Mobile and console games cross paths.
I have been playing video games ever since Atari released its first game console in 1977, and in the almost 40 years since, I've never seen anything change the landscape of the gaming world like the introduction of the iPhone in 2007. With Apple's mobile operating system, suddenly you could play console-caliber games anywhere, against competitors from around the world.
As technology is improving with Metal, iOS 8's new programming system, as well as with breakthrough accessories from top gaming companies, I see a future where console and mobile games will blend until they're almost indistinguishable. Mobile gamers will have access to all the best console games and will have the same access to professional gaming competitions.
Mobile games are rapidly gaining ground. Last year, the video game industry brought in over $93 billion worldwide between console, PC, handheld, and mobile games, according to IT research firm Gartner. Perhaps not surprisingly, mobile games are growing the fastest, with Gartner predicting revenues to nearly double from $13.2 billion in 2013 to $22 billion in 2015.
"This growth is fueled by... a desire by consumers to play games on these multifunction devices that are capable of displaying increasingly sophisticated game content," said Gartner research director Brian Blau.
Yet in the professional sphere, competitions take place almost entirely on consoles and PCs. Today, competitive gaming, known as eSports, draws thousands of professional gamers from all over the world to compete for huge cash awards.
ESPN, YouTube, and game broadcasting site Twitch televise the events. This year's sold-out Dota 2 Championships, dubbed The International or TI4, offered a record eSports prize pool of $10.9 million, with the first-place team, Newbee, taking home just over $5 million.
Meanwhile, iOS games are just starting to show signs of becoming high-stakes, professional-level options in the gaming world. With multiplayer games available on iOS like Modem Combat 5: Blackout ($6.99), Order and Chaos© Online ($6.99), Fright Fight (free), and Real Racing 3 (free), the stage is set for mobile gaming to give PC and console eSports franchises a serious run for their money. The seamlessness with which iDevices connect to the large screen and allow for smooth Wi-Fi multiplayer interaction is just another reason why iOS is disrupting the trajectory of the international gaming industry.
According to a survey from online analytics company Statista earlier this year, the majority of US gamers said they would play mobile versions of their console games if given the chance. Still, iOS gaming has yet to gain professional-level competitive status within the hardcore gaming community. I see this changing quickly, though, as attitudes continue to shift and technology races forward with iOS 8's Metal. After all, there was a time when everyone said that consoles would never replace those huge, refrigerator-sized arcade games like Рас-Man and Asteroids that you could only play in skating rinks and pizza parlors.
We can already see an interesting trend popping up in the gaming world: iOS apps that integrate with console games. For instance, you can customize your console game characters on your iOS device so that when you play on the console, your character is already prepared for his or her next mission. While at present you can't actually play your console versions of games like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft or Mass Effect on your iOS device, you can integrate them with iOS apps to a limited extent.
This integration could be the future of gaming, wherein the line between console and mobile games blurs to the point of near irrelevancy. Imagine buying a console game that offers online multiplayer options and the ability to log in to your game account on your iPad, picking up your campaign where you left off. Or envision being able to use your iPhone as a control pad or secondary screen for your console game. These are all possibilities that may become real in the very near future.
REVOLUTIONARY GEAR
It's not just video game software that has been making tremendous advances lately; hardware accessories for video games have also come a long way. Companies like SteelSeries and OculusVR are positioned to completely change the way we interact with our iOS games.
SteelSeries was the first gaming company to create an Apple-certified Bluetooth game controller for iDevices, called the Stratus. As a result, SteelSeries has elevated the level of game interaction for iOS gamers, making it more like a traditional console gaming experience. We'll also see massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) that are compatible with SteelSeries's new eye-tracking device, the Sentry, which serves as a virtual coach, providing you with a detailed benchmark analysis of where your eyes were fixated on the screen during your game, and how your eyes' performance compares to that of the pros.
One of the most intriguing new devices that will soon be available to iOS gamers is the Facebook-owned Oculus Rift, the first virtual reality headset to create a digital realm that closely resembles real life. The accessory, which looks much like a diver's face mask, allows you to interact with your environment in 3D space so that wherever you turn your head, your game character turns and looks as well. My first interaction with the Oculus Rift's virtual universe was while I was playing Epic Games's iOS-exclusive Infinity Blade. To say it blew my mind would be an understatement. Soon enough, according to Oculus VR's vice president of product Nate Mitchell, we'll be seeing iOS games that will be compatible with the Oculus Rift.
Another new and noteworthy product to look out for is the KOR-FX immersive haptic gaming vest. Worn while gaming, the KOR-FX tactile vest transmits physical pulsations that echo in your chest cavity, allowing you to precisely feel your environment—gunshots, explosions, crashes and all.
These companies are helping pave the way for dedicated iOS gamers to take full advantage of the best strategy, combat, racing, and role-playing games the App Store has to offer.
IOS 8, METAL, AND THE FUTURE OF GAMING
Perhaps the most significant development in iOS gaming is the introduction of Apple's new programming system, Metal, in iOS 8. As Apple's Craig Federighi said, Metal will provide "near bare-to-the-metal access to the power [of the iDevice's processing chip]." In a nutshell, Metal is aimed at developers who want to push the envelope, giving them greater access to the graphics processing unit (GPU) used in iOS 8, which translates to faster loading times and greater graphical capabilities.
Just as console and PC game development teams continue to advance, several major iOS gaming development houses, including Epic Games, EA Sports, Activision, Gameloft, and Telltale Games, are busy creating stellar apps. Expect to see great things from these talented developers in the near future as they put iOS 8's Metal to the test. As Gameloft's product PR manager Thomas Price remarked, "the console developers should be worried."
Perhaps Steve Jobs didn't anticipate the gaming revolution his iOS platform would bring about. Nevertheless, the iPhone and iPad have completely transformed the landscape of modern video gaming. With all of the professional-level gaming technologies and accessories rapidly becoming available to iOS gamers, the line between what a console and an iOS device can do is only going to blur further. Siva Om