WowWee toys has created toys that interface with smartphone apps. Image: TechCrunch
Gaming apps, for the most part, have one interface – taps on a touchscreen. Now, toy developer WowWee is creating apps with physical toys that plug in or attach to smartphones.
WowWee’s new Appcessories include both an app element and an “in real life” element. The games are about $9.99 each, and include figurines or collectable parts as a part of the game playing. This is an effort to both bring gaming on tablets and phones into the “physical” space and to create a new market for toys that interact directly with smartphones that individuals use every single day. The game market of smartphone apps is already huge, but the average price paid for games is less than $5.
At the launch of AppGear Appcessories, the company will be offering several different options. One game, for example, uses zombie figurines with conductive pads on the bottom. You move the figurines across the screen, which displays a map. Another uses a real-life plastic ray gun which sends signals back to the phone and another uses a small foam airplane which attaches to the back of a phone and controls a flying game.
The WowWee Appcessories games are being made available online and in many large stores. The Appcessories cost around $9.99, and come with a free download code for the app. The apps are built for smartphone use, but can also be used on tablets. If these “Appcessories” will be around for long to actually find in stores are yet to be determined. If the games prove very popular, they may stick around for a long time. If customers are willing to pay $9.99 per game and are able to keep their tiny accessories around every time they want to play a game, though, is still a very big question in many app developer’s minds.
