Let's be honest, the time we spend making calls on our
smartphones pales in comparison to all the other activities we use it for, like surfing the web, logging into
Facebook, streaming music and video, and of course playing games. It's that latter functionality that a startup called Green Throttle wants to tap into, and given the power of today's smartphones, why not?
Green Throttle's tagline is "Games Reimagined," which simply means thinking about
mobile games in a whole new way. Put simply, the company envisions harnessing the power of today's well-equipped
Android smartphones and
tablets in order to play console-like games on your HDTV.
Right now the concept is limited to select devices -- Google Nexus, Samsung Galaxy S II and S III, HTC One X, Kindle Fire HD, and Asus Transformer -- though the company says it's adding to the list "as fast and furiously as possible."
The way it works is rather simple. You load Green Throttle's Arena app on your compatible device and start gaming using the company's Bluetooth-enabled Atlas controller, which looks a lot like an Xbox 360 controller. The challenging part is getting developers on board, and that's where the project is currently at. One of the first supported titles will be ChronoBlade.
"Adding [the Atlas] controllers to the mobile version of ChronoBlade allows users to experience the game the way it was meant to be played; bringing a true console-like proposition," said Taehoon Kim, co-found and CEO at nWay.
Green Throttle is currently pre-selling Developer Packs at special pricing ranging from $45 (single controller pack) to $350 (10 controllers). Pre-orders are expected to ship on December 12, 2012.