That’s saying a lot since the mouse drove PC gaming for decades. Begemann made the assertion today in a speech at the opening of Casual Connect Europe, a casual game conference in Hamburg, Germany. Of course, since his company makes touch-screen games such as Diamond Dash, he is a little biased in their favor. Begemann said, “It’s ridiculous to try to add game controllers to a tablet, to make it more like an Xbox.”

Adding such controls to a touch-screen device ignores the innovations that are possible with the touch interface, and it represents an effort to bring tired game mechanisms over to a new platform. It’s like the old “light guns” created for Nintendo consoles for games such as “Duck Hunt.”

Such devices were limited and perfect for just one game, Begemann said.

Companies such as Nvidia, PowerA, and controller makers are creating controllers for Android gaming on tablets or smart TVs. But Begemann isn’t a fan of the smart TV because he thinks the games created for it will be very similar to those on consoles. On top of that, the TV manufacturers and controller makers would have to band together to come up with a common format in order to attract more game development. That’s not really happening, and it’s one of the reasons that Begemann is a big advocate of games on smartphones and tablets but not smart TVs.

“If every smart TV is a different platform, then you won’t see high-quality games on it,” Begemann told GamesBeat after his talk.

Every once in a while, a new platform comes along that draws innovation and game developers like a magnet.

Doom, launched by id Software in 1993, revolutionized mouse-based control with the first-person shooter genre. The mouse led to new genres of games like hidden-object games. It enabled titles like Minesweeper, Solitaire, and Bejeweled. Likewise, Begemann believes the touch screen will trigger new genres for today’s generation of players.

“The new options are either a new mechanism will be invented for first-person shooter games on the touch screen, or the genre will go away,” Begemann said.

Begemann said that Temple Run is a perfect example of designing for a smart device. If it had been ported from a console,  it likely would have been a landscape-mode sidescroller rather than a 3D-portrait-mode endless runner.

“The creators were able to rethink it from the ground up,” he said.

The advantages of touch screens include direct control. You make movements directly by tapping the world. It feels more personal. Also, gestures are easy to do with your finger. And multitouch lets you control multiple things at once.

Drawbacks include no ability to “mouse over” something. You can’t see through your fingers. You get no tactile feedback.

By the end of this year, there were be 1.4 billion smartphones and 217 million tablets in active use. By the end of next year, that will be 2 billion touch devices. About 40 million consoles sell each year.

“This will become the games platform of the future,” Begemann said.

People who are buying smartphones and tablets are using their PCs less. Within a few product generations, the PC will go away, he said.

“We have reached a peak, and it will decline for consumers,” Begemann said. “What can we do to be prepared? Build games for touch devices. We have to rethink game design. And reinvent existing genres for the touch device. If we do that, this era of touch will be the best era we ever have as a game industry.”

Disclosure: The conference organizers paid my way to attend the event as a speaker for it. Our coverage remains objective.

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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Reddit user “Diabolikal49,” whose job involves industrial X-ray systems and presumably thick, mad-scientist-esque goggles, snapped a set of neat images showing off the mechanical guts of iconic Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo controllers. Check out the gallery below, and don’t worry. The controllers don’t mind showing off a little carbon for science.

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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Nintendo has been competing on the gaming front with Sony and Microsoft for years, so it’s a little funny to see the company using footage created for the other consoles. Sony’s PS3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 have had strong graphical advantages over Nintendo’s Wii console since its release in 2006, and both the PS3 and Xbox 360 can transmit high-definition images while the original Wii cannot. The Wii U will work in 1080p HD.

The Wii U will be released sometime in 2012. The console features an inventive new touch-screen controller that expands gaming possibilities and interaction. One of Nintendo’s goals with the new system is to expand upon the more casual audience of the Wii by adding stronger third-party support that caters to hardcore gamers.

The three-minute reel for third-party games included footage from THQ’s Darksiders II, Sega’s Aliens Colonial Marines, Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Online, Namco’s Tekken, and Tecmo Koei’s Ninja Gaiden 3.

Watch the full reel below:

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GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

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Google offered ABC’s Nightline a glimpse at Google TV tonight (see video below), and with it came our first look at Sony’s proposed Google TV controller for its new internet-enabled televisions.

At first glance, the controller seems incredibly busy and is reminiscent of the horrendous Atari Jaguar gamepad. It has a full QWERTY keyboard, two circular directional pads, and pretty much every video function you’d need.

But while it’s certainly functional, it doesn’t appear to be very user-friendly. Sony seems to have created a next-generation nightmare of a TV remote. I can’t imagine anybody could look at Sony’s Google TV controller and not have a spontaneous seizure.

Then again, at least Sony is trying to adapt a keyboard to the living room. Logitech’s solution for its Google TV set-top box, the Revue, is to simply bundle a keyboard with media buttons. While the Revue keyboard does appear thinner than typical PC keyboards, it’s still much bigger than any other controller people keep in their living rooms.

When it comes to remotes, Google TV partners can take a cue from Boxee — the web video startup that has developed a nifty remote for its upcoming set-top box. One side of the remote contains a simple directional pad and a few buttons, while the other features a thumb-friendly keyboard.

Boxee’s remote is an elegant solution to the problem of bringing a keyboard to the living room — but it’s also clear that Google and its partners have other solutions in mind. In the Nightline segment, we also see Google’s Rishi Chandra using an Android phone to control a Google TV interface — something that was mentioned when Google TV was first announced. Using a phone means you’ll be able to take advantage of its software keyboard, and you’ll also be able to search Google TV content with your voice.

We’ll be hearing more about Google TV in the next few weeks. Logitech is holding its Revue unveiling later today, and Sony will officially unveil its Google TV televisions on October 12.

Check out Nightline’s Google TV segment below:
http://www.hulu.com/embed/DFnz_Dwa4DiKcC70gqQbkw

via Engadget