The mobile gaming industry is earning points with Android users now that many of their devices are focusing on gaming capabilities. For many gamers, this means having console-quality gaming on their favorite smartphones or tablets. With high-end graphics cards, today’s mobile graphics are close to having the visual quality of PCs and gaming consoles.
Mobile gaming has erupted, and while the gaming landscape is constantly growing and developing, one thing is for sure: Mobile will continue to monopolize the gaming industry. At the end of 2014, more than 80 percent of the top 700 apps on Google Play and the App Store was mobile games. By 2017, this industry is expected to top $40 billion. If you are an Android user who wants to purchase one of the best gaming devices, you now have a few more choices.
Trends in Mobile Gaming
As mobile gaming continues to grow, marketers are focusing their efforts on several trends that will provide huge growth opportunities for companies such as Qualcomm, which manufactures the Snapdragon processor found in most Android mobile gaming devices. Some of those trends include:
- Video advertising: As advertisers move their money from television to mobile, they will continue to dominate the industry by using video ads as a portal to in-app purchases.
- Social integration: One of the major focuses for developers is engaging players on a personal level. Social media is being integrated into actual game play sometimes using it to help unlock levels and other strategies. For instance, some games are trading Twitter follows for unlocks.
- Spectator experience: With the advent of celebrity YouTubers and Twitch, developers are looking at how their games will be watched as well as played. It seems that more gamers are spending as much time viewing games being played than they are playing the games themselves.
- Players as creators: As more developers turn to Kickstarter campaigns to help fund their gaming ventures, they are offering backers creative roles in their projects in return. These can include being voice actors or music composers. In other games, players can construct their own levels of play and then share them online with their friends.
- A Few of the Best Android Devices for Gaming
- If you are looking for an Android tablet or smartphone that delivers impressive graphics and gaming performance, then look no further. Here are a few of the better ones on the market:
- Amazon Fire HDX8.9: With its Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 system-on-a-chip, this tablet is a not only a good gaming tablet, but a great sharing one too. It has Dolby Atmos audio-enhancing technology and a user-friendly operating system. Its parental controls are extensive and have the ability to manage multiple profiles on one device.
- LG G4: While this smartphone is impressive to look at, gamers were more interested in its Snapdragon 808 processor, which is a step down from the 810 processor. The LG G4 achieves similar gaming results to its counterpart the Samsung Galaxy S6 with a slightly larger screen (5.5 inches). It has a 16-megapixel camera and 3GB RAM.
- Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet: This waterproof and dust proof tablet uses the Snapdragon 810 CPU, one of the best mobile processors to date. It does not suffer from heat-related crashes, as has been rumored earlier. It has a 10.1-inch display with good pixel density and comes with Android 5.0.1 Lollipop.
- Google Nexus 6P: This metal smartphone has a sharp, high-resolution screen, fingerprint reader, loud speakers and a solid camera. The Nexus 6P also comes with Snapdragon 810 CPU and 3GB RAM and has received positive gaming reviews.
