Does wearable technology need more integration to take off?

Smartwatches and headsets have thus far failed to have as big of an impact on the market as smartphones and are still considered to be niche offerings. The mobile devices, though, are indisputably mainstream and are continuing to attract greater numbers of users each year. One huge factor that contributed to the success of smartphones was that they provided the perfect platform for work, social and gaming apps. Now, developers of wearables should aim to integrate all these apps to tap into this highly lucrative market.

How did smartphones become the favoured devices for games?

The smartphone industry emerged around the same time that online games were really beginning to take off. Internet speeds were improving throughout the mid to late 2000s. This led more people to use desktops to access multi-players. With the boom in players, the industry started to get more competitive, which led to constant innovations. Developers desperately sought out new technology to improve and enhance the experience. Smartphones came about at just the right time.

When smartphones first became popular with the second and third generations of Apple’s iPhone in 2008 and 2010, mobile gaming really began to take off. Before these hi-tech devices, the best that mobile phones had to offer had been Nokia’s Snake. Now, players were able to access fun and addictive puzzle games like Angry Birds and Doodle Jump. The underlying commonality of all these games was that they could be picked up and put down at a moment’s notice and served to instantly gratify players.

Sports games fit the bill when it came to the style of game that was rising in popularity on mobile, so developers quickly tapped into the market. During the 2010s, there was a strong correlation between the increase in revenue of both the smartphone and sport industries. In 2021, the smartphone is the device of choice for all of the new onlines casino in the UK, which are available on both mobile and desktop. Indeed, if a site didn’t have mobile gaming capability, experts wouldn’t recommend it. All the review sites are well aware that players are in search of mobile-ready games.

What can smartwatches do to enhance games?

Sales of smartwatches have steadily risen over the last five years, but they haven’t exploded in the same way that smartphones did. From 2016 to 2021, there was an increase in sales of 13 million units in the USA. For the market to receive a greater spike in users, developers need to work out how to appeal to more people. At present, the most common function of the devices is for fitness. But if they can integrate games they could be incredibly more successful.

One of the good things about smartwatches is the way they are integrated with smartphones and can act as an extension to the pocket device. It can alert users to new messages and allow them to reply with voice technology. It can send fitness data to the smartphone which can then provide detailed charts and graphs on the screen.

If this function were used to add extra enjoyment to gaming it could be well received by a much bigger crowd. For instance, players could have another window open on their smartwatch when playing games. The possibilities are endless.

Will VR and AR headsets soon provide immersive experiences?

Virtual and augmented reality headsets are enduring an even slower start than smartwatches and are currently nowhere near the mainstream. However, it is expected that they will boom within the next few years. Indeed, analysts have projected a spike in sales in 2023. This could well be helped by the integration of online games with the technology.

Some developers have already begun looking at options when it comes to AR and VR. VR could be the technology best poised for success, as major game publishers have both been developing products for it.

Judging by the path that smartphones took in becoming mainstream, it is clear that wearables also need to incorporate online gaming capabilities. If developers can think of a good way to integrate games, they could take off in the next few years.

The editorial unit