Almost since their inception, mobile phones have played host to interactive entertainment. Older Nintendo Life readers may recall spending hours playing Snake on their battered Nokia whilst waiting for the bus to arrive, but more recently smartphones have totally revolutionised the way we play on the go – to the point where even Nintendo has joined the party, via a series of phone exclusive titles like Super Mario Run, Fire Emblem Heroes and Pokémon GO. However, there have been precious few attempts to marry phones and games successfully; Sony's Xperia Play and Nokia's N-Gage being two high-profile failures.
You can detach the left-hand controller and use it as a self-contained pad, held sideways
Still, where there's a will, there's a way, and the arrival of the Nintendo Switch – which, lest we forget, uses Nvidia chips which were originally intended for mobile tech like tablets and smartphones – has emboldened a new generation of device makers keen to blur the line between phone and games console and thereby create an entirely new sector in the increasingly competitive smartphone market. We've already covered the Huawei Mate 20 X, which was directly compared to Nintendo's hybrid system during its unveiling, and companies like Asus and Razer have also released similar handsets recently. However, none of these has given us quite the same feeling of déjà vu as the Android-based Black Shark 2 – a 'gaming' phone which comes with optional slide-on controllers that bear more than a passing resemblance to the Switch Joy-Con we know and love.
As the name suggests, the Black Shark 2 isn't the first phone in this line; the original Black Shark arrived last year. An off-shoot of the Chinese tech giant Xiaomi, Black Shark (the company, not the phone) is eyeing up the burgeoning 'gaming phone' space and has clearly been inspired by Nintendo when it comes to interface design – although the mechanics seen here are notably less sophisticated than the Switch. Rather than connecting directly with the phone itself, the left and right-hand controllers slide onto a snap-on plastic case and pair using Bluetooth; because of this, they require charging separately using a USB-C connection. Still, at least one of the Nintendo's party tricks has been carried over – you can detach the left-hand controller and use it as a self-contained pad, held sideways. Heck, you can even connect it to your TV via the USB-C port at the bottom.
The analogue stick feels nice and responsive, as do the face buttons and the gloriously tactile quartet of shoulder buttons. There's no stick on the right-hand pad – this is replaced by a touchpad which is intended as an on-screen mouse pointer – so you sadly can't break off those pads for an impromptu local multiplayer match, which seems like a missed opportunity. Battery life is excellent, and the pads slide onto the aforementioned case with a satisfying click – even if there's no physical connection present between the phone and the controller. The other cool thing is that the Black Shark 2 phone has a dedicated 'Shark Space' mode, which is triggered by flicking a switch on the side of the handset. This mutes all incoming notifications and frees up as much available memory as possible so you're getting the most out of the hardware – hardware which, even when compared to the Switch, is cutting-edge stuff.
In terms of pure specs, it's vastly superior to the tech found inside Nintendo's console
The Black Shark 2 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset and up to 12GB of RAM; in terms of pure specs, it's vastly superior to the tech found inside Nintendo's console. It also boasts a 1080p, HDR-ready AMOLED screen which has excellent colour depth and striking contrast, all contained within bodywork which mixes metal, plastic and glass to neat effect. There's even a set of LEDs arrayed around the casing which gently pulsate whilst you're playing. (This is a common feature of gaming phones and laptops, so gamers must like this kind of thing, we guess?) Still not convinced? The Black Shark 2 has something called the "Mille-Feuille Full Area Liquid Cooling System" to prevent overheating and even has a 'Ludicrous Mode' which allows you to extract the maximum possible performance from the silicon. Gulp.
Then there are the games. While it's true that the general quality of smartphone games is lower than console titles, it's quite interesting to find we have several direct means of comparison between Switch and the Black Shark 2. Fortnite is, of course, available, and runs at a higher resolution. Hello Neighbor also offers a direct point of reference, although it's worth noting that it appears to run quite a low resolution on both smartphones and Switch. Elsewhere, Sega's suite of free-to-play Mega Drive / Genesis classics look amazing on that punchy AMOLED display, but you'll want to opt for the paid-for editions as the constant adverts can seriously get in the way of the gameplay. Then there are titles like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Real Racing 3 and Final Fantasy Tactics, all of which would be very welcome on the eShop – but aren't available on Switch at present. There's also the large selection of emulators available on the Google Play Store, which cover pretty much every retro format under the sun, right up to the PlayStation, Saturn and Dreamcast. It goes without saying that the catalogue of games on Switch is far, far superior, but it's equally true that there are plenty of decent titles to play on the Black Shark 2 – even if none of them are up to the standard of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and they lack the tight optimisation of 'proper' console releases.
Indeed, that last point is worth focusing on here, because actually configuring the Black Shark 2's controllers to work with the vast majority of mobile games is a real chore. While some will auto-detect the analogue stick, most refuse to acknowledge it and we didn't play a single game that successfully mapped all of the controls on start-up. Instead, you have to bring up a set of on-screen buttons and drag-and-drop them over the various touch-screen controls in order to bind them to the physical inputs of the controllers. Once you've done this, it's plain sailing – but it's a barrier to entry which means the Black Shark 2 user experience isn't anywhere near as seamless as the Nintendo Switch.
The final sticking point is the price; the Black Shark 2 costs £500 in the UK, which is almost twice the cost of the Switch – and you don't get the controllers in with that; they cost an additional £70. Of course, the catch here is that this is a phone as well as a games console, so you could argue that it offers better value for money as it does so much more than Nintendo's system. But is it a better gaming platform? That's highly debatable, and based on the evidence we've seen so far, Nintendo has little to worry about when it comes to smartphone-based challengers to its portable crown.
Thanks to Black Shark for supplying the gear used in this feature.
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Comments 71
Why even try to compete with the big N? I guess a little competition ain’t bad but I’m betting this ain’t it
Aww bless.
Opening the smartphone storefronts on your device is s good way to cheapen the entire experience.
You can count on one hand (and that's being generous) the amount of smart phone "apps" that deserve to exist.
I don't think anyone using Google play to bolster their library is going to shuffle many units. Even if they do get real game developers on board, the existence of the low quality bar set by google play/apple store will guarantee half effort cash grabs.
I mean were already seeing it on the switch. Some pretty sketchy no name games selling for way more than they're worth and have the production values of a phone game.
As much as I enjoyed octopath traveller, I'm still not satisfied with the money I spent. 80 bucks for 3GB seems almost....criminal.
At least you can play the Whitehead version Sonic games on it! With buttons! Woop. Not buying one though, of course.
It’s pretty ugly, but it looks functional. Problem is console like experiences on smartphones have never measured up and there are no signs of growth there. Almost all of the games coming out now are designed with touchscreen support in mind. You could just use as an emulation machine but a hacked PSP and Vita have been able to do that portably for years, as have many mid-tier Android devices.
Not sure why someone would invest in a gaming phone at this stage.
Yes the specs in the phone maybe better than the Switch. Yes playing Fortnite on the phone may provide a better experience than on the Switch. But how many games actually come close to offering anything the Switch can offer or even remotely make use of all this supposed superior tech?
Blah...! 🙄
Nintendo Switch is still the Best.
but games.....most mobile games are trash, I can't see any phone being a direct competitor with the console market due to lack of quality software
They have had attachments and accessories like this for existent phones for a long time now. I don't see how this is innovating anything.
Dear lord the controller looks bad
You all mock, but I still think it's only a matter of time before more games are ported to the Play store, and a standard control configuration is established.
Nintendoomed
@Rafke The problem with this kind of hardware is that developers never design their games around these phones, they make their games so they can work on just about any smartphone.
Not the N Gage, I guess
Is this a Nintendo Switch? Well yes, but actually no
Nintendo lawyers incoming in... 3... 2... 1...
How annoying to get calls and text while playing . . . or not to get calls and texts on a nearby device while playing . . . . point is consolidation is not always the best
There's a reason why console type experiences aren't on mobile devices, because most users aren't willing to pay anything more than a dollar or two upfront. To get any money out of mobile users, you have to trick them into paying money. That's why we aren't seeing Doom Eternal being ported to mobile devices, despite getting a Switch version, because to make the same amount as the console version there would need to be lots of micro-transactions.
Never been about hardware - the games are awful.
"they lack the tight optimisation of 'proper' console releases"
Errr, That is like the Switch. Difference is you have hope it will get better on Switch. Zero hope on that nonsense.
Only thing that can make me look at anything else is if GPD makes a RYZEN version in the WIN2MAX. The Intel version is not worth the price.
Ok but what's it like as a phone? Does it have all the functionalities of a phone?...
Its all fine and well to release a Switch Phone hybrid, hell you van even get the gaming part right, but would it still function good as a solid phone?
Im more picky when it comes to my phones than i am with my gaming device because there is do much more choice out there...
So this makes it easy to essentially pick this device apart when it comes to mobile phones.
Aside from that most mobile phone games require touch screen to play. How would that work in this case?
Hack a Vita, it’s still the best
@NinChocolate Sony thinks otherwise. It’s basically their Wii U
N-Gage 2.0 but worse...
That video gave me a seizure
Anyone else hate that S logo? I see it and immediately think "nope".
Wow it looks so good that I'm going to buy 6!
Can I play the games from the get go and without added input delay on my TV? Can I connect multiple gamepads to one system and play splitscreen with friends/family? Can I play Mario Kart? Can I play Super Smash Bros., Can I play Metroid? Can I play The Legend of Zelda? Can I play...
No? Then it's not a Nintendo Switch.🤷♂️
So, we're going for a hypothetical situation; Developers specify their optimisation for more powerful phones like this and have graphic options like PC titles... Great, we can get some better graphics than Switch! So you have a nice gaming session through your 3 hour trip... You finish up to have a browse on the net and make a couple of calls... But you have 5% battery. Cool, that's 5 mins of use. You would need a decent portable fast charger and that will set you back even more money... And if you got one now, you'd still be waiting on the hypothetical situation mentioned at the start. This could work, but won't until it's possible to be a little cheaper and gets some developers on board that will optimise and show it's true potential.
Nah,
Nintendo Switch is the number one!
Why am I reading this article on Nintendolife
The problem is not that it's Android. Android has some nice games playable on a gamepad, it's just that the ratio of good vs. shovelware is even more abysmal than it is on the Switch. Anyone thinking the Switch get 1 good game for every 5 or 10 bad ones, multiply this by 10, or even 50 for andoird... BUT I had (still have) a GPD XD and there are many games I played on it. Ridge Racer (android version), many LEGO games (which were the same versions published on the Vita), Final fantasy games, Oddworld's Stranger's Wrath, Grand Theft Auto series (Vice City, San Andreas, etc...), Star Wars KOTOR, Shadowgun, Brothers Tale of two sons, Oceanhorn, and many more...
The problem I see with this device... is that it's FUGLY... huge and bulky. Xiaomi usually builds stuff of pretty good quality (they are often called the Chinese answer to Apple), and having an Android TV Mi Box at home, I can attest this is far from "cheap chinese crap". To me, this isn't a good gaming phone. How am I going to fit that into my pocket? I don't want to bring the controller as separate pieces. If it can't fit in my pocket with its' controllers, it's not good. Simple. Also, stupid "gamers' aesthetic"... yuck.
Now if GPD would make an Android phone with a slide-out gamepad or something that would make it compact, I'd buy it. They know how to make it work with most games, and they had a built-in mapper in the GPD XD that was decent.
But I'm not interested in a gaming phone with a detachable gamepad. Make the gamepad part of the unit in some way, then we'll talk. Even a clamshell design like the DS would work, provided you put a screen on the outside for when closed, and one on the inside for when you open it up to game. Pricier, that will be for sure, but a lot more interesting to me.
gRaB mE SoMe hOt BuTtErEd PoPcOrN aNd ThAt's A dEaL!
(anyone get the joke...)
@Itzdmo As if the the amount of gigabytes determines the quality. Crazy to think anyone would think Octopath Traveler isn't worth the money AND is somehow evidence of any sort of negative trend.
I don't really see why Nintendo Life keeps bothering with these phone and Switch comparisons. Unless the mobile phone store front suddenly becomes home to AAA console games and not free to play micro transactionfest time wasting toilet games, this is pointless to even talk about.
@Rafke Yeah the thing about PC gaming is how PC games typically have a wide variety of options to customize the graphics so the game will perform and look as good as possible. With mobile games the vast majority of the time you are simply going to play the game in a "one size fits all" kind of approach.
Meh, these gaming phones, even the ones with decent controller attachments always pale in comparison dedicated gaming portables.
So obviously phones can do more than the Switch, but you don't need an expensive gaming phone to make calls, texts etc. But the main thing is the library of games. Of course you're not going to get Nintendo's mainline games on a phone, but you don't even get decent third party support either that even compares to the Switch's on phones.
The WikiPad people will come after this thing if it become successful.
The question is will enough mobile game developers bother making traditional games when the majority seem happy making free to play “games” stuffed with micro transactions up the wazoo.
I think this is a logical next step for handheld gaming given the way its going.
Too bad f2p games are generally garbage.
@PharoneTheGnome Gamevice is suing Nintendo over the joycons. Idk how that factors in.
This is kinda cool, might be neat for running SNES/GBA/GameCube/Wii on emulators. But I’d rather just hack my second Switch for that at the end of the generation, then dump all my purchased games onto the system too so I have an all-in-one
@Agramonte
Win 2 is legit, but even at launch price of $650 I think they were taxing (original was $300-350). And it feels like a toaster oven when running games like Batman Arkham City or Wolfenstein New Order. Still, there’s a cooling mod on Indiegogo with Nylon back cover that lowers temps by 20 degrees.
Worth it if you have it to spend. I don’t care much about prices myself though. If there’s something I want, I buy it and let the rest argue over what it costs. Life it short- enjoy it.
Curious to see the next Win. But as much is I love it, it never did replace my Switch despite running Dolphin at 720p and entire 7th gen library on Steam, and some 8th gen games. I think it’s the fact that it’s 1 not easy to use as a hybrid (in combo with a living room PC and cloud saves- it works but it’s nowhere near the convenience of simply dropping a system in a dock that automatically turns your tv on and switches the input), and 2 it’s not as comfy as the Switch to hold, and 3 No tabletop mode with detachable controllers for luxury gaming in the office
All that being said, if you’re a fan of handheld gaming and have it to spend, I think its a must own, even if just for the handheld GameCube/Wii games (portable Metroid Prime, F-Zero GX, The Last Story, and Xenoblade? Yes please)
@Deltath File size is everything. There has never been a good game made under 25GB.
Do wish Ninty had a bit more raw power in Switch
@sandman89
I agree, it doesn't belong here
I like this idea but what is that... thing... where the right joystick should be?
Or maybe the correct question is just, why isn't it a joystick?
If it can't play Nintendo exclusives, then why bother?
This device is targetting a very niche market here as I can’t imagine there are many ‘serious’ / competitive gamers playing mobile games that demand this sort of spec. The hardware is only as good it’s games and while emulation is a strong point, it’s hardly worth the price of admission as there are far cheaper ways to play Google Play titles and emulators.
Kudos for them making a Ferrari style phone but I cant see many people clamouring to get one at that price point.
I can't wait until the Switch gets its Pro revision so these "Android smartphone with better specs than Switch is compatible with ugly controller accessory, so will it defeat the Switch?" articles can go away.
@BitBoink Because China is a giant market that doesn't have any loyalty to Nintendo. Some would argue China would prefer to have such Chinese designs over anything else.
@MrBlacky
LOL I agree with you but... Can we play Metroid?.... Nope 😭
@Jayofmaya That isn't any different than the Switch, except the Switch has a two hour battery life. Actually, I have a 7,800 mah battery case for my last phone loaded up with older games on the play store and Nintendo emulators. An 11,000 mah battery can go pretty far. I also have some 20,000 mah battery packs I use with both the Switch and my phones. The big difference is the Switch has the games while the best offline games on phones are usually older ports.
Phone pricing is out of control. It's pretty ridiculous that phones can be compared with gaming PCs and laptops in terms of price.
@WiltonRoots And all the best ones are over 100gb, like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XV!
This looks bad
@sandman89 Because it is an interesting attempt at a competitor to the Nintendo Switch
@Krazzar It’s about right actually. It’s incredible what kind of power they can get in such a smaller form factor now. Also you have to take into consideration all the competition just to obtain the parts to make them. That increases the price.
@NintyNate What but the Switch is 5x more powerful than the Xbox 360.
I wouldn't call it a shot at nintendo. Considering that the mobile marked has a billion games, adding a controller to a phone doesn't make it a switch knockoff or something that wants to imitate it.
@JaxonH oh thanks for the info. Temps and noise are a big issue for me.
I hear you on the "life is short"... How I felt about my 2080ti. I wanted it - and so be it. But the WIN2 has not sold me. The Switch runs indies i play just fine (hollow knight, BattleChasers, Flipping death) and looks like it will run bigger games like Dragon Quest better.
I played CIV6 on switch on the GO and would jump back to my PC with K/M when I came home with cross save. I also have 3 PCs at home (home office, living room and bedrrom) that all keep synked via Steam and Uplay. Never had any problems, by the time I move rooms - Im where I left off. Same way I never had an issue with PS4/VITA cross save. So im ok not being 1 hardware for home and GO
But needs to be notably better than What I have now as a handheld with Switch (yep - light, mostly silent and comfy). If the Switch not come out, I would have bought one by now.
@Deltath yep i mean Mario Odyssey is only 5.7gb, which clearly means it’s garbage compared to Fallout 76.
Cheese, these things keep getting more adanced as well as weirder. One of these days we're going to see a "smartdevice" actually drop the "archaic" ability to make phone calls, assuming its userbase only cares about text messages and e-mails now.
@BulbasaurusRex Text-only machines were a thing in the past.
Cool, I expected mobile market to advance even more on portable gaming, but this is more than I though. And looks actually functional.
Shame about the price.
@Heavyarms55 I assume they realize that dual analog controls are just as bad as touchscreen controls most of the time (mediocre yet usable when necessary, but pale in comparison when alternatives are available).
Waiting for the lawsuit like...
@WiltonRoots The proof is in the gigabytes! The first "The Division" actually takes up more space than the sequel, so ignore all the reviews about how buggy and bad The Division was and how great the sequel is, the first is bigger, thus better!
Heck, all the ports and remasters Nintendo brought to Switch ended up having smaller file sizes than their original, lower res counterparts. Just proof that they were all made worse!
Doooooooooommmmmmmeedddddddd!
@Deltath I mean we all know LA Noire is the best thing on the Switch by a country mile, clocking in at 27GB. Can't be beaten currently.
@WiltonRoots Maybe I should look into the port of WWE 2K18. I hear that game is so good it needs a 24gb download even with the cartridge. Now that's quality!
@Deltath The Best!
As a Steam controller user, the idea of a right touch pad appeals to me. That said, not being able to detach both controllers and slide them into a grip is a very big drawback for the device when you're playing on TV. I slide both JoyCons into a grip far more often than using a single JoyCon. If you don't have a pro controller, that's how you play most games on TV.
Also cell phone graphical capabilities are very overstated. Only top end phones have the same amount of RAM (not storage - actual RAM) as the Switch, and none of them allow an app like a game to use most of it. Even with extremely high theoretical GPU performance, the RAM disadvantage prevents high poly models and high resolution textures. Cell phones are simply not designed for games, not to mention the business models common to cell phones make long session gaming rare. The Switch is unlikely to be affected by new cell phones and cell phone like devices.
@retro_player_22 is it hell lol
Mobile isn't a subsitute for Dedicated portable console. Also it will be sorely lacking in game developer support as well. Also this:
1. Phone is used for calling and txting
2. Power would be wasted gaming should you need a emergency
3. Not a True Portable gaming system.
4. No Docking options for 1080
5. Cost way to much just to have this option
6. It's a Mobile phone not a Dedicated Portable gaming device
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