It Sounds Like Samsung's Working On Their Own Kind Of Wii U

[snowComet]

Kotaku reported, Samsung may be launching their own consoles in the coming future, and it sounds like they are similar to the Wii U.

 

A senior director at Samsung's Innovation Lab, called Alan Queen, presented Samsung's Console plan at last October's Samsung Developers Conference. According to the presentation,  Samsung is targeting a consumer group called "Console Skeptics," who are current console owners not necessarily interested in upgrading to the next-generation consoles. Queen cited a survey in Sept 2012, claiming 57 percent of those surveyed fell into the so-called "Console Skeptics", and believed they were ""poorly served by consoles," listing the "cost of games" and "inconvenience" as impediments to console gaming for Console Skeptics."

 

There are 2 consoles in planning, and details are follow. 

 

 

Queen's presentation focuses on two home gaming offerings from Samsung: the Samsung Mobile Console and Samsung Multi-Screen. The Samsung Mobile Console—a centralized smartphone game launcher and storefront launched in December in conjunction with the release of Samsung's smartphone gamepad—supports television play with a controller through AirPlay-style mirroring or an HDMI connection. The target audience for the Samsung Mobile Console are "above mid-core gamers" who are "console skeptical" and own a Samsung smartphone, according to the presentation. Queen says this offering—which turns a Samsung mobile device into a console-of-sorts—belongs in the microconsole product category alongside the Ouya and Nvidia Shield.P

 

Queen's presentation claims the Samsung Multi-Screen offering, which was sort of announced at CES last month to absolutely no fanfare, will be released in the fourth quarter of this year. Samsung Multi-Screen allows a "Samsung TV [to become] an equivalent of a game console," and players will be able to control games with either a physical or virtual gamepad, the presentation says. Queen says Samsung televisions will have "native development support" for Unity, and a unified development pipeline will allow developers (who are using Unity) to release the same project for both Samsung mobile devices and Smart TVs. Also, pairing a controller with a Samsung smartphone will enable a Wii U-type multiscreen experience in which the smartphone screen can serve as a map or inventory.P

 

At the heart of both of Samsung's gaming offerings is a platform and storefront dubbed Samsung Gaming Service, which Queen pitches to developers as an "open TV gaming platform" with "low cost development" and freedom for developers to set prices and monetize as they see fit. Queen's value proposition towards consumers is a simple-to-use, curated platform with access to "Exclusive TV games" (whatever that means) at a "range of price-points, including free-to-play." Tied to Samsung's account and payment system, the company's angle is obvious—it makes money from digital purchases. Another slide hints at the possibility for supporting cross-platform play and cloud progress syncing.P

 

In any case, Samsung's renewed push for smart TV gaming seems to be an evolution beyond the current collection of qualitatively questionable titles designed to be played on a remote control. Whether it will gain any traction is another question entirely, and very possibly doubtful if rumors of Apple and Amazon set-top box devices with controller and native game support come to fruition.

 

http://kotaku.com/it-sounds-like-samsungs-working-on-their-own-kind-of-w-1516588553

 

Alan Queen's presentation in pdf

http://samsungdevus.com/sites/default/files/IntroducingSamsungMultiScreenGamingPlatform-JamesAQueen.pdf

 

I think Samsung could create a eco-system for their own console, as they have a wide range of products, just like Sony. But is there room for a new console in the market? Will it be running Android, or custom OS?

[Ashaira]

I would say something sarcastic. But if they are serious i say go for it. More competition is better for us.

[NInety]

The NSA is clearly behind this.

[wng_kingsley7]

i doubt samsung has interests in other than reliable solid state drives ram and their mobile peripherals
making a console isnt out of there league however they cant really compete against sony nintendo and microsoft

[GoodBytes]

it won't do well. Not unless they have a mascot... a main game that people associate with the console.

It will just be a box that plays third party games, without any exclusives... so why buy it? Get another console that can play the sames games (ignoring the fact that you can play these games on your PC much better in all aspects), you have exclusive titles.

If anything, Samsung console will be a SteamBox, nothing more, nothing else, with a WiiU like controller which won't be used for anything beside off screen play, as no games will actually support it.

[NameOfNoInterest]

If Samsung is looking to make a gaming console they should try to bring back something that has made reappearances as of late. See if they can get SEGA back in  the business after bankruptcy because we all know if a console is going to have a game I believe it should have its own series that will entice people to pick one up.

[nsyedhasan]

Don't they already have tablets?