Mobile games continue to show their power to the game industry

Mobile games are becoming a very powerful force in the game industry. Games developed specifically for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets have been resoundingly successful among consumers. This is partly due to the convenience of being able to play mobile games anywhere and at any time, as well as the fact that many of these games are designed to be very addicting. Mobile games represent a very lucrative area of the game industry, especially for independent developers that are heavy on skill and imagination.

Tilting Point announces investments in independent developers

Tilting Point, a relatively new company comprised of game industry veterans from companies like EA Partners, has announced that it will be investing $40 million into the mobile games sector over the next three years. Investments will be directed at independent developers, a sector of the game industry that has shown strong promise over the past several years. Independent developers have managed to acquire a great deal of support from consumers due to the belief that they are free of the perceived “evils” of game publishers like Electronic Arts and Activision. Because of the way consumers see these developers, many are more likely to support the games that they produce.

Independent developers may be the future of gaming

Tom Frisina, executive chairman of Tilting Point, believes that independent developers hold the future of games in their hands. Mobile games, in particular, are a field in which independent developers are very active. The accessible nature of these games has attracted a great deal of consumer attention and support, making mobile games some of the most successful products in the game industry. Tilting Point is interested in promoting more innovation in the mobile games sector by helping support the development talent that exists therein.

Advanced mobile games become more feasible as technology becomes more capable

As mobile devices become more advanced, they are capable of supporting higher quality mobile games. Typically, mobile games are designed to be short, satisfying, and not too time consuming. This often translates into players participating in short-lived, but repetitive activities. Mobile games on future devices are expected to buck this trend by providing gamers with a more interactive and engaging experience.

Information about a new system on the Windows Phone platform has just been released involving Zero-Effort.

Microsoft has just released a considerable amount of detail regarding its new system for mobile payments that could considerable improve the appeal of its Windows Phone platform, as it will give smartphone users the ability to make a purchase without any effort at all.

This will allow consumers to buy products or services without ever needing to make a move.

Many of the smartphone manufacturers and other internet giants are taking sizeable steps into the mobile payments ecosystem, such as the payWave from Visa on the Samsung Galaxy 4, and the new Google Wallet making its way through its pilot period in two American cities for several months.

While many of the big players are focusing on NFC technology for mobile payments, Microsoft has looked elsewhere.

Microsoft’s mobile payments strategy was an exploration of how a consumer could make a purchase without having to mess around with the handset at a point of sale. It has labeled the style a “Zero-Effort Payment” (ZEP).

Microsoft Research representative, Sefan Saroiu, one of the team members who was a part of the development of the ZEP mobile payments, explained that this system would give merchants the ability to provide their customers with a more personalized service. For instance, they would be able to provide frequent shopper discounts without the need for the customer to carry a membership or loyalty card.

This mobile payments system functions through the integration of Bluetooth technology, in combination with face recognition technology that is worked right into its gaming system, called Kinect. When a user who is signed up for the service enters a participating store, it is detected by the Bluetooth system. When a customer is ready to pay, the face recognition system identifies him or her.

The Bluetooth system is able to determine that the participating customer has actually entered a store, but it is the face recognition that takes it a step further by identifying the unique individual customer who is at the checkout counter. That said, while the face recognition technology is not accurate enough to provide a completely precise recognition, when combined with the Bluetooth technology, it is capable of narrowing down the individual’s potential identity very tightly.