Apple is positioning the iPhone as the perfect mobile gaming solution. Samsung and other Android makers are not far behind. But some vendors believe that a gaming smartphone should be a device of a different nature. In 2018, the Razer Phone, Nubia Red Magic are presented and the Black Shark from Xiaomi is preparing for release. Let’s try to figure out if gaming smartphones are needed, and if so, who and which ones.
There is a saying: “He who does not know the past will have no future.” To better understand the issue, you need to look into history. The pioneers in mobile gaming were Nokia. Then another Finnish company released the N-Gage, which failed miserably, but was a cool smartphone.
The N-Gage is a gaming device, but Nokia has positioned it as a youth smartphone. This is one of the reasons for the failure – people simply did not understand what it was and for whom. The mic placement played a cruel joke, making anyone who called from N-Gage an idiot. The engineers placed it on the side edge, and the owner of the smartphone turned himself into a Cheburashka with one ear when he talked.
At the same time, there are things in the smartphone that are excellently made. N-Gage supported game cartridges, some of which even included exclusives. The Elder Scrolls Travels was released for the smartphone with an open world, storyline and other delights. The system was also visited by Tomb Raider, Tony Hawk and other big games.
N-Gage even had its own online forum “Arena” where gamers could communicate with each other, and the Nokia Software Market. Let’s not forget about good control and design for such a device. This made N-Gage popular with gamers, but other people passed by and low sales killed the console.
Let’s summarize the main advantages of Nokia N-Gage: exclusive games, convenience, online services. Cons: Incorrect positioning, stupid design. For now, let’s hang this shotgun with leads here and shoot later.
Back to the present
Nokia has done a great job, but what are the current vendors offering? Razer added a 120Hz screen, Nubia cooling and GameBoost, and Xiaomi added a gamepad stub. These smartphones have one thing in common – a unique feature and design. It is not only cool but also practical. The same Red Magic design provides additional cooling.
Otherwise, these are ordinary smartphones without additional hardware. Manufacturers even shove cool cameras that add value. Gaming smartphones are virtually indistinguishable from conventional flagships. Razer hasn’t convinced gamers that a 120Hz screen is all they need for mobile gaming. Only Black Shark with a boot-up gamepad and Red Magic for Game Boost can be praised for the experiment.
The Xperia Play is a good example of a gaming smartphone at the beginning of the Android era. It was a smartphone with a full gamepad. Surprisingly, it turned out to be convenient and even looked good. In 2018, such a design would look good if the designer’s hands were straightforward.
There is a feeling that manufacturers themselves do not understand what to do with gaming smartphones. The process is managed by the marketing department, who asks for an “aggressive design” and a cool camera with a display. But gamers need really useful things.
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Everything is clear with the design. It should be “gaming”, but more practical. The same Red Magic and Acer Predator 6 received a cool design, which also affected the convenience. Let’s move on to the most interesting part – the stuffing of the smartphone.
A powerful processor and a large amount of RAM is an axiom. The formula can be improved with a large amount of permanent memory. These components are needed for the stable operation of the device and the games that it will run. We need a “mobile machine” that can run games at maximum graphics settings. Such a system will warm the smartphone, and here we will act like Nubia and make a case that can remove heat outside. Useful and stylish.
Immediately discard all thoughts about the photo capabilities of the smartphone. Firstly, this is a gaming smartphone and a sensor from an ordinary budget employee a la Xiaomi is enough. Secondly, it will reduce the cost. So, we get to the middle class and the smartphone is already becoming more attractive for the average gamer. If we already add the cost of the device, then with interesting chips. Like Razer, who made a 120Hz screen.
The main reason for buying a gaming smartphone
Now we’re going to shoot the N-Gage gun and talk about games. Nokia took the right step by focusing on expanding the project library, not a cool camera, design and more. The point here is not quantity, but quality. The fact is that the mobile industry of 2018 does not need gaming smartphones.
90 percent of all games are projects that make money for developers. New “toys” appear almost every day, but they simply copy successful counterparts. The developers do not bother about the plot and gameplay, and they make projects that have shown themselves well.
In addition, these games are designed for short sessions. Playing 10-15 minutes a day you will not notice the monotony, but if you get stuck for an hour, the game will become boring. Of course, the Market is full of cult games, but they came out a long time ago and were played more than once. Now there are many projects in the app store that you can only occupy yourself with in pairs, in queues, and so on. And why buy a gaming smartphone for this?
Nvidia Shield has re-releases of Half-Life and Metal Gear Rising, which look great on portables. But these are Shield exclusives, because the console has a full-fledged gamepad that is easy to play with and a powerful Tegra K1 chip. Here we get to the main problem that manufacturers of gaming smartphones have to solve – adequate control.
Let’s say Bethesda employees run out of cocaine and decide to release another reissue of Skyrim. The eye will fall on gaming smartphones, but developers will be faced with touch controls. If FromSoftware wants to release Dark Souls for smartphones, then imagine the pain of players going through the game with touch controls. You can go on like this for a long time, but you get the point.
History knows two successful examples of physical controls on smartphones: external gamepads and the Xperia Play. Best of all, the external gamepad was implemented by Moto with the GamePad mod. It had flaws, but the design itself is convenient and practical. Sony has built a gamepad into a smartphone, making it a slider. This design is interesting in that it gives the ultimate portable experience.
These solutions have their own problems. The GamePad needs a bag – it’s pretty big. Although, in the subway it is played without problems, even with a clogged carriage. The Xperia Play’s flaw is in the design itself, which will quickly deteriorate. And it will ruin the design if it falls into the wrong hands. These are the sacrifices that gaming smartphone manufacturers will have to make, but they are worth it.
Gaming smartphones – to be or not to be?
The recipe for the perfect gaming smartphone is simple. First you need to make an ergonomic design so that it is convenient to play. We put powerful iron into the stylish case, which will pull all games. We put a regular camera, and instead of it we spend money on the necessary chips – good sound or a screen. It is very important not to stuff the device with too much and not go over the $ 500-600 mark. Price is an additional incentive to buy a gaming smartphone.
Now the most important thing is the library of games. With N-Gage, Nokia has taken care of the games that will buy the device for. Modern processors can handle large projects with beautiful graphics, so why not take advantage of this. A gaming smartphone needs games, not “mobile toys” to pump money out. The developers have already gone to the meeting, and the same Fortnite and PUBG received mobile adaptations. If this continues, the video game industry will need gaming smartphones. Gamers are willing to pay for mobile games if they are of high quality.
