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Company Turns Your Android Smartphone Into a Game Console

Posted by samzenpus on from the talk-and-play dept.

MojoKid writes "The time we spend making calls on smartphones pales in comparison to the other activities we use it for, like surfing the web, logging into Facebook, streaming music and video, and of course playing games. It's that latter functionality that a startup called Green Throttle wants to tap into, and given the horsepower of today's smartphones, it makes a lot of sense. The company envisions harnessing the power of today's well-equipped Android smartphones and tablets in order to play console-like games on your HDTV. Right now the concept is limited to select devices — Google Nexus, Samsung Galaxy S II and S III, HTC One X, Kindle Fire HD, and Asus Transformer — though the company says it's adding to the list quickly. The system is fairly simple. You load Green Throttle's Arena app on your compatible device and start gaming using the company's Bluetooth-enabled Atlas controller, which looks a lot like an Xbox 360 controller, then push your phone's HDMI output to an HDTV."

15 of 126 comments (clear)

  1. What is the point? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I can already connect my phone to a TV with HDMI and pair a bluetooth game controller with it. How is this special?

    1. Re:What is the point? by ikaruga · · Score: 2

      slashvertisement?
      Seriously this system brings ZERO advantages to the Android gaming environment. It's not a Steam/PSN/XboxLive like service that brings online features and shopping interfaces tunned up for gamers. Bluetooth controllers are already usable with Android. There are even bluetooth controllers that can emulate touch screen gestures for button incompatible games. And every single decent phone/tablet already has HDMI outputs.

    2. Re:What is the point? by CodeheadUK · · Score: 4, Informative

      Plus, with OUYA just around the corner, there will be no need to fry your phone's GPU and wring out the battery in an hour. There's a cheap box designed for the purpose.

  2. "Sorry mom, can't talk" by MrEricSir · · Score: 4, Funny

    *BOOM* AAAAH!
    "Sorry mom, can't talk I --"
    HEADSHOT
    "-- got to finish this level I'll call you back"
    ULTRAKILL!

    --
    There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
  3. Re:And this is different ... ??? by kav2k · · Score: 2

    Using an original Xbox / PS3 controller requires rooted device, last time I heard.
    However, there are already controllers that can be used with Android without rooting, so this is not new.

  4. OUYA by darkain · · Score: 5, Informative

    $45 for this "Single Controller Pack", or $99 for a dedicated OUYA game console with controller, also runs android, doesn't have to worry about the game being interrupted by a phone call, no worries about frame rate drops due to various background services running, and already has dedicated third party developers (rather than a "developer program"). Yeah, sorry guys, the other team already has my money!

    http://www.ouya.tv/

    1. Re:OUYA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      From the OUYA site:

      "Plus, every game is free — well, free-to-play. We borrowed the free-to-play model from popular games like League of Legends, Team Fortress 2, Triple Town and many others. Developers can offer a free demo with a full-game upgrade, in-game items or powers, or ask you to subscribe. We don’t want you to buy a game unless you love it."

      So... every game will be a demo that's misleadingly called free, and will proceed to nickel-and-dime me to death once I'm hooked on playing it because that's the institutionalized business model? And all this to get graphics that aren't quite as good as my seven year old Xbox 360?

      No thanks. I'll stick with a dedicated console that was designed from day one to be a dedicated console, with occasional kill-some-time gaming on a mobile device when I'm away from home, and have no interest at all in using a dedicated device running outdated hardware on an operating system chosen solely because it was free so I can place the developer's hand right into my wallet.

      OUYA is a non-event too.

    2. Re:OUYA by Stormwatch · · Score: 2

      Every game must have a playable demo, at least; it doesn't have to follow the in-game payment model. And it's no slouch in graphics - see a Tegra 3 showcase. That's not bad for a system set to cost half as much as the X360. But a major difference is that the Ouya will be hackable, legally and without fear of bricking.

      --
      Circumcision is child abuse.
  5. Woah, back up... by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 5, Funny

    Phones are computers now?

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  6. Bluetooth is a standard by bWareiWare.co.uk · · Score: 4, Informative

    Many Android games have native Bluetooth game-pad support, for though that don't you can use something like: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fishstix.gameboard

    You can already get hundreds of far cheaper Bluetooth game-pads, many designed to also mount your phone.

  7. Re:I went and RTFA by Half-pint+HAL · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The "way of connecting a game control to a phone" is called Bluetooth. Your phone has is.

    The HDMI thing isn't a "bonus" -- it's a feature of your phone. And if it's not a feature of your phone, this device isn't going to magically give you it.

    This is "stone soup" sales tactics. Sell you something "magic" that lets you do wonderful things... because you don't know you can already do them....

    --
    Got them moderator blues I blieve I walk out the do', With these mod-points I been gettin', I 'most never post no mo'
  8. PS3 controllers don't require root. by Dr.+Manhattan · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Using an original Xbox / PS3 controller requires rooted device, last time I heard.

    I dunno about Xbox controllers, but my Transformer Prime supports PS3 controllers out of the box, stock, no rooting. Just plug in via USB cable once, turn on Bluetooth, and you're set.

    That's why this "Arena" thing seems so pointless. I've already done this. Hooked my Transformer up to the TV, and played Max Payne and Shadowgun with a PS3 controller. I don't see the value-add.

    --
    PHEM - party like it's 1997-2003!
  9. Re:False Premise by h4rr4r · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What sort of terrible smart phone do you have that sucks at web browsing?

    If you are close enough to an HDTV for this to be useful you would be on wifi, not on 3G/4G. So data plan is of no concern.

    Tetris is available, but so are games that are PS1 and PS2 level quality. In fact many PS2 games have been ported to modern smartphones.

  10. Re:False Premise by h4rr4r · · Score: 2

    GTA3, Vice City, Demolition, Mass Effect infiltrator, The Dark Knight Returns, F18 Carrier ,Air Navy Fighters, Nova, Spectral Souls, General, Carmageddon(ios only so far, but android is scheduled for Q12013).

    These are all PS1 to PS2 level of graphics. There are also PS1 emulators. PS2 emulation will take another few years, as ARM cpus just are not up to that task. Even old Core 2s really don't do that, and ARM is nowhere near that level of performance.

  11. Xbox 360 controllers on my Nexus 7 by tepples · · Score: 2

    Xbox 360 wired controllers appear to work out of the box through a USB OTG adapter on my Nexus 7 tablet. But the directional pad on an Xbox 360 controller is far from the best, which makes it harder to play NES games like Streemerz on it compared to, say, an N64 controller through an Adaptoid.