Remember the days when players used to get together and bring their PCs to hook up a network game? Yes, this still happens, but it has largely been taken over by online gaming. Instead of all the hassle of getting local networks to work and getting all the equipment together, it is so much easier to hook up with your friends over the internet. No need to worry about everyone being present, you can meet up when they are online. Still, something has been lost in this process. You cant share a drink with your team mates afterwards, and everyone sitting behind their individual gaming console, in separate places, makes the whole experience distinctively less social. The latest developments in gaming platforms point to a (partial) return of local multiplayer gaming. With a Xbox Kinekt, Playstation Move or Wii U there are a few interesting games that allow for groups of players to play with or against each other, all together in front of the television. However, this has usually been limited to having two players active simultaneously. There is not enough space in front of the television to read the movements of more players in case of the Xbox Kinekt, and the other platforms would require each person to have their own controller. This likely reduces the market too much for developers to consider developing games for it. However, iOS devices have become serious gaming platforms, overtaking the traditional consoles in some cases. Through Bluetooth, they can communicate with each other without the need for an internet connection, and people carry them with them anyhow. Setting up a Mobile Local Multiplayer Gaming session would be possible this way, as long as the games are there to make use of the presence of all these iOS devices. Developers are now starting to wake up to this possibility and are bringing out games that allow players to join in with their own devices. It has been possible for some time to play classics like Monopoly on iOS with multiple players (http://www.ea.com/monopoly-iphone). An even more interesting implementation is brought by Sparkling Poker (www.sparklingpoker.com), which allows up to 5 players to connect with their devices, while the game table can be presented on an iPad or even the television. In fact, Apples airplay functionality (http://www.apple.com/airplay/) takes mobile gaming very much into the living room. What do you think? Is the local multiplayer scene due for a revival, with the help from iOS? Will hardware and software developers take this up or is online gaming going to rule them all?
ISO Cards will let you simulate a card table and hands, and Scrabble has the same with it's Tile Rack app. Vectrex will let you use two iPhones as controllers to the game on an iPad. Our favorite simultaneous multiplayer games on the iPad so far are OLO Game, Marble Mixer and Minotaur Rescue.
Monopoly??? Brings us games like Nova 3, Asphault 7, or games like this to play with 10 or more players in one room and that would be cool. Would be a weird thing to see if everyone was using ipads and iphones for sure...
Apple has approved our local multiplayer app 'Sparkling Poker' after a surprisingly short review period. It is now available in the Canadian app store and if there are no SNAFUS we will launch it worldwide straight away. Sparkling Poker Sparkling Design and Infotech Private Limited Play Texas Hold'em with your friends on a beautiful 3D poker table. Completely free and no internet required. Sparkling… Free Buy Now Watch Media DetailsPlay Texas Hold'em with your friends on a beautiful 3D poker table. Completely free and no internet required. Sparkling Poker is a new poker experience coming to your iPhone and iPad. Use your iPad as the poker table, and iPhones or iPods as the cards. No need to be online, just play with your friends. Watch as you put your cards and chips on the animated 3D poker table. Sparkling Poker uses bluetooth to realize a unique way of playing poker. You don't need to be connected to the internet, just use an iPad as a poker table, and hold your iPhone or iPod in your hand, just like you would hold your cards. See your chips move from your device onto the table, see your cards be revealed. All the tension of regular poker, where you can look your opponents in the eye. But all the score keeping, rules and dealing are being handled for you by your devices. The table can be run on an iPad or an iPhone. You can also run Airplay on the iPad and Apple tv, making for a unique experience of sitting on the couch in front of the television and all playing the game with individual devices. Sparkling Poker is fun to play, completely free, and can be played anywhere. How to play: 1. Make sure bluetooth is enabled on all player devices 2. Use one device, preferably an iPad, as Poker table: Select "Cash Game" or "Tournament Game" from the menu and select "Start Game" 3. Select "Join Table" on the other devices and start playing. 4. You can set a bet by dragging on a chip stack from top to bottom. NOTE: Sparkling Poker is a game for 2-5 players. It needs to be downloaded on at least three devices in order to play. One device will work as a dedicated poker table. IMPORTANT: Bluetooth must be on!! Information Seller:Sparkling Design and Infotech Private Limited Genre:Card, Casino Release:Dec 10, 2012 Updated:May 23, 2016 Version:2.0 Size:107.7 MB TouchArcade Rating:Unrated User Rating: (1) Your Rating:unrated Compatibility:HD Universal Macvanderspek Well-Known Member Apr 19, 2011 407 5 18 #6 Macvanderspek, Dec 8, 2012 We have released 'Sparkling Poker' worldwide now. It's free to play. You will need a minimum of three devices (one table, two hands) to play. Have fun! Macvanderspek Well-Known Member Apr 19, 2011 407 5 18 #7 Macvanderspek, Dec 10, 2012 Based on the bluetooth local networking that we established in Sparkling Poker, any ideas for games that could benefit from a setup like this? Preferably games that are popular but do not have copyrights attached to them (such as poker ). Macvanderspek Well-Known Member Apr 19, 2011 407 5 18 #8 Macvanderspek, Dec 11, 2012 Games like Sparkling Poker are really amazing when you play them on the big screen using Apple tv. Which are the most popular apps for playing in front of the television, for 4 or more players with iPhones/iPods? Macvanderspek Well-Known Member Apr 19, 2011 407 5 18 #9 Macvanderspek, Dec 30, 2012 We are seeing games like Pictionary TV appearing now, using Apple TV to present the iPad screen on the tv. We believe more family games such as our own Sparkling Poker will start to offer possibilities for local multiplayer gaming. Macvanderspek Well-Known Member Apr 19, 2011 407 5 18 #10 Macvanderspek, Jan 23, 2013 So far, Sparkling Poker hasn't caught on the way we hoped it would. What do you guys think would be the biggest hurdle? Just the number of devices needed to play? Or everyone prefers their individual gaming experience, group gaming is a thing of the past? Macvanderspek Well-Known Member Apr 19, 2011 407 5 18 #11 Macvanderspek, Feb 22, 2013 One of the clear hurdles we have identified is the size of the app. We will reduce the number of videos in it to ensure it can downloaded on a 3G connection as well as through wifi. Hopefully this will increase usage of an app that plays well and is unique, and is free.. (You must log in or sign up to post here.) Show Ignored Content Share This Page Tweet Your name or email address: Do you already have an account? No, create an account now. Yes, my password is: Forgot your password? Stay logged in
We have released 'Sparkling Poker' worldwide now. It's free to play. You will need a minimum of three devices (one table, two hands) to play. Have fun!
Based on the bluetooth local networking that we established in Sparkling Poker, any ideas for games that could benefit from a setup like this? Preferably games that are popular but do not have copyrights attached to them (such as poker ).
Games like Sparkling Poker are really amazing when you play them on the big screen using Apple tv. Which are the most popular apps for playing in front of the television, for 4 or more players with iPhones/iPods?
We are seeing games like Pictionary TV appearing now, using Apple TV to present the iPad screen on the tv. We believe more family games such as our own Sparkling Poker will start to offer possibilities for local multiplayer gaming.
So far, Sparkling Poker hasn't caught on the way we hoped it would. What do you guys think would be the biggest hurdle? Just the number of devices needed to play? Or everyone prefers their individual gaming experience, group gaming is a thing of the past?
One of the clear hurdles we have identified is the size of the app. We will reduce the number of videos in it to ensure it can downloaded on a 3G connection as well as through wifi. Hopefully this will increase usage of an app that plays well and is unique, and is free..