For the first time ever, mobile games are expected to generate more revenue than console and PC games in 2016. Yet, according to a 2015 App Annie report, as the mobile gaming industry grows, the overall lifespan of individual games is shrinking and as a result, publishers need their games to reach success on a quicker timeline. As gamers move from the console to mobile, developers are looking for new ways to engage users on a smaller screen. Not only that, but with mobile gaming becoming so ubiquitous, the market for game developers has expanded beyond traditional console or PC gamers to anyone with a smartphone.

Technology companies and game development platforms like Unity and CRIWARE are answering the call of developers and consumers who want more advanced technologies and immersive experiences on their four-inch screens.

For example, in February of this year, Nizar Romdoan, ARM ecosystem director, said at a conference that his company is working with partners including Nvidia, Samsung and Texas Instruments to generate visuals on mobile devices that will be on par with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles by 2017.

Immersion and Japan-based CRI Middleware recently announced that Android developers will now be able to easily integrate Immersion’s TouchSense technology into their mobile games and offer gamers another level of engagement. By combining touch, audio and video together on one, easy-to-use platform, game developers will be able to create an immersive and more engaging experience for mobile gamers like they’ve never felt before.

This past year, Google launched two collections for Games You Can Feel to raise awareness of games using haptic effects to enhance the mobile game play experiences.

As a game developer, the rise of VR is very interesting to me indeed, but we are years away from VR having the ubiquity of mobile gaming. We must examine the technologies available to us now to offer mobile gamers the best, most engaging user experience possible.