|
|
Wireless Gaming for the Pocket PC
Three years ago, when we first came up with this review idea, the only multiplayer game package for the Pocket PC was the Microsoft Entertainment Pack. Now, there are so many games that we couldn't fit them all into a single page review! We've split them up based on your device's capability and awarded an Editor's Choice award for each wireless protocol. Click on the "Full Review" link in each table to learn more about a specific game. NETWORK GAMES Requirements:
ADDITIONAL FREE MULTIPLAYER NETWORK GAME
If you own the HP iPAQ 545x, you can play a network game free, with PocketTT. Included on the CD-ROM that shipped with the iPAQ, this game could be considered the most ambitious network game to date. Racing against up to 3 of your friends, PocketTT provides incredible 3D graphics and impressive audio to spur you on as you try to harness one of six super bikes over six international speedways. The game even includes a replay mode after the race, so you can brag about your finest moments, or relive a racing nightmare. The game is only available with the iPAQ, so you'll need to coax your friends to buy the same model in order to give them road rash. INFRARED GAMES Requirements:
The Future of Wireless Gaming BLUETOOTH GAMES(?) Requirements:
To be honest, there isn't that much you can really do with Bluetooth... Yet! Although the technology was hyped as the great connector between divergent devices, the reality took far to launch. In August 2000, ZioSoft announced plans to develop a Bluetooth versions of their games, starting with the popular ZioGolf game. Almost 3 years later, there's still no sign of the product and they did not respond to our repeated inquiries about their inability to deliver. To date, the only other publicized Bluetooth game for the Pocket PC is Speedway Jam! This multiplayer racing game will also be multiplatform, with announced availability for the Pocket PC 2002, Smartphone 2002, at least one SmartPhone based upon Windows CE .Net devices and possibly other handheld devices including the System 60 and Ericsson. Depending on the platform, games will be established via TCP/IP, COM (USB/IrDA) and Bluetooth.
The game will feature Arcade and Career modes, more than twenty fully 3-D modeled cars and dozens of racetrack variations. Vehicles can be purchased, upgraded (with quick fixes like nitro or long term upgrades), and sold. In career mode, you can customize and develop a character that suits your style of driving. Players must qualify for licenses to drive touring, sports, racing and formula cars. As a special "easter egg" you will be able to accept and win challenges to unlock secret cars. PLAY-BY-SYNC GAMES In our research for this feature, we have also obtained exclusive information on Lands of Shadowgate a new "Play-by-Sync" game, from Infinite Ventures. The game is a medieval game of capture the castle, where a game is over when you have defeated all the other players or been defeated yourself. You make moves on your Pocket PC, then send them to the game server when you dock your Pocket PC.
In the current beta about to be released, up to four human players can play against each other, but Infinite Ventures hopes to increase the number of players over time. Each turn, a player can move every game character they have created, meaning they can make many moves per sync. The company's goal is that each turn could take up to five or ten minutes. Scores will be posted on the Internet in a variety of ways. Each player will be placed on a scoring ladder based on number of games completed and the style of game played as well as regional rankings by state and country. MORE TO COME... Although this review has shown that wireless gaming is alive and well, things are about to get even better. The release of the Pocket PC Phone Edition and the SmartPhone, ushers Windows CE into a diversity of wireless devices and technologies that is unequaled. Moreover, the Pocket PC's continued strong support of WiFi and Bluetooth combined with the increasing prevalence of wireless Hotspots will make PDAs a more viable platform for wireless gaming. Developers will take
advantage of this family of devices to create a multiplayer game for
Windows CE, that can be played on a cell phone, PDA or a hybrid without
having to port the game to a vastly different operating system. And the
potential is that these new games could create a whole new level of mobile
interaction unmatched by any other handheld platform.
© Copyright 2000-2005, SemperAptus . All rights reserved. Please refer all comments to webmaster@semperaptus.com |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
