Could mobile gaming be the Apple Watch's trump card?
After browsing the Web, we noticed that developer Robot 5 Studios has a couple of of previews available for its suite of games designed exclusively for Cupertino’s Apple Watch.
First, there’s Berry Quest, a simple app that challenges wristwatch gamers to match up fruit as it falls through the air. Then there’s Blackjack Mini, an application that, as its name suggests, allows users to play a few hands of Blackjack on their Apple Watch. Both indeed look impressive, and a selection of screenshots (along with a couple of videos, both of which are embedded below) can be found at Robot 5 Studios’ website.
The find got us thinking, though: is anyone really going to be bothered about games for the Apple Watch? It’ll be interesting to see how users respond to puzzlers designed for Cupertino’s smartwatch, and at the minute I think there are arguments for and against the impending mass-adoption of “designed for Apple Watch” mobile games.
On the one hand, there’ll be no device more convenient for wasting a few seconds, or minutes, than the Watch. Whether you’re in a queue at the mall, waiting for an appointment, or simply at home, on the couch, in a few months we’ll all be turning to our wrists for entertainment. Though Apple is indeed pitching the Apple Watch as a device for timekeeping and time saving, it’s clear we could all end up using the smartwatch for a significant amount of time wasting, too.
What bothers me, though, is the elephant in the room – the Apple Watch’s battery life. We might have hoped for a smartwatch that could last the night, but the reality of Cupertino’s new Watch is that it’s going to need a daily recharge, whether we like it or not. As such, is anyone going to waste their smartwatch’s precious battery life on gaming when there’s a Twitter feed and email inbox to consider?
Instead, rather than games like those detailed above, I’d like to see Apple Watch apps which work alongside iOS games, offering an extension of the mobile gaming interface which extends to taptic feedback at the wrist, and vital information concerning players’ current progress on the Apple Watch’s screen. This, I think, would be a really interesting move, and would see developers utilize the Watch in a way few of us are expecting.
Berry Quest for Apple Watch.
With more and more Apple Watch games expected to surface, however, the temptation not to catch a couple of rounds of Berry Quest or Blackjack Mini on our smartwatches may be too great to ignore. Though with a battery offering an anticipated few hours of continued use, anything too in-depth is clearly going to prove problematic. Of course, be sure to keep up to day with our sister-site WatchAware for all the latest Apple Watch-related news and analysis.
We’ve embedded trailers for Berry Quest and Blackjack Mini below.
If you can’t see the above video, please click this link.
If you can’t see the above video, please click this link.
See also: IBM continues to boost its MobileFirst for iOS offering with 8 brand new apps, Patent reform: do we need it?, and Holyvent revolutionizes live-streaming with many-to-many broadcasts.
