How smart devices are revolutionising gaming
Welcome to the age of the smart device. OK, so it’s a rather belated welcome, smartphones have been operating since around 2007, but still they’ve a) never been as popular as today, and b) they are more advanced than ever before. In fact, we rely upon them. We run our lives through them: Calendars, diaries, emails. Day to day things. Now obviously, that’s all rather boring. One industry it is changing however – which is more than a little exciting – is gaming.
There was once a time when gaming was nothing more than hobby for teenage boys who locked themselves in their room, playing on the likes of Age of Empires and World of Warcraft. That’s a far cry from today, reaching a plethora of ages and a whole new gender, to the point now where there are more women gamers than there are men.
Games such as Grand Theft Auto have turned gaming from something that was done in the bedroom by so-called ‘geeks’ into a socially acceptable hobby – although we don’t recommend taking your GTA attitude into the real world. And today, despite the fact that you no longer require a dedicated console to enjoy gaming, manufacturers such as Microsoft and Sony continue to sell thousands of their gaming consoles every week.
The ability and the opportunity to participate in gaming has never been easier. You can use your PC by downloading video games directly onto your laptop and iPhones, Android phones, and tablets making it simple to play games on the move. This has broadened the horizon, not only of the types of games we regularly play, but also the people who do.
Sit on a bus or tube almost anywhere in the world and you’ll likely see anyone from a teenage boy playing on his Samsung Galaxy to a businesswoman, on her daily commute, puzzling away on her iPhone.
This level of technology has made it incredibly simple to play here, there, and everywhere. Whether it be console standard games such as GTA, puzzle games, or even card games like poker or blackjack which are becoming more and more popular on smart devices.
It’s even got to the point where Nintendo are trying to get in on the act. While they still believe that dedicated games consoles are their future, they’ve recently announced that smart device gaming is set to form an important part of their future business.
But Which Smart Devices Are Leading The Way?
Nintendo intend to start a service for smart devices, planning to release at least 5 titles by March 2017. While this may seem just a drop in the ocean, Nintendo have explained this decision by saying that they want to make each title a hit, and that they hope that these will become games that will be popular for many years to come.
Although there are many technologically advanced devices which are already securing the future of mobile gaming.
To capitalise on the increasing popularity of playing games on our smart devices and PCs, manufacturers are constantly coming up with new accessories to enhance our gaming experience. Here are just some of the gaming accessories currently available that are revolutionising gaming today.
Over the past few years we’re seeing a huge rise in second screening. Whether you be watching the TV and playing poker on your iPad or smartphone or linking two screens to the same game, providing new snippets of information that add to the gaming experience. More and more games today are playing to that. Wolfenstein and Madden 2015 offer this on Sony PlayStation, and one little gadget which is making it even easier is the Nyko Smart Clip.
Developed for gamers who want to see a companion app while they’re playing a game, it simply attaches your smart phone onto your controller to give an integrated, hands-free second screen experience. The clip can be attached to your controller in order to hold the phone upright in landscape mode. It also enables users with a Sony Xperia handset and a PS4 to remotely play games from their console.
While the mobile gaming market does appear to be thriving, despite the devices having touch controls and built-in motion sensors, smartphones seem to be the more suited option for our gaming needs, in a world where we are continually on the go. And it shows. However mobile, right now, poses a slight problem. We could write a thousand words on why mobile phone batteries are awful, the iPhone drains quicker than a red-head in the sun, and it leaves us continually shouting at our mobile, and obviously gaming is the biggest battery drainer of all.
Brilliantly, you can now buy backpacks which have their own battery charger, and while they’re pretty expensive, they do have additional features that you wouldn’t see on a normal backpack which allow you to charge a phone while it’s in your pocket or your hands. And for those times when you don’t want to carry around a separate battery charger or indeed a backpack, you can now purchase gadgets like the Jackery Leaf Battery Pack which fits around your iPhone to double its battery capacity, meaning you won’t be out of juice in between a gaming session when you need to make an important call.
So you can see that our smart devices are revolutionising the way we play games, and they will continue to do so. No longer are we limited to using consoles attached to TV screens set up either in our living room or bedroom, but we’re able to access a whole host of games from simple solitaire right through to interactive games and games where we immerse ourselves in the action, via our smart phones and tablets. And what’s more, we can do it without being tied to our homes or any specific location.
______
