Mobile gaming and in app purchasing have changed the gaming industry forever, dramatically altering the landscape of major players from a once Console dominated industry to one seemingly overtaken by smaller, more nimble mobile game developers who’s primary hardware is a smartphone.  In that context we are now seeing the reality of cross platform gaming where games that are developed for a specific platform, say Android or iOS, can be played on other non-mobile devices/platforms.  Along these lines, Andy OS is looking to enable users the ability to not only play games that aren’t native to a given platform (mobile on PC) but with hardware interaction points that allow a user to get the most out of a game, regardless of the platform it was originally intended for.

Two of the newest, game specific features within the recent release of Andy OS are keyboard mapping so games can be controlled with keystrokes, and Xbox & PlayStation joystick integration so games can be played with that ever familiar console game hardware and feel.

The keyboard-mapping feature is now part of the standard Andy OS UX.  With over 5000 games mapped and growing, when you the player launch a mapped game, you’ll be introduced to a screen overlay that highlights which keys map to which actions, i.e.) to jump in Jetpack Joyride hit the ‘space’ bar, etc.  We will continue to increase coverage of mapped games with subsequent Andy OS releases.  And for those who like visual aid, here’s what you will see when launching a mapped game:

The joystick integration, although very simple once you have it running, does take a couple of quick actions on your part. With your given joystick in hand, simply plug a USB cable into one end of the joystick and plug the other end into your PC. Allow Andy OS to sense the new piece of hardware (which will then control all of your Andy OS interactions), select a game and go for it.  To aid my explanation, check out this brief How-To video:

There’s a ton I’d love to say and write about the shift in gaming and the many forces that are impacting what we play, how we play and on what device.  But really I just want you to enjoy and get the most out of Andy OS.  On that note, enjoy the new features and Game on!!