The launch of the Nvidia Shield Tablet has reignited an age-old debate, which surrounds the various merits of the Apple and Google operating systems for gaming. This tablet, which is the first on the market to be designed specifically for gaming, has earned rave reviews during its infancy and its design is thought to be the first step toward revolutionizing the market and driving a cross-platform experience. While this may seem to give Android a clear edge over Apple, however, it is important to appraise the efforts of both and recognize the strides made through the development of the outstanding iPhone 6 and iOS 8.
So which platform is better for gaming?
It is hard to discount Apple, one of the world’s leading technology brands, as a potential gaming force. In fact, the development of a new graphics engine (Metal) and the excellent iOS 8 has established the iPhone 6 as an interactive gaming platform that delivers excellent audio quality and visual representation.
This represents years of effort and development, and Apple has overcome numerous issues to deliver an immersive and truly interactive experience to their users. These endeavors appear to have paid off financially too, with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus sales driving Apple to record levels of turnover and profitability this quarter.
Despite this, many will argue that the launch of the excellent Nvidia Shield swings the momentum back in favor of Android. After all, this is designed to deliver an outstanding gaming experience, both in terms of its practical design and underlying specification. With outstanding graphics and sound (not to mention a large, high resolution display) it is set to dominate the market into 2015 and beyond.
The Nvidia Shield offers far more than mere quality, however, as it has also been launched alongside services such as GameStream and GRID. These have the potential to create a virtual network of interconnected gamers, who can share titles and experiences. When allied with the already diverse Google Play store, this will revolutionize mobile gaming and surely reinforce Android as the gaming platform of choice for many.
