass on Nintendo's side, along with a number of casual puzzle titles boasting online multiplayer. Sony expects strong numbers for several exclusive titles including SOCOM: Tactical Strike, Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow, and Wipeout Pulse.

Games like The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass are key to Nintendo's online strategy, but non-gaming applications are being mixed in as well. The release of Nintendo DS Web Browser was seen as a shocking departure from the company's 'all about the games' approach; however, Ms. Llewellyn retorts, "It's easy for us to do as an add-on experience. As an entertaining piece of extra software, it fits in with our philosophy."

Comparatively, Sony Computer Entertainment is more ready to introduce PSP owners to the system's non-gaming functions than Nintendo. "The non-gaming features are absolutely critical to our long-term strategy with PlayStation Portable," says Mr. Koller. PSP's embedded web browser has done much to encourage users to surf the Internet, while peripherals such as the Go!Camera, GPS device, and Location Free player have been fairly well received.

For both DS and PSP, a bevy of new titles and non-gaming features will surely raise awareness among consumers and further increase demand for online content. With much effort and a little hope, perhaps the question to be posed in the future will be why so few games focus only on the solo player's needs, instead of the other way around.

For more future gazing, don't miss our interview with Sony about the future of UMD on PSP, or check out our exclusive interview with the developer of Geometry Wars: Galaxies on DS.

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