The Handheld Console We All Have and Why It’s the Only One You Need

Last year, the mobile gaming segment generated $49 billion, a number that was significantly higher than any other gaming platform. In fact, the revenue generated by mobile games was more than 60% of what the gaming industry as a whole made in 2019, confirming the fact that smartphone platforms earn more money for the gaming industry than all other platforms combined.

When Did Mobile Gaming Become So Big?

Modern video games on PC and consoles have been around for more than four decades at this point, but it was only in 2012 that mobile games found some real purchase in the industry. Clash of Clans, Candy Crush Saga, and Puzzles & Dragons were the three games that put mobile games on the map for the first time in 2012, followed soon after by Monster Strike. From that point onwards, there was no looking back for the sector, as it soon matched PC gaming in 2015, and overtook console gaming that same year.

By 2016, smartphone games were generating more revenue than PC games. Come 2018 and the mighty handheld console, aka the smartphone, had more than 51% of the market share, making it the single most financially profitable platform for game developers by far.

Fueled by the success of Android and iOS as major gaming platforms, even the biggest developers across all platforms, such as EA, Activision Blizzard, and Ubisoft among others have now joined in to make video games for mobile phones. By the end of 2021, we will be seeing smartphone gaming reach many more milestones, both in terms of monetary figures, as well as improvements in the quality of available games.

How Did Mobile Gaming Become So Big?

All of these facts lead us to the most relevant questions: how did this happen and why? Mobile games are not as high quality, or as complex as video games usually are on other platforms. Although the graphics are improving, it is still nothing that can be compared to the current gaming consoles, let alone the PC. Even if we were to talk about the portability factor, Nintendo has the Switch games that surpass mobile games in terms of quality and graphics.

However, the mighty smartphone has a few advantages that none of the other consoles or even the PC does. Let’s take a quick look at what these advantages are exactly so that its meteoric rise begins to make more sense.

  • Most of us already have a smartphone, which means that playing games on it is not tied to an extra expense for gaming hardware
  • The lack of complexity is actually appealing for the non-gamer
  • Most mobile games rely on a free-to-play, pay-to-win business model, which allows free entry to everybody
  • Once players get hooked on the game, that’s when they need to pay in order for it to remain fun
  • This allows for various micro-transactions to be embedded in the core game, ensuring that players continue to pay multiple times, rather than just once

Fully Fledged Mobile Casinos Drew in a Previously Untapped Market

Even online casinos and sports betting websites fully support Android and iOS now. If you check this Bovada Casino review USA, you will find that it’s mentioned right on top that Bovada supports Android and iOS, offering the same experience on smartphones as one would get on a desktop or a laptop. This new standard of mobile gambling has managed to tap into a previously untapped market that was only confined to desktop browsers before.

The PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series S are coming out later this year and that’s great news for hardcore gamers. For the rest of us though, a good smartphone is the only console we will ever need!