The game site, Develop, has a long piece on Sony's new handheld game system, the PSPgo, The Go is Sony's attempt at a sort of iPhone killer, though the company reportedly doesn't like the comparison. The Go isn't a phone, but it's taking aim at fast, downloadable app-like games. And it's making a big play for indie developers, by trying to make it easy to create and distribute titles for the platform.
So here’s the thing: between the iPhone and Go, we’re witnessing the rise of a new golden age for homebrew game development. The last time this happened was with computer games in the 1980s. That revolution spawned some of the biggest developers and franchises today – from Will Wright and his various Sims to id Software and the first person shooters. It’s not a matter of if there will be a Doom for the handheld generation, it’s when. With the October release of the PSPgo, the race is going to get a lot more interesting.
David Kushner is the author of many books, including Masters of Doom, Jonny Magic & the Card Shark Kids, Levittown, The Bones of Marianna, and Alligator Candy. A contributing editor of Rolling Stone, he has written for publications including The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Wired, and The New York Times Magazine.
