POV | Unity vs HTML5 | Affle Enterprise
1 like502 views
The document provides a comparison between Unity and HTML5 for app development, focusing on gaming and non-gaming applications. It highlights Unity's strengths in gaming due to its advanced graphics and animation capabilities, while HTML5 is favored for its cross-platform integration and cost-effectiveness in non-gaming apps. Ultimately, the choice of technology depends on the app's complexity and required features.
POV | Unity vs HTML5 | Affle Enterprise
- 1. Our clients here at the Affle AppStudioz often ask us to guide them through the available options to develop their apps. Here’s a walkthrough of the two technologies that are popular with clients and developers alike. With the advent of web apps and hybrid apps, HTML5 based app development has become a contender for the titles that only native app frameworks and game engines held before. HTML5 and and Unity are the two technologies that are constantly pitted against each other because of their popularity in the mobile application world. Before we head for the knockout rounds, let’s first choose how to categorize the rounds. Here’s where you decide if you need a web app, a hybrid app or a native app. UNITY VS. HTML5
- 2. This is how we come to the two broad categories for their comparison: Gaming Apps These are preferably native apps with heavyanimation graphics, motion events and soundeffects. Non Gaming Apps These could be native/ hybrid / web apps depending on the required features. For example if the native features like back camera or front camera are essential to the app then it should be built in native frameworks for a smoother experience.
- 3. Round #1: Gaming Apps Once you have chosen the type of mobile app you need to build, this face off should help you understand what platform would give you optimum results: Unity markets itself essentially as a game engine. Which means that it is equipped to handle the physics, the anima- tions, and three dimensional rendering-features crucial to deliver top notch gaming apps. A gaming app developer jumps at the thought of all the imagination and animation he can put using Unity. Here are some features of Unity : Developers love the HTML5 as a browser script. The familiarity and no hassle coding makes HTML5 a preferred choice for web apps and now- hybrid apps. A word of caution though-the mobile web browsers cannot support the heavy graph- ic and code handling capabilities of a web browser which makes seamless mobile web gaming apps very rare. In case you are going for a HTML5 based mobile gaming app, you are choosing to make a hybrid app which is essentially some HTML5 code wrapped in a native device’s Xcode for bypassing app stores. 2D and 3D graphics support: The quality of animation and graphics is relatively advanced. Physics Support: Unity 3D takes care of the physics equations for real life like game dynamics using PhysiX 3.3. Asset pipeline: Various assets are available with easy integration. Seamless integration: 20 + different platforms supported using plugins. Programming languages needed to code in unity are C#, Javascript and Boo. The developers familiarity with these mid level languages determines the ease of coding. Advanced features such as multiplayer gaming across multiplayer platforms is possible. Extensive documentation is available for gaming related features in Unity.
- 4. HTML5 features Round #1 Winner: From this viewpoint Unity 3D emerges as the better solution to build gaming apps. Less preferred for complex mobile game due to less advanced graphic features. You can not make a temple run or angry birds with HTML5 alone. The WebGL plugin helps in including better graphics but that’s tricky in mobile browsers. Features such as audio and sounds in HTML5 are not supported as seamlessly on embedded mobile app browsers or mobile browsers. Here’s an example from the professional’s archives. Physics: HTML5 for mobile phones can include physics if used with supporting game engines such as kiwis.js (the same applies to other browser languages like javascript and CSS. Supporting game engines take care of assets and features). Here’s a list of the various game engines and physical world equations that can be added using browser scripts. Cross platform integration is pretty flexible and the highlight of HTML5. A simple web game can be turned into an iOS or Android app by adding a native wrapper and disguising it. The catch is that it should not be too complicated and heavy for mobile browsers.
- 5. Round # 2: Non Gaming Apps Non gaming apps require less animation and graphic detailing. The functionality is less of an imitation of the physical world. The UI needs be clean and intuitive of the user behaviour on mobile screens. You don’t need a bouncing and hopping dropdown lists for navigation on a regular eCommerce app. Still many developers swear by using Unity 3D for non gaming apps as well. Here are the features that work for Unity in non gaming apps: There are some other advantageous features that we will be discussing here: Ease of use: It is a lightweight engine that is very well documented. Developers and designers do not find it difficult to adjust to using Unity for non gaming apps. 2D UI is also supported so it is easily possible to create menus, boxes and icons for the non gaming apps as well. Additional features: Includes Google Analytics plugins which could be used for UAT (User Acceptance Testing ) of vari- ous in-app features. One can choose between Javascript or C# for making non gaming apps as well. Unity 3D has native library plugins that can include 20+ platforms as mentioned before. So it has a decent cross platform integration ability. “ “HTML5 is already counted as the biggest game changer in web apps and hybrid app technology. In fact one can easily turn a web app into an Android app or an iOS rendition of the same. The familiarity of developers with HTML5 makes it widely acceptable.
- 6. Cross Platform Capabilities Its cross platform capabilities is its biggest advantage. Turning a web HTML5 code into a web app or a hybrid App is as easy as anything. Availability Of Mobile UI Availability of mobile UI frameworks for elegant UI design. Easier Upgrades Easier upgrades: Since HTML5 is a general development language and their is a huge open source community for it, one can easily add additional features into the app. Cost Effectiveness Cost effectiveness is a major plus of HTML5. Some products may need a desktop based UI/UX and a mobile version. The same desktop code can be reused to make the mobile based technology. Even on the server side, many data struc- tures and even algorithms can be reused. This means shorter development cycle. Responsive Web Apps Responsive web apps can be designed using HTML5 . These can fit spontaneously to any screen size. Wrapping Technologies Wrapping technologies such as Apache Cordova are easily available to make native hybrid apps that can thus run with all major mobile OS (Android, iOS, Windows). HTML5 features
- 7. We have a tie! We know we compared apples to oranges in comparing a browser scripts to a game engine but the fact remains! Some prefer apples and some prefer oranges. You cannot declare a clear winner between these two not just because of the classification ( a browser script and a gaming engine) but also because they pertain to different user requirements. Tip : If your app is a simple design with simple, less complicated features, go for a web or hybrid app in which HTML5 may offer you results comparable with Unity. If it’s a complicated application with sizeable graphics and animations or multiple motion events or functions involving native devices like camera and sound , then we advise you to go for a native app, or the javascript version as applied by Unity . Conclusion Round #2 Winner : The cost effectiveness of HTML5 makes it a better runner for non gaming apps but if you are looking for features that are out of the ordinary, HTML5 may not be the answer. Learn more about us sales@appstudioz.com http://www.appstudioz.com/, http://www.affle.com