Rolando publisher slams NGP, 3DS

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 2 March, 2011

NGP "dead on arrival", 3DS "gimmicky".

Mobile game publisher ngmoco has slammed Sony's Next Generation Portable and Nintendo's 3DS.

The NGP – Sony's PlayStation Portable successor – is "dead on arrival", and the Nintendo 3DS's 3D visuals are "gimmicky", said outspoken CEO Neil Young.

"I think they are hurt; I think they're clearly hurt," Young told IndustryGamers.

"I think PSP is done and the new [NGP] is dead on arrival. It's really difficult to compete with an app store that has hundreds of thousands of applications and a wide range of options where the average price paid is around $1.20 and there are tens, if not hundreds of thousands, of free applications that are really high quality.

"So I just don't think Sony's going to be able to compete with that."

Experts believe the NGP may struggle in the face of the mobile phone gaming phenomenon.

Sony has pointed towards the NGP's beefy horsepower and PlayStation 3-like visuals as its most eye-catching qualities.

"It's not a PS3 quality experience," Young insisted. "And in terms of getting broad adoption, having great processing power is not necessarily a prerequisite for great adoption in the marketplace.

"You need a range of things and what I think the iPod touch and iPhone have been able to do is offer people Swiss army knife-type functionality for a device that plays games really well.

"It's not like it's crap at playing games – it's pretty good at playing games and it can do a whole bunch of other things as well."

The Rolando publisher was kinder to the Nintendo 3DS, however.

"I think Nintendo will likely be competitive," Young said. "My personal opinion is that the 3D piece of the puzzle is kind of gimmicky. But Nintendo has great franchises and there are tens of millions of people who want to participate in those franchises, so that always helps.

"But the real question is the degree to which there's a third-party community."

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (52) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • wizlon #1 1 year ago

    iPhone developer hates things that aren't Apple products.... what's new?

  • berelain #2 1 year ago

    Says the developer whose key success has been copying another company's game.

    EDIT: Okay, so its the publisher that said it. Oops.
    Edited by berelain at 02/03/11 @ 10:41

  • DreadedWalrus #3 1 year ago

    Rolando NGP confirmed?!?

  • coolbritannia #4 1 year ago

    He'd get negged to fuck in a comments thread, but he's kinda right. I just don't see a market for PSP2 now smartphones enjoy dominance.

  • Centrifugal #5 1 year ago

    Yeah, like the DS touch screen was gimmicky. And we all know what a commercial failure that was--

    Oh, wait. It wasn't.

  • JoeGBallad #6 1 year ago

    I don't agree with his overall sentiments (I'm looking forward to both the ngp and the 3ds) but he's bang on about how well designed the iPhone/iPod touch is with his Swiss Army Knife analogy. Although I love my psp and ds, and have racked up hundreds of hours on both, nowadays I play games on my iPod touch more simply because it is pocket friendly and does everything I need it to. Back when I had a longer commute that involved a train you'd see me playing phantasy star iv or initial d on my psp. Now that I walk to work every day I listen to my iPod and have a quick shot of broken sword when I have a break.

  • BiscuitBase #7 1 year ago

    He's making reasonable points yet simultaneously talking out of his arse.

  • joelstinton #8 1 year ago

    no...iphone/touch games, are 5 mins time wasters on the bus, loo, lunchbreak. You just can't really do longer deeper games without the lack of buttons getting in the way.

  • Dolly #9 1 year ago

    He says it himself - Iphones/Ipads are 'pretty good' for playing games.

    Sony and Nintendos machines however are very good for playing games, and there is still a huge market of people willing to pay for this difference imho.

  • Kami #10 1 year ago

    Hold the press! Mobile pub hates big-brand handheld consoles.

    It's a bit early to be writing off the NGP, or saying the 3DS is "gimmicky" (because let's be honest here ladies and gentlemen, the same argument was used for the DS - "Two screens is just a gimmick, it'll never work...";). I don't doubt that both machines will struggle to achieve their previous install base, because the costs are higher and gaming is changing, but that doesn't make either company irrelevent or uncompetative. People are different, games are different, and it's nice to have that choice.

    I wonder if some people are contractually obliged to kick the competition and make themselves look silly in the process...
    Edited by Kami at 02/03/11 @ 10:47

  • DreadedWalrus #11 1 year ago

    I just don't see a market for PSP2 now smartphones enjoy dominance

    That's like saying "I don't see a market for restaurants now fast food joints enjoy dominance".

    There'll always be a market for people who prefer a more powerful platform, or more traditional game mechanics for which phones without buttons/sticks aren't well-suited. The rise of mobile gaming, in my opinion at least, is diversifying the gaming audience, rather than stealing away the existing handheld owners. It's like how Facebook gaming has become this huge thing, and yet PC game sales remain high.
    Edited by DreadedWalrus at 02/03/11 @ 10:46

  • evild_edd #12 1 year ago

    Bold comments, but it's hard to disagree with him reading the full article. Time will tell I guess.

    The NGP and 3DS's main challenges is that smart phones offer gaming on the go without the need for another piece of kit in your pocket. Then, when people are at home, one assumes they'd prefer to play 360/PS3/PC/Wii for full experience - be that family inclusion (wii/Kinect) or the full audiovisual experience of the surround sound big screen action (360/PS3/PC).

    I personally struggle to see where NGP fits in to this for the majority....Having said that, I'm sure that a loyal/hardcore minority will buy and love their NGPs

    Ninty will shift a load of 3DS's - the DS is massively popular with young kids especially (my niece and nephew love theirs, and you can see they people buying them when you go in to a gaming store). What will be interesting to see is whether 3DS can replicate the DS sales figures. Will the hardcore take to it?

  • toy_brain #13 1 year ago

    Not a very smart move to slate a potential source of income - especially one that isn't even out yet.
    The NGP is clearly trying to be iOS / Android developer friendly, and could be something of a sanctuary for games that have become lost in the daily deluge of App store software (the minis are already this to some extent), but good luck trying to cozy up to Sony now!

  • LazyDan #14 1 year ago

    NGP's not dead on arrival at all, but there's no way it'll be competitively priced without it being tied to a phone style contract. What you get though is something that will most likely be the most powerful portable gaming device for at least the next three years after its launch - of course there are going to be people interested in that.

    Nintendo have got a fight on their hands because the casual audience they've been chasing for the last few years now have a sexy, trendy alternative which just happens to allow them to buy excellent games for pennies rather than £40. I can only see it working for Nintendo this generation if they price their eShop stuff to be in line with games on the App Store. Nintendo have already said that the App Store is undervaluing games, so I can see them trying to raise the bar.

    Basically, if Gameboy virtual console titles cost more than £3 and if Angry Birds comes out on the 3DS for anything more than £6 or £7, they've lost it.

  • originaljohn #15 1 year ago

    Who does he think he is? A musical genius?

  • inutaihanyou #16 1 year ago

    Slams? BODYSLAM!

  • evild_edd #17 1 year ago

    @JoeGBallad - you've completely backed-up my point. Even though you're interested (and by the sounds of things, will buy) the 3DS and NGP, the convenience will lead to sticking with the smartphones day-to-day. The question is, when you're at home, will you opt for portables over a console/PC experience? If not, surely the number of game you buy will be limited...?

  • toa_boa #18 1 year ago

    That’s one of the funniest things in the word – when some corporate bigwig slams other companies products, when said companies products doesn’t fit with his or hers business plan. Hilarious!

    Young, put a sock in it!

    The Missus and I spend some R&R time yesterday evening on the couch: she played her customary IPhone word puzzle games, and I took a stab at Tactics Ogre on the PSP. There’s more than room enough - business wise - for both in my vision, both types of players and both type of products/experiences.

  • handsonhips101 #19 1 year ago

    Loco roco cloning fool.

  • Dolly #20 1 year ago

    @Lazy Dan "Basically, if Gameboy virtual console titles cost more than £3 and if Angry Birds comes out on the 3DS for anything more than £6 or £7, they've lost it."

    You are spot on that they should be pricing like this, but unfortunately there is no way that they will. I'm still getting a 3DS in a few weeks, but it won't be for insta-purchasing like I do with my ipod touch, I fear. I know Ninty like to do their own thing, but they really should be looking at emulating Apples business model on this one.

    Also, when the 3DS is eventually hacked (neg or not, it will happen in some form), I think this may persuade some border-line pirates not to bother if the games are at that 'sweet point' where it's not worth the extra hassle. Maybe I'm being naive, but I certainly have never been bothered about jailbreaking my touch for the sake of downloading some 59p games that I can just click and have downloaded in a minute.

  • michaelius #21 1 year ago

    I think I live in diffrent galaxy then he does.

    All i see on smartphone markets are zylions of shovelware usually barely worth the bandwidth you used to download them with a little gems like Game dev story being more of exception than the norm.

    I'll gladly spend 20-30 pounds for a good NGP/3DS game rather than spend those 20 pounds on smartphone games.

  • Golgo #22 1 year ago

    "But the real question is the degree to which there's a third-party community."

    No it's not. Nintendo couldn't care less about the 3rd party dev. community, regardless of what they say. They make money perfectly well without you, mate.

  • Dismiss #23 1 year ago

    Indeed. For day-to-day commuting, a smartphone fits the bill perfectly. At home, a hardcore gamer would prefer a home system to a handheld one. For me, dedicated handhelds only come into their own when spending at least a few days away from home, either for a vacation or a business trip.

    That's the practical side of things. On the other hand, I'm a gamer and what I'm really looking for is quality games. The platform is not important, it's the games that count. For the vast majority of App Store games (the tens of thousands mentioned) you get what you pay for. Simple experiences, tailored to a 15 minute commute or a toilet break. Sure, there are exceptions, but then again, touch screens are no substitute for real controls (unless you play a tilt-controlled racer, a puzzle or a menu-based game, ofc).

    Sure, had myself a blast playing Infinity blade and Battleheart on my smartphone, but stuff like that can't really scratch a gaming itch. Yes, they're fun, immediate experiences, but so throwaway in nature.

  • Dizzy #24 1 year ago

    I think he will be right. The NGP is going to crash and burn and the 3DS might be Nintendo's swansong in the handheld market (it will still sell very well). I think this will be the last gen of dedicated handhelds, it will all be over in 5 years.

  • Quak #25 1 year ago

    Comparing the cost of software across both platforms and trying to use that as a reason why one will fail is moronic.

    I'd rather pay £40 for an FPS on NGP which allows me to play with dual analogue sticks than pay £3 for an FPS on my iPod which asks me to hide half the screen with my fingers so that I can play with virtual sticks that offer zero feedback.

    The iPod is fine for casual games while I'm waiting in a queue or something, but NGP is a MUCH better device for proper, more immersive gaming experiences.

    How do I know this? Because I have a DS, a PSP and an iPod and this is how I use them - not because of some silly principle but because this is the kind of situations they're most suited to.
    Edited by Quak at 02/03/11 @ 11:18

  • abigsmurf #26 1 year ago

    The latest Monster Hunter portable sold 4 million copies. I don't know the royalties the publisher gets but I'd wager it's about $10 per copy. That's for a single console with a user base concentrated mostly in one country.

    Angry Birds, the most successful IOS game of all time has sold about 6million (across all devices). The royalty is $1.20 a game.

    Apple inflate their market share figures by including non-gaming apps in their figures, even then they only just edged past a console that's 6 years old and dying. All this "smartphones are killing portables" stuff is rubbish. How many people have a smart phone with less than £50 worth of games on it? Now how many people own a DS or PSP with less than £50 worth of games?

  • JBlokeUK #27 1 year ago

    @coolbrittania

    Room the the 3DS though, right?

  • Scopeh #28 1 year ago

    I'd like to see him and Bobby Kotick locked in a room.

  • spudsbuckley #29 1 year ago

    I love how this guy thinks mobile gaming is comparable to actual gaming.

    Mobile gaming is 99% garbage and the 1% that is half-decent is only good for 5 minutes play on the bog.
    Edited by spudsbuckley at 02/03/11 @ 11:27

  • Porcupine_I #30 1 year ago

    OK Mister Neil Young! I will not buy any of your records any more!

  • spunkythefunkymunkey #31 1 year ago

    I really dont think Mobile Phone gaming is as big as people think it is. Sure they sell loads of their games, but only because EVERY CUNT IN THE WORLD HAS A PHONE!! It's not because people actually love their games and love using their phones to game. It's just a happy coincidence of having so many phones out there. I personaly have an HTC Desire HD, which has a massive screen, yet any time I have played a game on it, other than cheese games like Angry Birds, I have hated the experience. The crap controls, ie no buttons at all, just dont cut it for me.
    Mobile phones are great for 10 minute fun addictive little puzzle type games, but not for real gaming, so this guy can go and boil his head.

  • riz23 #32 1 year ago

    It seems many of you are making the mistake of not realising how smart, and how experienced Neil Young is in the Gaming industry. He is not some simple mobile jump-up, actually he made a switch to Mobile when many thought he was mad to do so, and he has pretty much defined the free-to-play experience on that platform.
    Time will tell of course but ignore his words at your peril.

  • tossum #33 1 year ago

    oooh scary :)

  • robbiejc85 #34 1 year ago

    He's right of course in some ways - but the thing is the NGP is positioned exactly the same way as the original PSP was (even with the 'me-too' app-style store they'll clearly tank) - do you remember how we were all like 'wooooowww this handheld is nearly as powerful as our PS2!!'? Exactly.

    Just like my (now sold) PSP, the NGP will be a great way to get some really stunning looking, more full-blooded games on the move. I eventually sold it and am now enjoying the delights of a Gameboy micro because it just suits my portable gaming habits better.

    The NGP will be just like the PSP - it'll supposedly 'fail' by selling tens of millions, will be flooded with PS3 ports, and supported by a really strong 1st party line up. And it will never beat the 3DS or the App store. But Sony won't care because they'll still have a market share and a few bob.

  • GamesConnoisseur #35 1 year ago

    My view is that there should be room for ALL three platforms, including the smart phone gaming, which are improving all the time but not yet challenging much the fidelity of dedicated handheld gaming.

    I hope will be able to own 3DS and NGP but also ruddy glad I got my beloved iPhone and iPad, playing games like of Battleheart and such.

  • BuddyChrist #36 1 year ago

    I thought Epic's go at an iPhone game was poor. Epic makes great games. I don't think the iPhone is the place for great games

  • kangarootoo #37 1 year ago

    "So I just don't think Sony's going to be able to compete with that."

    I think to assume that either the NGP or the 3DS are competing directly "with that", is naive.

  • gudnikristinn #38 1 year ago

    This guy has no idea what gamers are about.

    Phones today are like mini PC´s.
    How many console gamers have stopped playing on home consoles because PC games are cheaper and in many cases free? (i´m pretty sure that more have gone the other way round).

    For gamers it´s about innovation, getting the big blockbusters and having proper controls to play them.

  • Anthony_UK #39 1 year ago

    If NGP can deliver a console quality COD game, online especially. It'll sell.

    You just can't have the same kind of games on an iPhone, touch screen d-pads etc just doesn't do it for me.

  • ZeroAX #40 1 year ago

    "there are tens, if not hundreds of thousands, of free applications that are really high quality. "

    "It's not like it's crap at playing games – it's pretty good at playing games " (unless he meant 2 genres only)

    must I go on?


  • makeamazing #41 1 year ago

    Well i've never wanted a handheld until i saw the NGP, so for me, i think Sony are doing something right.

    I have an iPhone, but its not really suited to hardcore games... and there is something about the new PSP thats just nice.

  • Murton #42 1 year ago

    Hard to take what this guy is saying seriously. The NGP will be DOA because it can't compete with smartphone apps? It's not competing with them, it's offering an alternative, there isn't really an answer at the moment for a full games experience on the move. Smartphone apps offer gaming experience measured in frequent short bursts, the NGP is offering something more akin to home console gaming, but on the move, kinda like the PSP. The 3DS is just the next step for the regular DS, which despite doing most of its trade off of mini games that are replicated in smartphone apps at a fraction of the price is still topping charts.

    What was the Prof Layton stat last week, 11 million sold? 11 million sales in a franchise which has been completely replicated within the app market, I think that says it all to be honest. Nintendo has it's following and the NGP is targeting a sector of the handheld market that is wide open, I'd say both are looking to be quite successful devices alongside smartphones/tablets and their low priced app store content.

  • chasejamie #43 1 year ago

    Rolando was over-rated.

  • Toothball #44 1 year ago

    Well if ngmoco don't like dedicated portable gaming devices I guess I won't be buying any games they publish, as I don't much care for gaming on my phone. Probably not worth getting stressed over it.
    Edited by Toothball at 02/03/11 @ 13:49

  • ColdShoulder #45 1 year ago

    I'd like to see Eurogamer interview this guy in 12 months, hopefully serve him a slice of humble pie at the same time.

  • ZeroAX #46 1 year ago

    Comparing iphone apps to normal boxed games, is like comparing youtube videos to films. They are both entertaining, and the best youtube video will be much better than the worst film.

    But the rule still is, that most youtbube videos are crap and you just can't compare the 2 markets.

  • Dizzy #47 1 year ago

    "For gamers it´s about innovation, getting the big blockbusters and having proper controls to play them. "

    Lol..

    Totally wrong.

    It is about having fun.

  • CrumpledPaper #48 1 year ago

    The actual developer of Rolando was quite intrigued by NGP and the touch options, going by the last issue of Edge.

    And their next game, Okabu, is a PSN exclusive.

    In other words - at this level, publishers are meaningless. Developers have the power and go directly to platform holders now, as Hand Circus did, and could do with future games on NGP if they wanted to make them. Who cares what the ngcomo guy thinks if the the people actually making the games are interested?

    I know it is a different story with 'big' games, where publishers rule the roost and dictate platform choices to developers, but at this level devs have a lot more freedom now.

  • DirectAim #49 1 year ago

    I agree with the NGP remarks but DS will own everything and he talks about thousands of quality apps?! Does this guy even go on the app store?? It's bloated with shite and the good apps get burrows alive, also I think some of these mobile devs could build and release a game for the same cost of a NGP or 3DS dev kit, that will piss em off lol

  • Mister-Wario #50 1 year ago

    3rd-party community? Really? A DS could probably be sold with Pokemon alone and still make a fortune.

  • alexatkin #51 1 year ago

    I cannot disagree more. Until the iPod actually has physical buttons (not likely to happen) to compliment the touch screen, its not a serious games machine.

    I have tried playing Sonic on my iPod, tried playing Pinball, but the controls are utter garbage. Dying or losing a ball because the controls did not pickup my reactions properly is not fun, no matter how cheap the games are.

    Now where he IS right is that Nintendo need to allow selling games on the e-store cheaply, so people have a choice between the latest fancy retail release, but also a quick, simple budget game you can buy without resorting to retail. You just have to look at Plants vs Zombies on DS to see how games like that just don't work as retail titles, it has to be an e-store title for at most 1/4 the price of retail games or it wont sell.

    As an example, there are very few titles I have bought on Xbox Live Arcade that I would ever consider getting retail. Its the ability to quickly try out a new game and then buy it if a like it for a reasonable price, that has caused me to buy so many games I would not have otherwise. Likewise I had owned a DS since it first came out and only own 5 games for it, because many of the games are too shallow for retail prices plus I had no way to trial them.

  • Reedo #52 1 year ago

    Mobile gaming is here to stay, but it won't get those blockbuster titles that dedicated hardware gets for a long, long time - price points are way too low for any respectable developer to even consider pouring millions into a title that may or may not break even.

    That being said I still have love for mobile gaming, just not that kind of deep lust you feel when you see the next Mario, Zelda or Final Fantasy, (insert game franchise here) which may be priced a hell of a lot higher, but it is still justified for those of us who want a game with depth and longevity.

    And those saying the DS games are all shallow and not worth their price may be right but are failing to mention that there actually is a large chunk of games that are worth every penny of that £35 price point.