One Winner In Mobile Versus Console Gaming

Growing up, I was a console gamer like I am today, though I did own a few handheld systems and played PC games too. But there was a stretch of years when I only played mobile games on smartphones or tablets. Reminiscing of some enjoyable touch-based titles, I sometimes wonder why I don’t play mobile games anymore, especially now with better games and greater devices to play them.

Mobile gaming

The current mobile gaming landscape, particularly on Apple devices, has several great reasons to be a mobile gamer. Great games? Check. Great hardware? Check. Great ecosystem? Check.

Great mobile games

The last two great mobile games I really played were Asphalt Legends 9 (arcade racer) and Fantasian (RPG). These were of a higher caliber and complexity than the simple casual games I first played way back on the iPod Touch, like Bejewled and Fruit Ninja. Mobile games on this level are now commonplace.

There are other mobile titles that have had my attention lately. Hello Kitty has a great review score of 4.9 out of 5.0 on the App store and looks like Animal Crossing on Switch. There’s also the pixel-art life/farm sim, Stardew Valley+, which has been a hit on other systems.

Great mobile hardware

Apple’s latest iPhone sports a new chip it calls the A17 Pro, which supports hardware raytracing - in a phone. That almost doesn’t compute in my brain. In the recent annual iPhone keynote, Apple played up the chip’s gaming prowess and had me thinking, “Why do I play games on Switch?” The A17 Pro will also soon play console titles ported to it, like Resident Evil 4.

Let that sink in: console games on a mobile phone. Gone are the days of playing Snake on a Nokia. We’re talking about actual console games, not “console-like.”

On my iPad Air 5 with the M1 chip’s 8 GPU cores, I can run Minecraft at high settings and play it with (besides touch controls) either the Switch’s Joycons or with a mouse and keyboard.

Today’s smartphones and tablets can play console-level games with ease, and it only gets better every year.

Great mobile ecosystem

Some potential major strikes against mobile gaming would be things like gacha mechanics, in-app purchases, in-game ads (a terrible user experience), or just low-quality games. But Apple Arcade eliminates such problems, delivering high-quality, tried and tested, ad-free games.

With all that greatness, why wouldn’t I be a mobile gamer today?

Console gaming

As great as mobile gaming is, if you’re really into gaming, then console (and PC) generally offers more horsepower, bigger triple-A titles, and a better overall experience with physical controls. So if I must choose between mobile and console, I pick the latter.

Limited resources

I can’t really be both a console and a mobile gamer because I lack the resources. Simply put, there’s not enough time to play all the games I’d like to on both mobile and console. Ideally, I’d play the best games no matter what kind they are. But my headspace is filled with my favorite console, Switch, on the platform I grew up gaming on, Nintendo.

Nintendo exclusives

Why is Nintendo my fave? Because, as the saying goes, “Software sells hardware.” I buy Nintendo consoles (and sometimes handhelds) because of the signature franchises: Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokémon, Animal Crossing, and Xenoblade.

The Switch

Then there’s the Switch. It’s not just a console but is a handheld too, so you can also play on-the-go like mobile. The form factor is a critical and commercial success despite its graphical hardware being underpowered compared to Xbox and PlayStation. And while touch-controls on mobile gaming devices are innovative, nothing beats the tactile feedback of physical joysticks and buttons.

Minimal Gaming

Whenever it comes to minimizing something, the goal is to maximize something else instead. One does not minimize for the sake of minimalism itself. Rather, one seeks less of “that” to have more of “this.” For example: less clutter = more clarity.

Living a more simple life, practicing digital minimalism in a way, is very attractive to me. So I often consider the ideal of not owning any game consoles - what?! Yes, you read that right. Consoles do only one thing: play games. But my mobile devices (smartphone and tablet) are great at doing many things, which includes playing great games. Why own both types of systems when one is enough? What is “enough?”

I could (once again) not own a game console and only play games on my computers (phone, tablet, PC); I’ll always own at least a smartphone and a computer of some kind. Time and money spent on dedicated game machines could instead go into buying better computers (upgrades!) and more mobile games too.

This kind of minimal logic is good. But when I see a new Zelda console title, logic gets outplayed. Touché!

The Winner

The one winner in the mobile versus console gaming battle is…the gamer. You and I have great options and can choose: mobile, console, or both! Whatever you have the time and money for, you can do it. Ideally, you would play the best game regardless of platform, system, developer, or publisher. But even living within resource constraints, you can still have fun in video gaming thanks to the many options we have.