The Wide Range Of Options For Mobile Games

As far as mobile gaming devices go, consumers have a positively huge array of options to choose from. These devices cover the range from dedicated handheld gaming consoles to mobile phones that are already a common everyday accessory for thousands of people all over the world.

Each particular mobile gaming platform has their own share of fans and detractors, and while each one admittedly has their share of strengths and weaknesses, at the end of the day the decision to go with any one mobile gaming platform is largely a matter of personal choice rather than any inherent advantages or disadvantages each one has.

In terms of game releases for mobile gaming, the range of options is no less overwhelming. As many different mobile gaming platforms as there are out there, the number still pales in comparison to the absolutely astounding range of games developed by the mobile gaming industry. It is common to see dozens and dozens of games for a particular platform, and many games that first saw light on one mobile gaming platform has probably already been ported to another platform, or in some cases even been rewritten from the ground up. Compatibility is the name of the game, and the days of single platform games that only work with their chosen device are long gone. In order to remain competitive in the mobile gaming industry, mobile gaming developers simply must strive to make their releases compatible across as broad a range of different platforms as possible.

Different mobile gaming devices have their own methods for loading games. At the present time, there exists no universal format for games that will work with all mobile gaming devices. Mobile phones like the iPhone K808 for example, uses its WAP capability to allow the user to download mobile games into his or her unit. Other mobile phones on the market have similar procedures for downloading games and this has worked fairly well for that particular platform in general. With this method, mobile phone users will not have to be limited to the games that came with their mobile phone. Once they have outgrown these games or possibly beaten them, they can simply download a few more games and it is as if they have just bought a brand new mobile gaming device.

The Nintendo DS is by far the most popular dedicated handheld mobile gaming device at present, having sold a staggering 64.8 million units as of the end of 2007. The DS features two LCD screens (one of them being a touchscreen), a built-in microphone and even Wi-Fi connectivity.

Aside from the Nintendo DS, possibly the most popular mobile gaming device is the Play Station Portable or PSP. The PSP is actually the first dedicated mobile gaming device to utilize an optical disc format. Called the Universal Media Disc or UMD, this is the PSP’s primary storage media. The most distinctive features of the PSP are its exceptionally large playing screen, its ability to handle a wide range of multi-media formats, and its ability to be connected to the Sony PlayStation 3, as well as other PSPs. The PSP also offers Internet connectivity.