It's no secret that id Software co-founder and lead programmer John Carmack loves to make games for mobile platforms. Carmack started out by making games like Doom RPG and Wolfenstein RPG for mobile phones well before the launch of the iPhone. However the popularity and the hardware inside smartphones has increased exponentially in just the past couple of years. Carmack and id have already released iPhone games including a game based on their upcoming PC/Xbox 360/PS3 first person shooter Rage.
In a new article over at IndustryGamers, Carmack states, "it’s unquestionable that within a very short time, we’re going to have portable cell phones that are more powerful than the current-gen consoles." While that hasn't happen quite yet he added, " ... the fact that it’s gotten that close that fast - that means that almost certainly, 2 years from now, there will be mobile devices more powerful than what we’re doing all these fabulous games on right now."
The amount of time gaming on a portable device such as Apple's iPad is already taking gaming time away from consoles, at least for some people. Carmack states, ""One thing that we hear a lot, especially from our older developers, is, 'I don’t spend a lot of time sitting down in front of my 360 or PS3, but I pull out my iPad and play some little game all the time.'" However Carmack also believes that mobile gaming is a very different experience than playing a console game with a controller on the couch. He adds, " ... you could certainly imagine a future where, instead of having your console, you have your mobile device and it talks to your TV and when you want the experience on your big screen with the surround sound coming out of there, it’s still on the same device."
id Software is currently finishing up work on Rage which is due out in October. It is also working on the next game in the best selling Doom shooter series but there's no word on when that game will be released.
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