Windows Phone 8 Apps + Games

What's different about apps and games coded for Windows Phone 8?

While Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 7.x may look mostly the same, at their core the two operating systems are very different. As such, both OSs have a certain amount of overlap in terms of what software they can run but there are differences.

In theory, all Windows Phone 7 apps can run on Windows Phone 8. In reality, this is mostly true although there are some exceptions due to the need to upgrade an app’s graphics for the new 720P and 763 resolutions. Likewise for games although at the time of the Windows Phone 8 launch, there are at least 20 Xbox titles that cannot run on the new OS due to needed updates.

Apps that are updated to Windows Phone 8 status don’t preclude Windows Phone 7.x consumers from using the app but they won’t be able to take advantage of some of the new Windows Phone 8 features, such as:

Lenses – Mini photo apps that tie into the camera module
Fast resume – The ability to resume an app even after re-launching it via its Live Tile
Lock screen Banner – WP8 apps can display information directly on the Lock screen
Lock screen notifications – WP8 Apps can display up to five custom notification areas
Background GPS – WP8 apps can have navigation programs constantly run in the background
App to app handoff – WP8 Apps can share information with other apps
Wallet – WP8 apps can integrate with the Windows Phone Wallet, allowing in app and in game purchases
NFC sharing – WP8 apps can optionally share images or information via near-field communication (NFC) aka “Tap to share”
Doublewide Live Tiles – Windows Phone 7.8 and 8 devices can show doublewide tiles for third-party apps
Voice commands – WP8 apps can use the TellMe voice service for speech-to-text or for custom voice commands, such as launching to a specific area within the app

There is no cost to the user to upgrade to a Windows Phone 8 app as it is the same one that Windows Phone 7.x users will buy.

Finally, games for Windows Phone 8 are a bit different. Due to the addition of native coding, developers can release Windows Phone 8-only games either for Xbox or even third-party titles. That means some games will never be available for Windows Phone 7.x users unless the developer releases two separate versions—a prospect that is unlikely due to the difficulty in maintaining two code bases. Because of this, in the long run Windows Phone users will see the greatest fragmentation in the games area as opposed to the more ubiquitous apps.

Listed below are apps and games that have either been updated for Windows Phone 8 or released specifically for the new OS.

Related Windows Phone Central Forums: Marketplace Apps and Marketplace Games

More coverage

Pouch for Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8, an elegant Pocket client

By Michael Archambault, Friday, May 24, 2013 at 10:02 pm

In today’s world, we gather our news from a multitude of sources. Pocket (formally Read it Later) has always been one of my favorite ways to save articles and content on the web for later mobile consumption. Pouch, is a set of apps for both Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 that delivers your Pocket content in one of the most elegant designs I have yet seen.

Greed City developers boost game's performance, publish new trailer

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Friday, May 24, 2013 at 7:10 pm

Greed City, the Windows Phone 8 exclusive location-based game from Torchbear creator Lighthouse Game Studio, seems to be growing almost as fast as a real city. Since we first reported on the game in April, the number of players has jumped exponentially. That surge in players and the businesses they create was slowing down the game (which requires internet connectivity) in a big way.

Thankfully, Lighthouse has just published a major update that increases the speed of checking in to businesses and leaving comments on news feed items tenfold. You can now boot the game up, check in to your businesses, and get on with your day quickly and free of hassle once more.

That’s not all, though. The update adds more than a dozen changes and fixes that each make Greed City just a bit sweeter. And to celebrate the update’s arrival, Lighthouse has released a snazzy new trailer extoling the game’s virtues. See the video and more update details after the break!

Camera Preset+ updated for Windows Phone 8 with Live Tile support

Apps

By George Ponder, Friday, May 24, 2013 at 1:30 pm

Camera Preset+ is a nifty Windows Phone 8 photography app that lets you create custom preset settings for your camera. The app was recently updated to version 1.3 which adds Live Tile support to let you pin presets to your Start Screen.

This option can really come in handy by letting you jump right into the application with the settings you need. Live Tiles for presets can be customized with a descriptive title and custom color.

Having trouble with myTube for Windows Phone? Developer is working hard to solve the issue

Apps

By Rich Edmonds, Friday, May 24, 2013 at 11:48 am

The new third-party YouTube app for Windows Phone, myTube has encountered some issues with its latest release. We covered the app when it hit the Windows Phone Store and praised the unique set of features. So what's the problem? We've been informed by the developer that users of myTube may encounter an issue with playback since the last update.

They may not be "official" but these Instagram apps are just peachy

Apps

By George Ponder, Friday, May 24, 2013 at 8:49 am

Windows Phone Central App Roundup: Instagram Apps

Instagram is a unique social network that relies more on your photographs than your words. It's a tremendously popular service that, for whatever reason, has steered clear of an "official" Windows Phone app.

But have no fear, there are some creative minds out there and several "unofficial" Instagram apps have popped up in the Windows Store. In the beginning, most were simply viewers to let Windows Phone users look at but not touch the Instagram community.

We now have two fairly decent Instagram clients that not only let you look at the Instagram community but also upload images as well. While the number of apps are still on the thin side, we decided to roundup a few that stand out.

Instagraph for Windows Phone 8 updated, Metrogram integration joins the fun

Apps

By George Ponder, Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 11:52 pm

The popular Instagram client Instagraph was updated just a short while ago to version 2.0 and as promised, Metrogram is now part of the mix. The two apps really didn't become one but rather integrated where you can access Metrogram's features from within Instagraph and visa versa.

The Metrogram integration is only for the Windows Phone 8 version of Instagraph. Windows Phone 7.x users shouldn't feel left out in the cold though.

Developers can now use Metrotube's player with app-to-app communication in latest update

By Rich Edmonds, Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 11:17 am

The developer of Metrotube, Lazyworm has released an update for its popular Windows Phone YouTube app. So what's new in this latest release? Lazyworm has opened it up for other Windows Phone 8 developers to utilise URI app-to-app communication and automatically launch Metrotube's player from within their own apps.

Nokia updates Ringtone Maker Beta, extends ringtone length to 60 seconds

Apps

By Rich Edmonds, Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 12:01 pm

Nokia has once again updated its beta version of the Ringtone Maker app for Windows Phone. The company only recently published an update to the beta that included support for more file formats, but today we're looking at longer ringtones. The team has bumped the ringtone length from just 30 seconds to 60, which will allow consumers to create longer clips from their favourite songs.

Turbo Racing League for Windows Phone 8, nothing slow about these snails

Games

By George Ponder, Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 9:11 am

Turbo Racing League is a Windows Phone 8 companion game for the DreamWorks Studio movie, "Turbo". The story line behind the movie is about a garden snail who dreams of being a world class racer. Turbo Racing League has you playing the role of the snail, competing across nine different race tracks.

Turbo Racing League has fantastic graphics and animations, game play that doesn't grow stale, and enough upgrades to keep things competitive. As an added bonus, Verizon is sponsoring a $1,000,000 Shell-Out Contest. You have weekly contests to race and the ten fastest racers will earn cash prizes from a pool of $500,000. First place winners from each week will win trip to Los Angeles to compete for $500,00 in cash prizes during a grand finale event.

You can find all the fine print on the Shell-Out Contest here and head on past the break to read more on Turbo Racing League.

Drag Racing for Windows Phone 8, burning rubber and collecting pink slips

Games

By George Ponder, Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 8:00 pm

Drag Racing is a new game for your Windows Phone 8 device that has over fifty officially licensed cars that you can race down the strip. Everything from compact sports cars to muscle cars to sedans.

Drag Racing has plenty of upgrades to enhance your cars performance that can be purchased with your race winnings. You can race against the computer or choose an online opponent to challenge. We've only messed with Drag Racing for about an hour and it comes across as a fun game for short bits of time as well as longer, marathon gaming sessions.