In case you weren’t already aware, we live in a mobile world. 2018 has seen us reach an important tipping point, being the first year that more than half of all web browsing has been conducted on mobile. While desktop PCs may be fading in importance in everything from web browsing to entertainment, to working practices, other platforms are also losing ground in the mobile revolution.
Games consoles, despite the best efforts of developers like Sony and Microsoft to keep bringing out ever more innovative and high-quality games, simply can’t compete with mobile phones. Similarly, 2018 marked a watershed in the gaming market, with more than 50% of all gaming revenues coming from mobile gaming, now at a whopping $138 billion. There are a lot of reasons that such a momentous shift has occurred in the realm of entertainment technology. Let’s take a look at some of them.
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Affordability
Put simply, choosing to play games on mobile is always going to be the more cost-effective option. The average price of a new Xbox One game has edged up to around $60, almost double the price of a standard console game just a few years ago.
This means that choosing to buy a game is actually a significant expenditure for most people, limiting the number of games a consumer will buy over the year. In contrast, many of the most popular mobile games, such as Pokemon Go! and FIFA Mobile, are completely free, while most paid-for mobile games will run up at around $4-7. No contest, really.
Increased Capabilities
This is an important point which has seriously eroded the competitive edge that console games once had. While just a few years back, your average mobile game was barely more advanced than Nokia’s Snake in terms of capabilities, that has changed completely.
Games like Pokemon Go! and Shadowgun Legends enjoy the same advanced graphics and user experience as the latest PS4 game, with the added bonus that you can play them on your morning commute. Mobile games also have features that console games simply do not have; popular online casino games like the Mr Green App allow players to win real money and play literally hundreds of slot games, all while allowing competitive gaming with other players.
All this from the confines of your average smartphone. It seems like consoles may actually have some catching up to do at this point.
Convenience
Pretty obviously, it’s much more convenient to be able to whip out your phone and start playing your favorite games any time you want, wherever you want. More importantly, mobile gaming tends not to come with the same issues that are ever-present in console gaming, such as bugs, dodgy updates and of course hardware issues, which the PlayStation 4 has been riddled with.
Mobile gaming is simply best suited for the needs and lifestyle habits of modern consumers, which doesn’t allow as much for sitting down in one spot waiting for your loud console to boot up so you can play a $60 game that you need a disk for.
If you are interested in even more app-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels then we have a lot to choose from.
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