With more and more people obtaining mobile devices every day, it’s no surprise that they are looking to get everything they possibly can out of their phones.
Smartphones have become popular choices when getting a mobile device for their wide range of functionality.
One thing many people use these phones for is to play games.
Contract phones such as the Sony Xperia Play are getting a lot of gaming love!
So many people are doing this that it seems smartphones are being used more than dedicated handheld games!
In fact, statistics show that the revenue collected for games on the iPhone as well as Android devices should exceed that of the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP.
Retailers in the U.S. report that 58% of the money spent on portable games is for games on mobile devices.
The Nintendo DS only commands a 36% share with Sony PSP only having 6%.This is a major shift from the previous year where these handheld game devices outsold mobile phone games.
Many point to the popularity of such mobile games as “Angry Birds” for this shift in demand.
Handheld games have long required consumers to spend a large amount for the device.
To add games, they had to pay out significant sums of money. Most game cartridges can retail from £20 to £40.
However, this is different with mobile devices where games are much cheaper. Not only are they cheaper but they are accessed right from one’s phone.
There is no need to visit a store to purchase the game, and no need to worry about finding a store open at certain times or in certain locations. The app store on your phone is open 24/7.
There is still a market for the handheld devices, especially by youngsters not old enough yet for a mobile phone.
However, as more and more teens become owners of smartphones, this is likely to further impact the handheld games market.
