games

Apple's upcoming iPhone 5S will pack a lot of power under the hood, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it will drive huge strides in the mobile gaming market. Mobile gaming is changing, but the iPhone 5S may not do much to advance the process

iPhone 5S Gaming

The iPhone 5S is the first smartphone to sport a 64-bit processor chip, the A7, which will allow it to run programs much faster and with much higher graphical fidelity. Without getting into too many specifics, the iPhone 5S' ability to run a 64-bit operating system instead of the traditional 32-bit iOS will allow developers to create more complex software that can perform many more simultaneous processes.

Although the A7 chip will allow game developers to create more sophisticated titles, there's little to indicate that they will actually do so."[The 5S] doesn't mean too much in the way of the advancement of mobile gaming," said Scott Reyburn, a mobile-gaming analyst. "Most games that are successful on mobile are still free-to-play, or mostly 2D, or not using too much graphical horsepower or too much memory."

When Apple demonstrated the A7's potential gaming applications, it trotted out "Infinity Blade 3." In this high-fantasy action game, the player swings a sword at a variety of dangerous foes with touchpad swipes.

The game comes from veteran developer Epic Games, and looks exceptional. According to the developer, "Infinity Blade 3" has four times the resolution of its predecessors. From its menacing knights to its fire-breathing dragons, the game is out to impress, but in all probability, it's not indicative of what most iOS games will look like.

"In the grand scheme of things, a game like 'Infinity Blade' is not the norm," Reyburn told Tom's Guide. "It's sort of the 'Halo' for Apple. It's their showpiece title for their handset." While plenty of people will buy the game, creating a game like "Infinity Blade 3" is too expensive for most mobile developers, and too large and involved for most iPhone owners, said Reyburn.

The iPhone 5S is also unlikely to deliver anything that mobile gamers haven't seen before. Scott Steinberg, strategic innovation consultant for TechSavvy, maintains that even though the A7 chip will allow for prettier, more complex games, it won't bring any new genres or gameplay mechanics to the table.

"We've [already] got first-person shooters; we've got 3D role-playing games; we've got adventures," he said. "You get more of what you've got for the most part, only you get it in a newer, shinier [product]."