In an era dominated by glass screens and cloud gaming, the tactile click of a physical QWERTY keyboard feels like a nostalgic symphony. The BlackBerry 9720 , released in 2013, was something of a swan song for the iconic brand. It wasn't a flagship; it was a workhorse. Running on the aging BlackBerry OS 7.1, it lacked the app ecosystem of Android or iOS. But for those who owned one, the BlackBerry 9720 was a surprisingly capable gaming device.
The BlackBerry 9720 will never play Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile . However, as a device for "short burst" gaming or dedicated retro emulation, it is a secret weapon. The keyboard provides a tactile edge that modern phones cannot replicate, and the square screen is perfectly suited for arcade classics.
Unlike touchscreen gaming, where your fingers obscure the action, the 9720’s optical trackpad and physical keyboard allow for pixel-perfect precision. Furthermore, playing retro games on a BlackBerry consumes virtually no battery. You can kill a six-hour flight playing Angry Birds and still have 70% battery left. The biggest hurdle for any BlackBerry 9720 owner today is distribution . BlackBerry World (the official app store) was shut down years ago. You cannot simply search and download anymore. However, the .COD and .JAD file formats (BlackBerry’s native installers) live on in internet archives.
In an era dominated by glass screens and cloud gaming, the tactile click of a physical QWERTY keyboard feels like a nostalgic symphony. The BlackBerry 9720 , released in 2013, was something of a swan song for the iconic brand. It wasn't a flagship; it was a workhorse. Running on the aging BlackBerry OS 7.1, it lacked the app ecosystem of Android or iOS. But for those who owned one, the BlackBerry 9720 was a surprisingly capable gaming device.
The BlackBerry 9720 will never play Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile . However, as a device for "short burst" gaming or dedicated retro emulation, it is a secret weapon. The keyboard provides a tactile edge that modern phones cannot replicate, and the square screen is perfectly suited for arcade classics.
Unlike touchscreen gaming, where your fingers obscure the action, the 9720’s optical trackpad and physical keyboard allow for pixel-perfect precision. Furthermore, playing retro games on a BlackBerry consumes virtually no battery. You can kill a six-hour flight playing Angry Birds and still have 70% battery left. The biggest hurdle for any BlackBerry 9720 owner today is distribution . BlackBerry World (the official app store) was shut down years ago. You cannot simply search and download anymore. However, the .COD and .JAD file formats (BlackBerry’s native installers) live on in internet archives.
