Video gaming is a hugely popular activity in today’s day and age, with an estimated 2.6 billion people around the world enjoying games of one form or another. Of these, a large percentage of gamers are using a smartphone or some other handheld device. In 2019, mobile accounted for a full 60% of the global gaming revenue, generating a whopping $49 billion. Forecasts suggest this will only increase as more people own smartphones and developers introduce more products to meet demand. We’ve also started seeing dedicated hardware for the mobile gaming audience, mostly in the form of controllers and gamepads. The GameSir X2 Type-C Controller for Android is one such example.
AAA Games for Mobile
The advent of controllers such as the GameSir X2 Type-C has somewhat revolutionized mobile gaming. There is now potential for AAA games for mobile devices. The GameSir X2 Type-C is not an external controller as such, as it fits around the phone like an over-sized grip, with the buttons and joysticks on either side. Once locked in, it looks and works just like a typical handheld console, but with the technology coming through the smartphone. It features a full array of buttons and other controllers just like any console gamepad, allowing for full, precision control that makes playing almost any game viable on mobile, including MMOs, RPGs, and first-person shooters as well as more traditional mobile genres such as match 3.
Controller Design
The GameSir is not designed as an external controller, but to turn the phone itself into a controller with the screen in the middle, reminiscent of the Nintendo Switch. Each side features a thumbstick and a set of four buttons, with directions on the left and A-B-X-Y on the right. There are also a couple of specialized buttons and triggers on each side for more complex gameplay. The buttons and thumbsticks are responsive, smooth, and comfortable to touch and have been tested for durability, meaning they will likely last much longer than the latest smartphone. The softly curved edges and rubber grips make the controller comfortable to hold for long periods of time, and the spring-loaded recess will fit almost any USB Type-C Android phone with ease.
Power
The GameSir does not come with its own battery but rather draws power from the smartphone once connected. While this may sound like an additional load on the phone battery, the device uses little power. Most people will be looking at a drop in phone battery performance of around 0.06% when connected, which is so small as to be virtually nothing. In fact, most phones will use more power than this when connecting via Bluetooth to an external controller that comes with its own power supply.
Wired Connection
One of the key features that make the GameSir unique is its wired connection. In an era where just about everything boasts a wireless design, this may sound strange. However, the benefits of wireless are simply that there are no wires – devices that have a wired connection can react more quickly and are therefore often better for gameplay. While the time lag for wireless controllers for consoles such as the PS4 and the Xbox is minimal at less than eight milliseconds, this can make a noticeable difference in games that require split-second reactions such as first-person shooters or MMOs. With the wired connection, there is zero time lag when playing games via mobile using the GameSir controller. While novice gamers might not be able to notice much difference, experienced players will certainly notice improvements. (Tramadol)
Mobile games
Since the launch of external controllers and variations such as the GameSir, more versions of AAA games have been adapted and optimized for mobile. Call of Duty Mobile features exclusively on multiplayer gaming and brings fans an authentic experience that brings all the best features of the original series to the table, but in a way that allows players to jump in and out to play for a few minutes at a time.
Despite the release of the new controller, many games over the last several years have adjusted to being suitable for mobile play including traditional offline games. The boom of mobile gaming has seen many classics like Monopoly and Scrabble take to the screen with players downloading apps to be able to access their favorite puzzles and board games. Another example of games that have transitioned successfully from offline to online is those from the casino industry. Casino classics like poker, roulette, and blackjack are table games found in land-based casinos, however, in the last decade are now best known for online casino games.
Online casino providers have optimized software to produce mobile casino apps for players to access their favorite games anywhere and anytime. It’s not just classic casino games that are available on mobile, slots have also made the transition online so players can play at the touch of a button. So even though there are many mobile games such as action and first-person shooter games there are also games that have transitioned to mobile without the need of a controller.
Game developers have been creating adaptations of some of the most popular games and brand-new games that require the complexity of controls that simply cannot be recreated on a touch screen. New video gaming technologies are being developed all the time – in the not too distant future, we could be looking at mobile controllers using voice and facial recognition, or even connecting to VR or AR headsets for a fully immersive experience. However, for the time being, the GameSir X2 Type-C Controller for Android does the job and does it well.
