In 2013, gaming is more advanced and more popular than ever, but it’s not PlayStation Portables or Nintendo DSs we’re playing on – PlayStation Vita, the PSPs anticipated successor has been much less popular than anticipated –  it’s our smartphones!

The appeal of smartphones is that they combine two or more devices into just one; why carry a PDA or a camera when you could just carry a smartphone? The same can be said for gaming.

Here we take a look at the reasons why smartphone gaming as become so popular, as well as highlighting some top picks and new technologies – so try to stay off Angry Birds for five minutes, it’ll be worth it!

High tech features

While an Android or iPhone might not pack as much of a punch as consoles when it comes to hardware power, their high-tech features have become essential enablers of games which otherwise wouldn’t work, location-based activities using GPS tracking for example.

Accessories

Accessories created specifically for, or utilised by, smartphones have vastly increased the capabilities of the mobile gamer. Products like the PowerA Moga – a controller which claims to unleash the gaming power of your Android and create a console-like experience on the go – or the iController which promises to do the same for iPhone, have brought a whole new level to handheld gaming.

Don’t forget your basic accessories either, things can get a little intense when you’re gaming so make sure you invest in a good screen protector, they’re available online at Mobile Madhouse. You wouldn’t want to smash your smartphone now that it’s your essential portal to the gaming world!

Sociability

Smartphone gaming is also becoming increasingly social; Android’s Ingress for example, a hugely popular real-time, alternative-reality gaming app hosts a huge online community, and showcases the capabilities of Android.