Gaming On-The-Go is a weekly series that explores the mobile gaming industry, as well as uncovering current trends, with hands-on guides for the latest smartphone and tablet games.
While the world is excited over Apple's announcements that were made on Sept. 9 at the Bill Graham Civic Center in San Francisco—new features and colors for the Apple Watch, the iPad Pro (the most powerful iPad to date and its new accessories), the new Apple TV with touchscreen remote, and the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus—mobile gamers are excited over what the new hardware in the latest smartphone means for mobile gaming.
The main selling point of the latest iPhone models (besides the fact, for me, that it comes in rose gold) is that the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will feature the new 3D Touch technology. Its pressure-sensitive control options will probably play an active role in game creation and it will be interesting to see how third-party developers will integrate this technology to further enhance the mobile gaming experience.
When it comes to gaming, the possibilities while using 3D Touch could be endless. Screens will be able to detect taps, presses and longer presses, which can transform gaming controls. Instead of just swiping the screen, gamers may be able to command multiple controls all with the pressure of their finger.
The controls may also feel more real thanks to the technology's sensitivity, which could make steering a car in Need For Speed more lifelike, or your character might be able to fly even further in Angry Birds. Not to mention that creating a masterpiece in Draw Something may be easier than ever when using the iPad Pro with the Pencil.
But gamers might be pleased to know that the new Apple smartphone is equipped with "the most advanced chip ever in a smartphone." The A9 chip comes with "new transistor architecture" that has 90 percent faster graphics that will allow your smartphone to run like a console.
Pixel Toys showed how the A9 chips really make graphics stand out during the demo that showcased its upcoming game Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade. During the demo, the reps showed that players will be able to change weapons in a game with just one touch. This could be great for first-person shooter games. No longer would gamers have to pause the game or fumble with menus to figure out how to swap out a weapon.
Then of course there is Metal, the new iOS API that helps developers create console-quality games for the iPhone and iPad. Metal will enable developers to more easily create their graphics and make them console-level quality since it gets rid of that extra layer between OpenGL ES and the processors which then display the game on the screen. That means now graphics will render more quickly and developers can add different types of graphics that couldn't previously be supported on mobile.
More complicated console games may find more success on the mobile market. And as the popularity of mobile gaming continues to rise, the technology packed into the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus could have an impact on gamers' preferred way to play games, with some opting to ditch consoles because mobile gaming graphics have the potenital to be just as good. While I'm sure console gaming will continue to exist, I am ready for more graphically appealing mobile games with creativity controls to hit the market.
All we can do now is wait to see what developers have up their sleeves as we look forward to a new era of mobile gaming.
