The Ultimate Smartphone Shopping Guide: Game Edition
Shelly Palmer
Gaming on the go used to mean lugging around a heavy laptop or packing a battery-hogging portable gaming system in your pocket. The smartphone revolution changed all that. Now, hundreds of millions of people around the world have a decently powerful gaming system in their pocket at all times. It just happens to make phone calls, send text messages, play music, run productivity apps, give directions, take pictures, and perform a host of other functions, too. While early smartphone developers often struggled to create games that made good use of the systems’ touchscreen and tilt-based controls, game developers eventually got the hang of the new medium. They’re creating some interesting experiences that just aren’t available on more traditional platforms. Mobile gaming is no longer about mindless time-wasters (though there are still plenty of those to while away the time when you’re standing in line at the DMV). There are full-fledged RPGs, adventure games, multi-level platform games, 3D action games, and more—all ready to amuse you, all at costs usually much lower than retail games.
