Are Android Gamers Making the Jump to iPhone 5?

MasonicGamer.com: Mobile gaming has come so far in such a short space of time, and much of this is thanks to the iPhone. Between it’s relatively-small number of hardware configurations and heavily-monitored App Store, it’s a far more attractive proposition for developers than the Wild West landscape of the Android Marketplace (sorry, Google Play). This fact is clear when you look at the number of exclusive games that iPhone owners have access to. Android, on the other hand, is lucky to get a few late ports of iOS hits, if it even gets them at all.

I’ve been reading a lot this week about Super Hexagon, the ultra-tough, ultra-addictive sequel to a popular flash game. It looks awesome, but I have no way of playing it. This sort of thing happens a lot; I hear an announcement for a cool mobile title, but quickly find out there’s no mention of Android. Either that, or it’s for Tegra 3 devices only, a chipset my Galaxy Nexus doesn’t possess. The point is, the iPhone has a great selectio...

[SilentNegotiator]

Any more than before? I doubt it.

[thorstein]

I am a droid gamer. And my answer is a resounding No.

[ProjectVulcan]

Galaxy S3 here, Iphone 5 would be an overpriced downgrade....

[gaffyh]

I've seen a lot of people saying "buy an S3" instead of iPhone 5, but does it really offer the exact same experience? I'm talking about in every way, and I'm 100% sure it doesn't. I'm not defending the iPhone 5, it is ridiculously overpriced imo, but some things need to be said.

1. Android in general kinda sucks, Jelly Bean is good on the Nexus 7 because it uses stock Android, but I've heard from reliable reviewers that they would choose a HTC One X over Galaxy S3, simply because they hate Touch Wiz.

2. iTunes has one of the most simplest, and best backup/restore features available for phones. People will easily be able to upgrade to an iPhone 5 with minimal fuss. (This is actually what is keeping me tied to iPhone, even though I have a iPhone 3G only).

3. App store, and this is the big one. Apple's App Store is by far the best available on smartphones. No denying it. And it will have continued and sustained support because the knowledge that developers have about iOS devices, which are limited in number compared to Android or WP, which have a wide range of specifications.

4. Does Android have the same response as iOS? Is it as stable? These are genuine questions I personally have, because from using BB recently, it errors out a HELL OF A LOT more than iOS.

Also, how can people compare an iPhone with a Galaxy Note??? The iPhone is still a phone, Galaxy Note is going into phablet territory, as in it is much bigger than it needs to be, and it caters to a much more niche audience.

Somebody please explain to me WHY a Galaxy S3 is better? Especially if you don't hack either device, because the truth is, a lot of people don't give a crap about hacking. I jailbroke my iPhone 3G years ago, and decided to go back to stock a few months later. It's just too unstable.

[da_2pacalypse]

Not sure what is so impressive about iphone5.... It's overpriced and nowhere as good as the top phones on the market (specially when it finally gets released).

PS. What is an android gamer? I'm a gamer, and I have an android (and I play emulators and other games on my phone).... but I don't consider myself an android gamer :/ lol

[lilbrat23]

Im super happy with me S3 and never liked apple so Nope.

[ddurand1]

@ gaffy

its simple.

if you want a smartphone to check your facebook, send text messages, call some people and check your email, the iphone is probably easiest for you.

if you want a phone where EVERYTHING, literally, EVERYTHING on the phone is customizable, you get better features, you can hack and play with custom software, theme, change icons, etc then you should go with android. Its an open system that is great for people that know how to use it.

youre ignorance on this subject is extraordinary.

[thorstein]

Why is Android better?

1) It is open. I don't need to go through Apple Certification to get my app to market.
2) The iPhone 5 is essentially what Droid phones were doing 2 years ago. To quote Jean-Louis Gassee, “Apple haven’t invented anything,”
3) While the APP store has the best set up, there is denying it is the best simply for the reason that Droid is open and that everything is closed on Apples app store is its greatest disadvantage.
4) Droid is very stable. I don't know what your BB is doing that makes it crash so often.
Jailbreaking... if iOS was so superior, then why would people jailbreak them even though it makes them unstable? You contradicted your own argument there.

But stock OS's unhacked are the number one reason why droid is better. Apple has sucked you into its business model vortex where you are now stuck with only apple products from here on out. Everything you bought off the apple store cannot transfer to some future OS that apple doesn't own. Why? You bought it and you own it.. or does Apple? Which would make me wonder why you paid for it in the first place. I can move everything off my droid to my Windows or Linux machines.

iTunes is by far the worst software. It is a CPU hog on any computer including their own. And the Safari browser is so unsecure that paypal refuses to let you use it to access your paypal account. It is a nice try gaffy but in the end Apple continues to have a superior advertising campaign with inferior, overpriced products.

[iamnsuperman]

@Vulcanproject Galaxy S3 is fine except for one glaring annoyance. It is just too big. At the end of the day it is a phone not a tablet. People look like idiots ringing people on them

[SilentNegotiator]

"I don't need to go through Apple Certification to get my app to market"

And while I understand that from a developer perspective, Apple Certification is still much better than "permissions", which are vague and easily abused, from a consumer perspective.

Don't get me wrong, I'm an Android user and also have considered future projects for mobile devices....but I don't like the permissions system.

"if you want a phone where EVERYTHING, literally, EVERYTHING on the phone is customizable, you get better features, you can hack and play with custom software, theme, change icons, etc then you should go with android. Its an open system that is great for people that know how to use it"
-
So, what's your point....Iphones aren't hackable or customizable? Because the last I checked, they were.

[ProjectVulcan]

You might think you are superman...but I am.

Galaxy S3 is a big phone no question but I am a big guy with big pockets. For you lesser mortals who are small then fine.

But i am 6' 5" and the Galaxy fits my big hands just fine and sits in my massive pockets easily :D

When I mean the Galaxy I mean the milky way of course. The S3 fits in there too

[gaffyh]

@ddurand - But the fact of the matter is, the majority of people, cannot be bothered or don't give a crap about hacking their phone or customizing it in anyway. I know I got a lot of disagrees above, but the point is, the iPhone is simple for the normal user, which is why people buy it.

You can call people ignorant all you want, I know all about rooting Android, but I personally do not have an Android phone, though I do have some experience with them. If I was going to get one, I'd probably go for the HTC One X, but as I said above, it's the incredibly convenient iTunes backup that is keeping me tied to my iPhone. Once it completely dies, I might buy an Android.

AND I'm not saying iPhone 5 is in anyway worth buying, I know it's specifications are very lackluster compared to Android phones, so don't get your panties in a bunch.

[Chris558]

Android gamer? Haha you mean WC gamer

[thorstein]

WC=World Class?

[Chris558]

Here you go

[Pandamobile]

WC gamer?

[edgeofsins]

So washing closet? And it doesn't matter what device it is if I can play it when I take a #2 I will.

[Chris558]

Oh boy i meant you use normally pc or console as gaming device and android and ios only comes up when you are there..

[WrAiTh Sp3cTr3]

Jailbreaking and rooting are the same thing, lol.

[TheModernKamikaze]

Please, I can't afford it.

[BraveToaster]

I can't emulate Super Mario 64 in 720p on an iPhone.

[TheModernKamikaze]

I love playing PS1 and GBA on my Ace. :D

[ChrisW]

I'm actually becoming rather disillusioned with Apple. Not that I was an Apple fan from the beginning, but I bought both the 3GS and the 4S... but with all that Apple has been doing lately, my next smartphone will more than likely NOT be an iPhone.

[Anon1974]

I've heard mobile game developers flat out say they don't bother with developing for Android. They say no one downloads, no one buys, piracy is too much of a concern. We launched our first mobile game, Itzy3d, on both Iphone and Android and I didn't find any of the above statements to be the case so far. We've seen more than twice as many downloads on Android devices than iOS for the Lite and the full version of the game and active users is also way up there.

And on top of that, our first game ran better on Android devices during testing and we don't have Apple arbitrarily adding 8-10 megs to our game. When we first launched we had to severely limit the quality of images and textures in the game to keep under Apple's 20MB over the air cap. It wouldn't have been too much of a concern if Apple didn't slap on so much to the file size with whatever the hell they tack onto each game, but it was a struggle to create a 3d game with such restrictions that weren't in place on the Android devices. Thankfully, Apple raised the cap to 50mb and with a quick update we were apple to improve on the visual and sound quality in game - but man, 20mb for over the air downloads? What were they thinking?

Anyway, we're weeks away from launching our next title and I wouldn't even consider not launching on Android. Not too mention how easy it is to launch and update on Android. We once had to wait 3 weeks to get an update through to the iOS store after it was rejected for some idiotic reason. It took Apple 2 weeks to even respond to our email that our update had been rejected in error, and then their answer was to resubmit the exact same thing and go through the whole review process again. Meanwhile the bug was fixed on the Android version and available for update within half an hour of being brought to our attention.

[claud3]

Does it actually matter if they are. Why the big deal anyways

[FinalomegaS]

no need to jump from Android to the get the IPhone5...

I have the iPhone6S err I mean Galaxy S3 :P

[xGrunty]

What's that my S3 is still miles ahead? Yeah thought so.

[abzdine]

"android gamer" sounds wrong to me..

[jut420]

I don't think I've met anybody who picked their phone based on the providers game market.

[Gamer1982]

Most android gamers are from ios who left because of its closed system. That has still not changed so why would they switch back?

[SnakeCQC]

lol portable gamers are another sub culture of the casual gamer

[Young_ART]

why do people "game" on these things lol.....

[xursz]

Can't wait til my washing machine starts playing blu-rays. :D

All about expanding the market baby.

[iamnsuperman]

Because some of the games are quite interesting a fun. I manage to rack up 8+ hours on a game over a short period of time without noticing. There are some gems and I would recommend checking them out. It is a shame there is a lot of rubbish.

[SilentNegotiator]

Because some people leave their homes and end up in situations where they must wait. And having a phone that plays games well in such situations is nice to have.

[xursz]

Rather have my Vita where I don't have to ware down my phone's battery. I don't mind that people play casually on their phone but its just not for me.

[SilentNegotiator]

I can dig it, bro.

[Indigon]

As long as Apple forces iTunes down your throat: forget it.

[V0LT]

gamer and mobile devices don't belong in the same sentence.

[jjb1981]

Personally, I just went from EVO 4G to the iPhone 5. I already have an android tablet, so this will be my first Apple device. I am excited for the 4GLTE upgrade

[InTheLab]

Are people actually buying phones to game on these days?

As for the other features of phones, Apple...or my own ignorance screwed me over. I dumped every CD I own onto my iPod and got rid of the computer which had all of the files on it. I go to dL and set up iTunes on my new laptop and notice the only music transferred from my iPod is the music I bought over iTunes...that's just fantastic.

So now I have a galaxy player and while it's not compatible with my Yukon's interface, it still offers me freedom to do whatever I want with music I paid for. I can create playlists and delete things right off the player instead of plugging in to iTunes. I can buy a 64g memory card and easily transfer whatever between my PC and Galaxy player instead of buying a newer expensive iPod with more memory. Can't do shit with Apples overpriced garbage...

If iPhones are anything like iPods, I'll pass. Apple is shit.

[NeoTribe]

Andriod gamer..... wow... just wow. Don't ever say that again plz.

[mananimal]

Are andriod gamers jumping to Iphone5?

Answer: HELL NO, are u serious?, lol, as a guy who mistakenly bought into Apple's "Iphone4", i can tell you, I simply regret it. I should have gotten an Android, Samsung's Galaxy 2 & now 3's out.

Lesson learned, Apple is a joke, all the Govt Spy ware programs etc, never again, I cant wait to dump this phone in the nearest sewer hole as soon as I get an Android.

link: http://technews.am/conversa...

[Animal Mutha 76]

I doubt it.

I've been waiting for iAmiga forever and its still not here. My next phone most likely wont be an Apple.

Is there a decent Amiga emulator for Android folks? If there is I'm jumping ship. I want to play Shadow of the Beast on my phone!

[Trekster_Gamer]

Apple is evil, they do promote freedom and make you use there products closed system... I hope Apple fails miserably...