Immersive Mobile Gaming Is Here--Are You Ready?

Did you know mobile gaming is projected to represent half of all gaming by 2026? Let that sink in. That’s a lot of games being played on a lot of phones and tablets. But what else does the future of mobile gaming hold other than sheer volume? How about more? More of everything. More innovative mobile hardware, immersive mobile gaming software, next-gen peripherals, bigger game titles. The future of mobile will be more of what already makes it great, with a little bit of new stuff sprinkled in. But enough of generalities–you want details.

What Is Mobile Gaming?
When people think of mobile gaming, they usually picture someone gaming on a smartphone. And while smartphones do make up the majority of mobile gaming, tablets and other handheld devices are also included in this category—essentially, any gaming that can be done on the go qualifies. The game titles that have defined mobile gaming have typically been mobile-first releases—that is, they were titles designed for mobile platforms. Console and PC game ports are not as common as mobile-first titles, but they are becoming more common as phone hardware and peripherals (like Bluetooth controllers) continue to evolve.

What Makes It Immersive?
While mobile gaming is nothing new, immersive mobile gaming is on the rise and refers to additional technology that makes the mobile experience more, well, immersive. Think about inputs: Most people play mobile games with their thumbs or fingers and control their gaming experience that way, but they don’t have to anymore. That’s because Bluetooth controllers aren’t just for consoles anymore. Most smartphones will pair with Bluetooth controllers, and manufacturers have created attachments that hook phones and controllers together to create a whole new experience that gives gamers much more comfort and control. Additional immersive innovations include advanced haptic feedback and headsets that support mixed reality, augmented reality and virtual reality experiences.

What’s Next?
Where will mobile gaming go next? The future of mobile gaming adoption appears to hinge on a few key things. The first is major game titles making their way to mobile. While mobile hardware and wireless carriers have been the traditional bottleneck here, that is no longer the case. Phone hardware continues to leap and bound forward, and 5G promises to make mobile latency and buffering a thing of the past. The game studios appear poised to take advantage of this by creating seamless gaming experiences that allow gamers to play on a console or PC and then pick up where they left off on their mobile device. Once this model becomes mainstream, look out: The boundaries between consoles and mobile will go away for good, leaving gamers with more choices, more options and more ways to play than ever before.

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This guest blog is part of a Channel Futures sponsorship.