14 DAY TRIAL // The functions of mobile phones are advancing with each day passes and right now, the goal of some manufacturers is to produce a mobile phone that provides a better gaming experience, that is as close to other portable game-dedicated devices as possible.
At the moment, mobile phones don't offer such an enjoyable gaming experience due to the controls. While they continue to feature only a standard keypad and a 5-way directional key, mobile phone games will surely not evolve.
Mobile phone manufacturers don't seem to be doing much to improve the situation. Nokia is even planning to release a new N-gage mobile gaming platform that will work on S60 mobile phones, so there's not even a chance for a new N-gage device with improved controls.
Instead, we'll get a new platform but the same old mobile phone keypad that doesn't allow playing more advanced games. A new concept design aims to solve all this and to make mobile phones somewhat more game-friendly by including an improved joystick that has been named the 'Compact Analog Thumbstick'.
The center button pops out to become a telescopic analog thumbstick that apparently allows very sensitive manipulation and a good response while being moved sideways. If it is pushed down it will work as 'Ok' or Fire.
The mobile phone will be much more suitable for controlling games and more similar to a portable gaming device. There is no telling if this concept will ever become a real-life mobile phone, but some mobile phone manufacturers should eventually think about including such a thumbstick into one of their products. It definitely appears to be a better solution for improving the gaming experience on a mobile phone.