Introducing AirConsole: A Games Platform That Turns Smartphones Into Controllers

Just recently launched, AirConsole is an Internet browser based games platform that actually has the capability of turning a user’s smartphone into a game controller. The cool thing about AirConsole is that users never have to download any game or mobile app, or even pull out their old Nintendo 64 controllers. What users simply have to do is go to AirConsole’s official web site via their computer and smartphone, then enter the link that is displayed on the bigger screen on their smaller screen, and tadaaah -- the user’s smartphone becomes a touch pad that can be used to control the computer’s screen. Nifty, ain’t it?

Obviously, because AirConsole is still pretty new, the number of games that are supported are still painfully limited. But the creators of AirConsole is actually busy working on organizing a sort of contest for developers to port game titles to the games platform. It is said that any game that is web browser based, or Unity3d game, can be ported to AirConsole. 

Still, users can make use of the titles that are supported for now, which include TicTac Boom, Hit Parade, and PolyRacer. Plus, there is also an NES emulator, as well as card games such as poker and Cards Against Humanity (yey!). Some may get the feeling that AirConsole does not offer much for pro gamers. The creators are perfectly fine with that -- as a matter of fact, they are mainly going for the casual social gaming demographic. And because AirConsole is cross platform and cross device, mobile users will not have to get specific hardware in order to start initiating a gaming session right there and then.

So far, AirConsole has generated buzz, particularly among users of Reddit. One of the game developers for the games platform has commended it for its ease of use, particularly in terms of not needing fancy hardware to begin using it (any standard laptop will do). It is ideal for facilitating a few quick games with friends, especially those who do not mind having their smartphones turned into game controllers.

There might be a slight delay between the smartphone as controller and the computer, and it may vary depending on the make and model of the mobile device being used. AirConsole has noted that using Android handsets may produce better results compared to using iPhone devices, adding that those handsets that support WebRTC generally perform better. But we are talking about latencies measured in only milliseconds so it should not much of a bummer.