There is nothing new or novel about playing games on mobile. Practically everyone does it these days. Now, most mobile games are pretty casual affairs that wouldn’t embarrass a cherub or lead folks into temptation. We are of course talking about the likes of Angry Birds and the incomparably juicy Candy Crush series. There are however more than a few hardcore mobile games like War Robots, PUBG, Fortnite and co, though these are often not as popular as other more pedestrian games.
Popular or not, an increasing number of smartphone makers have been releasing feature-packed devices that are tailored to the hardcore mobile gaming market. These devices tend to cost huge and are so state-of-the-art that reading through a list of their specs can get quite exhilarating.
New Wine In Old Bottle!
There is actually nothing new about hardcore gaming phones. Such devices have been around since the mobile phone first made an appearance, though they were not exactly popular. Examples include the PSP-like Sony Xperia Play and the unforgivably clunky Nokia N-Gage.
The relative lack of success of hardcore gaming phones was not enough to faze Razer, which in 2017 unveiled its first ever hardcore gaming phone called the Razer Phone. A successor to this was released later.
ASUS soon joined in on the act with its ASUS ROG smartphone that just might be the best looking of the bunch. Xiaomi, Oppo, Huawei and others have since released their own hardcore gaming-centred smartphones, with these having high prices and the most exotic hardware configurations in common. Oh, what time is it to be a hardcore mobile gamer!
The China Effect!
Actually, most if not all gaming-centred phones recently released have been aimed squarely at the Chinese and Asian market and website. There, hardcore mobile gaming is something of a religion and has a huge fellowship.
Take China, for example, Chinese mobile gaming revenues hit $14.6 billion in 2017, with this being around twice what was recorded in the US during the same period. Chinese companies have been rushing to take advantage of the unprecedented opportunities offered by mobile gaming. Games like Arena of Valor released by Tencent have registered players in the hundreds of millions and daily active users that are more than the population of most African countries.
Games like Fortnite and PUBG are heavily popular in Asia too, though these two games are resource intensive and require more than reasonable hardware specs for the most immersive experience. And that is precisely what is fueling the rise in sales of gaming-oriented mobile devices.
The Heady Rise Of Mobile E-Sports
Pro-level esports tournaments would be unimaginable a few short years ago, but are now increasingly common and popular. Such events are usually hosted by game developers and feature prizes of serious heft.
Often, the devices used in such events are provided by a maker of hardcore mobile gaming devices, like Razer or ASUS. This provides a marvellous opportunity for such a company to promote its products and make it look like those without it are seriously missing out on something.
Hardcore Games Need Hardcore Phones!
Mobile games these days are growing more complex and detailed. While flagship devices can usually run most games at the high or mid-level resolution, other devices can struggle with throttling or heating.
This kind of problems does not arise with gamer-centric smartphones, which usually sport enhanced internal cooling and can often be used with gamepads for better control. With such a setup, any player can expect to blow through a field of other users who are equipped with middling phones, which is part of the appeal of hardcore gaming phones.
Money Makes It Happen
It is usually the case that mid-range and low-spec phones are sold the most. However, the profit margin on such phones is often very razor thin. Gaming-oriented devices, on the other hand, are more costly to make and can be sold for a higher profit, and this is why phone companies love making and selling them to all comers.
The Rad Effect
Want to be loud and stand out from the crowd? Then buy a gaming phone! Such devices are made to look as eye-catching as possible, with some being so outlandish that they practically resemble an alien instrument of some sort!
Hardcore gaming phones are certainly shaking up the market. These phones tend to be outlandishly designed, feature-packed and can cost bumper!
Going by consumer preference and behaviour so far it seems like such phones have a future. This means that we will in all probability be seeing more of them, marvelling at their features and wondering whether to sell a kidney and buy one or two!