Desktop v Mobile - The Online Casino Experience - Android

Online casino gaming is now a well-established industry turning over hundreds of billions of pounds worldwide each year. But with more and more of us now using mobiles for a range of everyday activities, how does the gaming experience differ between desktop PCs and mobile? It turns out that game developers have, in recent years, ...

The post Desktop v Mobile: The Online Casino Experience first appeared on Phandroid.

Online casino gaming is now a well-established industry turning over hundreds of billions of pounds worldwide each year. But with more and more of us now using mobiles for a range of everyday activities, how does the gaming experience differ between desktop PCs and mobile?

It turns out that game developers have, in recent years, been keen on capturing the mobile market and creating high quality experiences across a range of screen sizes. Leading developers such as NetEnt, Microgaming, and Evolution Gaming along with many more have been able to adapt their products to deliver experiences that are every bit as slick on mobiles as they are on traditional PCs.

Display Size

When comparing the gaming experience on mobile and the gaming experience on desktop PCs, screen size plays an important part. Desktop players clearly have an advantage here, with average monitor sizes ranging from about 20-30 inches. 

With average phone screen sizes of 6 inches, graphics and visuals must all be condensed down. However, although mobile phone screens are a lot smaller than regular computer monitors, they are starting to get bigger every year. The upcoming iPhone 13 is rumored to include devices with a variety of different screen sizes: 5.4”, 6.1”, and 6.7”. Although mobile resolution has drastically increased in recent years, desktop monitors often have far higher Pixel counts. 

Optimization

Seamless adaptations of web-based casino games to mobile are the new standard. Developers have been keen on creating mobile versions with fast loading times, which is important since most mobile users will lose interest if the game takes longer than a few seconds to load. It’s also worth considering that bandwidth requirements may differ from mobile to desktop. Mobile gaming whilst on the go can use up mobile data, and in some areas may be slower than a high-speed internet connection.

User Experience

Another obvious difference between mobile and desktop casino gaming is the user experience. Along with optimization, games must look and feel great no matter which device is being used. Mobile games should have all of the relevant features and options for players seeking a mobile gaming experience. App developers are now making mobile versions with streamlined UI so that there are less issues today than they were a number of years ago. While mobile games of the past might not have had a great user experience, things are fast improving in the app developer industry. First impressions are often 94% design-related, so it’s important that an app is well designed as the first thing a user sees on an app is the interface.

Accessibility & Convenience

Inputs vary widely from mobile to desktop, with the former being essentially limited to touchscreens and the limitations that come along with it. A great mobile casino game will be both responsive and precise to your fingertips, without cause for ‘misclicks’ (or mis-taps, in this case). 

This isn’t a problem for desktop gamers, who have the benefits of mouse and keyboard control. Hovering with the mouse, typing in bet amounts with the keyboard, and the accuracy of a mouse click, are second nature to most of us so there’s little room for error compared to using our fingers. 

In all, the desktop can be better in terms of input, but mobile games are increasingly using more precise and fine-tuned touchscreen inputs and a streamlined UI to make the experience feel more natural.

Add to this the fact that mobile games can be played from almost any location, and their ease of accessibility increases significantly. Whether at home, or while out and about, the portability of mobile devices is one of their key benefits and something that helps to give mobile gaming a level of convenience that desktop gaming could never match.

So which is the best for casino gaming?

As there are pros and cons of both desktop and mobile gaming, many online casino operators have evolved to use both mobile and desktop websites, and mobile apps together. With millions of adults using their phones every day, having slot games and sports betting options available for players to access on their mobiles can help to deliver a high-quality experience and enable operators to reach a wider audience. For example, all of the online games to play at LeoVegas can be played either online or on their app, which offers video slots as well as live casino gaming and access to sports betting markets. 

Desktop PC casino gaming still provides a sizable share of ROI for developers and casinos alike, so new games will for the foreseeable future need to deliver the same high-quality experiences for desktop and mobile. But it’s worth operators noting that mobile gaming is fast becoming the preferred choice amongst players.

In recent news, a new paper has shown that mobile gaming has ‘skyrocketed’ during lockdown, as 53% of people spent more time playing games on their smartphones compared to the previous year. Data shows that some of the most popular mobile games to play in the UK are puzzles, word-based games, and strategy games. 

With two of the biggest app stores, Google Play and App Store (iOS), opening over 10 years ago in 2008, there have been some significant advances in the time since. Mobile data speeds, the processing power of devices and the resolution of screens have all improved. On top of which, today’s adult consumer now relies on their mobile for a range of lifestyle and entertainment purposes. Although mobile gaming is relatively new in comparison to more traditional desktop-based gaming, it’s gathering a lot of attention and plenty of new gamers for a few notable reasons, such as convenience, accessibility and portability. 

The post Desktop v Mobile: The Online Casino Experience first appeared on Phandroid.