Limitation and Constraints of mobile devices in relation to gaming
One of the fastest ways some companies can make some money on mobile gaming is to release an already released game for the desktop on to the mobile. For those who have attempted to play the same game on the desktop as well as a mobile device will notice that there really isn’t much that crosses over from the desktop to the mobile device.
The game on the mobile device will often tend to be much smaller in scope, and due to its very limited processing power, will rely more on its game play rather than its visuals. If you also carefully read the description of these mobile games, you'll notice that they will often provide you with enough adjectives to visualize their world, and hopefully tip you over to buying the game rather than leaving you undecided. You will also notice that the screen shot most often provided will be of an exciting and colourful moment.
While on the desktop you have room to maneuver your arms/fingers to easily press specific key combination's, on many mobile devices you will not have this luxury. For example, if they were to ship the Gears of War (2006) game to the mobile device, I can already see the many problems one may have with the button combinations. While on the keyboard, you have ample room to spread your keys out for changing weapon, crouching, running, zooming in, reloading, etc..., on mobile devices playing with your thumbs will shortly become frustrating. Even on larger mobile devices like the PSP, being able to carry out that many functions at the same time will become exhaustive. Therefore, to counter problems like these developers use well known and established game play mechanics that have already been established and instantly recognizable, such as Tetris, Space Invaders or Poker. By using these strategies, the developers reduce the amount of risk the customer feels when purchasing a game.
Specific Limitations
Limited Memory – Most mobile devices have a very limited memory storage. Due to this constraint, you can either have a very detailed short game, or a significantly lower detailed lengthier game. There simply isn’t enough room to transfer games over at their full capacity.
Limited Processing Power – Many of the online games provided over the wap internet require faster processing powers and memory levels. There is no use having a faster wap/wifi connection if the processor cannot keep up. This also means there is no point in packaging games for mobile devices that are heavy on the processor as the user will encounter heavy lagging during game play. Due to the release of Intel’s PXA250 and PXA210 chip, mobile phones and PDA’s have been able to recently handle delivery of media at higher speeds and better quality. Although there is still a long way to go, I think this is a step forward to better processing speeds.
Different technologies and Standards – Until a few years ago, vendors competed to providing mobile games/devices without adhering to any particular standards. It has since changed (for many) as they have realised that it is in their particular interest to cooperate and use open standard technology. Doing so will open the door to players (and cross platform synchronisation) as well as more collaborations. A good example of this can be of when Nokia and Siemens Information and Communications Mobile announced in May 2002 that they had agreed on a framework of collaboration to create and drive the implementation of mobile terminal software based on open standards.
Small Keyboard and Input Method – Most mobile phone devices only have a numeric keyboard and a small number of curser keys. This limits their usage and makes it more difficult for users to navigate their way around certain services and pages with large content. As of yet, only a handful of devices have managed to successfully work around this by implementing touch screen/stylus functionality. I have also witnessed some voice activated input services, but they still required further refinements to function reasonably.
Screen Size and Colour – As screen resolution continues to improve (and monotonous screens become a thing of the past), screen sizes are likely to remain a controversial topic. Mobile phones can’t have screens being too big as nobody really wants to carry a brick (remember the N Gage?), and every other handheld device with a reasonable screen size gets released will have flaws either with the screen clarity, resolution, colour depth, etc. I believe once the electronic paper innovation becomes commercialised, handheld devices will become revolutionised. It will allow the paper (screen) to be rolled open or closed to what ever size the user requires while retaining the image clarity.
Simplicity of GUI’s – When you are on the move, you cannot afford to read instructions or manuals when you need to get a job done in short time. The ability to access the application and data within, literally, a few keystrokes is really important, especially while the user is on the move. The user interface needs to be friendly and welcoming, which brings us back to the memory/processor constraints.
Battery Consumption – Battery life is important for the mobility and portability of mobile devices. On processor/memory heavy games, the battery drains very fast, this becomes a fast problem when user are out on the move with no place to charge their devices from (the purpose of it becomes redundant then, doesn’t it?). There is an ongoing effort to reduce the consumption of power and increase the battery life for mobile devices, and although they have the fuel cell technology, it is yet too expensive to be implemented while retaining the price within an acceptable band.
Stability and Connectivity – For many users who access their content online, connectivity is very important. In order to maintain connectivity and dropout, mobile devices must have the ability to save and minimize the loss of data when connection is lost.
Voice Recognition – While stylus based interaction on a touch screen has replaced the mouse, voice based interaction could be the future to replace the stylus. At the moment, it is used for dialling numbers and calling up certain applications, this is after a much needed voice training session – and even then those with accents may require further refinements. I don’t know how sure I am that this will be able to cross over from simple command executions to character commands within a game play scenario.
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