The advances in technology over recent years have made video games more accessible than ever. Gone are the days of pixelated, two-dimensional adventures played on giant arcade machines in all their 8-bit glory, now you can fit a high-definition gaming console in your pocket: the modern smartphone. With graphics chips and speakers shrinking as they become more sophisticated, the quality of gaming experience you can get on your smartphone is a match for many computers and consoles.
Modern smartphones have the capability to play games through an app or your mobile web browser. Wi-Fi gaming, the use of 4G – and soon to be 5G – internet, has also made it easy to connect with others and play games together. From old favourites like Words With Friends and Candy Crush, to games like PUBG and online casino games where you can pit your skills against players worldwide in real time, it’s all possible on your smartphone. However, big modern games can put a lot of strain on its processing power and battery life. Luckily, there are a few simple tweaks that you can make to help enhance the experience and keep you gaming for longer. iOS users have less choices than Android users, because iOS restricts how much of its operating system apps can modify, but whatever phone you have, you should be able to use a combination of the following to give your gaming experience a healthy boost.
Better Battery Use
Even when you’re not actively using your phone, things are going on which can drain the battery life. These are called background apps, and they include things like refreshing mail from the server, updating GPS location and checking for notifications. This is why you’ll notice your battery use goes down over the day, even if your phone has never left your bag.
This can be turned off in your smartphone’s settings menu, meaning that more battery power is reserved for the games you actually want to spend time playing, reducing your risk of running out of juice at a crucial point in a campaign.
Keep it Clean
It’s very easy for your smartphone to become clogged by clutter. Photos, old apps you no longer use, and saved message history are the biggest culprits. All these things take up memory and storage space, which reduces what is available for your game to use. Have a regular clear out to keep your phone in tip top condition: remove backed-up media, uninstall unused apps and ask yourself, do you really need those messages from two years ago?
Get a Controller
Smartphones are all about the touch screen, but this is often not as responsive or accurate as a keyboard or a controller. So if you’re a serious gamer and want to be able to continue the habit anywhere – on a break at work, a long train journey, or even just round a friend’s house – then you probably won’t be satisfied with second-rate controls. There are different types of controllers for your phone, some that attach to the phone itself, turning it into the controller, and others which look more like a traditional console controller that connect via Bluetooth.
Of course, there are some games where the in-built touchscreen offers the perfect way to play. Match-3 games likes Homescapes and continuous run games like Temple Run are built to be played how your smartphone intended, with the swipe of a finger. Similarly, mind games which are designed to be quick and casual, like free online blackjack, can be very exciting and don’t require any additional accessories.
Get a Boosting App
There are other, more complicated adjustments to the way your smartphone performs, which you might not feel comfortable attempting. The easiest thing to do is download a performance boosting app to do it for you! There are plenty out there which can be used to channel more processing power to your game and away from background processes. This will all help to improve your gaming experience by reducing lag and decreasing rendering times. For a dedicated gamer who wants to play games with top notch graphics and sound, without having to compromise on performance, a boosting app is a must have.
Conclusion
Smartphones are set up to provide a good gaming experience that suits the majority of users, but that doesn’t mean you can’t improve on that performance with good maintenance or a few minor adjustments. Just as people have been enhancing cars, computers and other technology for decades, we now have the ability to do the same for our smartphones, albeit with less need to change the hardware and without having to worry about getting oil everywhere! If you want to see a noticeable improvement in your mobile gaming experience, try a few of the tips mentioned here and enjoy getting the best out of your smartphone.
