Can hardcore gaming be done/exist on an android?

I own an android for about 1 year now. However what bothers me a lot is that many of the games that I see are extra casual. Ex include angry birds or temple run or candy crush. Now we have the 3ds and the ps vita, and they are also handheld. Correct me if I'm mistaken but last generation androids are more powerful then them(quad core cpus, more ram etc).

So why? why do the developers make horrendously bad games? why can't the android be used like a pc, for multipurpose? Maybe there are hardcore games out there but I never heard of em.

I really refuse to believe that such an amazing platform is completely ignored regarding the gaming aspect.

Edit: I also had titles like shadow warrior or something like that but they are still casual with 0 depth.

I would guess the difference in controls has something to do with it. That might just be my personal preference though. I really don't like mapping controls to the touch screen.

It needs to be something like XCom; you can't have a twitch competitive multiplayer arena game because of the touch screen interface, it just isn't enjoyable.

I really despise the term hardcore gaming...

But pretty much what Itwongo said. Limited controls and more often than not the limited time frame/ attention span people have for that platform.

It depends on the genre. A fast paced FPS might not be acceptable on a phone or mobile device but there are plenty of good games out for Android.

For instance Doombad is an interesting and challenging tower defense game. Since you only need to tap and keep up with creeps there isn't any twitch reaction required and that serves the design pretty well.

So for sure games can do well on mobile that maybe even consoles can't do.

The biggest issue as I see it from the development side is massive fragmentation of the Android market. Unlike iOS where you have a limited number of known hardware sets where the OS is up to date, Android hardware is all over the place and almost none of the devices have the latest version of the OS. You end up having to target the lowest common denominator that will be usable by the largest number of devices.

Piracy is also far more rampant on Android devices, and the Google Play store is filled to the brim with copyright infringing garbage to an even greater extent than the iOS store.

If by "hardcore gaming" you mean games you could play for hours on end, sure. Some people play bejeweled for hours on end and that game is on Android.

Your OP seems to define "hardcore gaming" as games you like. In which case I'd say- probably when you're older and don't have as much time to spend on games.

Anywho, simpler format games work better on smart phones and touch pads in general. They're easier to "sell" to a bigger audience as well because people in general (outside the "gamer" community) don't want to think about game mechanics.

I like how people call these games "casual" when the same basic principals were used when making games on the first gaming consoles like Atari 2600 and Nintendo. The only difference is the touch controls and they are on phones.

when i say hardcore games i am refering to rpg games or a more easier strategy game(it doesn't have to be starcraft), or even something more interesting. Not dark souls or mobas or stuff like that. I was browsing my android right now and the first games that i see are pou, my talking tom, and some angry birds game. I mean c'mon im not a die hard super hardcore gamer but i think that android can do better(especially with the nice specs that it has).

@raspharus: The Final Fantasy games control pretty well on it. The Omega Ring games are cool, too. There's also Dragon Quest and a bunch of Kemco RPGs that I've seen a lot of people say are pretty fun, but I've never played any of them. (There's a lot...)

Ravensword: Shadowlands and Aralon Sword and Shadow are 3D RPGs that play a bit like Morrowind and Oblivion.I play these with a dual shock 3 over bluetooth and they control like a console game.

Shadowrun Returns and X-com are also nice to play on a touch screen, though I guess those are more strategy than RPG.

There's some really nice games on android. You just have to dig through a never ending pile of garbage to find them.

That's... a pretty narrow definition of "hardcore". I mean, I'm still playing Super Hexagon, Eliss Infinity, and Desert Golfing and they're pretty hardcore. There are also games like rymdkapsel, Star Command, Cook, Serve, Delicious!, Dragon Fantasy and Anomaly: Warzone Earth that are quite deep. There's a bunch of Rogue-likes available on Android too.

@raspharus: with mobas coming to pad/mobile devices, that could be a thing.

There'll will be plenty eventually. First I think games need some sort of unofficial standards for some gameplay elements. Every company tries their own completely different control schemes for the same actions so it's frustrating and takes a while to get used to the controls some time. Most lack controller support which reminds me of old pc gaming. Also obviously this "hardcore" (hate the term too) market needs to grow on the platform.

Let's not forget there are a lots of pc ports already too such as Half Life 2, Portal, Bioshock, Knights of The Old Republic, The Wolf Among Us, The Walking Dead Season 1 & 2, XCOM: Enemy Unkown and console/haldheld ports such as Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy games, The World Ends With You, Monster Hunter etc..

The Banner Saga's on Android, and I think that counts. Narrative-heavy with plenty of hard choices to make, and combat requires a decent level of strategic thinking to win. It tells a complete story that clocks in at around 11-12 hours, too.

I this its possible but most hardcore type games run like shit on phones.

First of all I think you should consider the term "Hardcore Gaming". Secondly there's a lot of noise on mobile platforms and it is super competitive. Also the capabilities of mobile devices vary wildly and they have to design for the beltway of devices.

The grand theft auto games from the PS2 era are on Android.

Shadowrun Returns. Cook, Serve, Delicious. The Banner Saga. Wayward Souls. And many more.