Do you remember Snake? Oh, or Brick Breaker! Those games are awesome. Or were awesome, anyway. Sure, they're still around in one way or another, in different forms or just "upgraded" versions of the games we used to love, but they aren't the same. Gaming has become a far more advanced version of its former self, which some might say is a bad thing. I would disagree with that wholeheartedly, though. Gaming on our smartphones is pretty amazing these days, and I'm certainly a fan.
It's one reason why I want more Xbox LIVE-based features in Windows Phone. But, it has more to do with the fact that I just like playing games on my phone when I have time to play them. Whether it's a pick-up-and-play title like Jetpack Joyride or a title I can really sit down with, like Infinity Blade II, the experience is well worth it.
You won't see me saying that our mobile games are near console level, though. They aren't. Yes, there are games that have amazing graphics, like Shadowgun and Dead Trigger, but those are great for mobile devices. You simply just can't compare Dead Trigger to Halo 4. You could try, sure, but the console-level power just creates something far more intricate and beautiful.
That isn't to say that those mobile games aren't beautiful in their own right, because they are. Dead Trigger and Infinity Blade II are something to stare at, if you aren't too busy actually playing the game.
But we can probably admit that playing a game on our phone is a good way to bring down that battery pretty quickly. So would we really want to see console-level gaming on our phones? That would be a pretty big strain on our devices, especially if we could get a game like Halo 4 or Call of Duty: Black Ops II on there. We'd need a lot of horsepower to get those games to run as smoothly as we'd like, which would put more of a strain on the battery.
I think it also comes down to screen real estate, too. I don't think you'd get the same experience from a minimized version of Black Ops II as you would on your TV. Or, perhaps it's like watching a movie, where the screen size doesn't much matter if the experience itself is worth it.
As I mentioned, I'm a fan of gaming on my phone, and I wouldn't turn down a game that truly inspired graphical awe in the same way that console games have in the past. I would play them, even if they did beat my battery down to a pulp. Because I can always charge it. However, I think this is one area where we should probably wait for the battery technology to get a bit better. Or, for manufacturers to just start throwing in bigger batteries.
So here's your question, Dear Reader. Would you want to run console-level games on your mobile phone, even if it ate up your battery life quickly and with the smaller screen size? Or do you prefer to keep your console games right where they are? Do you prefer to play games on your phone or on your tablet? Let me know!
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