Show me the 3D games!

[Flip]

well I'm really gonna switch to pre cause I'm like all those fetures I'm seeing, plus I saw those 3d games....wow

 

[cmorty72#AC]

well I'm really gonna switch to pre cause I'm like all those fetures I'm seeing, plus I saw those 3d games....wow

Wow!
Way to go with that first post. (j/k)

But seriously, I'm sure that the guys at Goog are working on something right now to improve on this problem.

 

[Adiliyo]

the pre has the same processor as the droid. with 2.1 they add in openGL support, so it's just waiting for devs to take advantage of it.

but the advantage palm and apple have in this regard is there is basically one handset to develop for.

i'm curious as to what apple is going to do as its platform starts to get fragmented as the newer devices stray more from what the original iphone edge/3G can do.

 

[varucell]

I was seriously thinking about the pre plus myself. The big thing that made me decide against was: Number 1 the battery life which lets be honest it needs to at least last a day other wise it is somewhat like having a wired phone, and number 2 the lag. I watched the precentral review of the phone. When he would open up one app it would lag for a few seconds not very snappy at all. Seems silly to worry about a few seconds but it would drive me crazy. So I guess I will wait for more 3d games on android. Hopefully they will get the apps to sd cards figured out. Even if we don't get them at least I still have a really awesome phone.

 

[DrewCSchultz]

I was actually going to create a post on this.

I showed up at work today and started showing off my Nexus One to my buddy who has an iPhone. He said, "Well that's cool, but does it have Grand Theft Auto?" To which I replied "Jesus Tapdancing Christ, you're kidding."

He wasn't kidding.

 

[Adiliyo]

android has potential up the wazoo, but it's going to take a little more active attention from google to create a platform that more game developers would want to develop for. a couple things that (i think) are overdue to be added:
1. apps on the sd card
2. new market app (better search/sorting, more filters)

they also need to get manuf. and carriers to upgrade their devices to 2.x so developers can develop for essentially one platform.

if anyone has the resources to create a platform that can rival apple's offering, it's google. they just need to really do something about it.

oh, and if apple's app store is full of fart apps then our market is full of crappy apps that are nothing but bookmarks to mobile sites. it's so frustrating to have to sift through all that crap.

sorry for the rant. i'm really hoping the platform becomes a little more cohesive this year.

not that i would jump to the pre, but that's another story.

also, i think google is headed in the right direction by having a presense at GDC this year. i really hope they have something up their sleeves for it. (apps on the sd card update announcement at GDC!?!)

 

[Postal Dude]

I'v just moved to N1 after owning 3 Pre's. Yeah the hardware specs are good, and it has good 3d gaming support. But that doesnt make up for the build quality, not one bit! When your shiny new phone oreo's after a week, and you get stress cracks down your screen just from using the slider.... well its more than annoying.

 

[Dave12308]

the pre has the same processor as the droid. with 2.1 they add in openGL support, so it's just waiting for devs to take advantage of it.

but the advantage palm and apple have in this regard is there is basically one handset to develop for.

i'm curious as to what apple is going to do as its platform starts to get fragmented as the newer devices stray more from what the original iphone edge/3G can do.

Do people just post without actually reading the thread? On page 2, I listed 5 games that are made by Polarbit, and all 5 of them have full OpenGL acceleration. And they run on 1.5+ (or 1.6+, can't recall)

Android devices have supported OpenGL since the original G1. I believe what you are thinking of is OpenGL ES 2.0; which will be supported in 2.1; right now Android supports OpenGL ES 1.0 or 1.1, can't remember which.

 

[Adiliyo]

that is what i was talking about, 2.0. i just didn't list the version number.

 

[ardoreal]

I dunno man, the guy who mentioned the Polarbit games... that's a bit off. They're cool in a vacuum but they just wreak of "mobile". Raging Thunder is a perfect example. On the iPhone it's almost like playing HydroThunder in your hand. On the Droid, the music is midi'd out, the audio is terrible, and the graphics seem a bit janky when in motion.

This is no fault to PolarBit though. They're just under pressure to make the app smaller, so all the rich audio and beautiful textures we know the Droid can process just aren't gonna fit.

 

[Dave12308]

Just remember, it took quite some time before good games started appearing on the iPhone. SD card app storage is supposedly coming, and even if it doesn't; larger games will simply start to store levels on the SD card and the part that gets installed to the device will be a relatively small app. Some of the games like Quake and Quake 2 already do this, and a couple of Market apps (Space Physics comes to mind) also store level data on the card.

As for the Polarbit games, I honestly don't get any slowdown in the graphics on any of them - and the poor audio is more attributable to them being quick ports to Android than anything else. We'll have to see how Raging Thunder 2 is.

 

[chuckz28]

well I'm really gonna switch to pre cause I'm like all those fetures I'm seeing, plus I saw those 3d games....wow

Dude...seriously?!?! Buy a PSP or something if the only thing you care about is games. By the time you pay the etf with Verizon and another 200 for the pre you could have a much better mobile gaming device that is designed for it, along with a few games. Doesn't make sense to switch from Droid to pre just to play games.

 

[ardoreal]

Dude...seriously?!?! Buy a PSP or something if the only thing you care about is games. By the time you pay the etf with Verizon and another 200 for the pre you could have a much better mobile gaming device that is designed for it, along with a few games. Doesn't make sense to switch from Droid to pre just to play games.

Yeah, but why carry more than 1 thing in your pocket?

From a developer standpoint, and this is after having a conversation with a friend of mine at EA, there's more money in the Palm Pre than there is for Android, according to these publishers.

I told him it's not really accurate. There are more Droid users than Pre users, so the userbase is there for the revenue. The reason there's no money in it is because all the games are absolute crap, and look morelike flip phone games than "games".

Still, they see stuff selling in the Palm catalogue and they don't see stuff selling in Android Market. The other thing he's telling me is development resources. He states that due to there being no unified OpenGL implementation across all the Android devices, that there's a disparity growing even between 2.1 and 2.0 devices, and that Google has given developers zero information whatsoever on future device deployments. They are also told by the handset manufacturer to defer to Google on questions about when the handsets get 2.0.

He's said that even if they all had the same implementation, they'd have to make a Hero version, Droid version, Nexus One, so on and so forth. Now there is the cost of maintaining up to 6 different versions of the game running OpenGL all with a sort of hacked implementation that becomes deprecated if a handset maker/carrier decide to update with little to no prior information on it.

Then he says the apps2sdcard issue is at the forefront. They want to sell you a bunch of games, not just have you buy one. The current limitation of devices mean that future sales potential do not warrant the resources to put into all of this, whereas on the Palm Pre it's developmentally easy, with ports from the iPhone being rather straightforward and accomplished very easily. He said for the most part all they have to do is retune the assets a little bit for the screen size (not resolution) and the objective C codebases port straight across. It's as though being developed for the iPhone, most of the work is already done for the core rendering code and the assets. He did say in areas where the program is reading your touches they have to retool that completely but it's a straightforward process.

It was a fascinating conversation to get some insights like that. The Pre continues to benefit from the iPhone.

 

[Adiliyo]

i really don't understand google sometimes.

 

[Taggs]

3d gaming device

I was actually going to create a post on this.

I showed up at work today and started showing off my Nexus One to my buddy who has an iPhone. He said, "Well that's cool, but does it have Grand Theft Auto?" To which I replied "Jesus Tapdancing Christ, you're kidding."

He wasn't kidding.

Seen a review of GTA for iPhone, though? Try here: Review: ‘Grand Theft Auto’ debuts on iPhone | Sync Blog

I have a DS with GTA and it plays great. So it's not the game, it's the device. Unfortunately, like most 3d games for iPhone (I have ipod touch and nexus one), the on-screen controls are crap. They take up too much of the screen and in highly-reactive 3d games you need the tactile feedback.

That's why I bought a nexus (I already have an iTouch, so iPhone WAS an option). For the trackball (tactile), hi-res screen (immersive) and screaming processor (fast). True game companies won't be able to resist.

It's not about google (except the SD card bit). It's about games developers and the ease & commercial viability of porting existing mobile apps. Android is fine for porting, so the question is commercial viability. It just takes one or two bold dev shops to release one killer game on N1, and the device will blossom

 

[Brucerls]

Ok, so I have been on the fence for a pre or and Android phone. I am seriously considering waiting to see if the Nexus 1 or Desire comes out in the next month or so. Taking a step back from all of these phones (incl. the iphone) the reality is that no one has got it completely right. It would be so so easy for a phone manufacturer and or OS system to just take an afternoon and read through these forums. They would find out exactly what everyone wants and needs. But the reality is they all have issues. Why Android doesnt have 3D games is retarded and any explanation is just an excuss. Tired of hearing fans of each platform defending said platform. Dude its a business and figure out how to make your customers happy. Face it between Palm, Android and the iphone these phones can do some crazy stuff. First one to put it all together will win. I am just tired of excuses for whats wrong with each platform.

 

[twan2001]

coming from someone who owns a palm pre and droid (the droid is my work phone) the palm pre eats the droid alive... mostly due to the games and multitasking.... i wish that developers would start making games for android but i understand why they don't

 

[ardoreal]

I'd be on a Pre if it wasn't for that damned horrible PLASTIC screen. The Pre is JUST NOT STURDY. Not by a longshot. I absolutely MUST have a phone with a screen that takes care of itself. If you can scratch it with normal use, it's garbage and I want no part of it.

The software is the best out there, and the hardware is right down there with the worst. I could never be a Pre owner because of that simple fact.

 

[twan2001]

I'd be on a Pre if it wasn't for that damned horrible PLASTIC screen. The Pre is JUST NOT STURDY. Not by a longshot. I absolutely MUST have a phone with a screen that takes care of itself. If you can scratch it with normal use, it's garbage and I want no part of it.

The software is the best out there, and the hardware is right down there with the worst. I could never be a Pre owner because of that simple fact.

my droid screen is scratched to **** and my pre looks flawless... that's all i'm saying...

 

[0xel]

Correct me if im wrong but there is not too much incentive to release games for android right now. Even when you will be able download games on the sd card why would developer put his effort in a product that will end up on torrent in a matter of days? Android needs more built in memory. Just my two cents.

p.S. I had Palm Pre now I got Nexus. If not BELL I would not switch - I love my games.