Tag: mobile gaming

Pokémon Go gamers shouldn’t leave home without a portable battery charger.

The incredibly popular and newly released AR mobile game Pokémon Go, from Nintendo and Niantic Labs, is a battery killer. Android and iOS smartphone users who have been playing the game have complaining about the drain it’s had on their smartphone batteries. It seems that anyone who wants to play the game on the go might want to have a portable charger with them if they don’t want a dead phone battery.

The game’s drain on a smartphone battery isn’t a big surprise.

Pokémon Go heavily relies on the use of a smartphone’s GPS technology and camera. These are two features that use a lot of power. Furthermore, for the majority of today’s mobile devices, the manufacturing focus has been placed on design and available applications. This means the efficiency required to handle all the new technology and features with which these phones are equipped and their battery life have taken a backseat.

While this wouldn’t matter for many other types of mobile games – as players can shut off certain power-draining features when they’re not needed – Pokémon Go needs these features to function if the player wants the true Pokémon trainer experience. The game relies on the phone’s sensors, camera and location-based algorithms to place Pokémon in real-world locations. As a result, smartphone battery life suffers.

Players who want to “catch ‘em all” may want to invest in a portable charger.

As brutal as Pokémon Go may be on smartphone battery life, the fact remains that this augmented reality (AR) game is popular for a reason. It’s unique, engaging and a lot of fun. Players who want to enjoy this game on the go – as it was meant to be played – may require an external battery charger. A portable charger will not only ensure that players can enjoy the game for longer, but they also won’t have to worry about not having enough juice to make or receive calls, texts or use other applications.

Niantic says it is aware of the game’s battery-drain issue and is working on a solution. However, considering the power-sucking processes on which the game relies, it is not yet clear how the company will be able to address the issue. Until then, for Pokémon Go players, a portable charger seems to be the next best solution.

The video game giant may soon make controllers for smartphone and tablet games.

Nintendo hinted that a mobile game controller could be in the works in the future. The company revealed at its recent 76th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders that it may be considering designing its own smart device controller. The Japanese multinational consumer electronics and software company is no stranger to developing physical game controllers. There is huge potential that the company could benefit from designing and selling these controllers. They are likely to appeal to both Nintendo fans and older gamers who’ve grown up interacting with video games via button-pushing.

Nintendo also hinted at placing its focus on developing games engineered around touch screen controls.

During the Q&A at the general meeting, Shinya Takahashi, Nintendo’s general manager of entertainment planning and development, told shareholders, “I believe Nintendo’s way of thinking is to look at whether action games are really not impossible (without a physical controller for smart device applications) to create and how we can make it happen to create such a game.”

Takahashi explained that Nintendo will focus on making the best “Nintendo-like” applications, including those that are for everyone from children to seniors. In other words, the company does not intend to pour all of its energy only into action games.

In regard to the hint about developing a mobile game controller for smart device applications, Takashi said that “it is possible that we may also develop something new by ourselves.”

Mobile game controller hints aside, Nintendo also appears to be seeking programmers for smartphone games.

Nintendo has reportedly listed job openings for programmers interested in working on the development of its mobile games. The fact that the company is seeking to hire programmers specifically for its mobile gaming endeavors reveals that it is clearly dedicated to improving its position in the mobile games market.

Nintendo’s first game for smartphones and tablets, called Miitomo, has received mixed reception. It was a huge success when it was first released but has since dramatically declined in popularity, losing many of its users. It will be interesting to see if the company has better success with its Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem titles that are due out for mobile platforms this fall.

Although a mobile game controller for Nintendo games remains only a discussion at this point, such a device could help boost the company’s success in the industry.