Top Trends at the Game Developers Conference 2015
Hey, it’s that time of year again in San Francisco. The Game Developers Conference, and boy was this year’s a real doozy. And the answer to your first question is yes. There is a new Rock Band game on the way. Let’s hope you didn’t sell all your plastic drum kits just yet. Any who, there’s some big news for you mobile app fans out there. Let’s start with:
The Steam Universe Expands
Did it ever. This could quite possibly be the biggest week in the history of Valve since the release of like the original Half Life or something. Valve is the leader in PC gaming thanks to its Steam digital delivery system, a favorite for indie developers like some of our friends here at Appstem. And now it announced its new SteamVR virtual reality platform, a partnership with HTC called the Vive, slated to hit store shelves in November.
Plus, more and more Steam machines are on the way, allowing you to bring your digital library to your living room with more ease than ever, thanks to the just-now finalized Steam controller, designed specifically to port the keyboard and mouse inputs to a console-style controller. For game developers both large and small, Steam is probably the easiest platform to get your game released on. If you have an idea for your little game to make it on the big screen, now’s the time to start noodling.
Nvidia Announces Android TV 4k Game Console
Android TV is already a dream scenario in the living room. Being able to Google whatever the heck you want across any number of streaming services including Pandora, Netflix, and Hulu from your Android phone (and now your Android watch) is slick stuff. And now add gaming to the mix with the Nvidia Shield. With the potential to output at 4k resolution, the Shield is going to make Android games look hot on the big screen. Nvidia is also launching a Grid streaming service to play big-budget console games such as Dying Light and Borderlands, etc. For only $200 bucks, the Shield may hit that consumer sweet spot for users that want a Roku-like entertainment experience, plus the ability to occasionally game hardcore without dropping the extra dough for an Xbox or PlayStation. We at Appstem believe the more consoles, the better.
Indy Games
One of our favorite sections of GDC is always the Independent Games Festival, now into its 17th year with no signs of stopping. With mobile, VR, consoles, and PC and hybrids of all of these platforms combined, the indy game scene is only going to heat up. As it wasn’t on fire already. This is the festival that brought you Fez, Papers Please, and Minecraft. Don’t forget that Minecraft creator Notch was just named one of the richest dudes on the planet after selling his baby to Microsoft. Start small. Make it big. That’s why we love mobile apps.
If you have any questions please contact our mobile app developers in San Francisco at Appstem today. We can answer your questions!
