By Jessica Oaks
The video gaming industry is alive and booming, expected to grow 59% by 2018 to make it a $100 billion business, in large part thanks to the emergence of mobile technology. The mobile portion of this momentum will jump from 15% to 30% and it’s a platform that has given way for a seamless integration with gaming.
As our society becomes more and more mobile, so too does the act of gaming. Rapid tech advancements have spurred from this demand of the niche visual entertainment format and gaming devices now hold the abilities of facial and voice recognition, gesture control, ultra high-def displays and extreme graphics, and 3D virtual reality. With the push for mobile at a strong upswing, game consoles have been undergoing constant innovation, and the best of the best have entered the ring. Here are some of the top portable gaming devices you want to get your hands (specifically thumbs) on to get in the game.
- Nvidia Shield Tablet
It’s light and compact and ideal for touch-screen games. To take it even closer to the traditional gaming activity, you can attach a wireless controller it to really get in the action. And because it’s a tablet, the Nvidia Shield serves multiple purposes, thus making it fit for gamers who play the game of life as well, that life being on their tablet.
- Nintendo 3DS
For that old-school Gameboy experience in a new-school kind of way, the Nintendo 3DS is top of the line. With Nintendo being a household name and the pioneer of video gaming, you know this mobile device has the gamer in mind and a teenage-boy charm to it. Not only are the control buttons built into the sides of the 3DS, the name alludes to its 3D video capturing and viewing capabilities equipped with a super-stable face-tracking component that takes new games and blockbuster classics to a totally different level.
- Sony PS Vita
Right next to Nintendo is its nemesis Sony PlayStation and the PS Vita has all the glory of the original gaming console but lets players play, on the go. This is super light in weight, slim and sleek, and features dual analog controls to give it that true gaming feel. With the system comes more than 1,000 available PlayStation titles that let PS Vita owners game their hearts away.
- Samsung Galaxy Note 4
Not only does this phablet hold its own ground and territory in the portable gaming device category, it has a slew of prominent qualities that make it perhaps the best of both worlds, gaming and life – social, work and play included. Aside from boasting a 5.7-inch, 2560-by-1440 AMOLED display screen, this gadget packs a heck of a graphics processor. Advanced mobile GPUs are a major reason how mobile gaming is possible and why it’s reached such significant success. This particular Android runs vivid gaming visuals, fluid functions and immersive sounds by way of Snapdragon 805 Processor. And to make the deal even sweeter, the Note 4 can be paired with Oculus Rift GEAR VR headset for virtual gaming—a game-changer in the technology industry in general.
Mobile device makers are now part of a big race to produce the greatest mobile gaming ever known to mankind. Hitting a record breaking stride, these top portable gaming devices have come along for the ride and are ready for the challenge. That is, until the next competitor of course.
