Technology developed so fast it can be hard to keep up. At one stage, we could play games on desktops, PCs and consoles, and yet now we have full access to mobile devices with browsers and apps.
The question of which is better: mobile browsers, or an app is something many of us think about but never really find the answer. Apps are top-rated, and there is an app for most things these days, from shopping to banking, listening to music and playing games.
So, let’s have a closer look at the two technologies and see which is better for gaming.
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Mobile Gaming
There is little doubt that mobile gaming is the more flexible option, so it easily outranks accessing games via PCs and desktops these days. Of course, one of the reasons for that is that you can play your games wherever you go, irrespective of whether you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network or using 4/5G.
Over 60% of gamers who play online games use tablets or mobile phones and being out and about, commuting to and from work, on the buses or trains, is a perfect time to play games to entertain yourself. This means that game developers work hard to meet the needs of these customers by optimising everything they do to work on the smaller mobile phone browser.
Many have also decided that apps are a great option and allow direct access to your favorite games in an environment specifically tailored for these mobile devices. There is going to be some element of a personal choice. Some people will prefer to use their browser, whereas others prefer to download and play from apps.
Dedicated Gaming
Using a mobile phone browser or tablet browser means you have to navigate to the site, sign in, find the game and start playing. The convenience of a mobile app means you tap on the app to activate it, and the game you have chosen is going to launch right in front of you.
You will still need to sign in, but it is a quicker and more dedicated process. Also, if, like many people, you have a habit of opening up a new browser window every single time you access the Internet, your handset will eventually slow down. It also means you can lose track of which window you’re playing in and end up with several open or doing the same thing.
Apps are dedicated to their single purpose, yet only 20 to 30% of casino gamblers use apps. Perhaps it has been a little slower to roll out in that industry because, generally, mobile gamers have realised how valuable apps are. The app stores both from Apple and Google play see massive amounts of games downloaded every day.
Browser Nuances
Another thing we have found with browser games is that you can come up against small nuances in functionality when going through the Internet in that manner. As already mentioned, apps are dedicated to providing the game and therefore explicitly optimised for your device.
App developers tend to be specialists in bringing together the right technology for Android or iOS devices. Consequently, it is easier for them to ensure full functionality for every specific device you might come across that uses that technology. While game development is optimised as best as possible for browsers, sometimes your device may not be the most suitable.
This is because there are many more complexities when it comes to screen sizes and operating systems. When you play via a mobile browser, there is a definite requirement to have access to the Internet at all times. If you have a dedicated app, you will find you can still play the game offline without Internet access in many cases.
It may change your progress or limit the features you can get to, but it is a helpful trick. For many people, this is quite a slight advantage, and by having the app and the Internet browser, you could chop and change to suit yourself.
Programming Languages
Apps also give access to the device entirely, so the graphics processor and the central processor aren’t dedicated to your mobile browser because they can’t see what you’re doing inside that window.
Whereas if you have the app, it has been specifically designed to pull the best power. Finally, there is a difference in programming language behind all games. Online games generally use HTML5, which is relatively easy for the programmers, and by ditching Flash, it bought mobile browsing more functionality.
Android and iOS use their specific languages, which have been built for apps and therefore do offer something a little bit better, in our opinion. If you are stuck between browser gaming and app gaming, why not download the same game in both and see which works best.
