13 must-have Windows Phone apps for console and computer gamers
We love playing games on our Lumias, but we also love playing console and computer games. Luckily, there are plenty of companion apps in the Windows Phone Store that can turn your non-mobile gaming into an even more exciting experience.
Companion apps can be a huge benefit to console and computer gamers, letting you use your smartphone to gain quick access to information and features that can level up your engagement. Whether you want to keep up with gaming news while on the go, look up a recipe in a specific game, or work on your Gamerscore, chances are good there’s an app that can do it. Read on to discover 13 of our favorite apps that will make you love non-mobile gaming even more than you already do.
Xbox SmartGlass
Let’s start with one of the most useful apps that you can get your hands on if you’re an Xbox gamer. Xbox 360 SmartGlass users can use the free app to navigate their 360 console, search the Internet, control music and videos, and use your phone’s keyboard for typing, which is especially useful for redeeming long codes. Xbox One SmartGlass users can do all that and more, with features such as pinnable content, live streaming, and access to messages.
Xbox Extras
This free app is perfect for customizing your Xbox avatar while on the go. Change your clothes, accessories, and features right from your Windows Phone. It’s speedy and does exactly what it says, so give it a try if you have a habit of changing virtual outfits as often as you change them in the real world.
TrueAchiever
Is your Gamerscore not as high as you’d like? TrueAchiever is a free app that can fix that. It not only lets you view your earned Xbox achievements, but offers you a helping hand for those tough achievements that have you stumped. To use the app, just sign up for a TrueAchievements account and get ready to start racking up achievement points. Your last 50 played games are displayed, letting you take a look at unlocked achievements and view user-submitted strategies on how to unlock them.
Achievement Art
If you’re an Xbox One gamer, Achievement Art is a free app that lets you browse your unlocked achievements and use the high-res achievement art to customize your Start Screen and Lock Screen. You worked hard for that achievement, show it off!
A news reader of your choice
We all want to stay informed when it comes to the latest gaming news, but keeping up can be a troublesome task. A news reader is a great tool that can keep you up-to-the-minute with the web’s hottest gaming stories, release news, and much more. Apps like Nextgen Reader, Fedora Reader, and Flipboard can help you get the gaming news that matters to you. If you’d like a more gaming-centric app, check out Game News Now (pictured below), a free app that delivers only gaming news (unfortunately excluding next-gen consoles).
Game Calendar
Game Calendar is a new app that still has a few kinks to work out, but the idea is promising. With this free app you can check out a simple list of upcoming game releases, sortable by platform, and create reminders for yourself so that you don’t miss out. We think it’s pretty useful, so give it a try if you’d like a no-frills way to track games you’re interested in.
Unstream
Unstream is an app that brings you into the wonderful world of Twitch, the ultimate live gaming spot where you can watch talented gamers broadcast their skills. Unstream, currently priced at $1.29, has a ton of features that lets you watch live gaming broadcasts while on the go. Key features include the option to search for games or users, follow channels, pin favorites to your Start Screen, and get notifications when followed channels go live.
Destiny Stats
Destiny Stats is a free unofficial app for Bungie’s sci-fi FPS game Destiny that lets you analyze your stats and check out your gear. A recent update added support for House of Wolves activities and special event and mission advisors. If you want to be able to transfer items between profiles, check out Tower Ghost for Destiny.
Timer for Halo
Don’t let prized power weapons fall into the wrong hands ever again by giving Timer for Halo a try. This free app can give you an edge by tracking the respawn time of power weapons in the Halo series for you so that you can grab them before your enemies. All you have to do is load up the map and gametype, and the app will give you a 20 second vocal warning before a spawn, as well as a notification right when it spawns.
RecipeCraft
There’s nothing more terrifying than being plopped into a Minecraft realm with no provisions and no clue how to get started, as darkness creeps in and monsters begin to spawn. RecipeCraft is a must-have for new players, helping you master the art of crafting by supplying you with all the available recipes in the game. More advanced players might find it useful for those times that one of the hundreds of recipes slips their mind.
Skyrim Herbarium
If you’ve decided to go the Alchemy route in Skyrim, you probably have pages of scribbled recipes or simply deal with taking a pause to look it up online. Skyrim Herbarium can solve your problems with an easy-to-use tool that includes potion and poison effects, ingredient uses, and recipes. Now you can finally find a use for all of those skeever tails.
Evolve: Hunter’s Quest
If you just can’t get enough of Evolve’s multi-player hunting action, you can get even more from the award-winning game by trying out the free companion app that can speed up your character’s progress in the console game. The app has a ton of cool features such as a Match-3 puzzle combat game, unique artwork that you can earn, and access to stats and leaderboards.
Builds of Legends
Builds of Legends is a useful (and free) app for League of Legends players that helps you out by giving you the best item builds for your champions. Updates come about a week after a new champion arrives, and items are clickable, showing the name, cost and the basic items you need for each final item.
Ready to give these apps a try? Let us know in the comments below what you think, and please share your own top apps for getting the most of console and computer gaming.