Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[MMO to go: Panasonic designing a handheld online gaming machine]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/05/mmo-to-go-panasonic-designing-a-handheld-online-gaming-machine/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/05/mmo-to-go-panasonic-designing-a-handheld-online-gaming-machine/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/05/mmo-to-go-panasonic-designing-a-handheld-online-gaming-machine/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

While game studios are slowly forging a path to bringing MMOs to established handheld devices like the iPhone, Panasonic is looking to flip that paradigm on its head. Eurogamer reports that the company has been developing a handheld device specifically for MMOs and is poised for a major reveal.

Called "The Jungle," this clamshell unit boasts a high-resolution screen, keyboard, touchpad, directional pad and several input ports. It is rumored to run the Linux OS and could work with MMO titles such as Battlestar Galactica Online and RuneScape, according to the company.

The Jungle's website is scarce on content at the moment, but on its Manifesto page the developers state: "Our mission: Create an ecosystem around online gaming. At the core is a new mobile device concept designed specifically for online gamers. We're also working with leading online game developers to create some exciting new content."

Whether there is a significant demand for such a product is up in the air, but this is intriguing enough to follow for the time being.

MassivelyMMO to go: Panasonic designing a handheld online gaming machine originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SOE is considering investing time and money in developing MMOs for the PlayStation Portable gaming system, according to MTV's Multiplayer blog. SOE president John Smedley said that his company began to think about working on the platform after it was moved under the Sony Computer Entertainment America leg of the Sony corporation.

Smedley suggested that we will eventually "see full MMOs that are designed for the PSP." Unfortunately, he said that's not on the immediate agenda, and that limited functionality related to PC and PS3 releases -- such as managing one's pets in Free Realms -- will likely come first. In a different interview, Smedley talked about broadening the appeal of MMOs by going after console users. Portable consoles seem the next logical step, right?

In that same interview he promised that more EverQuest games are coming. This is wild speculation, but imagine an EverQuest spin-off for the PSP. Is that something we'd want to play? As cool as EverQuest Portable might be, there are reasons to doubt Smedley's plan. Unlike say, an iPhone, The PSP only has internet connectivity when it's near a Wi-Fi hotspot. How often are you really near one of those when playing your PSP? Isn't most of your time with the device spent on the train or someplace transient like that?

MassivelySOE has portable MMO plans for the PSP: Free Realms tie-ins first, full games later originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As you may already know if (like me) you are an iPhone owner, Apple spent the better part of this morning laying out just what will be in the iPhone SDK, which is basically a set of tools program developers can use to create applications for the shiny little touchscreen cell phone. Wait, did we say applications? I certainly meant games -- Apple (which is not, as of late, known for their gaming prowess) had EA and other game companies appear on stage to show off what kind of games can be based on the platform. I also spend some of my time blogging on TUAW, which is Weblogs, Inc's Apple blog, and I went on record there a while ago saying that the iPhone is the best handheld gaming device ever. Given what we saw today (along with the fact that programmers will have access to the gadget's multitouch, accelerometer, and even microphone and camera features), I believe that more than ever -- all we need is some games to play on it.

So what does this all mean for massively multiplayer games? Lots.

Continue reading MMOs and the iPhone SDK

MassivelyMMOs and the iPhone SDK originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Mar 2008 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>appledevelopersdevicefeaturedgaminghandheldiphonemobileplatformsdktuawThu, 06 Mar 2008 21:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Phantasy Star Universe set for PSP, but with nerfed multiplayer]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/07/phantasy-star-universe-set-for-psp-but-with-nerfed-multiplayer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/07/phantasy-star-universe-set-for-psp-but-with-nerfed-multiplayer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/07/phantasy-star-universe-set-for-psp-but-with-nerfed-multiplayer/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

It was so exciting at first to read that Phantasy Star Universe is headed for the PSP. Developers have theorized before that a PSP MMO might be worth trying, and PSU is the perfect candidate because of its small-scale group battles and its pick-up-and-play approach. At first, it looked like this would finally be the big break!

Or not! Sega has announced a Japanese PSU port for the PSP, but its multiplayer features are only ad hoc -- meaning it works over a local wi-fi connection between PSPs, not over the internet. So they've taken PSU, stripped out the "Massively" and "Online" parts of "MMO," and ported it to the PSP.

Bad form, Sega -- bad form. Looks like we'll be waiting a bit longer for an MMO-on-the-go that isn't a cell phone game meant for 'tweens. Maybe NCsoft is PSP MMO fans' only hope.

MassivelyPhantasy Star Universe set for PSP, but with nerfed multiplayer originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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