Atlas takes simplified route to multiplayer wireless gaming

With the launch of three new BREW-based games this month, Atlas Mobile is attempting to stoke the fire for multiplayer gaming over wireless devices. But don’t expect real-time mayhem on your new GPRS and CDMA 1x handsets. Atlas is taking baby steps, working with the latency limitations of current networks and launching non-real time tournament style games in which players can get their first taste of competing over the network.

The games are simple: solitaire, blackjack, and puzzle games--all delivered over the air to multiple users simultaneously who then complete the games within a certain time period. The scores are then tabulated sent back to the network server where a winner is determined and prizes are awarded. It’s pretty basic stuff, but this is the type of network gaming that will sow the seeds for more advanced applications in the future, said Isaac Babbs, founder President and CEO of Atlas Mobile.

“We think this is the best way to go about wireless network gaming,” Babbs said. “Some people are trying to push the envelope, doing real-time action and sports games over the network, and it’s really not working. The networks just aren’t advanced enough. Latency is too high.”

Verizon Wireless has already signed up as an Atlas customer, and will use its content-pushing service to distribute the games to its data customers’ handsets. Atlas will run the service and the game servers and the two companies will split the revenues. So far, Atlas has built its service for Qualcomm’s Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless platform, making the service available only to CDMA customers using the format, but Babbs said Atlas plans to expand into GSM and Java next year.

Atlas will launch five games Solitaire, Prize-21, Golf Solitaire, Switchix and QBz, all in mid December.