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Weekend Open Forum: Do you game on your cell phone?

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On November 12, 2010, 8:36 PM

Usually when you think of gaming, a tiny screen and cramped controls aren't the first things that come to mind. But in the last year or so smartphone gaming has really kicked off as they get more capable hardware and developers find creative ways to use touch interfaces. So much indeed that Apple's iOS devices alone have already surpassed the Sony PSP as a gaming platform in the U.S., according to a recent survey, while closing in on the DS.

Sure, you can't compare it to the gaming experience offered by PCs or consoles, but when you're just looking to kill a few minutes, nothing beats the convenience of firing up a 'casual' game on your cell phone. Not to mention that other portable platforms charge around $15 to $40 per game, when Apple's iPhone, Google's Android and other smartphones offer popular titles for $0.99 – some are even free. We're also looking forward to seeing how well Windows Phone 7 devices integrate the Xbox experience.


So our question for you today is: Do you game on your cell phone? Be sure to share the games you enjoy playing and the platform you are running. Lately I've been playing Angry Birds and Cut the Rope on the iPhone – both really addictive – and I also fire up Flight Control or Sudoku from time to time.

User Comments: 83

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  1. zecias said:

    klepto12 said:

    yes i do been playing tons of games on my moto droid that i proudly have OC to 1.2 GHz hehe

    y would u overclock yur phone o.O

    most games are designed not to lag and OC will drain yur battery

    I too play games on my phone. Actually im addicted to Angry birds (pictured above). Also just started playing Legends which is an MMORPG. pretty fun and not too laggy, but it drains battery like none other.

    But i also have my moto droid over clocked. I have a 1.2GHz kernel on it now, but throttle it down to 1GHz/600MHz(idle). I get better battery life than the stock 550MHz, which sounds like im lying, but before this i had to charge my phone every night where as now i can get more than 24 hours out of the battery casually using it. Also, you would think heat would be a factor as well, but im sitting at 28*C idle and i have seen it as high as 43*C under heavy heavy load. My phone benchmarks higher than most phones out even though its a year old. Im very impressed with what people can do on the android platform.

  2. Sure I do, iPhone is great gaming platform. Angry birds is an addiction!

  3. well for my htc legend there is a free gba emulator so I usually play some old gba titles.

  4. I play a bit of Angry Birds, Rush Hour clones, sokoban, papijump and Settlers of Catan on my G1. It unfortanately can't handle Angry Birds well, so I only see half of the textures; the rest is white and I need to guess what's there.

  5. never going to. i don't even use a phone.

  6. my phone is for talk not for games. my PC is for games and maybe talk too.

  7. yeah phone gaming is usually casual. i just play on my phone while killing hours while in mass transportation. when at home i dont use it for gaming at all. id' rather fire up the xbox than having to play in a small screen.

  8. Nope. period. as simple as that

  9. Yes I play Solitaire, Freecell, Sudoku and Bejeweled =)

  10. captaincranky said:

    I dont own a cell phone FTW
    Wow, there's two of us...!

    I was just forced to buy a cell phone last year, for the first time. There'd be three of you if i could stall my girlfriend any longer.

  11. The reason that I purchased an iPhone was so I could play card games and the like during commute to and from school, and don't worry I take the bus so I am not driving and gaming

  12. No I don't, the only handheld gaming I do is with my PSP and that's very rare =/

    It's going to be a WHILE before handheld gaming is as good and easy to play(all genres) as a console or desktop PC =/

  13. I love the nod for Angry Birds. I REALLY love that game. I think I spend half my time on my Droid playing that game.

    Anyone know of a PC version of that game?

  14. about 4 years ago. lots of those java games. splinter cell was my favourite. now i listen to music more or browse the web more than playing games in phone.

  15. I only play papi jump on my droid x. I mostly just surf the web with phone though. I didn't used to game on cell when I used to have a plain cell, but after I got a smartphone, cellphone games became a good time waster. However, I only do cellphone gaming when I am away from my pc.

  16. I've done Sudoku and other basic games on cell phones... But, I'm afraid that until battery efficiency gets much better, the "all in one" concept isn't of much use to me. I'm frequently away from any kind of charging for long periods, and I need my phone to be a phone first and foremost. Convergence is great, but my phone is vital for my work, so I can't change killing it by playing around. If I want gaming, I'll stick to a PSP or even an iPod.

    If I can ever get a unit that will go 10+ hours of solid high performance gaming and/or good quality phone usage without dying, I'll consider changing my routine

  17. yep Sudoko FTW! lol

  18. No. Have to pay for a Net contract (extra $30 a month) on your phone to DL games or to have a smart phone, so no interest from me.

  19. I haven't since my snake on my mom's old nokia

  20. I play some free demos here and there, but only consistent time killer is Dope Wars.

  21. No. Have to pay for a Net contract (extra $30 a month) on your phone to DL games or to have a smart phone, so no interest from me.

    Almost all smart phones support wi-fi/wlan etc. so you can find workarounds to cheaper data connectivity. Good thing I can simply turn on wi-fi as my cell supports direct wi-fi and just do whatever I need to do, without having to pay anything to service provider.

  22. No, I do not game on my cell phone. The phone is simply an inferior gaming platform; the experience simply can't compare with that of my PC or my PS3 console.

  23. No smartphone yet, but I game a hell a lot on my Sony Ericsson w300, tetris, pacman, centipede and all the old school goodies, very small screen "128x160" but it does well on passing time

  24. I do on my new iphone 4

  25. My phone (not a smart one) has only 2 games, and i don't use them...

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