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Mobile vs Desktop Gaming

19th October 2020 Print
desktop v mobile

Online gaming has seen a huge increase in the last 15 years, with more people than ever getting online to play video games, place sports bets, or play online casino slots like those at www.novibet.co.uk/casino/slots. The thing that has developed massively in this time is mobile gaming, but which is best – desktop gaming or mobile gaming? We’ll take a look at the pros and cons of each.

Desktop gaming

One of the biggest benefits of desktop gaming is that the graphics are far superior to any other platform out there. This is particularly useful when playing video games online, like the hugely successful Fortnite, PUBG and Warzone battle royale games. It also enhances the quality of your gameplay, as it’s well known the advantage mouse and keyboard players have over traditional console players on these cross-platform battle royale games.

Desktop gaming also enables gamers to change their set up, so they can run their game via desktop for better performance, but plug in their console remote rather than having to play with mouse and keyboard, which some people struggle with. If online casinos are your thing, playing via desktop gives the user the option to run multiple games at the same time. For example, you could be in the middle of a tense game of Texas Hold’Em with another nine people in one window, but be playing three different slots games in three other windows at the same time.

Another huge benefit of desktop gaming is the memory available to gamers, which is streets ahead of any other platforms like console and mobile. This allows players to download and store a wide variety of games, without it having a negative impact on their desktop’s performance. While there are options to expand memory on consoles and mobiles, this comes at an additional cost.

There aren’t many negatives to desktop gaming, but the biggest is probably the cost associated with having a top of the range gaming computer. At the very top of the scale, gamers could be forking out thousands for a computer with enough hardware to cope with the level of gaming that they’re looking to take on. Even at the bottom of the scale, the cheapest set ups for desktop gaming will usually still come in at more of a cost than that of console or mobile.

Mobile gaming

Mobile gaming is massively on the rise. One of the main things that is seeing people abandon desktop gaming in favour of mobile gaming is the amount of people who run hacks and mods on games like Warzone when playing on a PC. This isn’t possible on mobile devices and it’s one of the key drivers in its stratospheric rise in popularity. Another is the low cost, both for the mobile device and the game you’re looking to play. Nowadays, it’s possible to get one of the latest, highest performing mobile phones on an affordable monthly plan. Add to that the fact that games on mobile devices will never really cost more than a few pounds, and suddenly it’s easy to see why it’s becoming so popular.

Another great benefit of mobile gaming is the convenience of it. With desktop gaming, you are required to be at your desktop PC or laptop and need a stable Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection for it to work to the best of its ability. Mobile games are optimised for mobile devices and online mobile games are optimised to work using mobile internet (3G, 4G & 5G), meaning you can take your gaming on the move. Mobile gaming is ideal for people who find themselves regularly commuting and/or travelling, or those who simply cannot afford a big, expensive PC to play online.

The main negative of mobile gaming is probably the fact that the graphics quality is nowhere near that of its desktop rival. Although games are optimised for mobile, the small screen only allows for a certain level of crispness, which is also dictated by the quality of the mobile device itself. This results in many people not being able to play certain games, because the mobile device that they own is not compatible with the game that they want to download.

Another downside to mobile gaming is battery usage. Playing a game on your mobile for a few hours, especially a game that also requires an internet connection, will drain your mobile battery. This results in people having to purchase further accessories, such as battery packs, to ensure they don’t lose power while gaming on the move. The only other alternative would be to play on the device while it’s plugged into the mains, which means you then lose your ability to game on the move.

The verdict

Despite its growing popularity, mobile gaming has a long way to go if it is ever going to challenge desktop gaming. The massive difference in graphics and performance quality between the two platforms is one that is not going to be reduced in the coming years, as desktops continue to offer the very pinnacle of online gaming. Mobile gaming can be a great pass time when you’re on the move, but for those who take their gaming seriously, it’s desktop all the way. 

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desktop v mobile