Are you game lovers getting flustered tapping your touch phone politely while combating villains in your Mortal Kombat smart phone game?

Although the swipe-effect is taking the world by fancy, true-blood gamers miss pounding away on their analog sticks and video game consoles.

“It’s not the same playing wrestling matches on touch screen as it is on video game consoles. On my PlayStation I could press all the buttons and generate special moves. Games on the touch phone are so difficult to play,” said fifteen year old Mohit Shah, who repents pleading his mother to by him a touch phone instead of the latest Play Station.

High resolution graphics, special effects and mesmerising game experience are the unique selling proposition of applications on smartphones.

Gamers are quite thrilled with the touch-experience in games such as Bubble Shooter or traditional Tetris . However, they say it is extremely difficult to play action games like Spiderman, boxing matches etc.

To generate a special move in a game, the user has to swipe his/her finger around the screen. This blocks the view on the screen, making it even more difficult, said gamers,

Gaming companies have realised this and are in the process of developing new gadgets that will help evolve the experience of playing games on smartphones. They are trying to develop accessories that can be purchased separately.

For the gamers’ convenience

Companies based in the US have already started coming up with solutions. They are suggesting the creation of a pair of controllers which can be affixed on the smart phone or connected remotely via Bluetooth to give users an actual game-like experience.

PhoneJoy has developed a wireless Bluetooth gamepad that supports platforms such as Windows, Android and will soon support the Apple operating system. It is compatible with over 100 Android games. This costs about $ 50

iControlPad has launched a Bluetooth game controller which is compatible with the iPhone, Samsung Galaxy S2 and other devices. At present, it is available only in UK and Germany. It has six face buttons and two rear buttons. Many games in the app stores are compatible with this Bluetooth device. It is available for about $ 50 - $ 60.

Black Powder Media has begun fund raising for developing its Bluetooth-powered game controller iMpulse. This controller is so small that it can even be attached to a key chain. It is compatible with tablets as well as smartphones. The gadget will also be able to trigger your phone's camera and media functions. It is expected to be available in February 2013 for about $ 30.

There is another PowerA's Moga Game Controller. The Moga Mobile Gaming Controller has dual analog sticks, shoulder triggers and four action buttons. The largest phones in the market can fit into the controller. It works with Bluetooth enabled Android 2.3+ smartphones and tablets. This game controller costs about $ 50.

High prices and lack of local availability may be a dampener for this product, but analysts expect many more gaming controllers to enter the market in the first half of next year.

priya.s@thehindu.co.in

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