Will Smartwatch Casinos Take Off?
Mobile casinos have taken the world by storm, growing at such a rate over the last few years that many are still in disbelief. And, why shouldn’t mobile casinos be popular? They offer exceptional convenience, impressive games, and are so user friendly that virtually anyone can operate the games, without need for a tutorial. But what about smartwatch casinos?
Smartwatches are impressive pieces of technology; of that there is no doubt. They fit on your wrist, give access to many of the applications on your phone, and look extremely fancy. Such a device would be considered science fiction just a few years ago, especially given that smartwatches are voice activated, conjuring images of old Dick Tracy comics. But, do smartwatches fit neatly into the mobile casino scene, improving what is already a winning formula?
Smartwatches and Mobile Gaming
There are a number of mobile casinos that are compatible with smartwatches, allowing games to be played right on your wrist. It’s an impressive display, and one can’t help but marvel at how versatile smartwatches are. It certainly adds a layer of accessibility and convenience. But, does it make a smartwatch an essential part of the mobile casino setup?
The answer is; not really. Although it is undoubtedly impressive that smartwatches function at all with mobile casinos, the system is limited to say the least. A smartwatch is small, offering only a tiny display, and this is what makes a smartwatch useful in the tasks of quickly checking emails and sending messages. But, when displaying a casino game, that small screen becomes a major limitation. Casino games have to be boiled down only to essential information in order to fit onto the screen, and this is anything but optimal.
It simply makes more sense to play the casino game directly on the device the watch is paired with. In other words; why not just take out your phone instead of playing the game on the watch? Sure, there is limited circumstances where playing on the watch is great, such as standing in queue at the bank, but otherwise there is little to no reason to use the watch.
Supported Games
There are currently also only a limited number of games that function on a smartwatch, given that major optimisation is required by developers, in order to make the watch display work. Mobile poker works, allowing cards to be seen, and interacted with, on the watch. but, again given the limitations of the screen size, the game lacks graphical fidelity and flair. Poker is, however, perfectly functional on a smart watch.
A few slot games are also available on smartwatch, again lacking the flair of tier mobile counterparts, but reasonably functional. Keep in mind, however, that only specific types of slot game will work, namely those that only require a single betting line. Given that the phone can only display a single betting line at any given time, slot games that utilise multiple betting lines will simply not work.
User Friendliness
A smartwatch operates, generally, on a single button and a touchscreen display. Although this is not different from a smart phone, the watch display is extremely limited in size, which directly affects the user experience. A larger screen simply means more room for the tip of a finger to interact with. In terms of playing casino games, the overall result is a somewhat restricted method in which to play games.
With such a small display it is possible to unintentionally touch the wrong part of the screen, and so make an incorrect move in the game. In something as vital as a casino game, incorrect selections can mean the difference between winning and losing. The games are designed, of course, to make such situations as rare as possible, but mistakes are still a possibility.
In games such as poker the problem is most pronounced, given that selecting specific cards on the display is constantly required. Slot games are a great deal less complicated, since only tapping the spin button is required, and so the problem is far less noticeable. Either way, with a bit of practice a person can learn to overcome these restrictions.
Conclusion
Anyone owning a smartwatch and wanting to play casino games on it will likely have a good experience, but the idea that mobile casino games will migrate completely over to smartwatches simple doesn’t hold water. Although casino games work on a smartwatch, nothing is added to the experience, but much is taken away in order to make the game playable.
Only boiled down games will operate on the limited screen size, meaning that it is always better to play on a phone. Or, better yet, it is generally the best casino game experience to play on a tablet. A number of casino games are still available on smartwatch, however, and those standing in a long queue wanting to kill time will likely be very grateful for it.