The gaming world has gone through some major shakeups lately, but none have caused as many changes as the rise of mobile gaming and powerful smartphones. Here are five of the ways they changed the game forever and will continue to change it.
VR and AR
Virtual reality and augmented reality are changing the way games are developed and played, and the types of platforms on which they are played. Smartphone technology was at the center of the VR and AR revolutions and was a big part of introducing it to mass market consumers.
VR and AR technology are becoming famous among gamers to take their games to another level, and it has also been used in the popular emerging game LoL for many League of Legends boosters.
These two visual technologies will become a regular part of modern life in the coming years, and both will play a big part in the future of mobile and home gaming.
VR fully immerses its users and players in a completely computer-generated space. Here they can play interactive games, watch movies and TV shows, and even interact with each other in virtual social spaces.
Augmented Reality uses digital visual information to ‘augment’ the user’s experience of their reality. This can be as simple as pointing floating arrows in the sky, directing them to the destination they are walking towards. Game developers are already looking at ways to use AR in social, mobile gaming.
Smartphone tech is getting more powerful
Many modern smartphones now share characteristics and statistics with Mi-range laptops. Many general consumer smartphones are more than capable of giving the user a gaming performance similar to the previous generation of gaming consoles.
The graphics processing units and CPUs of the next generation of smartphones will push this even further and bring high-end graphics to devices that fit in the palm of your hand. The kind of GPUs available on laptops today, like those in Lenovo’s Intel Arc powered laptops, will soon make the transition to smartphones.
This allows gamers to take a powerful PC capable of playing some of the latest titles with them wherever they go. Soon, gamers will connect their smartphone to a TV for game night and leave their console to gather dust on a shelf.
Mobile Gaming Creates Opportunities for Developers
A few years ago, a simple mobile game was released as part of an expansion of a classic franchise. It used GPS data and tracking to give gamers a simple augmented reality experience and became an instant international craze. Its name is Pokemon: GO.
Kids and adults alike downloaded the game to their smartphones and began stalking their real-life neighborhoods in search of digital Pokémon to catch. Millions of users downloaded it in the first week, and it even began to cross over into mainstream culture. This gave many game developers the inspiration they needed to create games that use augmented reality and mobile gaming to generate unique gaming experiences and social gaming opportunities.
The next big AR gaming craze is just around the corner, and it will generate even more interest in mobile games and smartphone gaming. This will drive the industry forward to new levels of technology.
Everyone has a smartphone
Games publishers and the big names in the industry have realized that there is currently a ceiling on how many games there can be, reducing the potential for profit.
Not everyone has a game console or gaming PC, and due to recent supply chain issues and chip shortages, even the most dedicated gamers who want one of the latest generation consoles have struggled to get their hands on one. However, most people have a smartphone.
There are more potential mobile gamers than there are console or PC gamers, and this changes the games that developers make and that publishers are interested in funding. The big names need big games that more people can play and pay for.
In the coming years, the big game publishers will try to take bigger shares of the mobile game market to try to increase their customer base and their profits. This will have an impact on console and PC titles as budgets gradually shift to focus on mobile gaming over traditional gaming platforms.
Microtransactions are too tempting for publishers
The way we pay for games has changed just as much as the way we play them. Now game subscription services like Microsoft’s Xbox All Access have become the norm. The mobile space is full of games that are free to download and play, but they still come at a cost.
Microtransactions are the new way to pay, with games being free but with certain features or character upgrades locked behind a paywall. This business model is a big temptation for game publishers, because all those microtransactions add up to some staggering amounts.
Mobile games make microtransactions easy, and the ecosystem is already set up for that. This is the main reason why the big names are making investments in the mobile gaming space.
Soon, your smartphone will become your primary gaming device, allowing you to seamlessly transition from gaming at home to mobile gaming on the go.