Android Game Development Java Vs C++

Though Google has particular programming languages for mobile game development, android game companies and independent developers spend more time in deciding the best language for Android game development.

Though Java is basically used for Android game development, Android Studio has added Native Development Kit (NDK) to enable developers to use C++. First, there was the Google Android NDK. Google states that, while it won’t benefit most apps, it could prove useful for CPU-intensive applications such as game engines.

Then Google Labs released fplutil in late 2014; this set of small libraries and tools is useful when developing C/C++ applications for Android. And don’t forget that Google Play Services includes a C++ API.

Here we have explained the benefits over choosing the language of C++ or Java.

Many software use C++ for cross-platform development as it has no constant interface. The user interface code is written in native language. On the other hand, Java needs JVM to convert the source code into Byte code. The code is then compiled into native by JVM. But C++ compiles to native code directly. C++ also allows controlling memory allocation.

Microsoft’s Visual Studio supports C++ from the very beginning along with CLI, CX for WinRT. For Android, C++ can be compiled as it helps to produce native supported Android games. While compiling for Android, CLANG is the platform which is being used.

On the other hand, Visual Studio also adds few fastest Android emulators such as Apache Ant, Android development kits like SDK, NDK and Oracle Java JDK. This implies that developers don’t have to switch to any other platform to implement external tools.

Though Java is a good language, C++ has quite a few more advantages for Android mobile development. C++ helps to include lower memory footprint as it has no garbage collection. C++ can compile all C programs virtually allowing the developer to reuse C software. On the other hand, Java programs run faster than C++. Java code is compiled to Bytecode and is saved in .jar files that are .zip files. While running the code, JVM loads .jar files and compiles it into machine code. Comparing the process with C++, C++ has no warm up time. For this reason, C++ developed games feel a little slower than Java.

Discussing on the benefits of C++ and Java for developing Android games, we can say one should start working on language, in which he or she is more comfortable with.