What will mobile games be like in 2010?

Mobile games weren’t sexy at all a couple of years ago. Even the intentionally arousing (i.e. adult) ones were profoundly unsexy, thanks to the limitations of Java and the various well-documented irritations in the process of getting hold of them.

That all changed in 2009. You can now see mobile games being showcased in the ad breaks of primetime TV shows thanks to Apple, while a series of high-profile games have racked up seven-figure download numbers. You want sexy? Even Megan Fox talks about her love of iPhone games – specifically Sally’s Spa – during chat show interviews, while Demi Moore tweeted about her Flight Control habit.

So what does 2010 hold for mobile gaming? We’ve identified seven trends that we think will define how people play as they go next year.

1. Rich 3D gaming goes beyond the iPhone

Want console-quality 3D graphics on your handset? This year, iPhone was the platform most likely to fulfil your needs. Nokia’s N-Gage service offered similar capabilities but flopped, while Android and BlackBerry games were still stuck in the Java era.

This will change though. Nokia is refocusing its energies on its Ovi Store with a new push for 3D Symbian titles, Google is making it easier for games developers to tap into Android handsets’ native hardware, and RIM recently promised similar functionality for new BlackBerrys.

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