Back in 2006 when the Nintendo Wii launched motion gaming had become all the rage. Wii Sports set the stage for what a motion game should be, and everyone loved it. The system went on to sell tens of millions because of this phenomenon, and motion gaming was hot for years after the system launched. Queue 2015 and motion gaming still exists, but it’s not nearly as prevalent as it was back then, but of course, that doesn’t make it any less fun. While we will be getting Nintendo games in the future those that have found themselves Wii-less but still wanting to play something similar to Wii Sports may yet find refuge in this latest Android game, Motion Tennis Cast.
As it sounds Motion Tennis Cast solves all your tennis woes by turning your Android-powered phone into a tennis racket for the full-screen game. This works by casting your screen to any receiver, including Sony or LG Smart TV’s, the Allcast receiver for Chrome, Apple TV, Miracast dongles and of course the trusty Chromecast. Mirroring the game doesn’t appear on your TV as mirroring your phone’s screen usually does, instead the TV becomes a second screen for your phone, rendering the game’s graphics instead of just what’s actually on your phone’s screen. Gameplay works exactly like Wii Sports Tennis in that the player character moves on their own and you’ll need to hit the tennis ball the correct way, either forehand or backhand.
The game isn’t actually brand new, rather it’s been in beta for quite some time and is now just being released in a final consumer version. Upon first starting the game up, you’ll be presented with a handful of tutorials on how to properly mirror your screen and then of course how to play the game. Calibrating your phone is as easy as pointing it at the TV and hitting the calibrate button in the game which resets the gyro configuration, making your phone as accurate as possible. Swinging feels very natural and little lag was experienced once the game started. The strength of your router and wireless connection is going to play a key role in a generally lag-free gameplay, so remember that when trying to play. The game is free to play with additional content that can be unlocked and purchased. There’s also some pretty incredible looking Android Wear functionality coming in a future update that will let you use your Android Wear powered watch as a racket instead, ensuring that expensive phone you’ve got won’t end up in your expensive TV. Check the Play Store link below to give it a shot!