Everyone uses their smart device in a way that is personal to them. To some they’re an office on the go, to others a mobile photo and video editing system. However you choose to make use of technology, it’s clear more of us than ever before are using it as a source of entertainment.
Specifically, gaming has been one of the biggest growth markets in the world of mobile technology. 2.2 billion people choose to play games on their mobile devices, which is roughly 28% of the world’s population.
But with these devices designed to be able to do so much, there are some steps you can take to optimise your laptop, tablet or smartphone to get them truly gaming ready.
- Firstly, you should always check for system updates to your device. Apple has a highly integrated updating system that requires only a few taps or clicks of the mouse. On Macs, click on the Apple symbol in the top left of the screen, navigate to System Preferences and then choose Software Update. iPhone users can update their operating system from General Settings.
It is true that the performance of older models may be deliberately slowed on upgrading to prolong the life of the device, Apple admitted in 2017. You may wish to do some research into your specific configuration and what software version you plan on upgrading to, to see if other users have experienced problems.
- On top of your operating system, one of the benefits of living in a connected world is that Apps receive regular updates from their developers to iron out bugs and improve performance. You can update your apps from within the App Store on mobile and laptop devices. Check if your settings allow automatic app updates because when these are running in the background they can hinder performance.
- If you’re an online gamer, pausing to take a call may not be an option. If you’re playing casino games you don’t want to be disturbed by notifications appearing on your screen at a crucial moment. To combat this make sure you’ve got Do Not Disturb activated from your settings or from the Control Center—accessed by swiping up from the bottom of any screen. This process can be automated from within the Automation app.
- Guided Access is a feature of iOS that limits the use of the phone to the current app. It also restricts distractions caused by accidental gestures which can be a significant source of game rage. Guided Access is available in the Accessibility settings.
Some games can be particularly taxing on the hardware of your phone, including the battery while others are a breeze for your device to run. To get the best out of your gaming experience, you’ll probably want to have your screen brightness set to maximum but bear in mind this will drain the battery faster. One option is to game while charging but the cable can get in the way of how it is comfortable to hold your phone.
- Access the App Switcher by double clicking the home button if you have one or swiping up from the bottom of the screen to halfway if you have an iPhone more recent than the 8. You can close apps which are running in the background by swiping up on each app from this screen.
On a Macbook make sure you quit all other applications—all open applications will have a dot next to their icon on the dock.
If your machine has been sluggish lately you can also check the Activity Monitor (from within the Applications folder or from the Go menu in Finder) for processes that are taking up excessive amounts of CPU power. This can be a useful tool and starting point to troubleshooting performance problems.
- If your Macbook is a model that has the potential to have memory or hard disk replaced, the best way to improve performance is often to max out the RAM or upgrade to a solid state drive (if you currently have a hard disk drive).
- Many games can be customised to run optimally on devices of differing power. Reduce graphics and demands of games from within their settings for better performance.
- Reduce the clutter on your device by making space on the hard drive. Computers work better if there is at least 15% of the hard disk available so delete those apps you haven’t used in over a year. Videos, especially HD ones can take up large amounts of storage space so navigating to your videos folder and having a clear out from there will help.
Under General Settings and Storage, your iPhone will order apps by how much space they are using to make it easier to delete the bulkiest offenders.
- If you’ve ever got frustrated at trying to control a game using a sometimes minute touch screen with no haptic feedback, you’ll be pleased to know several proprietary controllers are available. The Razer Kishi is a Nintendo Switch style controller that attaches to each end of your iPhone.
- Similarly, if the screen real estate is just too small for you to feel immersed in your game, try mirroring your phone’s display onto your Apple TV or AirPlay enabled monitor to really upgrade your experience. Choose Screen Mirroring for the Control Center to get started.
Depending on your gaming preference, some devices are better suited than others. But no matter what technology you have access to, you can now enjoy a huge range of titles to keep you entertained for hours!