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Massively multiplayer games, on the face of it, should be places where we would see many types of asynchronous gameplay.  You have players returning to the same world repeatedly and frequently, often with friends, to consume varying difficulties and types of content over a long period of time, after all.  But some games work hard to cater to more casual players, or players who play alone, and for other reasons may offer content that keeps a player from having to return to the game frequently to advance.  EVE Online stands apart from many MMOs in that it has several gameplay systems that support asynchronous play, systems that make its single-shard online world an interesting place. Read more »

Super Stardust Delta from Housemarque on the PlayStation Vita is a critical darling, capturing just about everything that made Super Stardust HD on the PlayStation 3 so great. The score chase mechanic is in full force here, with separate online leaderboards per game mode letting you see where you measure up against people on your PSN friends list, or around the world.

The Vita handheld comes in two variants, a WiFi version and a 3G version. We know that Trophies and Near Game Goods will be cached and synchronize when the user reconnects via WiFi at a later time, but what happens to your all-important Super Stardust Delta high score when the Vita isn't connected via WiFi? Read more »

No handheld has been as tightly connected to the internet and online play as the PlayStation Vita aims to be. It comes in two versions, a WiFi version and a 3G version that adds 3G and GPS support to the WiFi model for $50 more. It goes without saying that games will need to support the WiFi edition fully to avoid penalizing gamers unwilling or unable to shell out for a separate, capped 3G data plan from AT&T in the US.

Since I've used only the WiFi version of the system, I am getting a clear view of how well asynchronous gaming -- when online and when away from a WiFi access point -- are supported by the system and its games. I'll be publishing "asychronous profile" posts on games as I try them out to see how games fit into asynchronous online gaming and support what the Vita system itself offers in this vein.

How does the PS Vita support asynchronous gaming? Read more »

Google threw down the gauntlet and attempted to change the carrier model in the US with the Nexus One. By offering one model of Nexus One per carrier, and selling and supporting it directly, they hoped to offer a different support structure, but the effort was short lived. Many in the tech world feel that they gave up far too soon without really trying hard enough to make an impact. Even then, they argue, Google was strong -- couldn't it have tried harder to challenge the carriers? Why didn't Google push ahead with its plan? Why did they end up handing over so much of Android's great potential to the carriers and their control of the phone manufacturers? How could the Nexus One program have been done differently? Read more »

MotorStorm RC, coming to the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita as a PlayStation Network download this week, will rely on leaderboards and ghost players for online multiplayer competition. Split-screen local multiplayer will be available on the PS3 version, but all competitive play on the PS Vita version will be asynchronous.

You'll receive notifications while playing the game when someone beats one of your records, and one button press will let you jump into a race on that particular track up against a ghost of that particular player to try and beat their time. You'll also see other lines indicating your previous best time to beat on the track, according to a video explaining how competitive online play works. Read more »