UFiliphu Novotny Kungekudala, ingqungquthela yemidlalo ehlonishwa kakhulu, i-E3, yaphela, futhi nakuba i-Apple yayingamelwe lapho, ithonya layo lalizwakala cishe kuzo zonke izinyathelo.
Nakuba le ngqungquthela iphathelene kakhulu nokwethulwa kwemikhiqizo emisha evela kubakhiqizi bendabuko (Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft) kanye nezihloko zamapulatifomu akudala. Nokho, iminyaka eminingana manje, ukuba khona komunye umdlali omkhulu bekusobala ngokuphelele emakethe - naku-E3. Futhi akukhona nje ngokuba khona konjiniyela be-iOS (ngaphezu kwalokho, abakabikho abaningi kangako futhi singathanda ukubathola e-WWDC). Nge-iPhone yayo, i-Apple ayishintshanga nje kuphela indlela omakhalekhukhwini ababukwa ngayo, kodwa futhi yakha inkundla entsha yokudlala ngosizo lwe-App Store. Kanye nokuvulwa kweziteshi ezintsha zokusabalalisa, kuphinde kube noshintsho ekubukeni kwenkundla yegeyimu: amandla okuba umdlalo ophumelelayo awasakhawulelwe ku-blockbuster yesigidi samadola, kodwa futhi negeyimu ye-indie exhaswa ngokwezimali ngesizotha. Kwanele ukuba nombono omuhle nesifiso sokuwuqaphela; kunezinketho ezingaphezu kokwanele zokukhululwa namuhla. Phela, ubufakazi balokhu kungaba Isitolo se-Mac App, lapho imidlalo evela kubathuthukisi abazimele iphakathi kwezihloko ezidume kakhulu.
Yize uchungechunge lomdlalo odumile ngokuqondakalayo lusabambe isikhundla salo, ukuthambekela kokugxila kubadlali "abavamile" akunakwa. Isizathu silula: noma ubani angaba umdlali ngosizo lwe-smartphone. Ngakho-ke i-smartphone ingakwazi ukungenisa ngisho nabantu abangakathintwa kule nkundla futhi ibaholele kumapulatifomu "amakhudlwana". Abadlali abathathu abakhulu be-console babe sebesebenzisa ubuchwepheshe obusha obuhlukahlukene ukukhulisa ukubukeka kwabo. Mhlawumbe umsunguli omkhulu kulaba abathathu, uNintendo, usekuyekile kudala ukuphishekela ihadiwe enamandla kakhulu ngangokunokwenzeka. Esikhundleni salokho, wethula i-3DS yakhe ephathwayo, ehlatshwe umxhwele ngesibonisi sayo esinezinhlangothi ezintathu esingadingi izibuko ukuze sisebenze, kanye nekhonsoli ye-Wii ethandwayo nesilawuli sayo esishintshayo se-Motion. Kulo nyaka, kuzothengiswa isizukulwane esisha sekhonsoli yegeyimu ebizwa ngokuthi i-Wii U, ezofaka isilawuli esikhethekile esisesimweni sethebhulethi.
NjengoNintendo, iMicrosoft kanye noSony beze nokuqaliswa kwabo kokulawula ukunyakaza, kanti lokhu kwakamuva kuletha ukuthinta okuningi ku-PS Vita yayo entsha ephathwa ngesandla. Ngezansi, bonke abadlali abakhulu bezingxenyekazi zekhompuyutha bazama ukuhambisana nezikhathi futhi bahlehlise ukukhuphuka okudidayo kwama-smartphones kanye nokwehla okudabukisayo okuhambisana nakho kwama-consoles aphathwayo. Esigabeni sasekhaya, baphinde bazame ukufinyelela imindeni, izingane, abadlali bezikhathi ezithile noma bezenhlalo. Mhlawumbe akungabazeki ukuthi i-Apple ibe negalelo elikhulu kulokhu kuguqulwa. Emashumini eminyaka emhlabeni we-console, ukuqamba okusha kwathatha uhlobo lwemijaho yokuthuthukisa ihadiwe, okuholele ekuqhutshweni okufanayo kokuqukethwe okuhlukene nedlanzana lezihloko ezikhethekile. Kakhulu, sabona ukuhlolwa kwe-germinal kokusatshalaliswa ku-inthanethi. Kodwa kuphela ngemva kokufika kwamapulatifomu amasha aholwa yi-iOS lapho singaqala khona ukukhuluma ngezinguquko ezinkulu.
Kodwa-ke, hhayi kuphela i-hardware ehamba kubo, kodwa futhi nokuqukethwe ngokwako. Abashicileli begeyimu bazama nokuvulela abadlali bamaholide imikhiqizo yabo. Akukhona ukuthi yonke imidlalo namuhla kufanele ibe ngaphansi kweyakudala; ezimweni eziningi zifinyeleleka kalula futhi ngokushesha ngaphandle kokunciphisa ubunzima kakhulu. Nokho, kukhona futhi uchungechunge oselunesikhathi eside lukhona, okuthi, ngisho nenani lezingxenye ezimbalwa, alufani nezinga elivamile (isb. Call of Duty) mayelana nesikhathi sokudlala noma ukudlala. Phela, ukushintshela ekwenzeni lula ukuze kukhange abasebenzisi abaningi ngangokunokwenzeka kungabonakala nakuchungechunge oluqinile olunjengoDiablo. Ababuyekezi abahlukahlukene bonke bayavuma ukuthi ubunzima bokuqala Obujwayelekile bungaphinda bubizwe ngokuthi Okuvamile, nokuthi kubadlali abanolwazi olunzulu ngokuyisisekelo kusho okokufundisa kwamahora ambalwa.
Ngamafuphi, abadlali abaqinile kuzodingeka bamukele iqiniso lokuthi ukuthuthukiswa kwemboni yemidlalo kanye nenani elikhulu labantu abanentshisekelo kulo mdlalo kuletha, kanye nokuhle okusobala, ukuthambekela okuqondakalayo kwemakethe enkulu. Njengoba nje ukwanda kwethelevishini kuvule amasango ezikhukhula eziteshini zezentengiselwano ezinikeza ukuzijabulisa kwabantu abaningi okuwohlokayo, imboni yemidlalo echumayo izokhiqiza imikhiqizo engcolile, elahlwayo. Kodwa asikho isidingo sokwephula induku, ziningi izicoco ezinhle ezikhishwa namuhla nabadlali bazimisele ngokuzikhokhela. Nakuba abathuthukisi abazimele bengathembela ekusekeleni imikhiqizo emihle ngamasevisi e-Kickstarter noma mhlawumbe izinqwaba ezihlukahlukene, abashicileli abakhulu baya ngokuya befinyelela ekuvikelweni kokuphikiswa kobugebengu, njengoba abaningi bengazimisele ukukhokhela ukulungisa okuthile okusheshayo.
Yize kungenzeka ukuthi imboni yezokudlala ngabe ihlangabezane nesiphetho esifanayo noma ngaphandle kwama-smartphones, i-Apple ayinakunqatshelwa indima yeqhaza elibalulekile kulo lonke uguquko. Imidlalo ekugcineni isiphenduke inkundla enkulu futhi ehlonishwayo, enezinhlangothi zayo ezikhanyayo nezimnyama. Mhlawumbe okuthakazelisa kakhulu kunokubheka okwedlule kuzobe kubukela ukuthi i-Apple yenzani ngokuzayo. Engqungqutheleni ye-D10 yalo nyaka, uTim Cook ukuqinisekisile ukuthi uyazi ngesikhundla esibalulekile inkampani yakhe enaso ebhizinisini lemidlalo. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, uthe akanandaba nama-consoles ngomqondo wendabuko, kodwa lokhu kuyaqondakala, ngoba izindleko ezinkulu ezihlobene nokufaka abadlali abasunguliwe (i-Microsoft nayo ehlangene ne-Xbox) ingase ingafaneleki. Ngaphezu kwalokho, kunzima ukucabanga ukuthi i-Apple ingasungula kanjani imidlalo ye-console. Nokho, phakathi nenhlolokhono kukhulunywe ngethelevishini ezayo, engahlanganisa uhlobo oluthile lokudlala. Singaqagela kuphela uma kusazoba uxhumano kuphela namadivayisi we-iOS noma mhlawumbe isevisi yokusakaza efana ne-OnLive.
