For the moment, there's nothing on the U.S. scene to rival a Game Boy from Nintendo. And as of June, there won't be anything in the same league with Game Boy Advance, a much anticipated successor that features a bigger, sharper screen and should be one of the year's hottest products. Not as their main objective, anyway. They're trying to tap the lucrative potential of games for their wireless communication products, and more important, for the new models of the products that are the key to continued business growth. For many consumers, snazzy games could be a significant selling point for next-generation phones and personal digital assistants, not just a cute bonus.
Numerous challenges have to be disposed of, including a variety of technological hurdles.
Ericsson, Motorola and a division of Siemens AG recently teamed up to devise a standard that could be used for the development and operation of all types of wireless games, regardless of the specific device or network. That's one significant leap forward. Consider, too, that the pricing has to be palatable for various kinds and levels of games. No matter how much potential there is for playing games on phones or personal digital assistants, consumers will need to find value as well as amusement. Wireless-device games already have fans, of course.