Are Smartwatches the Future of Gaming?

If you’re old enough, you’ll remember the days when digital watches were state-of-the-art and you would have fun going through the different options, such as the various alarms. Back then, no one could have imagined just how far the humble wristwatch would come. 

Modern smartwatches actually resemble smartphones more than wristwatches. They typically provide a local touchscreen interface and an associated app provides the telemetry management. Early models of smartwatches could do tasks like calculations and translations.

Today’s smartwatch functionalities are closer to smartphones in that they include mobile apps and a mobile operating system, as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Some smartphones also work as portable media players. In recent years, games have been released for smartwatches. While playing games on a watch has not yet caught the gaming world’s imagination to become a dominant form of gaming, and many continue to say smartwatch games will never take off in a big way, there are actually various signs that smartwatches could contribute to the future of gaming. 

The Best Smartwatches on the Market

Some of the best smartwatches on the market at the moment come from China and Japan. Indeed, the very first smartwatch regarded as capturing the full capability of a smartphone was launched by the Chinese company Omate. TrueSmart was released in 2014 after a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign. In fact, the Kickstarter campaign raised over $1 million, making it the fifth most successful Kickstarter campaign so far. Today, Japanese smartwatches are leading the way. Models like the Suunto Traverse Alpha and the New Amazfit T-rex Trex Pro T Rex are some of the best on the market. However, many smartwatches are still not compatible with gaming. But in years to come, it looks likely that all sorts of games could be available. You may even be able to play ライブブラックジャック (live blackjack) on a Japanese smartwatch in the future.

When it comes to smartwatches that are perfect for gaming, they are still very few and far in between. But the best is the Gameband, which claims to be the world’s most powerful smartwatch. It has a built-in upgradeable MicroSD drive and is specifically designed for gaming with retro gaming design and content. The Gameband is fast, sleek, and also has a powerful battery for extended gaming sessions.

Playing Games on Smartwatches

Industry insiders are quietly saying that smartwatch games are about to take off. But the major concern that gamers have is the lack of a suitable interface and operating system. However, certain games like Infinity Loop, Space War, and Bugdroid Land only require relatively simple requirements for a user interface, so they can be run and played just fine on a smartwatch. While it is true that you can only play certain simplistic games on smartwatches at present, people who used to play Snake on mobile phones of the early 2000s could never have predicted what smartphone gaming would look like today, so you should definitely keep an eye on the advancements being made in gaming for smartwatches. 

Games to Play on Smartwatches

If you’re considering getting a smartwatch, there are actually more games available than you might think. Three great games to give a go are:

• Lifeline 2: Bloodline. In this text-based adventure, you guide a woman called Arika as she attempts to avenge her family.
• Tilt. This is the most innovative motion-controlled smartwatch game around. It’s based on those classic wooden maze toys where you guide a ball to a hole by tilting the device.
• Bubble Shooter. If you’re a fan of the bubble game genre, you’ll love popping bubbles in this simple but beautifully animated game.