Tag Archives: Android

Train2Game students take note – one third of UK population using smartphones

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One third of people in Great Britain own a smartphones, while gaming is the fastest growing online pastime.

That’s according to a report from Ofcom, which argue confirms something the Train2Game blog has reported on a number of times – that mobile gaming is becoming a huge phenomenon. It’s therefore an area that Train2Game students would be wise to think about pursuing a career in.

And while the Ofcom report states the iPhone, with its easy to use App store, is still the preferred choice of smartphone for many, the Train2Game blog previously reported that Android devices are increasing their share in the market.  Indeed, many Train2Game forum users own Android smartphones themselves.

Interesting, the Blackberry is the most popular smartphone among teenagers.

Meanwhile, the Ofcom report reveals that there’s been a 23% increase in online gaming over the last year, with smartphones likely to have contributed to this too. Online social media games are also becoming more and more popular, with the Train2Game blog reporting that more and more developers are using it as a platform to release games.

Indeed as reported by the Train2Game blog earlier this week, Civilization developer Sid Meier said games ‘will take over the world’ and social media gaming will play a part in this.

“I think now is one of the most exciting times to be a Game Designer” said Meier.

“With the rapid growth of social network games there are new opportunities for smaller indie developers to make and distribute games, so we’re seeing a wider variety of games on all kinds of cool devices than ever before. That’s great for the whole industry.”

And as previously reported by the Train2Game blog, both smartphone and social media gaming, free-to-play could provide a viable model for making revenue from games.

“The guys who are making more money are allowing people – if they like the game – to keep upgrading. And instead of the maximum amount of that money you can make from customer being 99c you can make $5, in some cases $30.” Industry analyst Nicholas Lovell previously told the Train2Game blog.

So with one third of Brits using a smartphone, that’s a huge potential audience for any iPhone games produced by Train2Game students; it could very much be your future.

So Train2Game, do you see developing games for smartphones as a good career path?  Is the potential audience just going to keep growing?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: Develop]

Train2Game E3 news: OnLive brings Triple A to tablets and smartphones

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OnLive tablets

In a mobile gaming development that could very much be of interest to Train2Game students, OnLive has launched an Android and Apple app that brings cloud gaming to the mobile market.

As previously reported by the Train2Game blog, OnLive allows streaming of Triple A titles to computers or other system that wouldn’t be advanced enough to run them. This process is done via running the games on computers on OnLive servers then transferring the visuals to the users monitor via the internet.

The certainly adds something to the mobile gaming market, something Train2Game students will know is fast growing industry.

And OnLive Founder and CEO Steve Perlman belives cloud gaming is the future of the industry.

“The power of the cloud is definitely the theme this week, displacing what had been assumed to be platforms that could never be displaced,” he said as the App was launched at E3.

“The OnLive Player App for iPad and Android shows how with the power of the cloud, the question is not whether cloud gaming will be able to catch up to consoles, it will be whether consoles will be able to catch up to cloud gaming.”

The Onlive App reportedly works with most games already available on the service, and both smartphones and tablets will be able to become advanced gaming devices. A control will also become available to play games in the more ‘traditional’ way.

OnLive is expected to launch in the UK later this year.

Smartphones and tablets aren’t just for playing games anymore, with the Train2Game blog reporting earlier this week that one new app allows game developers to produce games using the iPad.

Regular Train2Game blog readers are also well aware of how valuable developing mobile games can be for an aspiring game developer. Indeed, Train2Game students on work placement at DR Studios helped develop newly releases iPhone and iPad title Bug Wings.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the OnLive app? Can smartphones and tablet computers compete with consoles? Is the future of gaming cloud based?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: PCR-Online]

‘PlayStation Phone’ coming in April

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Train2Game PlayStation Phone blog image

Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play – previously known to Train2Game students as the PlayStation Phone – will be launched in the UK this April.

Mobile phone providers Orange, T-Mobile, O2 and Vodafone all say they’ll be selling the Sony branded phone which is powered by Android. Inside sources quoted by technology blog Pocket Lint point to an April release for the device. PR Manager for Orange UK Conor Maples confirmed the news via Twitter.

“Yes we are due to take the Xperia Play in April” he said.

The Xperia Play features PlayStation branded buttons and is reported to run the PlayStation Suite platform, allowing users to download PSone and Android games.

The PlayStation Suite was revealed last week alongside the NGP, the device formerly known as the PSP2.  The Xperia Play and NGP are separate devices but will both run on Android.

Sony has confirmed the Xperia Play will get an official unveiling, along with full technical details, on Sunday February 13th at 18:00 during the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona.

However, you can check out the ‘PlayStation Phone’ in action in these videos on the Thoughts of Train2Game blog.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the Sony Xperia Play? Are you interested in the device? Will you get one come April? Or are you perfectly happy with your current smartphone, be it an Apple or Android system?

As usual, you can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum. Alternatively, you can leave your comments on the Train2Game Twitter account.

Train2Game, in association with DR Studios and the University of Bedfordshire, will be holding a Game Jam at the end of March. For more information, see the official Train2Game Game Jam website or the Train2Game Game Jam Facebook page. Alternatively, keep an eye on the Train2Game Game Jam Twitter account.

‘Stagnating’ handheld consoles losing market to smartphones

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Angry Birds Android Train2Game blog

Yet more evidence has emerged that shows Train2Game designers, developers and artists would do well to work on mobile games in the future.

A report from market research firm Interpret shows that consumers playing games on their phone has increased dramatically, while gamers appear to be abandoning their DS and PSP devices.

“The proliferation of highly multifunctional smartphones and messaging phones is a very real threat to the dominance by the DS and PSP of the handheld gaming market,” said Interpret research and analysis manager Courtney Johnson

The report, which is based on a survey of 9000 people, says that 43.8% of the phone, Nintendo DS and DS PSP gaming market plays games on phones—a significant 53.2% increase over the past year—while the proportion of those who play on the DS or PSP has fallen by 13%. In fact 27% of people who own both a smart phone and a PSP or Nintendo DS, say that they don’t even use their handheld console anymore, preferring to play games on their smartphones.

The ever increasing library of mobile games for both iPhone and Android means that there’s more and more choice when it comes to choosing a game to play on the go. It also means that there’s a chance that Train2Game students could help develop a mobile game that could eventually fall into the hands of millions of people.

Evidence of this can be seen in a post on the Train2Game blog last month which shows that over three million people have downloaded Cut the Rope from the iPhone App store since it was released at the beginning of October. Of course, the increase in mobile gaming isn’t just limited to the iPhone, with plenty being available for Google’s Android phones.

Google recently revealed Android 2.3 which they say will take mobile gaming to the next level. Interested Train2Game students – especially game developers who’d like to produce games for the OS nicknamed gingerbread – can find out more about Android 2.3 in this post on the Train2Game blog, which comes complete with video.

Gaming giants Nintendo and Sony will be hoping new developments with their handhelds can help them fend off the increasing popularity of mobile gaming.  The Nintendo 3DS is set for release early next year, with a large number of exclusive games being developed in 3D as you can see in this Train2Game blog post from earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Sony will be hoping to attract consumers to the PSP with Square Enix bringing four exclusive games to the handheld console next year. Of course, if you’ve read the Thoughts of Train2Game blog recently, you’ll know that there are increasing rumours of a PlayStation phone which could encourage PlayStation fans to ditch their iPhones.

Any Train2Game students interested in the full report can see it here.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the increasing number of people playing games on their smartphones? Is it really that big a threat to the PSP and the Nintendo DS? What systems do you use for handheld games?

As usual, you can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Android 2.3 ‘optimised for game development’

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Android 2.3

Google has revealed how its latest smartphone operating system, Android 2.3 , has been optimised for game development. It’s therefore something that many Train2Game students – who will be looking to develop mobile games in future – will be interested in.

The new Android OS, nicknamed Gingerbread, has been produced with “optimised tools and performance for game development.” Explaining the new features Android Technical Lead David Turner said:

“In Android 2.3 we’re taking gaming to the next level. Game developers always want the best performance so we’ve given them what they’ve asked for in Android 2.3”

New features that Train2Game game developers will be interested in include Concurrent Garbage Collection, which minimises application pauses, smoothes animations and provides increased responsiveness.

Turner also said that the new OS has received tweaked input processing which lowers CPU processing and therefore allows game developers to produce higher performing games for smartphones running the OS.

Google has also “broadened the native APIs exposed by the platform, meaning developers now have direct access to audio, input and sensor events, assets and the OpenGL ES API” according to the Technical Lead in the video.

Android 2.3 will launch with the Samsung Galaxy S in 2011 and it’s rumoured to be the operating system of the rumoured PlayStation Phone.  (If you check out the Thoughts of Train2Game blog, you can see videos that show the PlayStation phone in action.

Train2Game students can see the new features of Android 2.3, and how it could benefit game development, in the video below.


Train2Game students will no doubt be extremely aware of how important games on smartphones are becoming and how developing a great one can provide massive success for even a small team of game developers. Last month we reported on the Train2Game blog that game Cut the Rope has been downloaded from the App store over three million times, which has most likely brought developers Zeptolab a healthy little income.

Meanwhile earlier today, it was revealed that iPhone game Game Dev Story has been named one of the biggest gaming surprises of 2010. You can join in the discussion about your top surprise games of the year on the Train2Game forum.

If any Train2Game blog readers want more of an indication of how important the mobile gaming market is becoming to game developers, check out the Train2Game interview with games industry consultant Nicholas Lovell.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the new Android operating system? Could it tempt you away from an iPhone? And do you see yourself using the skills you’ve developed with Train2Game to make games for the Google smartphone OS?

As usual, you can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.