Mobile gaming devices are no new concept. Flops like the Nokia N-Gage and more successful tales like the Game Boy paved the way for the Nintendo Switch, and mobile gaming as a whole. It’s clear that there has always been interest in having gaming-capable mobile consoles, but is 2020 a good time for you mobile gamers out there? Well, in a nutshell, yes.
Mobile gaming has come a long way in the past decade. You can now play AAA titles on pocket-sized devices and experience desktop PC graphics on a 5-inch screen. Stick around to see how.
Mobile Gaming
Mobile gaming is one of the most popular and fast-growing phenomena of the past few years. When compared to console games. You realise just how big a hold on the market mobile gaming has. Think about it; you have Apple and Samsung sitting at the top, with Huawei, HTC, OnePlus, Google, and others, all competing to be at the top of the cell phone market. With these many companies trying to one-up their competition, it’s easy to see how smartphones managed to become such a lucrative market for video games.
If you have a mid-range phone from the past 1-2 years, then you can definitely play a lot of games. Some of the most popular games on Android and iOS are PUBG Mobile and Fortnite, two mobile ports of hugely-popular PC games. They’re 100% free, the only purchases that can be made in-game being cosmetic upgrades.
The Nintendo Switch
Nintendo has brought a lot of joy to the gaming community. They brought Mario, Luigi, Smash Bros, Metroid, Kirby and more into the world, and are also responsible for the Game Boy, one of the first hand-held gaming consoles that shook the entire gaming world to the core. Today, the Nintendo Switch is a mobile console that incorporates years of experience in designing both games and hardware, resulting in a stellar product.
If you want to play AAA games on a mobile console, there’s really no better way. With the Nintendo Switch, you get exclusive franchises like Legend of Zelda, Mario, Smash Bros, all in your own pocket. Other companies, like Blizzard, have acknowledged the Switch’s popularity and are porting games like Overwatch and Diablo III for mobile gamers to enjoy. You can even play Skyrim on the switch.
Game Streaming
Learning how to build a gaming PC is actually a great thing if you’re interested in mobile gaming. Steam, for instance, provides a service called Steam Remote Play. If you download the Steam Link app from the App Store or Play Store, you can stream games from your PC to your smartphone. Add a controller and you can game anywhere in the house.
If you need even more mobility, then there are game streaming services that you can use to play AAA games on a smartphone. With Nvidia GeForce Now, Google Stadia, and the upcoming Project xCloud, you can stream games like The Witcher 3, RUST, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, directly to your phone’s screen. These services require you to own a bluetooth wireless controller (a PS4 or Xbox One controller will do), and have a pretty fast internet connection. You’ll also have to pay a monthly fee for full access.
Game streaming quality relies a lot on your network’s bandwidth. If you have a wireless router, then a 5 GHz connection for a 1 Gbps network is going to give you the best streaming quality for services like Steam Link and GeForce Now.
Gaming Laptops
If you want the best performance a mobile system can give, then gaming laptops are your best bet to playing AAA games in high frame rates and high resolutions. A gaming laptop’s performance is similar to a desktop system while being portable enough to take with you when you’re traveling.
While gaming laptops do provide users with a very large gaming database, they don’t really come in pocket-sized variants. Gaming laptops are also more expensive than their hand-held counterparts, and that can be a decisive factor when choosing your next platform. An entry model can be around 1,000 – 1,200 US dollars, while a Switch can cost less than half that amount and run games at a similar level of popularity.
Conclusion
Gaming is a hobby that’s no longer reserved for PC enthusiasts. There are plenty of ways through which you can enjoy playing AAA releases without owning a desktop machine. If you’re interested in playing while staying on the move, then we’ve given you some of the best and most popular platforms to do so.
When choosing your next gaming driver, make sure to consider every factor. Smartphones require a lot of bandwidth to run games smoothly, laptops are bulkier and can’t be used in public spots as easily, and Switches have a smaller game library and exclusive releases.