Microsoft to Launch Mobile Game Store in July

Microsoft has announced that it plans to launch its Xbox Mobile Games App Store in 2024, with the aim of providing Xbox titles to players while opening up the gaming market to all. The app store will challenge the dominance of Google and Apple Stores in the gaming market, and will rely on the recently acquired Activision Blizzard title Call of Duty: Mobile and King’s Candy Crush Saga for a healthy gaming experience.

The advantages of having a high-end gaming smartphone compared to a PC, home consoles and headsets are quite predictable: Smartphones cost less and are and have the immediacy of being very easy to use hardware!  On the other hand, it is highly customizable, in the case of Android compared to iOS, and, having significant spending power, it is possible to have hardware that best exploits the potential of the highest performing video games.  Furthermore, smartphones are increasingly becoming small consoles compared to products such as Steam Deck, Nintendoswicht, Rog Ally and Lenovo!  Compared to the latter they have the advantage of immediacy: Just download any title from the PlayStore and beyond and with a simple tap you can get into the fun, all this without using any external accessory (controller and/or joypad) but only the touch of our fingers .  Today a tripleAAA title on mobile allows any player to have fun wherever they want with games of the same technical level as high-performance hardware.  Suffice it to say that gamers play mostly on smartphones, only a small percentage use dedicated consoles or PCs.  It should not be forgotten that those who play on mobile can also be considered a regular player and not just a so-called casual one, this is mainly linked to the performance in terms of fluidity of mid-range and top-of-the-range smartphones without forgetting gaming phones.  It is no coincidence that recent rumors speak of the imminent opening of a mobile store by Microsoft, currently known as the Xbox Mobile Platform for the distribution and optimization of titles on smartphones.  I don't see it as completely unlikely that in a few years, given the latest titles arriving on the PlayStore: "Kingdom: The Blood", "Undawn", "Lost Future", "Assassin's Creed: Codename Jade", Finding City", "Fornite", etc. both tablets and top-of-the-range smartphones can offer the gaming performance of a nextgen or even midgen console. However, smartphones are increasingly becoming options that can be used to play more advanced games: Ray tracing, streaming, multiplayer, etc. Android and iOS they also have a vast library of games that we can easily synchronize our progress across all devices and get shorter rounds lasting 10-30 minutes, excellent if we are walking around and waiting for someone (the PlayStation portal follows the same reasoning but weighs more and it's bulky.) Additionally, many developers are moving their PC, console and headlhed titles to smartphones as they get more performance and power, plus tests show that Steam Deck only gets two to eight hours of gameplay, the Nintendo Switch four hours, Rog Ally one hour, etc.  while a smartphone allows up to 22 hours of video playback if high-end we will probably get less than half that number.  However, one of the obvious advantages that most smartphones have over dedicated gaming devices is fast charging.  Steam Deck doesn't support various fast charging standards, while Nintendo Switch only supports up to 30W. And while smartphone charging speeds vary, popular devices typically charge at 45W or higher, allowing you to charge faster.  Mobile devices are also useful just for games but also for surfing the Internet and watching films, which is not possible with headsets;  it is no coincidence that rumors specify a Nintendo Switch 2 equipped with a camera.  It must also be said that the smartphone cannot beat the handheld game console controller.  Despite the flexibility provided by touch screens, physical buttons and joysticks are still better for aggressive and reactive games but that's not to say… the mechanics have limited longevity compared to the touchscreen.  This is because you can use tactile response (i.e. the feel of the controls) to move around the game.  Plus, additional action icons on the screen enable higher performance with more precise control!  So, is it better to have a mobile phone or a console?  The premise to make is that, for some years, smartphone manufacturers have been releasing extremely powerful products on the market made specifically for mobile gamers, often much more powerful than classic portable consoles.  Giant strides have also been made in the study of peripherals suitable for mobile games.  To draw conclusions, mobile gaming is a phenomenon that really exists and which now represents a backbone of the gaming industry, supported by a vast range of productions of various levels, capable of offering high-quality gaming experiences.  Of course, junk titles exist on smartphones just as they exist on consoles, but it's up to the good player to identify which ones are right for him and which ones are better to avoid.

From putting together Avenger cards in Marvel Snap to learning the joys of needlework in Stitch, these five mobile games provided some of the finest pleasure available right in your pocket. If you have a smartphone or a tablet device charged, you're more than ready to explore the world of mobile gaming, which has risen by leaps and bounds in the previous few years. 2022 has been another significant year for mobile games on iPhone and Android, with creators using the medium to create unique experiences, put new spins on classic genres, and enhance on popular titles with feature-rich updates.