Category: Mobile Gaming

Are Gaming Smartphones Really Worth Buying?
Gaming smartphones are one of the new trends with the last couple of generation in the mobile industry. The devices, as the name suggests, are made with modifications or tweaks with gaming in mind. Previously, the genre had failed miserably with many unsuccessful attempts of bringing a new breed of cellular yet portable gaming consoles to the mainstream markets. Since then, consumer’s perspective has changed and the unique handsets are now widely sought after. But, do we really need a gaming smartphone?

To answer the question lets take a look at the brief history of gaming smartphones alongside other portable gaming devices.

Xiaomi Black Shark 2

Portable Gaming

The first video game ever created was Pong back in 1958. Since its inception, a new multi-billion dollar industry has been borne with gaming as its business model. Soon after, in the early 1960s, consumers were looking at video games as the next big thing in the entertainment industry. Hence, companies took notice and game studios were founded. By 1970s, there were already multiple studios with various games for PCs alongside the first form of gaming consoles. Interestingly, the first consoles also birthed the race for portable consoles that have a wider reach and easier accessibilities.

Nintendo DS

Nintendo is widely credited for being the company to popularize the handheld console market with its release of Game Boy in 1989. The portable gaming console was explosive in success and dominated the market for years into the future. Note, this was also the time where the mobile industry had devices become more compact meaning more portability. The gaming industry and mobile industry went parallel for the better part of each respective infant stages. However, the advancement in technology meant a cross over was soon to be expected.

Game Boy Original

Gaming Smartphones of Old

Gaming smartphones are not a new breed. Although they are now certainly a lot more viable than before. The reason why many established OEMs kept their distance from them is due to their infamous history. Devices such as the Nokia N-Gage, Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and more are a few that pop into mind. The gaming phones of old were surprisingly more powerful and capable than their handheld gaming consoles at the time in some scenarios.

Nokia N-Gage

For example, the N-Gage was a direct competitor to Game Boy Advance while featuring a much better processor. But, speed isn’t enough as the implementation of controls whilst having games actually made for your platform is rather difficult. The devices launched then suffered either of the two problems or both. At the time, the game studios had no inclination or incentive to collaborate with the mobile OEMs either, since the portable consoles were extremely popular at the time. However, that has since changed.

Known Gaming Phones and Handheld Consoles
- Nokia N-Gage
- Sony Ericsson Xperia Play
- PlayStation Portable (PSP)
- PlayStation Portable Vita
- Game Boy & Game Boy Advance
- Samsung SPH-B5200
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play

Gaming Smartphones Now

Surprisingly, even after the harsh history of the breed, gaming smartphones have stood the test of time. It indirectly implies the unending growth of gaming culture and entertainment. Currently, the smartphone gaming market accounts for more revenue than both PC gaming and console gaming market combined. In other words, studios earn more from games like Candy Crush over games like Call of Duty.

Nubia Red Magic 3

Furthermore, we all know the PUBG Mobile fever that has infected globally, especially India. After the game’s launch, we have seen more smartphone like the Asus ROG Gaming Phones being launched. These smartphones unlike regular feature aesthetical changes which make them look a lot more appealing and gaming-centric. They also carry tweaks and modifications, especially to the UI, to provide an enhanced gaming experience. Unlike the past, there is a booming mobile gaming market to cater to the increasing capabilities of smartphones.

PUBG Mobile

Are They Really Worth It?

Finally, the reason why you are here. Gaming smartphones are worth buying now more than ever before. Tech giants have recognised the true potential of the gaming genre and its immense value and are heavily invested in many mobile gaming studios. However, it would still be advised to wait just a bit longer. Yes, gaming smartphones are the best they have ever been, but they can be better. What we see now is the gaming industry finally penetrating the main stream market of smartphones or as they say, “just the tip of the iceberg.”

Razer Phone 2

Hence, it is expected that specialised hardware, such as MediaTek Helio G90T SoC that is made for gaming, will improve with time and exclusive more mobile gaming studios like Tencent Games will emerge. Regardless of its popularity, the gaming smartphone market is still a niche with its sales not being close to mainstream devices.

MediaTek G90T SoC

Also Read: Gamescom 2019 Roundup Of The Best Upcoming Games

Additionally, there really isn’t a lot that difference, in most cases, between a gaming smartphone and a regular flagship. For the most part, gaming handsets offer a better display with a higher refresh rate panel, overclocked SoC or even better cooling solutions. Conclusively, it is a great time for mobile gamers and huge potential in the industry. With a bit more time, it is expected to mature into a gaming world of its own within amazing portability that beats any handheld consoles.
August 20, 2019
Nube Gaming Smartphone With Extendable Gamepad

Handheld gaming machines have been in the entertainment industries for almost 40 years now. These type of devices have always been a hit or miss with the audiences centred around gaming. Sony is a great example of this with the successful PlayStation Portable aka PSP and the subsequent failure of the PlayStation Vita. However, with the mobile gaming market being the largest revenue generator for the industry, it was inevitable that hybrid technology would be born soon. Nube Mobile is currently developing one such gaming device.

Specifications & Design

The company which is largely unheard of had patented designs last year regarding an extendable smartphone. These extended forms now include buttons such as controller D-pads and even joysticks, and may even feature special cooling functions. Nube Mobiles is based in Hong Kong and also works off of Spain in Malaga. According to the company’s own website, development is underway regarding two products. “One is a new smartphone for new players” while the other is a “new game based on one of the most popular films of the moment.”

The product in question is probably the hybrid device which at a glance would resemble a regular handset with bezels at the top and bottom. In addition to this, the key feature manifests itself once the corners bezels are pulled out from the device. Once fully extended gamepad buttons will flank the screen from the left and right sides. This, in turn, makes the smartphone look like a Nintendo Switch since the button layout is entirely similar. The Nube Gaming Mobile would although likely sport a larger and higher resolution display than the 6.2-inch HD screen found on the Switch.

Nube’s hybrid device has its buttons slightly encaved within the smartphone, just enough to slide in behind the screen. This makes it a practical smartphone and handheld gaming system simultaneously. Optional gamepad for smartphone do exist in the market, but no other company has it in-built within their handsets. Apart from the gaming peripherals, the essential front sensors are provided on the top like any other smartphone. The left side houses the volume rockers while the right has the power button along with two SIM card slots. The charging port is found at the bottom of the device alongside the apparently lone speaker on the left.

Nube Mobile’s upcoming smartphone only has a single camera at the back with a flash. Notably, the camera modules will move when the controls are extended due to their placement. Unfortunately, internal specifications cannot be discerned but going by the trend, a high refresh rate with a powerful processor is expected. The device will also probably be powered by a large battery pack. The website claims that Nube Mobile’s have 5 years of video game industry experience and that the new products will be introduced soon.

Also Read: Samsung Patents A Gaming Laptop With Expandable Display

With the mobile gaming market surpassing the PC and consoles in terms of revenue generated, a new shift in development focus has already started. Popular game studios for the aforementioned platforms are now taking the mobile market more seriously. This is evident with Activision bringing the Call Of Duty experience to smartphones. Official launch dates or any information was not provided by the company, but according to the website, the announcement would’ve been made in April. More updates are expected soon since the month has long since passed.

June 19, 2019
Netflix Will Release A Stranger Things Mobile Game In 2020

Mobile gaming has blown up in the past few years. It’s a huge market that holds a ton of potential for game developers, since mobile games are widely accessible. For instance, Pokémon Go, the mobile game based on popular anime series “Pokemon” was released in the year 2016. The game was a location-based RPG that required players to commute around the actual places (in real-time) to capture Pokémon. The game became globally viral in a short span of time. The Netflix Stranger things-based game will be built along the same lines, and will be unveiled next year.

Finnish developer Next Games is teaming up with streaming service Netflix to design the new game which will be based on the “Stranger Things” series. The ’80s cartoon-themed game will require users to walk around their cities/towns to fight evil forces. Players would be able to team up with their friends to earn rewards as they go around uncovering mysteries. As expected, the game will incorporate Google Maps integration to enable players to follow correct paths while playing.

Also Read: Google Stadia Will Need A 20Mbps Connection For 1080p Gaming

CEO of Next Games stated that the Stranger Things game will include social themes such as friendship and adventure which will spur the younger generation to play this game. Next games was the same studio which developed The Walking Dead: Our World game, which implements the user’s location to generate location-based objectives. Noteworthy, another studio called Telltale Games previously launched two “Stranger things” games, however, they followed an entirely different format. As per reports, the game will be unveiled in the year 2020, and will be available on both iOS and Android devices. Alongside, the third season of Stranger things will hit Netflix on the 4th of July, 2019.

June 13, 2019
Samsung Collaborating With AMD For Radeon Graphics On Its Smartphones

The gaming industry is currently valued at an estimated $93 Billion, with mobile gaming accounting for the largest piece of the pie. American chip manufacturer AMD and Samsung have announced their partnership for upcoming smartphone graphics. Looking at the pace at which the mobile gaming industry is growing, it was only a matter of time until tech giants like AMD had the aforementioned sector in their sights.

Previously, the video game industry used to be a small part of the entertainment business but now, it is one of the major forefronts for digital media. In the year 2018, the gaming industry raked up the same amount of revenue as the US film industry. Unlike in the past when development teams and investment were low and the return profitable, now a dedicated highly qualified team works on a million-dollar project just for the sake of development.

Samsung alongside AMD confirmed the joint venture in a common report. The partnership will see the development of a new ultra-low power high-performance graphics technology. AMD is confirmed to have licensed its proprietary graphical technology to Samsung for use in future mobile chipsets. The South Korean giant will reportedly pay for AMD’s brand new recently announced RDNA graphics architecture.

This will mark a new market for AMD to capitalize on. The graphics technology from team Red will seek to replace the ARM-based Mali GPUs that are found in the Exynos chipsets. Samsung’s strategy to retail different chipsets in different countries may lead to certain countries not witnessing the aforementioned architecture. Most countries are receiving the Exynos chipset while US, Canada, China, Japan and Latin America receive the Qualcomm Snapdragon processors with Adreno GPUs.

Also Read: As Apple Retires iTunes, Here Is How It Paved The Way For Modern Music Platforms

It can be noted that AMD previously owned the Adreno GPU technology before it sold its graphics division to Qualcomm in 2009. Radeon graphics are renowned for its desktop GPU lineup and incorporation in game consoles like PS4 and Xbox One. Its architecture is also being optimized in upcoming Google Stadia, the cloud gaming service.

June 4, 2019
A 16 Year Old Dies After Allegedly Playing PUBG Mobile For Six Hours

Chinese conglomerate Tencent released the game PUBG Mobile for Android and iOS last year. The game was the mobile adaptation of the renowned battle royale title PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG). Since its release on smartphones, the game has seen an unexpected spike in its popularity which eventually led to a few cities in India going as far ahead to ban PUBG Mobile completely. Now, reports have surfaced that a 16-year-old boy from Madhya Pradesh has died; after allegedly playing the battle royale game for six hours on a stretch.

About the case

According to the report from a reputable media house, 16-year-old Furkan Quereshi of the Neemuch town in Madhya Pradesh died; after playing PUBG Mobile continuously for six hours. The incident occurred after he lost a game, became agitated and started shouting at his teammates. It is then claimed that he collapsed on the floor, after which when his family took him to the hospital, the doctors declared him dead on arrival. The boy started playing the game after lunch on the 26th of May, and the aforementioned incident happened at around 7 PM. His brother claims that he was addicted to PUBG Mobile, playing close to 18 hours in a day.

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According to the doctor who examined Furkan, his heart was healthy as he was a swimmer; but the excitement of the game PUBG Mobile might have caused a surge in the adrenaline. This is reported to have caused a cardiac arrest in the boy, taking his life. The police have filed a case and an investigation; to further determine the cause of death of the boy is underway. The doctor, along with the family of the boy has pleaded for a ban on the game entirely across the country.

May 31, 2019
LEGO’s New Team-Battle RPG Announced By Gameloft For iOS And Android

Gameloft announced a brand new LEGO game for Android and iOS, initially teased back in December, LEGO Legacy: Heroes unboxed releases this fall. Gameloft also announced of various teasers and trailers leading upto its eventual release, so keep on the lookout.

Set in the LEGO universe the game is said to be the first of its kind, the unique genre will breath new life to the 40-year-old LEGO figurines history and universe. LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed is set in an epic new world where players go about collecting classic and modern LEGO figurines and sets after which they create new parties to engage in battles or go on quests and adventures together.

The game is also likely to have special appearances from many of the fan favourite and adored universes like the cinematic universe set in the game world in great detail. LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed seeks to capture the nostalgic feelings of fun from the LEGO toys that were a part of most childhoods. The game will also cater to the younger audiences with its shiny and fun looking aesthetics.

Gameloft developers have reportedly spent their time studying vintage instruction manuals to recreate the details and make the LEGO experience more robust and authentic. A real faithful attempt at capturing the wonderful and family-friendly experience for everyone.

Also Read: MSI Launches Three New Laptops With Core i9 CPU Ahead Of Computex 2019

With the current popular trends adopted by publishing companies and developers for mobile games, LEGO is probably going to turn out as another Free-To-Play game with monetisation laid inside the whole experience. As long as the monetisation strategy sticks to the background with purchases based on strictly to cosmetics and appearances and not the game disrupting Pay-To-Win strategy, the game will be warmly welcomed by people of every age demographic.

May 24, 2019
Call Of Duty Mobile Closed Beta Now Rolling Out In India, All Features Revealed
When the mobile battle royale version of the popular FPS game Call of Duty was announced, fans were quite excited to witness the game in action on their smartphones. The company started accepting pre-registrations for the the same back in March 2019, and after two months, the closed beta of the game is now available for closed beta testing in select countries, including India. Moreover, new features of the battle royale game have been revealed by Activision.

Confirmed Features By Activision

Call of Duty has been confirmed with a host of new features, including several multiplayer modes as follows:
- Free-For-All
- Team Deathmatch
- Hardpoint
- Frontline
- Domination
Except the Free-for-all mode which supports 8 players, all the other game modes support a total of 10 players per match. In the future, the game can be updated with popular game modes from the PC version of CoD (Call of Duty) such as Search and Destroy and Kill confirmed.

automatically when the crosshair is focused on the enemy, whereas in advanced mode, the player has to fire the weapon manually. Moreover, players can choose how they hold each weapon by default. For instance, shotguns can be set to hip-fire by default, while rifles can be set to ADS (aim down sights) by default. Apart from tweaking the HUD, players can customize their aiming sensitivity via a total 17 different sliders.

A total of seven maps have been announced by the developer, 5 of which are listed below:
- Crossfire: Small desert town, good for shotgun-based gameplay
- Standoff: Set in the border town between China and Kyrgyzstan
- Crash: Features blind corners and great sniping spots
- Killhouse: Great for small teams, set in a warehouse interior
- Firing Range: Set in Cuba, this map will be a house to hectic domination games
The other two maps are Nuketown and Hijacked.

Also Read: PUBG Mobile Season 7 Released, New Weapon, Skin Among Other Features Added

As mentioned previously, the game will be available on both iOS and Android devices. If users have pre-registered for the game and haven’t received an email from the company yet, they just need to wait. As per Activision, the access to Call of Duty: Mobile will be rolled out in batches. The game is looking to go head-to-head against other battle royale games like Fortnite and PUBG Mobile.
May 18, 2019
PUBG Mobile Season 7 Released, New Weapon, Skin Among Other Features Added

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile since its launch last year, has seen unprecedented popularity. The title has witnessed six successful seasons, the last of which ended on the 15th of May. In a post on microblogging website Twitter, the official account of PUBG Mobile announced the start of the next season in the game. It has officially begun starting 17th of May and adds a host of changes, especially for Royale Pass holders.

PUBG Mobile Season 7

The new Season of PUBG Mobile as mentioned above kicks off starting the 17th of May. New features and additions added to the game include new gun skins, costumes and accessories. A new parachute and aeroplane trail also has been added in a bid to refine the gameplay experience. While the above-mentioned features are all but exclusive to people holding the Royale Pass or purchasing the entry to the season; the game has also added a new weapon called Skorpion. It is a machine pistol that is capable of firing 9mm rounds. It will be available in all the maps inside the game.

Also read: OnePlus 7 Pro Launched With 90Hz Display And Snapdragon 855 SoC

Another addition to PUBG Mobile is called the EZ Mission License, which unlocks and lets users play challenges a week in advance. It is also capable of letting users skip 10 mission requirements for Week 8. This will, in turn, earn them a chance to get the elite chest. However, the License is only available if the PUBG Mobile Season 7 Royale Pass is purchased. Buying 3 Passes simultaneously during Season changes will let users have the EZ Mission License for free. Other minor changes in the update include a tuned subscription feature, new category tab in the ship and better audio to reduce interruptions. The update has been rolled out with the version number 0.12.5 which will be globally available starting May 17.

May 17, 2019
Fortnite Can Be Now Played On The Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro

When Fortnite was first released in 2018, the game had support for only a select number of devices, which included Samsung flagships like the Note 9 and the Galaxy S9. The game is free to play, and it earlier required the user to receive an invite, without which they could not play the game. Previously, Realme CEO showed off the game running on the Realme 3 Pro, which was released on April 29, 2019. The post was a jab on the Redmi Note 7 Pro, which was barely hidden in the same image, and could not run the game previously. According to the latest Tweet shared by Company VP, the Redmi Note 7 Pro has received Fortnite support with the push of the latest update.

You asked for it.. and here it is!

The incredible #RedmiNote7Pro now comes with #Fortnite support with latest #MIUI 10.2.10.0#RedmiNote7 Pro:
?? Newly launched @Qualcomm SD 675
?? Fastest mid-premium chip
?? #48MP Sony IMX 586
?? Gorilla Glass 5 on front & back#Xiaomi ?? pic.twitter.com/RLKEHv71kb
— Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) April 30, 2019

The Chinese company has released v10.2.10.0 update for the aforementioned smartphone, which runs on the Snapdragon 675 mobile chipset, comprising of the octa-core Kryo 460 CPU and the Adreno 612 GPU. It is one of the most powerful SoCs in the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6-series chipsets, and Redmi Note 7 Pro users took to Twitter to express their expectations regarding the popular Battle Royale game that has over 40 million active players on PC. The game’s number one competitor is PUBG Mobile, which dominates the mobile gaming scene. With Fortnite support now present on the Redmi Note 7 Pro, more users will be able to play the game on their respective devices.

Redmi Note 7 Pro

Also Read: Xiaomi Mi Band 4 Certified By NCC In Taiwan, Launch Imminent

As per reports, the performance of the game on the Redmi Note 7 Pro was underwhelming at most. Even after installing the latest update from the company, there was a negligible change in the performance, reports claim. Furthermore, the game runs on the lowest possible graphics settings and delivers about 20 frames per second, which is quite low for a third person shooter. It is possible that the game was not optimized for the devices running Snapdragon 675, considering the chipset is not widely used in the United States and Epic Games is a US based organization. It is expected, however, that Epic Games will push an update in the not-so-distant future which will significantly improve the performance of the game on Redmi devices.

May 1, 2019
Samsung Patents PlayGalaxy Game Link Service For Galaxy Devices

The year 2019 has seen a lot of developments in terms of gaming so far, with Google releasing their cloud-based game streaming service (named Stadia) and Apple following up with their own “Apple Arcade” gaming platform. Companies like Samsung don’t plan to stay behind for a long period of time. A recent patent granted to the company showed that the South Korean Technology company is working on a platform which will enable users to play online games via Galaxy devices.

About The Patent

The patent was first filed by Samsung in America with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO. The trademark included details about a service called the PlayGalaxy Link, and was finally published on April 26 in the database of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). As per reports, the patent is categorized under Class 9 and 41. While class 9 is comprised of a broad range of trademarks for scientific, cinematographic and photographic devices, Class 41 mainly covers products which cater to entertainment purposes.

Samsung Galaxy S10e

Previously in April 2019, Samsung was reported to have partnered with Finnish organization “Hatch” to launch a new 5G cloud gaming service in Korea. Furthermore, people who buy the recently launched Galaxy S10 5G get a free three-month premium Hatch subscription. This may be the new gaming service that Samsung has been working on, but nothing can be said for sure, since the trademark for the “PlayGalaxy Link” is applied for in US, not in Korea.

Also Read: The OnePlus 7 Pro Gets An A+ Display Rating From DisplayMate

Whatever the case may be, it is clear that Samsung plans to go up against American technology mega-giant Apple and it’s latest gaming service, Apple Arcade. While it is reported that Apple Arcade may be available starting this fall, Samsung may unveil its “PlayGalaxy Link” service sooner than expected. Moreover, the company is also planning to release a smartphone which will be dedicated to gaming. Reports say that such a device may be released under the Galaxy A series branding, but nothing can be confirmed as of now.

April 29, 2019
Nubia Red Magic 3 Gaming Smartphone With Internal Cooling Fan Launched
ZTE’s subsidiary Nubia is known for launching feature laden gaming smartphones at a competitive price tag. As it was previously reported, the company was planning to unveil its latest addition to the gaming smartphone family, the Red Magic 3. In an event held in China on April 28, Nubia finally announced the aforementioned gaming smartphone with a load of exciting features, such as a 90Hz display, an internal cooling fan and a 48MP rear camera.

Nubia Red Magic 3: Features And Specifications

The specifications of the Red Magic 3 will provide some strong competition in a fast-growing space of gaming smartphones. The smartphone features a 6.65 inch FHD+ AMOLED display which also supports HDR playback. Owing to the presence of a 90Hz refresh rate in the device panel, gamers are expected to experience less screen tearing and almost negligible lag issues. The front of the device also houses DTS:X surround sound speakers. The rear panel of the Red Magic 3 houses the camera, an elongated fingerprint scanner and an LED strip which can be customized with a combination of 16.8 million colours.

Under the hood, the smartphone packs the powerful 7nm Snapdragon 855 chipset, which comprises of an octa-core CPU and the Adreno 640 GPU. The Red Magic 3 is available in four storage variants which are as fllows:
- 6 GB RAM + 64 GB ROM
- 8 GB RAM + 128 GB ROM
- 8 GB RAM + 128 GB ROM
- 12 GB RAM + 256 GB ROM
To provide for extensive gaming sessions, the Nubia Red Magic 3 packs a massive 5,000 mAh battery with 30W fast charging support. Noteworthy, it is the first time that a company has incorporated an active internal cooling system in a smartphone. The company claims that the fan present inside the device can operate at a speed of 14,000 rpm, which can also be manually tweaked.

In terms of optics, the Red Magic 3 features a single rear 48MP (f/1.7) Sony IMX586 camera sensor. While Nubia might not have gone “big” on the multi-camera setup here, the specifications of the camera are worthy in fact. Moreover, it has 8K video recording support and can record super slow videos at 1920 fps. The smartphone also has an f/2.0 aperture equipped 16MP front-facing selfie camera. It is IP55 dust and water resistant, which can even survive water jets. Furthermore, gamers can program two touch-based shoulder buttons in the smartphone in addition to the reprogrammable fingerprint scanner. The Red Magic 3 runs on Androdi 9 Pie out-of-the-box, with Nubia’s Redmagic OS 2.0 on top.

Availability And Price

Also Read: Realme 3 Pro To Go On Sale For The First Time In India Today

The Nubia Red Magic 3 will be available in China from the 3rd of May onwards, which will soon be followed by the US, UK, Canada and European launch. The price for different variants of the smartphone are as follows:
- 6GB+64GB: CNY 2,899 (~INR 30,100)
- 6GB+128GB: CNY 3,199 (~INR 33,200)
- 8GB+128GB: CNY 3,499 (~INR 35,300)
- 12GB+256GB: CNY 4,299 (~INR 44,650)
It is available in four colour options: Black, Red, Camouflage and Blue Gradient.
April 29, 2019
PUBG Mobile Developer, Tencent May Launch A Gaming Smartphone

Mobile gaming has evolved a lot over the last few years, with games like PUBG Mobile and Clash Royale gaining immense popularity amongst young gamers. The company behind smash-hit games like PUBG Mobile and League Of Legends, Tencent Gaming is now setting its target towards gaming smartphones. The company is reportedly contacting smartphone brands such as ASUS, Xiaomi and Razer for a new gaming device that may be co-branded or self-branded.

Xiaomi Black Shark 2

As per reports, the company may start working on such a device soon enough. In hindsight, ASUS released the ROG gaming smartphone in the month of October 2018, whereas the Razer Phone was launched in the market in November 2017. Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Xiaomi released the first Black Shark smartphone in the early half of 2018. All of the aforementioned smartphone provided top-of-the-line specifications, which will be the case if Tencent finally releases a gaming smartphone.

Expected Specifications And Features

Razer Phone 2

Of course, no official announcement regarding such a gaming device has been made yet, but once it’s released, it is expected to feature one of the most powerful chipsets in the market, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855. The device may pack 12GB RAM for seamless multi-tasking. Since the display is a crucial factor in gaming smartphones, the Tencent gaming smartphone is speculated to have nothing short of a 90 Hz display, or even a 120 Hz display which is present in the Razer Phone. Furthermore, the gaming smartphone will probably feature an advanced thermal-optimization system that will help keep the temperature of such a device in check.

ASUS ROG Phone

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Additionally, the Tencent gaming smartphone may feature a big battery to squeeze in extra game time. Since most gaming handsets feature fast charging, the Tencent device is expected to go down the same road. It is unclear as of now whether Tencent will move ahead with its decision, but once it happens, the smartphone will apparently be optimized for games like PUBG Mobile and Fortnite. Since Tencent also has a huge 40% stake in popular game publisher Epic Games, the smartphone may have the Epic Store pre-installed. Whatever the case may be, Tencent’s gaming smartphone is expected to receive rave reviews from the gaming society if and when the device makes its way to the smartphone market.

April 18, 2019
Free To Play Forza Street Out On PC, Will Also Launch On Android And iOS

One of Microsoft’s most popular games, Forza is all set to make its appearance on mobile devices. The game is known for combining the open-world racing scenario with amazing visuals and even more iconic vehicles. In the month of October 2018, Forza Horizon 4 was launched, and the game received rave reviews globally. The game publisher is now bringing a free-to-play version of the racing game, Forza Street to Windows 10. Praiseworthy, the game will also be available on iOS and Android devices later in 2019.

https://youtu.be/qpNB7rS0wdo

In early 2018, Microsoft released a racing game called “Miami Street”. Forza Street is actually a rebranding of the aforementioned game, but with new and significant upgrades, such as a whole new narrative, upgraded parts, an audio overhaul and refreshed animations. The game was announced by Turn 10 Studios on April 16 2019, and it made its way to Windows 10 on the same day.

Forza Street Mechanics

Unlike conventional racing games, Forza street incorporates timing-based gameplay, which requires the player to press/click the space bar or left mouse button to accelerate. In order to slow down, all the player has to do is to let go of the button. This means that the player doesn’t have to steer the car, however, accelerating and decelerating around corners can be craftier than the whole steering process. Depending on the accuracy of speeding up and slowing down, the racer is provided with boosts, which can be used to speed up the vehicle.

Earning Credits And Unlocking Rewards

Winning races can be very rewarding to players, as a lot of credits are earned by finishing first. Players can use those credits to upgrade existing car parts, purchase new ones, or to unlock new cars. The game is completely free-to-play, however, it may be referred to as pay-to-win, as microtransactions can enable users to unlock their dream car way earlier than someone who is grinding for the same.

Also Read: High Court Directs Indian Government To Review PUBG Mobile For Objectionable Content

Albeit a simple game, Forza Street is still a treat for all racing fans. Some races can be even completed under a minute, making this a good game for those who are on-the-go. And on top of that, it’s not a paid game, so it doesn’t hurt to try out the game’s mechanics. Click here to download the game from the Microsoft Store.

April 16, 2019
High Court Directs Indian Government To Review PUBG Mobile For Objectionable Content

On April 14, the Bombay High Court directed the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MEIT) to test out the features of wildly popular mobile game PUBG and take necessary action in regard to the objectionable content in the game. The PIL (Public Interest Litigation) was represented by the father of the 11-year old boy from Mumbai, Ahad Nizam, who previously alleged that the game has elements that promote aggression, violence and immoral conduct in daily life. The PIL suggests that the game should be banned in schools for the same reason.

In response to the litigation, Government pleader Poornima Kantharia stated that most schools do not permit usage of mobile phones and the game itself. Furthermore, a division bench of Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice NM Jamdar raised a notable question against the petition, stating that parents should keep the addiction of their children to PUBG in check. Moreover, parents should stop their children from playing PUBG Mobile if the game legitimately contains objectionable content.

As the player count of PUBG Mobile increases day-by-day, the PIL is seeking to get the game completely banned from schools. The PIL is also seeking directions to the MEIT to put together an Online Ethics Review Committee to regulate all online content that may considered as “unsafe”. Consequently, the Bench directed the Secretary of the Information & Technology Ministry to test the game in its entirety and take required action against concerned authorities and service providers in case the content does not comply. The court has adjourned the case for now and will continue the hearing after the vacations.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy Fold PreSale Goes Live In The US

A lot of cases have been spotted nation-wide when indiscretion regarding the game has led to fatal consequences. Previously, 2 students were mauled by a train while they were engrossed in the Battle Royale game. In another incident, a 25-year old mistook acid for water while playing PUBG and had a narrow escape in the hospital. The game was banned in Gujarat recently, and the Police arrested students multiple times for playing the game in public. Clearly, PUBG Mobile is intended to be played by children over 16 years of age, as is mentioned on all the application stores. However, insufficient discretion is maintained regarding the same.

April 15, 2019
Oppo Patents Attractive Gaming Interface For Smartphones With Notch Display

The popularity of mobile gaming has boomed a lot over the past few months, and some part of the credit goes to smartphone brands launching more budget-aggressive smartphones. Unfortunately, a lot of smartphones feature a notch, which hinders the gaming process on the device. For starters, the notch covers some important aspects of the HUD (Heads Up Display) which forms an integral part of the gaming interface. A great example is PUBG Mobile, where a big notch can cover up the inventory button in some devices. To get rid of such problems, Oppo has patented a stylish gaming interface for smartphones with a notch with interesting functionalities.

About Oppo’s Gaming Interface

Smartphones are evolving rapidly, and sure enough, many devices have the capability to run multiple applications at the same time. Higher battery capacities imply that multitasking is even more viable in such devices. More graphic-intensive games can be run on such devices, so Chinese Smartphone manufacturer Oppo has patented a gaming interface, which will allow users to launch certain apps during gaming on the device.

Known as the “Game Space”, the feature was first spotted in the Find X, and it brings up an aesthetically pleasing notification list on the left side of the screen while playing games. Using the control wheel, users can toggle the graphics acceleration mode while running graphics intensive games, record their gameplay, take a screenshot, activate Do Not Disturb and even send a Whatsapp message using the same.

About The Patent

As per reports, the patents were first applied for by Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications in 2018, and the Global Design Database of the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) published the aforementioned patents on April 2, 2019.

Also Read: Nubia Alpha Foldable Smartwatch Launched In China

A special feature of the interface is that it can be used with similar convenience in both the portrait and landscape mode. Users can swipe through the complete list available in the interface around the notch. Furthermore, it does not hinder the view of the game, which may prove to be quite helpful. The feature is expected to be available in future Reno smartphones, which are likely to launch in the month of April.

Additional images from the patent can be viewed by clicking here

April 8, 2019