Slashdot Mirror


iPhone Shakes Up the Video Game Industry

Hugh Pickens writes "Troy Wolverton writes in the Mercury News that in less than a year, the iPhone has become a significant game platform, but its bigger impact could be to help change the way the game industry does business. 'It's got everything you need to be a game changer,' said Neil Young, co-founder and CEO of ngmoco, which develops games solely for the iPhone. With a year under its belt and an installed base of iPhone and iPod Touch owners at around forty million, the iPhone/iPod Touch platform has eclipsed next-gen console penetration numbers and started to catch up to the worldwide penetration of both Sony's (50 million) and Nintendo's (100 million) devices. Wolverton writes that not only is the iPhone one of the first widely successful gaming platforms in which games are completely digitally distributed, but on the iPhone, consumers can find more games updated more often, and at a cheaper cost per game than what they'd find on a typical dedicated game console. While an ordinary top-of-the-line game for Microsoft's Xbox 360 sells for about $60, and one for Nintendo's DS about $30, a top-of-the-line iPhone game typically sells for no more than $10. With traditional games, developers might wait a year or two between major releases; ngmoco is planning on releasing new versions of its games for the iPhone every four to five months. 'You have to think differently,' says Young. 'It's redefining what it means to be a publisher in this world.'"

325 comments

  1. Neil Young Says ... by eldavojohn · · Score: 3, Funny

    'It's got everything you need to be a game changer,' said Neil Young

    Young went on to say that the iPhone "keeps him searching for a game of gold" and went on to speak of the coming mobile console war:

    There's fanboi lines bein' drawn
    A-nobody's right if everybody's wrong
    Young people spendin' their dimes
    A-iPhone sales leavin' others far behind

    --
    My work here is dung.
    1. Re:Neil Young Says ... by sexconker · · Score: 5, Informative

      iPhone + iPod Touch: ~30 million. Phone/iPod.
      PSP: ~48 million. Games device/media player.
      DS + DSi: ~105 million. Games device.

    2. Re:Neil Young Says ... by Dog-Cow · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You forgot the context. Or you're too stupid to understand it.

    3. Re:Neil Young Says ... by jo42 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Correction:

      iPhone + iPod touch: 40+ million.

      Source? WWDC 2009.

    4. Re:Neil Young Says ... by sexconker · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Numbers I got were from March. I didn't watch Apple's conference and couldn't be bothered to look it up.

      Either way, my point still stands.
      Apple is FAR from the DS, and has NOT positioned its products as game devices.

      Hell, they don't even have real buttons.

    5. Re:Neil Young Says ... by blackfrancis75 · · Score: 1

      Android Phones. ~?? Million. ? device.

    6. Re:Neil Young Says ... by MBCook · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Development costs:

      • iPhone + iPod Touch: $100 (possibly plus Mac, which is $600, chepaer used)
      • PSP: $1500 (source)
      • DS: ??? (can't find, guessing a few grand)

      So for $100, you can make all the iPhone apps you want. Even if you sell them to only 100 people, you can do it easily. With the DS and PSP you have to get official dev kits, get your game approved, find a publisher....

      --
      Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
    7. Re:Neil Young Says ... by Golias · · Score: 2, Interesting

      This is all well and good, but all I want to know is when somebody will release a Katamari game for the iPhone!

      Back when I had a PSP, that was, by far, the most addictive game in their lineup. A version that worked off the iPhone's tilt sensor would be even cooler.

      (Disclaimer: Yes, I'm aware that it will probably never happen. It's nice to dream, though.)

      --

      Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

    8. Re:Neil Young Says ... by sexconker · · Score: 1

      People are making DS games and apps right now, for free. Have been for ages.

      Getting it sold is another thing.

      To be a developer for Nintendo you basically have to prove that you're an actual business that can put out a game.

      If you show promising work, the dev kit costs are often subsidized (goes for Sony and MS too).

      You can always self publish or just put stuff on the online store. Approval? Oh please, the iPhone App Store is a minefield in that regard!

    9. Re:Neil Young Says ... by MBCook · · Score: 2, Informative

      Available for a while now, see here.

      It's not that great. The tilt control feels lose, and the levels feel very small.

      Kinda neat, but just not "there".

      --
      Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
    10. Re:Neil Young Says ... by sexconker · · Score: 1

      DS Successor: Profit!

    11. Re:Neil Young Says ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is all well and good, but all I want to know is when somebody will release a Katamari game for the iPhone!

      There's an App for that.

      http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=299484013&mt=8

    12. Re:Neil Young Says ... by Golias · · Score: 1

      Hmm... It's better than nothing, which is what I was expecting. Something else to download along with the 3.0 update tonight, I guess.

      --

      Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

    13. Re:Neil Young Says ... by Draek · · Score: 1

      Not to mention you can be certain that at least 90% of PSP and DS owners are gamers and as such part of your potential consumer base, something that doesn't translate over to the iPhone.

      --
      No problem is insoluble in all conceivable circumstances.
    14. Re:Neil Young Says ... by sexconker · · Score: 1

      Not to mention? I did mention it.

      Phone/iPod vs. games device/media player vs. games device.

    15. Re:Neil Young Says ... by uberjack · · Score: 1

      Development costs:

      • iPhone + iPod Touch: $100 (possibly plus Mac, which is $600, chepaer used)
      • PSP: $1500 (source)
      • DS: ??? (can't find, guessing a few grand)

      Try $0 for both PSP and DS. Once broken, both of those systems have abilities that far outshine their intended uses. Granted, same is true for a jailbroken iPhone, but the PSP and DS homebrew front makes the iPod/iPhone's pale in comparison.

    16. Re:Neil Young Says ... by blahplusplus · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "Apple is FAR from the DS, and has NOT positioned its products as game devices."

      I'd also like to add that lower penetration of game consoles one can understand whether or not your cusotmers are *interested* in games themselves. Saying a phone has an installed base greater then consoles isn't something to be proud of if most of your customers don't game on their phones. Just because some people play games on their phones doesn't mean everyone with owns that kind of phone does.

    17. Re:Neil Young Says ... by rinoid · · Score: 2, Informative

      Oh they haven't positioned it as a game device have they?

      Then what's this then:
      http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/gallery/ads/

      ???

      The entire iPod Touch ad campaign is "The funnest iPod ever" and the ads don't show anyone playing music or watching video, or surfing the web.

      Do your research before spewing forth your opines. Apple HAS positioned the devices as game platforms, not necessarily unitaskers, which I think is the better strategy.

    18. Re:Neil Young Says ... by ADRA · · Score: 1

      +30% of your profits are eaten by Apple. Lets say I create dual release of iPhone and PSP game. Here are my costs / profits:

      Costs
            PC $400
            PSP devkit $1500
      Profits
            $20 per application ($40 minus manufacturing costs, and distribution/retail commission)

      Costs
            MAC $600
            iPhone Store Minimum $100
      Profits
            $28 per application == $40 retail * 0.7

      Assuming I'm selling the same application through retail channels and iPhone store, I'd need to sell the application through iPhone store for around 28.57 to break even vs. retail. The costs of starting a business in PSP vs. iPhone in your example is around $1200. That equates to 60 sales. In terms of 'mass' release gaming titles, this is a negligible cost. What this whole thing does mean is exactly what we've seen: AAA titles where developers invest a fair amount of money to make a 'really good game' are going to stay on the devices because of the fact that the systems are more customized to their needs, and that the distribution channel is larger (every PSP/DS is a potential sale vs. iPhones/iPodTouch where there will be a lot of people that would never consider playing/buying any game). The iPhone will be popular for toy and independent gaming studios that don't sell in the economies of scale that portable consoles require for profitability.

      --
      Bye!
    19. Re:Neil Young Says ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is all well and good, but all I want to know is when somebody will release a Katamari game for the iPhone!

      Uh, they have? It's called I Love Katamari. A simple search for "katamari" on the app store would have found that.

    20. Re:Neil Young Says ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a matter of time. Apple managed to have 40% of the total number of user base DS has in 2 year period without focusing on game marketing outside of AppStore.

      Bottons and controls can be added via 3rd party hw support.

    21. Re:Neil Young Says ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apple have 40 million devices vs. 105 million for the DS and you think your point still stands? Apple have nearly *half* as many devices capable of playing games as Nintendo do. In two years. From selling devices not initially marketed for gaming. But now they *are* marketed for gaming. What is the iPod Touch tagline, and what do they show the Touch doing in the TV ads that have been running? What was your point again? Something about having no real buttons?

    22. Re:Neil Young Says ... by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      Nice to see that insults and flames are acceptable on Apple articles.

      The context was forgotten by the story - they are the ones too stupid to understand how to compare different products. Either you look at phones and consoles separately (in which case, comparing Iphone sales to consoles is meaningless), or you treat them together (in which case, sales of other phones that can play games is most certainly relevant).

      You can't have it both ways. Which is it?

      I might as well say that my Motorola V980 is shaking up the industry, because it sells more than the Amiga does these days. It's easy to make a product look number 1 if you are selective about your comparisons.

    23. Re:Neil Young Says ... by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      Most other phones: $0, plus cost of a PC (cheaper than $600)
      PC: $0, plus cost of a PC (cheaper than $600)
      Commodore Amiga: $0, plus cost of an Amiga

      So yeah, the point of your post is that developing for consoles is expensive. I agree that's annoying, but that's got nothing to do with the Iphone, anymore than it has with any other phone, or any other non-console platform, in fact. The fact that, when you get down to it, the Iphone is actually worse than most other phones for development costs, just shows how bias and misleading the comparison is.

      I know Iphone fans like to scrape the barrel to find ways to trumpet their beloved phone, but really this is getting tedious. Why not just use and enjoy whatever phone you use, rather than having to run misleading media spin trying to make it look like the messiah of mobile phones?

      Next you'll be telling me the Iphone is great because you can use it to access a webpage...

    24. Re:Neil Young Says ... by Lars+T. · · Score: 1, Interesting
      Wouldn't number of games sold be a better index of how much something is used as a games machine?

      And how many DSs are rotting in some cupboard after the buyer grew tired (or is still only using) the Dr. Kawashima or Nintendogs that came with it - IOW are overly expensive Tamagotchis?

      --

      Lars T.

      To the guy who modded me down from perfect to terrible Karma - Apple haters still suck

    25. Re:Neil Young Says ... by Maione · · Score: 1

      I agree. It is quite silly to compare the iphone to console systems. Let's also compare it to organized sports, another leisure activity that is not in direct competition with iphone games.

    26. Re:Neil Young Says ... by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      Indeed. To add to that, how many Windows PCs are there out there? Clearly it's ludicrous to suggest that a 30 million platform is shaking up any industry, let alone the video games industry (it's also misleading to have the headline as "Iphone", when surely the majority of sales are for the Ipod - it comes across as a cheap attempt to make the Iphone, which is a niche device, look more popular by conflating it with an Apple product that for once actually was popular).

      Even if we want to be pro-Apple: even the number of Macs sold surely far outdoes the number of Iphones sold? So why don't they say "Macintosh Shakes Up the Video Game Industry"? (The answer is obvious of course: because people would see how stupid such a claim was. But the Iphone seems to have a bigger RDF around it.)

    27. Re:Neil Young Says ... by sexconker · · Score: 2, Informative

      For the DS, it's 420 of your earth millions, despite rampant piracy. At an average price of $30.

      Fail troll fails.

      People who think Apple has any shot in hell simply don't know the scope of Nintendo's personal money printer.

    28. Re:Neil Young Says ... by sexconker · · Score: 1

      "Funnest" isn't even a word.

      One ad shows it as a games device.

      The tour is quite varied in what it shows.
      Games are a minor part of that.
      http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/guidedtour/tour/medium.html

      It's only positioned as a game iPod in the ad to differentiate it from the regular iPods.

      If Apple wanted to market it as a games device, Steve Jobs marketing 101 says they're call it the iGame or iPlay.

    29. Re:Neil Young Says ... by alexandre_ganso · · Score: 1

      Yes, you have a point. But this doesn't invalidate the fact that the device is a game changer, no pun intended. I mean, I have gaming consoles. I have a multi-core machine with a stupid video card, but wanted something to have on my backpack at least. I saw the ds and couldn't believe how crappy the screen and the games were.

      So I took a psp.

      That thing is (was?) a monster on my backpack whose games sell for NO LESS than 45 dollars here in spain. And several of them seemed just ports from playstation one.

      So I took an iphone. No boot time, as it's always on. No UMD disks, no noises from the drive, small, in my pocket. Great browser. Small, nice games: sway is a piece of art, peggle is fun.

      And you want to know what? It's always with me. It's lighter to carry a mobile which IS a nice game console than a crappy mobile with even crappier games (ironically, I had a sony before the iphone) AND a psp. No way.

    30. Re:Neil Young Says ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No it's not. To develop for DS and WII, you have to show you successful enterprises on other devices before. They won't even talk to you without that.

      Believe me, I tried.

      Not sure about sony, though.

    31. Re:Neil Young Says ... by alexandre_ganso · · Score: 1

      Perhaps if you think about:

      iphone/ipod touch: one dev kit, one deployment platform

      mobile x: resolution? memory? accelerators? touch screen? cpu speed?

      so say, you program you game in java and it runs everywhere, right? Yeah right.

    32. Re:Neil Young Says ... by dangitman · · Score: 1

      iPhone + iPod Touch: ~30 million. Phone/iPod. PSP: ~48 million. Games device/media player. DS + DSi: ~105 million. Games device.

      I'm just curious. What does your post (about sales figures) have to do with the post you were replying to, which was a joke about CEO Neil Young's name including parody lyrics to folk singer Neil Young's songs?

      Shouldn't you have started a new thread, or replied to another post that was actually discussing sales figures?

      --
      ... and then they built the supercollider.
    33. Re:Neil Young Says ... by mabhatter654 · · Score: 1

      Apple has a much lower barrier to entry.. you only have to publish to the App Store. With DS games you have to get your game to somebody that can ask nintendo nicely if they will be allowed to pay cash up front to manufacture little plastic chips and send them to stores... that takes time. iPhone/Touch users don't have to go to ANY Brick & Mortar store to buy your game.

      Sure DSi has downloadable games, but there's only a few million of those.. with version 3.0 of the iPhone OS EVERY iPhone and Touch has access to your game overnight!

    34. Re:Neil Young Says ... by rinoid · · Score: 1

      iPhone/iPod Touch life == 2 yrs
      PSP life == 5 yrs
      DS life == 5 yrs

      Give it a year skippy and iPhone/iPod Touch will be nipping at the DS heels. Not saying it will crush it or kill it, just don't dismiss. It'd be folly.

    35. Re:Neil Young Says ... by Lars+T. · · Score: 0, Troll

      To a fanboi like you, any question is a troll. Just like only a fanboi would bring up the price of games as proof which is or isn't a real games machine.

      --

      Lars T.

      To the guy who modded me down from perfect to terrible Karma - Apple haters still suck

    36. Re:Neil Young Says ... by sexconker · · Score: 1

      A-iPhone sales leavin' others far behind

      Is factually incorrect.
      They're way behind.

      iPhone sales are unknown. We know iPhone + iPod Touch sales are at 40 million (numbers I had were from March, didn't know/care that they released new numbers during their press conference, nor did it matter.)

    37. Re:Neil Young Says ... by sexconker · · Score: 1

      There's also the Wii store, the stores for the PSP, for the PS3, for the 360, for the PC, and soon, the ZuneHD.

      If you have a good game that will sell, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft will be eager to help you get it on their platforms. Yes, you have to pay them a small cut, but so what? That's how the business arrangement works.

      If you have a derivative, shallow piece of crap (99% of games 99.9% of applications for the iPhone/iPod Touch) you won't get far.

      What good is being on the shelf if you're not getting any sales? If Apple wants to be taken seriously, they have to provide a lucrative market for developers. As that begins to happen, the quality titles will drown out the shit. Independent developers selling their wares for cheap or free will put out stuff that rivals or beats out the major development studios! No. If it starts to become a viable platform, it will quickly be flooded with shovelware from everyone under the sun. Once that happens, barriers to entry/visibility will be raised (by Apple).

      Basically, the barriers go up as the viability of the platform goes up. The same is true for both physical and online stores.

    38. Re:Neil Young Says ... by sexconker · · Score: 1

      I seriously doubt it.

      Even when combining the iPhone and the iPod Touch together, even when assuming that everyone using an iPhone or iPod Touch is using it primarily for games.

    39. Re:Neil Young Says ... by sexconker · · Score: 1

      You're an idiot.
      Price * Number = ???.
      ??? drives the industry.

    40. Re:Neil Young Says ... by stalky14 · · Score: 1

      If Apple wants to position the Touch as a gaming platform, the low-end model needs to be price-competitive with the DS. IOW, $149 or thereabouts. I wouldn't be surprised to see some sort of price drop for the Holiday buying season. I doubt it will be that much though. Apple seems to be quite comfortable knowingly sacrificing some sales in order to maintain their "elite" brand status. This is probably why they haven't done a netbook yet. An Apple netbook would almost certainly land in the $600 area, and how well would a $600 Apple netbook compete against several equally sexy Windows7 devices at half the price (assuming they came out with one in the fall)? It would have to be different somehow to justify the price. Touchscreen? iPod Touch emulation mode ("MacBook Touch")? TV tuner? Something like that.

    41. Re:Neil Young Says ... by dangitman · · Score: 1

      A-iPhone sales leavin' others far behind
      Is factually incorrect.

      WTF? Again, the post you replied to said nothing about iPhone sales figures. So, why did you post your reply in response to it?

      --
      ... and then they built the supercollider.
    42. Re:Neil Young Says ... by sexconker · · Score: 1

      Read eldavojohn's post, please.

      'It's got everything you need to be a game changer,' said Neil Young

      Young went on to say that the iPhone "keeps him searching for a game of gold" and went on to speak of the coming mobile console war:

      There's fanboi lines bein' drawn
      A-nobody's right if everybody's wrong
      Young people spendin' their dimes
      A-iPhone sales leavin' others far behind

    43. Re:Neil Young Says ... by mabhatter654 · · Score: 1

      not really, by that standard the PC is a failure because Best Buy only sells shovelware. Most "computer" stores don't sell any software outside of Window and Office and most Electronics stores sell only games and tools.

      yet there is a vast landscape of Windows software available and lots of people buy it online or by mail. Nearly all the stuff I use on my PCs a work doesn't even come in a box.

      The same thing will happen with App Store. The good, expensive niche applications will have their own websites and communities.... just like stores that sell photoshop or Autocad aren't very many. If you are part of the market, then you'll know where to find the app. If you're not part of the market, then a $100 app to read EKG's really isn't for you, is it?

      I think the key to App store will be to diversify as it grows. It needs to have a "professional" section that's free of "shovelware" apps.. but who gets to decide what's "shovelware"? Is a free app that links to Gutenberg for ebooks "less" than a paid subscription to Amazon Kindle store? Apple is smart to allow them the same footing right now, that may not be the case later. The market is fresh, new and everybody is truly equal on the platform.. EA's developers have just as much iPhone game experience as a guy in his garage that started on the SDK last year. The major players abandon Apple years ago because it wasn't profitable... enough, there's no need to "prefer" them over the new "young and starving" guys developing out of their backpacks at the cafe if the output is the same, is there.

    44. Re:Neil Young Says ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >Hell, they don't even have real buttons.

      But they can with the new 3.0 OS and access to the dock. For those "old school" gamers that can't adapt, there have already been several companies showing off sleds with buttons that your iPhone or iPod Touch slide into.

      "problem" solved...

    45. Re:Neil Young Says ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Katamari game for the iphone debuted last year: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=299484013&mt=8

    46. Re:Neil Young Says ... by Pieroxy · · Score: 1

      The thing is that the iPhone is one platform. All the blackberry out there don't share a common platform, nor a common SDK. Hardware specs are terribly diverse and hard to take advantage of if you want to target the whole 50 million blackberries out there. Plus there's no 3D at all.

      Same can be said with pretty much all of the smartphones, but the iPhone, where the two different models share almost everything save a GPS for the second model.

      The DS/DSi are on the same model and the PSP as well.

      So you see, as a development platform, the iPhone 3G is much much closer to the current portable consoles than to the other smartphones.

  2. Attention Span = 0 by stewbacca · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Thanks to the Zero Attention Span Theater Generation we get vapid video games (as opposed to substantive ones of old) and 15 second "music videos". Now get off my lawn.

    1. Re:Attention Span = 0 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      tl;dr

    2. Re:Attention Span = 0 by Gizzmonic · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Thanks to the Zero Attention Span Theater Generation we get vapid video games (as opposed to substantive ones of old)

      Substantive games like...Pac-Man and Tetris? Or maybe you meant those complex, nuanced tabletop games like Solitaire or Cribbage. Seriously, do you really desire to play Xenogears while you're waiting in line at the bank? Think of the implications that has for your battery life. Sorry, I agree that everyone needs to work on their attention span, but putting long, complicated games on the cell phone just doesn't make sense.

      --
      (-1, Raw and Uncut is the only way to read)
    3. Re:Attention Span = 0 by sexconker · · Score: 1

      It sure as hell doesn't, but it pisses me off that some companies keep whoring shit out to them (CAPCOM).

      I believe there's still some Phoenix Wright stuff not available anywhere other than cell phones. Ughhh.

    4. Re:Attention Span = 0 by alen · · Score: 1

      because all the campy crap from the 1990's was so deep and full of substance. like a plumber jumping around for 20 levels is deep

    5. Re:Attention Span = 0 by MBaldelli · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Thanks to the Zero Attention Span Theater Generation we get vapid video games (as opposed to substantive ones of old)

      Substantive games like...Pac-Man and Tetris? Or maybe you meant those complex, nuanced tabletop games like Solitaire or Cribbage. Seriously, do you really desire to play Xenogears while you're waiting in line at the bank? Think of the implications that has for your battery life. Sorry, I agree that everyone needs to work on their attention span, but putting long, complicated games on the cell phone just doesn't make sense.

      Christ on a drunken rampage, you have got to be kidding me. What is so bleeding hard to stand in a bank line all of at most 10-20 minutes for doing business at a bank that you have to be twiddling your thumbs or playing with the gravity controls on your iPhone to play a game?

      Or 8 - 15 minutes in line at the grocery store?

      Or 10 - 20 minutes at the cinema (that's if you don't pull an order online for those tickets and take at most 5 minutes at the will-call line)?

      Must your attention be constantly filled with something on a 2 inch screen with pretty graphics?

      You talk about people needing to work on their attention span, but what they really need to do is work on their patience , which you didn't remotely cover when playing advocate in this argument here.

      --
      "The truth points to itself." - Kosh, Babylon5
    6. Re:Attention Span = 0 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mario changed my LIFE fucker.

      When the existence of Wario was revealed...it hit me like a shit tonne of bricks. The realization that two people could be so similar, but one good and one evil...just mind blowing.

      Don't Fuck With My History asshat.

    7. Re:Attention Span = 0 by gbarules2999 · · Score: 1

      Thanks to the Zero Attention Span Theater Generation we get vapid video games (as opposed to substantive ones of old) and 15 second "music videos". Now get off my lawn.

      Don't blame it on the kids; they don't even have enough money to buy an iPhone these days (they're spending their cellphone bill, you know, talking and texting). It's everybody else who buys these $10 turds transformed into 0's and 1's that we should be complaining about.

    8. Re:Attention Span = 0 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wasted time != patience.

    9. Re:Attention Span = 0 by FishWithAHammer · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Standing there doing nothing is not being patient, it is being stupid. Pulling out an iphone or the like for a quick video game is no different from picking up a book and reading in line (which I have done)--it adds activity to an otherwise inactive section of the day.

      I'd rather be talking to people, but people look at you funny if you smile and say 'hi,' let alone try to strike up a conversation.

      Thanks for playing, fuckbean.

      --
      "You can either have software quality or you can have pointer arithmetic, but you cannot have both at the same time."
    10. Re:Attention Span = 0 by Lucky75 · · Score: 1

      I'm sorry, but this article is full of shit. The iPhone is NOT a gaming platform, nor could it ever be. How can one play a serious game with a touch screen keypad, with touchscreen buttons, a slow, non dedicated processor and poor battery life? Let's not forget about the....lack...of ergonomics in the thing. Your hands will cramp in about 10 minutes if you plan on doing any serious gaming on it.

      --
      DNA -- National Dyslexic Association
    11. Re:Attention Span = 0 by HaZardman27 · · Score: 1

      Seeing as how this post is NOT exclusive to cell phone games, your point is moot. I use my DS regularly, and I would hate for portable versions of Final Fantasy and Castlevania to cease production in favor of 5-minute-fix games. And portable gaming is not restricted to waiting in lines or killing time on the bus; sometimes I enjoy relaxing on my patio with the DS, or lounging on the couch while my wife is watching TV.

      --
      Apparently wizard is not a legitimate career path, so I chose programmer instead.
    12. Re:Attention Span = 0 by haystor · · Score: 5, Funny

      Some people must relieve the boredom of being in their own presence.

      --
      t
    13. Re:Attention Span = 0 by Gizzmonic · · Score: 1

      Seeing as how this post is NOT exclusive to cell phone games, your point is moot.

      Well, it *is* in an iPhone thread.

      I use my DS regularly, and I would hate for portable versions of Final Fantasy and Castlevania to cease production in favor of 5-minute-fix games. And portable gaming is not restricted to waiting in lines or killing time on the bus; sometimes I enjoy relaxing on my patio with the DS, or lounging on the couch while my wife is watching TV.

      Totally irrelevant. Are you worried about gaming too long on the DS because your battery life might run out? This is a serious concern on cell phones, especially with the already-crappy battery life of the iPhone.

      --
      (-1, Raw and Uncut is the only way to read)
    14. Re:Attention Span = 0 by HaZardman27 · · Score: 1

      Well, it *is* in an iPhone thread.

      It's a thread about how the iPhone will affect portable gaming in its entirety, thus it is not exclusive to cell phone gaming.

      Totally irrelevant. Are you worried about gaming too long on the DS because your battery life might run out? This is a serious concern on cell phones, especially with the already-crappy battery life of the iPhone.

      This is completely relevant, as, once again, the article is claiming that the production and scale of games developed for any portable device will begin mimicking those of iPhone games. I don't care if battery life is an isue with cell phones, or if the games available for such are quick-fix games. I just don't want to see portable gaming as a whole follow this trend.

      --
      Apparently wizard is not a legitimate career path, so I chose programmer instead.
    15. Re:Attention Span = 0 by sootman · · Score: 1

      You mean Short Attention Span Theater.

      You know, it really bugs me when people can't... ooh, look! shiny!

      --
      Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
    16. Re:Attention Span = 0 by Theoboley · · Score: 1

      "Let's not forget about the....lack...of ergonomics in the thing."

      Like the old NES controllers...? Yes there were SERIOUS gamers for that and I have the carpal tunnel to prove it.

      --
      Stupidity only gets you so far, then you've gotta try
    17. Re:Attention Span = 0 by Gizzmonic · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Christ on a drunken rampage, you have got to be kidding me. What is so bleeding hard to stand in a bank line all of at most 10-20 minutes for doing business at a bank that you have to be twiddling your thumbs or playing with the gravity controls on your iPhone to play a game?

      It's not hard. It's not hard to stand on one foot the entire time, either. In fact, why do you have to be standing on two feet all the time? Can't you stand on one? It's a failure of your character if you don't stand on one foot while you're in line.

      Must your attention be constantly filled with something on a 2 inch screen with pretty graphics?

      Well, I'd hope that it was a little bigger than 2 inches (wink wink), but yes. It must be. Otherwise I might shank the wide-eyed sheep enthralled with the hum of the fluorescent lights who's standing in the line in front of me, and who knows? It might be you! And that'd be a darn shame, wouldn't it Baldelli?

      --
      (-1, Raw and Uncut is the only way to read)
    18. Re:Attention Span = 0 by cayenne8 · · Score: 1
      "I'd rather be talking to people, but people look at you funny if you smile and say 'hi,' let alone try to strike up a conversation."

      Really?

      Interesting, that is actually fairly common down here where I live. I'm guessing maybe you live up north somewhere?

      I guess we're much friendlier here in the south. I often strike up conversations with people around me while waiting for something, no big deal actually.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    19. Re:Attention Span = 0 by Xsydon · · Score: 1

      My hundreds of hours clocked in Reign (turn based strategy game) would beg to differ. Or the hours in Bejeweled... or Scramble... or Trace... or JellyCar... or TapDefense... or Aurora Feint. I've found myself sitting around on the couch playing tons of random great games on my iPhone while neglecting my consoles or PC. If you get bored with a game, then you're just a few clicks away from something new.

    20. Re:Attention Span = 0 by MBGMorden · · Score: 1

      I guess we're much friendlier here in the south. I often strike up conversations with people around me while waiting for something, no big deal actually.

      I'll agree on that one. I've lived in SC all my life, and inevitably every convention or event that I attend where I must stand in line I get caught in some conversation or another. Now personally I'm your typical anti-social Slashdotter. I don't MIND talking to them - I'll smile and nod etc, but I'm not going to strike one up on my own. Still, it's common enough that most of the time another person in line will just start talking.

      --
      "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
    21. Re:Attention Span = 0 by meyekul · · Score: 1

      10-20 MINUTES? I can't sit at a long red light without pulling out my cell phone and playing chess or tetris or something...

    22. Re:Attention Span = 0 by MBGMorden · · Score: 1

      Actually there were some slip on rubber side grips to help with that. I had them and they gave the controller a profile much similar to a Genesis controller. At least it took the sharp corners off and gave a little more grip area.

      --
      "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
    23. Re:Attention Span = 0 by modmans2ndcoming · · Score: 1

      plumber... 1990's... old days? Dude....what are you 12?

    24. Re:Attention Span = 0 by Sancho · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'd rather be talking to people, but people look at you funny if you smile and say 'hi,' let alone try to strike up a conversation.

      and then

      Thanks for playing, fuckbean.

      I think we may have pinpointed the problem with your social skills....

    25. Re:Attention Span = 0 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I guess we're much friendlier here in the south.

      Unless you're black, mexican, gay or any other minority group.

    26. Re:Attention Span = 0 by pjr.cc · · Score: 1

      I agree with stewbacca on that one, there are plenty of games that can be played for hours and hours on end, 5 minutes at a time. Although if your going to quote "substantive" games that wouldn't work, think things like ghost recon or far cry.

      Even a light-on mmo would work so long as the mechanics allowed that type of play (there are some games on facebook that could fall into that category - ok, yes, you can possibly play those in the browser on the ipod, but its more the concept we're talking about here, not specifics).

      Not that i've ever played it, but i think pokemon could probably work. Turn-based strategy that dont require heaps of planning (metal gear spring to mind).

    27. Re:Attention Span = 0 by Gilmoure · · Score: 1

      Can't stand when people start up inane conversations with me. 'Course, I'm not comfortable talking with folks all that much to begin with. Some of us just really like to be left alone.

      --
      I drank what? -- Socrates
    28. Re:Attention Span = 0 by Cornelius+the+Great · · Score: 1

      I was going to say... the original mario game (Donkey Kong) was released in 1981. The first Super Mario Bros platformer (for the NES/Famicom) was released in 1985. And I remember them fondly...

      GP needs to get off my lawn.

      --
      Sigs are for losers
    29. Re:Attention Span = 0 by Golias · · Score: 1

      I've yet to have the battery run out on my iPhone. Whenever I'm driving, it's getting charged. On the rare occasions that this is not enough and it starts running down, I leave it plugged in overnight and I'm good to go for a couple days.

      Granted, this rapid charge cycle will render my battery into an inert lump of nickel by the time it's two years old, but by then I'll probably be upgrading to a 4th-gen iPhone anyway, and will sell this one to somebody on Craigslist with the ambition to pull it apart, install an after-market battery, and jailbreak it for their Sprint plan (or whatever.)

      --

      Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

    30. Re:Attention Span = 0 by rho · · Score: 5, Funny

      You talk about people needing to work on their attention span, but what they really need to do is work on their patience , which you didn't remotely cover when playing advocate in this argument here.

      One man's patience is another man's wasted time.

      For one, why am I standing in line? Lines usually indicate a lack of planning on the part of the line-maker. There's not much in this world that actually requires a line except to provide a terrible job for the otherwise unemployable. So already my time is being poorly utilized. Two, of what benefit is there to staring at the back of the head of the person in front of you? Here "patience" is a word that means "can't think of any better way to spend your time and is therefore satisfied by the mere act of breathing". Three, to ward off the usual rebuttal, I have little to no interest in chatting with the people around me. Most people are stupid, crazy, or some combination of both. For them, having a chance to talk to me, a genius, is an unexpected joy in their mean, puny lives. For me it is an unbearable hardship, as I'm regaled with dubious tales about their last hunting trip or some damn thing.

      Now I agree that somebody who requires a video game to divert their attention is probably also witless, but at least they're quiet and don't talk to me. However, using an iPhone (or iPod Touch) to read Proust while I'm in line is one of the few ways I can endure close quarters with the proles, ever since they banned quarterstaff duels at First National. I'll stick the earbuds in as well, even if I'm not listening to music, so I have an excuse to ignore conversation starters like, "You know that Obama isn't actually a US citizen, right?"

      --
      Potato chips are a by-yourself food.
    31. Re:Attention Span = 0 by Admiral+Ag · · Score: 1

      It works quite well. I haven't bought a bad game yet. Part of the charm is being able to buy a good game for a couple of bucks, and the iPhone games are much better than most mobile games.

      Look, if you buy a PSP (which I own) you're putting down a chunk of cash for something that is no good for anything other than playing games, and I have to buy the damn cartridges. On the other hand, a lot of people won't buy the iPhone for gaming, but they'll get bored and press the app store button on the home screen and think "what the hell, it's only a dollar/two dollars". Hell, a lot of people used to spend more than that in a hour at the arcade 20 years ago, and with the iPhone, as soon as you buy it you can play it. Works for me and everyone I know.

      But I don't think we've seen anything yet. When more developers start designing around the touch screen rather than trying to mimic conventional control schemes, then we might see some really good stuff (in addition to the good games the platform already has).

      --
      "by that I mean people who don't sit on slashdot all day wondering why everyone else isn't building robots" DECS
    32. Re:Attention Span = 0 by meta-monkey · · Score: 2, Interesting

      There are some complex games, though, and I hope there'll be more. I just finished Zenonia on my iPhone. It's an original content game, reminiscent of Zelda on the SNES, but with modern updates like a Diablo-style loot system. The first play-through took me 38 hours. That's a real game. I mean, it's the sort of game people would have bought for $60 on the SNES and said "this is a good game!" And now I get it on my phone for $4.99. That's not bad. Oh, and you can play it in line at the bank, because you just click off you phone and it freezes the game and saves all your progress.

      --
      We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
    33. Re:Attention Span = 0 by kryptKnight · · Score: 1

      What is so bleeding hard to stand in a bank line all of at most 10-20 minutes

      Agreed! On top of that, what so bleeding difficult about walking the 3-5 miles to the bank? I mean, it's not like walking for miles at a time is outside the ability of any healthy adult. Must your locomotion always be dependent on some shiny car with comfortable, heated seats?!?!?

      Not only do people have to work on their patience , people should follow your example and strive to avoid technology all together!

      --
      Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. -Aldous Huxley
    34. Re:Attention Span = 0 by A12m0v · · Score: 1

      You deserve mod points just for mentioning Xenogears, too bad I haven't got any, and now I'll be modded down :(

      If anyone thinks games today aren't substantive should get a PS2 (or PS3) and play any Disgaea or Growlanser game.

      --
      GENERATION 25: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation.
    35. Re:Attention Span = 0 by Hatta · · Score: 1

      10-20 minutes for doing business at a bank

      8 - 15 minutes in line at the grocery store?

      10 - 20 minutes at the cinema

      All that adds up. I don't know about you, but my time is valuable. Being able to spend that 28-55 minutes doing something I enjoy is a great benefit. I get nothing out of waiting.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    36. Re:Attention Span = 0 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      . I'll stick the earbuds in as well, even if I'm not listening to music, so I have an excuse to ignore conversation starters like, "You know that Obama isn't actually a US citizen, right?"

      He's not, you know. He's a shapechanging lizard "Replicant" from Mars. That's why the birth certificate thing is so sensitive - can't let it be known what planet he was born on!

    37. Re:Attention Span = 0 by LandDolphin · · Score: 1

      For one, why am I standing in line? Lines usually indicate a lack of planning on the part of the line-maker. There's not much in this world that actually requires a line except to provide a terrible job for the otherwise unemployable

      Why do you say that? The line at the bank hardly indicates a lack of planning. They know what days are heavy (Beg/End of the month, Fridays, etc.) However, it is finacially and logistically illogical to thin kthat they would ahve enough tellers working ot ensure that everyone has instant access.

      Similar arguements could be made for other places with lines (Fast Food, Amussement Parks, etc.). Anything where you ahve more people that want to do something at the same time then can be provided for requires a line. Or should airplanes be designed that ~200 (everyone on the plane) people can board at once? Because by your standards, it is poor planning that they designed the plan with the concept of you waiting in line to get on and off.

      --
      Spelling and Grammar errors have been added to this post for your enjoyment
    38. Re:Attention Span = 0 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because by your standards, it is poor planning that they designed the plan with the concept of you waiting in line to get on and off.

      What kind of sick, twisted, perverted person gets off by waiting in line?

    39. Re:Attention Span = 0 by Thaelon · · Score: 1

      Well said, however! (There is ever a however in intelligent discourse.) What if one of those people in line is someone else like you? Wouldn't that be nice for a change? I only say this to be the devil's advocate though. The likelihood of someone like you or I meeting someone we would consider worth talking to at a movie theater or bank teller line is rather slim. Especially considering I buy all my tickets online hours or days in advance, and haven't seen the inside of a bank since 2005 thanks to online banking. That said, this much is entirely true: "One man's patience is another man's wasted time."

      As an aside, your mention of Proust - especially coming from someone worth listening to - intrigued me, so I looked him up. Judging by his birthday, his works are out of copyright. Any idea where I might find In Search of Lost Time in electronic form? Ideally, .epub, though html or plaintext would serve.

      --

      Question everything

    40. Re:Attention Span = 0 by FishWithAHammer · · Score: 1

      New England, yeah. I have noticed it's much more common when I go visit family in the D.C. area to actually be...you know. Personable.

      --
      "You can either have software quality or you can have pointer arithmetic, but you cannot have both at the same time."
    41. Re:Attention Span = 0 by rho · · Score: 1

      The line at the bank hardly indicates a lack of planning.

      Disney World managed to eliminate lines. I suggest that the banks start employing mice.

      --
      Potato chips are a by-yourself food.
    42. Re:Attention Span = 0 by LandDolphin · · Score: 1

      Why have they not implemented this "No line to get in or at any ride" concept at Disney Land? I'd love to see the Roller Coaster that is always ready for me to get in when I walk up, and don't have to wait in line to get on it.

      --
      Spelling and Grammar errors have been added to this post for your enjoyment
    43. Re:Attention Span = 0 by chartreuse · · Score: 1

      Correlation != causation

    44. Re:Attention Span = 0 by chartreuse · · Score: 1

      As an aside, your mention of Proust - especially coming from someone worth listening to - intrigued me, so I looked him up. Judging by his birthday, his works are out of copyright. Any idea where I might find In Search of Lost Time in electronic form? Ideally, .epub, though html or plaintext would serve.

      I think it depends on if you read French. Translations get copyrighted too.

    45. Re:Attention Span = 0 by stewbacca · · Score: 1

      Or not from the South.

    46. Re:Attention Span = 0 by stewbacca · · Score: 1

      Lines usually indicate a lack of planning on the part of the line-maker.

      Seriously? If your statement were true, then it could be said that all of Europe suffers from "lack of planning". Here in the US, we don't have good planning like Europe, yet we spend considerably less time standing in lines. Hint: population density has far more to do with lines than any amount of planning.

      In my mere 40 years of existence, most lines exist because there is a greater demand than the capacity to handle that demand. NO amount of proper planning can get 95,000 people into a football game in a timely no-line manner. No amount of planning can alleviate long lines leaving the track of the Indianapolis 500 or the Daytona 500. 150,000-400,000 people simply can't get in an out that easily.

    47. Re:Attention Span = 0 by stewbacca · · Score: 1

      Disney World managed to eliminate lines.

      Disney World is behind this bad economy?

    48. Re:Attention Span = 0 by jonaskoelker · · Score: 2, Funny

      tl

    49. Re:Attention Span = 0 by alexandre_ganso · · Score: 1

      Actually, I WAS reading some philosophy on the iphone...

    50. Re:Attention Span = 0 by modmans2ndcoming · · Score: 1

      Many weekends were wasted playing Super Mario on NES. Never cared much for Donkey Kong.

    51. Re:Attention Span = 0 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Damn, I'm old (look at my sig ;-), but those are long-ass time to stand in line.

    52. Re:Attention Span = 0 by dafing · · Score: 1

      CMust your attention be constantly filled with something on a 2 inch screen with pretty graphics?

      Two inches I can go without, but my iPhone has 3.5 inches of shiny stuff! Big difference

      --
      --- ...or a new slashdot signature. Dear aunt, let's set so double the killer delete select all
    53. Re:Attention Span = 0 by oldhack · · Score: 1

      "You know that Obama isn't actually a US citizen, right?"

      Well, is he? Don't leave us hanging.

      --
      Fuck systemd. Fuck Redhat. Fuck Soylent, too. Wait, scratch the last one.
    54. Re:Attention Span = 0 by Lucky75 · · Score: 1

      As opposed to the DS where you can put hundreds of games on it's memory for free and play them all? With a faster, dedicated processor, multiple touch screens, actual physical buttons and it being easier to hold?

      People talking about the iPhone being good for everything...well...

      A gameboy DS costs $200, with all the features above and more.
      An iPhone unlocked costs what? $600?

      So get a cheaper phone + the DS if you want a "mobile gaming platform". Sure, if you want a SMARTPHONE, get an iPhone (though I think the Pre or the Blackberry are still better), but for gaming, you're full of it if you think that the iphone is the best out there.

      --
      DNA -- National Dyslexic Association
  3. Slashdot by Spatial · · Score: 5, Funny

    The only place where you can measure the rate of iPhone stories in hertz and get an integer.

    1. Re:Slashdot by edittard · · Score: 3, Funny

      Zero is an integer

      --
      At the bottom of the /. main page it says 'Yesterday's News'. Well they got that right.
    2. Re:Slashdot by shentino · · Score: 4, Funny

      you suck at xml

    3. Re:Slashdot by Henk+Poley · · Score: 1

      Search for iPhone on Twitter now. You will get a yellow bar after a minute or so, saying something like "1146 more results since you started searching. Refresh to see them."

    4. Re:Slashdot by sexconker · · Score: 5, Funny

      Pay no charges to messenger. For quick service, reply by bearer.

      Name of Addressee: shentino
      Address: Not Shown Publicly
      URGENT: DELIVER WITHOUT DELAY

      Receiver's number: 1139071
      Date: June 17th, 2009
      Time Filed: 10:19 A.M.
      Check: WORD COUNT, SYMBOLS

      Sending Station: Slashdot.org, 216.34.181.45
      This is a full-rate telepost. The filing time is STANDARD TIME in point of origin.

      TELEPOST
      The World Wide Web Electrical TelePosting Company

      MESSAGE GOES HERE. BE BRIEF.

      Nobody said it was XML STOP If you're going to be a pedant, make sure you're right STOP Moron END

      sexconker

      ----
      The poster will appreciate suggestions from its readers regarding this post.

    5. Re:Slashdot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That was SGML, you insensitive clod! :)

    6. Re:Slashdot by ionix5891 · · Score: 1

      pfft({"pedant":"xml is so 20th century"});

    7. Re:Slashdot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Could you rephrase that as an ethical question? ;)

    8. Re:Slashdot by fm6 · · Score: 1

      That was perfectly good SGML. You really don't want to use XML when you're coding by hand.

    9. Re:Slashdot by JAlexoi · · Score: 1

      You call that pedantic? This is pedantic!

    10. Re:Slashdot by Golias · · Score: 2, Funny

      Please, for fuck's sake STOP Just let this thread END

      --

      Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

    11. Re:Slashdot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    12. Re:Slashdot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      XML sucks more than you.

  4. Yeah, right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    As a mobile developer, I cannot deny the strength in numbers of iphone users. That said, I really don't see how any company is making enough money to keep afloat (unless the company is just a handful of people). Also, I'm sure a significant number of people are only using the free apps and using their phone as a phone, rather than as a game console.

    Likewise, I very much doubt that a gamer is getting an iphone just so that they can play all of the latest iphone games.

    If the company can succeed doing this, great. If people want to buy their games every 5-6 months, wonderful. But it's not shaking up the industry at all.

    1. Re:Yeah, right by Enuratique · · Score: 1

      Mod parent up... I totally fall into the same category... I don't spend money on apps (aside from some really useful utility apps that are no more than $2) and try to entertain myself with the Lite games. While I'm sure there is a burgeoning class of iPhone owners that are in the "can't yet legally drive" demographic who go ape-poopy over new iPhone games, for the most part it's a nice living if you can make it but nothing to write home about.

      --
      A black hole is where God divided by 0
    2. Re:Yeah, right by sexconker · · Score: 3, Informative

      iPhone + iPod Touch: ~30 million, sold as a phone / iPod

      PSP: ~48 million, sold as a games device / media player

      DS + DSi: ~105 million, sold as a games device

      The DS also has 77 games that have sold over 1 million copies at an average price of $35.

      7 titles have sold more than 10 million copies.

      Nintendogs has sold 22.5 million copies.

      The DS, despite RAMPANT piracy, has pushed over 420 million pieces of software.

      If you're a games developer who likes money, the answer is pretty damned obvious.

    3. Re:Yeah, right by s73v3r · · Score: 4, Informative

      There is, however, a much lower barrier to entry on the iPhone/iPod Touch than there is for the DS. Nintendo requires you to get approval for your game before you start, and you have to be a registered, paid developer to get a look at their Dev Kit. In part, this is to try and keep the overall quality of software on the platform high, and it has been since the NES days.

    4. Re:Yeah, right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      http://cavalcadegames.com/blog/iphone-gaming/epic-iphone-app-stats-roundup-1st-half-09/

      165,000 sales at $1.99 a sale. Even after the Apple tax that seems to be pretty good...

    5. Re:Yeah, right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is, however, a much lower barrier to entry on the iPhone/iPod Touch than there is for the DS. Nintendo requires you to get approval for your game before you start, and you have to be a registered, paid developer to get a look at their Dev Kit.

      Ummm, isn't that exactly what Apple does with the iphone?

      And you can sell your DS game anywhere - you don't have to pay the additional Apple tax to sell it via the app store.

    6. Re:Yeah, right by FishWithAHammer · · Score: 1

      Apple's devkit distribution cost: $99.

      Nintendo's: dunno, because unless you're a large-scale incorporated developer they won't talk to you.

      The $99 fee from Apple is just high enough to keep out (most of) the idiots and is recouped quickly by any decent product.

      --
      "You can either have software quality or you can have pointer arithmetic, but you cannot have both at the same time."
    7. Re:Yeah, right by toppavak · · Score: 2, Interesting

      This lower barrier to entry puts the platform on par with online flash games, not portable consoles. Even the platform itself is best suited to the type of game you play to pass the 5-30 minutes it takes your train/bus/etc to reach its destination. While the size of the iPhone market is significant, comparing it to the DS/PSP market is comparing apples to oranges. Every DS/PSP owner bought theirs to play games on, what percentage of iPhone owners would even care about a new $30 FPS for their phone, let alone want to kill the battery for their primary means of communication with it?

    8. Re:Yeah, right by thetoadwarrior · · Score: 1
      Edge did an article on Xbox live games in their June issue which is also available here: http://www.edge-online.com/magazine/community-games-creation-myths

      I think this pretty much sums up mobile games and pretty much any other very cheap quick gaming markets.

      Some people do make money and some games are good but the vast majority of these markets are full of shit games and aren't making money.

      Mobile phones especially suffer from this, imo, because the hardware just isn't made for gaming. Even the iphone is shit. It has no buttons and I don't care how many imaginary buttons you can put on the screen, it's just not the same.

      Another problem is that the games are shallow and cheap. People don't value them. They won't pay decent money for them and they don't really care about them. There won't ever be much money to be made out of people like that.

    9. Re:Yeah, right by sootman · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'm sure a significant number of people are only using the free apps and using their phone as a phone, rather than as a game console.

      Bingo. Some percentage (90%? 50%? 10%? 1%?) of 40M iPhone/iPod customers are play games on their devices, but for the PSP and DS I'm pretty sure the numbers are 100% and 100%, respectively.

      I wouldn't go so far as to say it's shaking up the industry, but on the other hand it's clear that it is a substantial market, and a different kind of market. You're no longer bound to make huge games for millions of dollars and hope it's a hit. You can make smaller games (and yes, this certainly favors smaller shops) for less money that sell for smaller amounts but come out more often and still do well.

      --
      Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
    10. Re:Yeah, right by krondell · · Score: 1

      The AC above is right, Apple expects serious hoop jumping, and wants to controls the content too tightly. That's why I'm putting my chips on Android devices eventually dominating the handset market. Being open source it'll be cheaper, more developer friendly and there won't be any limits on content. IE all the content about sex, drugs and violence, you know the fun stuff, will only come out for Android devices. Porn and cheapness and developer friendliness and freedom will prove an unstoppable combination against Apple's early market lead.

    11. Re:Yeah, right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Exactly! I couldn't have said it better myself. This article makes it sound as though the iPhone/iPod Touch is competing with the game consoles. As others have said, they just aren't in the same league.

    12. Re:Yeah, right by thetoadwarrior · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The barrier is much lower for iPhone development which is why there are more rubbish games on the iPhone. Everything about the DS is more expensive to develop on but, as he pointed out that keeps the quality high. There is nothing like Chrono Trigger, Ninja Gaiden, Grand Theft Auto, New Super Mario Bros, etc on mobile phones. The DS just blows them away but you gotta pay more for games.

      But at least you get to keep your games unlike mobile games which are only good on that phone and, if you're unfortunate, your provider won't even let you free up space to even delete the damn things.

    13. Re:Yeah, right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Another good point here: We can all quote the number of games available for the iPhone/iPod Touch, but how many of these games are good, and how many are garbage? The console manufacturers put more time in to make sure that they have quality games. So really, the platforms cannot be compared.

    14. Re:Yeah, right by modmans2ndcoming · · Score: 1

      decent products like the millionair maker that is iFart?

    15. Re:Yeah, right by shmlco · · Score: 1

      "The barrier is much lower for iPhone development which is why there are more rubbish games on the iPhone."

      By that logic the Pre as a gaming platorm (JavaScript-based games) is going to suck big time...

      --
      Any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.
    16. Re:Yeah, right by radish · · Score: 1

      As evidenced by the sheer quality of most third party Wii titles. Oh wait...

      In reality all console manufacturers control access to their devkits tightly primarily in order to extract money from the devs/publishers (as they have no direct income from retail). To get a devkit, and to be allowed to publish, you have to sign a contract giving them x% of the take. Keeping the quality high is a concern obviously, as too much crap can endanger your brand, but here "quality" is usually more about reliability and political correctness than "quality" in terms of design or innovation.

      Apple do the same thing, except they do have direct income from retail as they own the only store. So their upfront take from devs is much smaller ($100). This encourages more devs to take part, as the barrier to entry is lower. However they still approve everything before it goes out, so they still have the opportunity to enforce whatever definition of "quality" they choose. Which seems variable at best :)

      --

      ---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"

    17. Re:Yeah, right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In the case of ngmoco it's important to remember that not only are they running on VC money ($20m + last I heard) Apple themselves put up a large chunk of that VC - so basically ngmoco is assured prime placement on the app store for everything they do, which as anybody involved in this business knows is worth its weight in gold.

      TBH, this is really little more than a puff piece - i'll be very interested to see how "game changing" ngmoco has been when they've been in business a couple of years. My personal opinion after being in the mobile games industry for nearly 10 years is that a developer working solely on iPhone titles would struggle to survive over the long term, but unlike many others ngmoco's relationship with apple may well preclude porting to other devices and making more from their codebase.

    18. Re:Yeah, right by hardeight · · Score: 1

      "Likewise, I very much doubt that a gamer is getting an iphone just so that they can play all of the latest iphone games."

      I think it's much more about creating a new market that didn't exist before, kind of like the WII did, but larger: My wife goes out on the porch every night these days and has one smoke or a glass of something while playing iPhone games for an hour.

      She doesn't play any other games on the Wii or her computer. In fact she's never played any games at all.

    19. Re:Yeah, right by FishWithAHammer · · Score: 1

      If people want it, it's a decent product.

      --
      "You can either have software quality or you can have pointer arithmetic, but you cannot have both at the same time."
    20. Re:Yeah, right by cbhacking · · Score: 1

      *IF* that were the only difference, we would be seeing these kinds of articles about Windows Mobile games too (actually I suppose we wouldn't, seeing as this is Slashdot, but bear with me). The framework to develop games for those platforms (XNA + Visual C# Express Edition) is literally free, assuming you have Windows (most of the world does). True, WinMo platforms are less unified than the iPhone, but there's still a huge market out there for any given device, and the barrier to entry is VERY low.

      Now, perhaps the iPhone's hardware makes enough of a difference - most WinMo phones have lower specs, and lack things like the tilt sensor (of course, most of them also have buttons...) - but I think the evidence is fairly clear that gaming on phones, even if it eventually takes off, is not currently a terribly large market.

      --
      There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
    21. Re:Yeah, right by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      There is, however, a much lower barrier to entry on all non-console platforms than there is for the DS and other consoles

      Fixed that for you. Even if we rule out consoles, the Iphone is nothing special both in terms of development costs (in fact, at $99, the Iphone is considerably worse off than most platforms, which do not require any fee), and market share (take the billions of PCs. Hell, if you really must be pro-Apple, the number of Macs sold is still surely greater than the Iphone market).

      As for approval, what about the restrictions of only distributing on the Apple store, and only if Apple allow it?

      Your argument is an argument for developing for the Windows PC over consoles. There's no point trying to fudge it so that somehow the Iphone comes out top as a non-console alternative. I might as well claim that high console development costs means that people should develop for the Amiga!

    22. Re:Yeah, right by zippthorne · · Score: 1

      Actually it's not 100%. Some percentage of PSP users use them only for playing movies.

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
    23. Re:Yeah, right by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      I wouldn't go so far as to say it's shaking up the industry, but on the other hand it's clear that it is a substantial market, and a different kind of market.

      So, "Product that's been on the market for years has a 'substantial' market" - not exactly quite the same headline is it? The same claim could be made for every product in existence that wasn't an outright flop. So if this is really newsworthy, why don't we see this news article for every other product out there too?

      Different kind of market? To what? To consoles? Well of course - because it's not a console. You might as well say it's a different kind of market to toasters.

      I can see it now: "Random Motorola phone shakes up the video game industry".

      - in the comments: "Well I wouldn't go so far as to say it's shaking up the industry, but it's clearly a substantial market, and a different kind of market".

      You can make smaller games (and yes, this certainly favors smaller shops) for less money that sell for smaller amounts but come out more often and still do well.

      Allow me to be the first to welcome you to the 21st Century (that the mobile phone market allowed game developers to do this started years before Apple joined the club). The tactic of selling some crappy tetris clone for a few dollars, and making money from it, was around for years. And those sensible to target open standards such as Java can get a market of 2.1 billion phones.

      How big was that Iphone market again?

      A shame that Apple don't support open standards though. At this rate, even the Amiga will have Java before the Iphone does...

    24. Re:Yeah, right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Games like Trism and Galcon is more like it.

    25. Re:Yeah, right by chartreuse · · Score: 1

      You can download the iPhone SDK for free (with a free developer account). It works with Xcode (also free with every OS install disk) and includes a simulator.

      What the $100(/year) gets you is the ability to download the app to your phone/iPod, and submit to the App Store.

      To be fair, Apple was requiring that $100 for the new OS 3.0 SDK, and I don't know if that will change now that it was released today. But everything through 2.2.1 was freely downloadable.

      The "Apple tax" you refer to is about half what a physical retailer will charge you (wholesale price in the US is usually 60% of retail price). And it's arguable that though the App Store approval process needs a serious overhaul, the Nintendo one is even more restrictive.

    26. Re:Yeah, right by modmans2ndcoming · · Score: 1

      yeah... I know... Im just pissed that I didn't think to make a stupid app that goes like this:

      if(accelerometor=1){
      play fart.mp3;
      }

      I mean... a retard could make that program and this guy gets rich off it.

    27. Re:Yeah, right by alexandre_ganso · · Score: 1

      Hitler was elected. Is he decent then?

    28. Re:Yeah, right by alexandre_ganso · · Score: 1

      My porn needs (IN A DEVICE) are fullfilled by the decent browser Safari is, thank you.

      Or are you talkink about games like rapelay?

    29. Re:Yeah, right by alexandre_ganso · · Score: 1

      Yeah? Try the wii.

    30. Re:Yeah, right by dangitman · · Score: 1

      But at least you get to keep your games unlike mobile games which are only good on that phone

      Ummm... you do get to keep your games if you buy them from the iTunes App Store, and you can use them on any iPhone/iPod Touch you may own. Even if you lose your phone, the app is still there on your computer, waiting to be synced to a replacement phone or iPod.

      --
      ... and then they built the supercollider.
    31. Re:Yeah, right by FishWithAHammer · · Score: 1

      The equivalency is so false that I have no recourse but to call you a mouthbreathing fucktard and suggest that you stop using computers.

      --
      "You can either have software quality or you can have pointer arithmetic, but you cannot have both at the same time."
    32. Re:Yeah, right by chartreuse · · Score: 1

      Just an update, the SDK (officially "iPhone SDK 3.0") is now free. I'm downloading it now (2 gigs!).

  5. One line says it all by Xistenz99 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "a top-of-the-line iPhone game typically sells for no more than $10" That's because the top of the line game on iPhone is no where near comparable to the new games and new ports of those systems

    1. Re:One line says it all by Dr.+Manhattan · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That's because the top of the line game on iPhone is no where near comparable to the new games and new ports of those systems

      What looks fine on a 480x320 screen doesn't look quite so hot in 720p, let alone 1080p. The length of gaming session's going to be rather different, too.

      Of course there's a lucrative model and market for iPhone games. But they are different things entirely from console games, occupying a different ecological niche. It's like comparing hyenas and lions.

      --
      PHEM - party like it's 1997-2003!
    2. Re:One line says it all by jslater25 · · Score: 1
      Totally agree. I use my iPhone for gaming, but only when I'm not at home where I have access to a gaming console (or my PC) plus a nice huge screen and sound system to accompany it. The only time I bother gaming on my phone is when I'm waiting for an appointment and don't want to read 5 year old magazines or if I'm sitting around waiting for 5 minutes.

      I find it hard to believe that the gaming industry would get all shaken up over that kind of usage.

    3. Re:One line says it all by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What looks fine on a 480x320 screen doesn't look quite so hot in 720p, let alone 1080p. The length of gaming session's going to be rather different, too. Of course there's a lucrative model and market for iPhone games. But they are different things entirely from console games, occupying a different ecological niche. It's like comparing hyenas and lions.

      The DS is only 256 x 192, but games for it are $30. I don't see why we can't compare that to an iPhone.

    4. Re:One line says it all by Saysys · · Score: 1

      Myst, the Sims 3 and super monkey ball all come to mind as $10 games that compare well with anything you may have to offer on a portable system.

    5. Re:One line says it all by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Buttons with physical feedback AND touch screen. End of story.

    6. Re:One line says it all by tonycheese · · Score: 1

      Even if the game ran perfectly smoothly and impressively on the iPhone, you're looking at probably no more than 2-3 hours of playtime for a game (especially if it's 3d). Considering that you're also supposed to be using this device for music, phone calls, and possibly videos, I'd feel squeamish using it to play games for anything other than on a 10 minute bus ride. Compare that to a DS, which will give you more than 15 hours pretty easily.

    7. Re:One line says it all by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean two carnivores/scavengers who directly fight one another for the same resources (turf, food)? Bad analogy.

    8. Re:One line says it all by BenoitRen · · Score: 1

      What looks fine on a 480x320 screen doesn't look quite so hot in 720p, let alone 1080p.

      You forgot that the PSP has a screen resolution almost as big, and the games cost more and are of higher quality. The DS has an even smaller screen resolution, and its games are also more expensive and of bigger quality.

      There's more out there than home game consoles.

    9. Re:One line says it all by Asclepius99 · · Score: 1

      I have to admit I'm really curious as to how The Sims 3 plays on the iPhone. I don't really ever play the game for a few minutes and I'm not sure I'd enjoy it on such a small screen. Also, on that size screen it seems like it would be hard to select the correct items for the Sims to use. But I actually haven't played it, so I'm curious to know what anyone that has it thinks of it.

    10. Re:One line says it all by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "a top-of-the-line iPhone game typically sells for no more than $10" That's because the top of the line game on iPhone is no where near comparable to the new games and new ports of those systems

      Compare the scores of Assassin's Creed on the iPhone/iPod Touch vs. Assassin's Creed on the DS. The games are almost identical, but the iPhone version is considered quite a bit better.

      --
      Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
    11. Re:One line says it all by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 1

      Or, if you want a very recent game, look at The Sims 3 for the iPhone: http://blog.seattlepi.com/digitaljoystick/archives/171340.asp?from=blog_last3

      --
      Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
    12. Re:One line says it all by VGPowerlord · · Score: 1

      The DS is only 256 x 192, but games for it are $30. I don't see why we can't compare that to an iPhone.

      As long as we're nitpicking, isn't that 256 x 384, seeing as how the system has two screens aligned vertically?

      Not only that, but the DSi has larger screens, although I don't know the pixel count.

      Speaking of the DSi, how much are games on the DSi Store again? $5? $10?

      --
      GLaDOS for President 2016! "Well here we are again. It's always such a pleasure." -- GLaDOS, 2011
    13. Re:One line says it all by Spatial · · Score: 1

      Not only that, but the DSi has larger screens, although I don't know the pixel count.

      The resolution is the same as the original DS. You get bigger pixels but the same count.

    14. Re:One line says it all by Dr.+Manhattan · · Score: 1

      You mean two carnivores/scavengers who directly fight one another for the same resources (turf, food)? Bad analogy.

      It's a shame your comment was so low-moderated I didn't see it before. The analogy was actually pretty apt.

      Lions and hyenas do compete for some resources, but they also have very distinct 'home niches' that the other can't touch. Hyenas don't bring down really big game, and lions can't afford to bother with the smaller stuff hyenas also hunt. There is definitely some overlap, but the reason we still have lions and hyenas is because each has prey the other can't address.

      --
      PHEM - party like it's 1997-2003!
  6. twaddle by Goffee71 · · Score: 0

    The new games-class iPhone has sold zero units, many existing iPhone users can't afford to or won't upgrade for novelty reasons (the same reasons PSP owners won't ALL race off and buy a PSPGo). Those buying an iPhone will probably look at the older, cheaper units, since the majority wish to buy a phone first and a gadget second.

    This will limit its appeal to core developers, but many may dabble in the new control system the iPhone brings, which is good, but not a revolution.

    In around two to three years time you can talk about it having helped to evolve "the game", PSP having an App store, a DSi store and so on, but it won't change it. Perhaps the fourth-gen iPhone may be a real contender if it comes out to coincide with the PSP2 and Nintendo's Wii-portable (or whatever).

    --
    If he's the Walrus then can I be a penguin please?
    1. Re:twaddle by sexconker · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The DSi store is an extension of the Wii's store, which, you know, was out before the iPhone.

      Same goes for the PSP.

    2. Re:twaddle by edittard · · Score: 1

      many existing iPhone users can't afford to or won't upgrade for novelty reasons

      You owe me a new keyboard.

      --
      At the bottom of the /. main page it says 'Yesterday's News'. Well they got that right.
    3. Re:twaddle by Goffee71 · · Score: 1

      Cor, can I come and live in your reality? Or is your hometown just immune to global recession? One where real economic decisions are do we eat this month or should I buy a new smart-ass phone?

      To be resumed after the next set of Apples sales figures...

      --
      If he's the Walrus then can I be a penguin please?
    4. Re:twaddle by Have+Blue · · Score: 1

      And the iPhone store is an extension of the iTunes Music Store, which predated the Wii store.

    5. Re:twaddle by sexconker · · Score: 1

      The iPhone store is NOT an extension if the iTunes Music Store...

      But we can play this game all day.

      Nintendo was selling Hanafuda cards in a physical stores in 1889. Online stores are just extensions of physical stores.

    6. Re:twaddle by VGPowerlord · · Score: 1

      The Wii store is a rip off of the Xbox Live Marketplace which is an extension of Xbox Live which is used by Kevin Bacon, which predates the iTunes Music Store.

      er... sorry, I thought it was a requirement to include Kevin Bacon.

      --
      GLaDOS for President 2016! "Well here we are again. It's always such a pleasure." -- GLaDOS, 2011
    7. Re:twaddle by snookums · · Score: 1

      ... the majority wish to buy a phone first and a gadget second.

      Really? There are a lot of phones with better "phone" features that cost a whole lot less. I'm seriously considering an iPhone purchase, but only because of the mobile internet and gaming possibilities. For making calls and sending SMS there's nothing wrong with my T610. In fact, I only got the T610 because it came with a free iPod. If it wasn't for that I'd probably still use my Nokia 3310.
       

      The disruptive power of iPhone as a gaming platform is that it brings mobile gaming to a wider audience. Not many people will buy an iPhone for gaming over a DS, but a lot of people who would never buy a DS and DS games will buy iPhone games from the app store. The low barrier to entry (in terms of dev costs and publishing channel) also lowers the price well into the impulse/novelty purchase range.

      --
      Be careful. People in masks cannot be trusted.
    8. Re:twaddle by chartreuse · · Score: 1

      The iPhone store is NOT an extension if the iTunes Music Store...

      If the iTunes Music Store... what? Please complete the sentence, if you can.

      Not to mention that you have to go through the iTunes Store to get to the App Store, it's just an item on the main page.

      Nintendo was selling Hanafuda cards in a physical stores in 1889. Online stores are just extensions of physical stores.

      Like Amazon, eh? And NewEgg? As far as I know you don't go to a brick-and-mortar Apple Store to buy music or iPhone software. Do you? Somehow I doubt you ever have.

    9. Re:twaddle by sexconker · · Score: 1

      Seems to me you can walk into an Apple store and do just that, shit face.

      Hell, Newegg lets me buy and then pick it the fuck up at their warehouse instead of them shipping it to me.

  7. Question for you gamers by Anonymusing · · Score: 1

    To quote: "While an ordinary top-of-the-line game for Microsoft's Xbox 360 sells for about $60, and one for Nintendo's DS about $30, a top-of-the-line iPhone game typically sells for no more than $10."

    I don't own any of these devices, but how do these games compare? Is a top-of-the-line iPhone game as cool or complex as a top-of-the-line DS game? Isn't it a different kind of game -- certainly a different game experience?

    --
    Liberal? Conservative? Compare perspectives at Left-Right
    1. Re:Question for you gamers by Robert1 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The games are pretty incomparable. Xbox360/PS3 games are entirely apart from the hand-held games both in terms of graphics and gameplay.

      Compared to the DS, iPhone games are terribly shallow and comparable to regular cell phone games. They are designed to be played for 1-2 minutes at a time and not touched again for days. The games have no "continuity" in that they rarely have progression - tending instead to be levels that you can choose from or the same objective over and over again.

      I've always found the iPhone games to get boring very quickly both due to the lack of complexity and lack of depth. They've burned me enough times that I'll only download free games, play them a handful of times and move on.

      An apt analogy would be comparing internet based flash games to multimillion high budget PC games. Sure they're both "games" but I would be pretty hard pressed to actually consider flash based games what I call "true games," since high budget and flash games have no overlap and usually completely separate audiences (gamers vs non-gamers). In the same sense, iPhone games are the flash game of the hand-held world; I feel the don't really represent any sort of actual competition for "real games," rather serving as a quick time waster when you're bored and you have your phone handy (just think of it as every other phone based game).

    2. Re:Question for you gamers by vertinox · · Score: 5, Funny

      I don't own any of these devices, but how do these games compare? Is a top-of-the-line iPhone game as cool or complex as a top-of-the-line DS game? Isn't it a different kind of game -- certainly a different game experience?

      I played Cooking Mama lite on the iPhone and couldn't really tell a difference between it and the DS version. Same for the "My Little Pony" ports.

      What? Why is everyone looking at me?

      --
      "I am the king of the Romans, and am superior to rules of grammar!"
      -Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (1368-1437)
    3. Re:Question for you gamers by Robert1 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      As an aside for something I just realized:

      The video game market crash of the early 80s was caused by the quantity of poor titles and lack of quality control - eventually driving away costumers who had been burned too many times buying shitty games. Of course, this took years to occur since games were expensive and it took a certain threshold of shitty games before the consumer just gave up.

      In this way the digital distribution actually hurts iPhone brand as a gaming machine, because you can reach the point of no longer purchasing games much faster due to ease/low cost of downloading games. You can rack up 5 terrible games in a row within the course of a day/week and swear off purchasing anymore for the 'system.' What took Atari gamers years to realize an iPhone gamer can realize in a matter of days.

      Or in my case was about 1 month.

    4. Re:Question for you gamers by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      iPhone games are not really comparable to DS games, in my experience (and I have one of each in my pockets right now). They're much smaller, much more like occasional timewasters than serious timewasters.

      However, they're also a whole lot cheaper. The most expensive iPhone games don't tend to cost as much as the cheapest DS games.

      This means it's practical to buy large numbers of iPhone games and discard most of them quickly. If I figure I just wasted $30 on a game, I'm going to be annoyed. If I figure I just wasted $2, I'm much less annoyed. I may well get as much fun out of one DS cartridge as a batch of iPhone games that cost the same. Moreover, the variety of iPhone apps is much greater than the variety of DS cartridges, FWIW.

      These are very different game markets. Spend a lot of time and effort developing a DS game, sell it for $30 or $40 to a market of about a hundred million, probably with other people taking a fairly large cut of that. Spend much less time and effort developing an iPhone game, sell it for $1 or $2 to a market of maybe thirty or forty million, many of whom aren't gamers, and keep 70% of that.

      They both look like viable business models, but very different ones.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    5. Re:Question for you gamers by Brandee07 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The problem with that idea is that you're a lot more likely to feel bitter after sinking $60 on a crappy game. If you bought 5 crappy games on an iPhone, and each of them cost anywhere between $0 and $5, you may have lost a total of $10-20.

      Most of the games I've purchased for my iPhone range from crappy to mediocore. However, I'll never regret that $.99 on Solebon Solitare, and I won't mourn the $.99 spent on that crappy Zuma clone. It amused me for about an hour, which is not bad for a dollar.

      I spend about $10 on iPhone games a month. Most of them get played for a few hours and deleted. They serve their purpose as short-term amusement while waiting in lines or downtime at work. Of course, /. is free, and consumes far more work downtime...

    6. Re:Question for you gamers by superbus1929 · · Score: 1

      It depends. I've reviewed a few iPhone games, and as long as you're not expecting the wheel to be reinvented, there ARE some good games.

      The games that have been problematic are the ones that went and tried to do too much.

      --
      Let's stop dilly-dallying and just change "-1: Overrated" to "-1: Disagree" or "-1: Doesn't Subscribe to Groupthink".
    7. Re:Question for you gamers by PainKilleR-CE · · Score: 1

      Neither of those would be considered top-of-the-line DS games, though, despite the relatively good sales of Cooking Mama.

      There is a lot of garbage on the DS and the Wii that could be brought up in comparison, but that's a shortcoming of having an extremely large market penetration with the hardware. There are still strong titles on the DS and PSP to which nothing on the iPhone could compare. The PSP has a lot of PS2 ports and the DS has a lot of N64 and SNES ports, and even most of those are better than what you see on the iPhone.

      --
      -PainKilleR-[CE]
    8. Re:Question for you gamers by VGPowerlord · · Score: 1

      Like... Castlevania! And Castlevania!

      --
      GLaDOS for President 2016! "Well here we are again. It's always such a pleasure." -- GLaDOS, 2011
    9. Re:Question for you gamers by macshit · · Score: 1

      I played Cooking Mama lite on the iPhone and couldn't really tell a difference between it and the DS version. Same for the "My Little Pony" ports.

      I guess it's Cooking Mama Xtreme that's famous for pushing hardware to the limit...

      --
      We live, as we dream -- alone....
  8. I never... by Drone69 · · Score: 2, Informative

    considered games on a cell phone before. While some of my phones have supported games I wasn't interested. That is until I saw the iPhone commercials. Now an iPhone 3GS is on this years' xmas list. :)

    1. Re:I never... by vertinox · · Score: 1

      I never considered games on a cell phone before.

      Besides the net hack, tetris, and brick buster clones on previous models I never thought about playing games on my Phone either.

      I did download Wolfenstein3d for nostalgias sake (in fact the only game I've bought for the iPhone) and have to say its pretty fun.

      I wonder if they do have a nethack clone for free out there in the iPhone store.

      --
      "I am the king of the Romans, and am superior to rules of grammar!"
      -Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (1368-1437)
    2. Re:I never... by MysteriousPreacher · · Score: 1

      Rogue has been ported. I'm not sure how Nethack would do, since the GPL doesn't appear to work very well with the app store terms. I'm hoping that Angband gets ported, but that may have the same licence issues.

      --
      -- Using the preview button since 2005
    3. Re:I never... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, it's called Rogue. It uses text display and gestures for control. There is another one called Rogue Touch that costs $2.99 that uses graphics.

    4. Re:I never... by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      The Angband license requires noncommercial distribution, so I don't see any problems with listing it as a free app. I haven't come up with any good interface ideas, though.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    5. Re:I never... by MysteriousPreacher · · Score: 1

      The rogue port uses a gestures system which personally I find very odd to get to grips with. Might be worth taking a look though.

      I'm wondering with transparent buttons would work? Perhaps include the basic directional commands, but add a few more short-but buttons that the player can map to the most commonly used functions. The spell system in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain is along the lines I'm thinking.

      Although Angband has a theoretically complicated series of controls, I'd suspect that plays for the most part will be using a small subset of the possible abilities.

      --
      -- Using the preview button since 2005
  9. The price is right by Duradin · · Score: 4, Insightful

    One thing (Sony especially) that other companies need to take note of is the price for these digital only games on the iPod.

    Ten dollars or less is a good price range for a game you can't lend or sell. Paying current full retail price for a umd psp game for a digital only download that you can't move off of your system is an idea that isn't going to play out in Sony's favor. The DSi still has a card slot so there's still the illusion that you still will be able to own your games.

    1. Re:The price is right by PJ1216 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Digital download-only games for the PSP are cheaper than UMD games. UMD games also available for download are again, cheaper. They're not $10, but they're significantly cheaper. Also, they're tied to your PSN login name, not your system. You can play the games on other systems as long as you can log in. If you can't log in, then I believe it has to be the system you purchased it on or at least one thats been logged in with your name before. I've transferred games from various PSP's and to and from a PS3 (game played on both systems) before.

    2. Re:The price is right by thetoadwarrior · · Score: 1

      I think the highest price for DSi Ware is $10. Though they do it in point which is a bad habit started by MS and xbox live. Anyway, DSI ware, at the moment, isn't much better than mobile gaming (aside from better controls) so you can get mobile phone experience on the DS and also get a superior experience with the physical games.

  10. seems odd to me by Sporkinum · · Score: 1

    Seems odd to me that they have sold 40 million of these. I would imaging that they suck as a phone, and are damned expensive on a monthly basis. Then again.. I'm a cheap bastard. Now get off my lawn!

    --
    "He's lost in a 'floyd hole"
    1. Re:seems odd to me by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      Seems odd to me that they have sold 40 million of these. I would imaging that they suck as a phone, and are damned expensive on a monthly basis.

      [Insert various Heinlein quotes about human stupidity and generalized foolishness here]

      That's why Steve is richer than you (or me or anyone else here). We just don't Get It.

      But our lawns are nice and neat and green.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    2. Re:seems odd to me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's why Steve is richer than you (or me or anyone else here). We just don't Get It.

      What is he going to do with all that money now that he will be dead?!

      lol

    3. Re:seems odd to me by donny77 · · Score: 1
      They have sold about 11 million of them. The other 29 million are iPod Touches which are the same devices sans cell radio/GPS and "expensive" contract.

      Now here's the thing. The iPhone doesn't suck as a phone. It's about as good as any other I've had. It beats my Cingular 8550 that I had. My Razor was "better", but it couldn't do all the things I want/need.

      Now here's the last thing. AT&T is as crappy as all the other major wireless providers in the US. Sprint has crappy signal. T-Mobile isn't even available where I live. Verizon is MORE expensive than AT&T. The data plan is the same as ANY other smartphone. The tethering plan will be the same as EVERY other smartphone. The text messaging plan is the same as EVERY other text messaging plan. Apple wanted to sell a cell phone. They looked for a receptive carrier and AT&T was it. Let's stop complaining about non-issues and judge the phone on it's merit. Oh wait that's right, they have "hip" commercials so now matter how "good" the phone is, it's just hype and marketing. Microsoft has crap products and good marketing. We hate them. Novell has great products and crap marketing, we ignore them. Apple has great products and great advertising and we despise them. Why?

    4. Re:seems odd to me by Sporkinum · · Score: 1

      My Razor was "better", but it couldn't do all the things I want/need.

      That's the point with me. All it needs to do is be a phone, the other things are distractions that run down battery life. I like only having to charge the phone once a week. When I was issued a smartphone I had to charge it every day, and that was with the extended life battery. You had to baby it, and couldn't throw it in your pocket. Fortunately for me, Verizon had crap coverage at my house, so I was able to get them to take it back in the first 30 days.

      --
      "He's lost in a 'floyd hole"
    5. Re:seems odd to me by donny77 · · Score: 1

      Me I plugged my razor in every night. I'm home, the wall outlet is right there. It's not like there is a benefit to NOT putting it on the charger. What's the point of 5 day standby charge. What is your phone . So the smart phone jump was easy for me. I like the iPhone because it is a good phone. The other items justify the contract. I want a GPS, I could go buy a device, but I know I wouldn't carry it with me every day. I'd take it on trips only. I have an iPod. I don't take that with me every day. I have a laptop. I only take that when I am working. But sometimes I am somewhere and I say, I wish I had my laptop, I wish I could pull up a map, I wish I could listen to some music. For that the iPhone is with me everywhere I go.

    6. Re:seems odd to me by Sporkinum · · Score: 1

      I don't doubt the utility, but what does it cost you a year? From what I understand, it's a minimum of $1000 a year for service, plus the cost of the phone. I suppose if your employer pays for the phone, like mine does, or you can write it off as a business expense, it's not a big deal.

      I only carry a cell phone because I am required to for work. They let me use it for personal use, but it really is only used that way so I can be given instructions to pick up some groceries on the way home.

      I really am a geek, but I don't like being in touch all the time. But as I am a geek, I can appreciate the design and functionality of the IPhone.

      As far as the other things.. the GPS stays in the car, as does a 40gb mp3 player. A 30gb mp3 player stays at work. I can't deny that it would be handy to have the internet handy at times, but I sure don't want to pay for it.

      --
      "He's lost in a 'floyd hole"
    7. Re:seems odd to me by donny77 · · Score: 1

      I can understand the cost aspect, but the iPhone does not cost me $1000 a year.

      First I already had a cell phone voice plan ~$45 for my "line" and $15 for my wife's "line" or more correctly $30 per line.
      I added a data plan, $30 a month for the other features of the phone.
      Add in the taxes, my bill is a little over $100 a month for 2 lines.
      I've added family text messaging for another $30 a month. But, like the voice plan this has nothing to do with the iPhone.

      So the iPhone "costs" me $360 a year for the data plan. For reference I was paying $40/month for data on a Windows mobile smart phone before the iPhone existed. So technically, I saw value in those services before the iPhone and it costs me nothing over what I was already paying.

  11. fad or is it real? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    I can honestly see how the iphone and the related gizmos may change the landscape but I can't help but think that is is just a passing fad. Right now the iphone is still new and exciting and people are discovering its potential and trying to make fast money off it. What happens 5 years down the line? (Besides apple bringing out some new cool gadget everyone wants but no one needs.)
    I predict that the iphone may change some gaming but it will not significantly change those who want an in depth experience which can only really be provided by a console or computer. I'm sure there are still a few of them left.
    Then again my opinion and $5 will get you a cup of coffee.

    1. Re:fad or is it real? by PitaBred · · Score: 1

      The Internet is just a passing fad, too ;) The iPhone may change people's expectations of gaming, but it won't become a console-replacing behemoth in the industry. It'll simply get people to expect more out of their mobile devices.

  12. saturation point by rarel · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Am I the only one who's starting to be completely saturated by iPhone stories posted left and right and how it's awesome and shiny and great?
    I swear it's like the damn thing is going to save the world. Even for nerds there must be other topics of conversation, right?

    ...Right?

    I think I've reached the point of hype backlash. I might have been somewhat interested in the iPhone at the beginning, but now I'm just tired of seeing it everywhere.

    I bow to the Apple marketing team though. They are doing a truly excellent job. Honestly.

    1. Re:saturation point by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Am I the only one who's starting to be completely saturated by iPhone stories posted left and right and how it's awesome and shiny and great?

      Nope. But the iPhone's not alone. I'm f'n tired of Pre stories around here. I've heard enough about FireFox, too.

      I think I've reached the point of hype backlash.

      I think that point happened for most ppl here around a year or so ago when a line of people materialized at an Apple store a month before the 3G was announced. Everybody assumed it was people just waiting in line for the new vapor phone. It was believable. Untrue, but believable. Now people spout reasons not to like the phone, regardless of whether they're true or whether or not they really matter. (I cannot cast stones here, really. I did this exact same stuff with the PS3 back when it was announced.)

      I bow to the Apple marketing team though. They are doing a truly excellent job. Honestly.

      Eh, I personally think it's their product design team. They essentially made the PocketPC we've been wanting since the late 90's. The success of a product with a good web-browser and an ubiquitous internet connetion was inevitable. Both Microsoft and Palm utterly failed to put those two ingredients together. Apple does it, and blammo, everybody can see the potential of it. With potential comes imagination. With imagination comes hype. I think most of the iPhone's hype has come from the people interested in it.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    2. Re:saturation point by causality · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I think I've reached the point of hype backlash.

      I don't believe it should take much to reach that point, either. To quote Henry David Thoreau (emphasis mine):

      "And I am sure that I never read any memorable news in a newspaper. If we read of one man robbed, or murdered, or killed by accident, or one house burned, or one vessel wrecked, or one steamboat blown up, or one cow run over on the Western Railroad, or one mad dog killed, or one lot of grasshoppers in the winter -- we never need read of another. One is enough. If you are acquainted with the principle, what do you care for a myriad instances and applications? To a philosopher all news, as it is called, is gossip, and they who edit and read it are old women over their tea. Yet not a few are greedy after this gossip. There was such a rush, as I hear, the other day at one of the offices to learn the foreign news by the last arrival, that several large squares of plate glass belonging to the establishment were broken by the pressure -- news which I seriously think a ready wit might write a twelve-month, or twelve years, beforehand with sufficient accuracy."

      The meaning of "acquainted with the principle" is such a contrast to the methods of learning-by-rote so common in education today. As in, I believe the latter is doing it the hard way for the dubious "benefit" of avoiding abstract thought. Subjectively, I can see a link between that rote learning and the repetition behind this kind of hype saturation. It's how people have been conditioned to acquire information and it's how you transform a message into something everybody knows about. As a consequence, we don't have many proactive people who like to discover things on their own; we have passive people who wait to be told what the next big thing is. Of course, that's synonymous with the next popular thing. So, I think backlashes against this kind of hype are overdue but it helps if they comet with an understanding of why companies use these methods and why they make money when they do.

      --
      It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
    3. Re:saturation point by rarel · · Score: 1

      Yeah Pre could go that way too, but it's not yet as ubiquitous, and it remains to be seen if it will ever be.

      There's no doubt that there is genuine interest in the iPhone and it's not all marketing, the touch interface is really sweet, however you would expect the novelty factor to wear off after a while. It didn't happen. It seems that even now, every time the tiniest update to iPhone-related stuff is published, it gets front page coverage and ok, that is no accident, iPhone news sell and that's a huge marketing power but it's crazy to see it plastered everywhere like that.

      In terms of smartphones the iPhone is not for me (I'm getting a Touch Pro 2 as I'd rather have a real keyboard) but I was kind of semi-interested in a iPod Touch, so I still follow the news.

    4. Re:saturation point by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      There's no doubt that there is genuine interest in the iPhone and it's not all marketing, the touch interface is really sweet, however you would expect the novelty factor to wear off after a while. It didn't happen. It seems that even now, every time the tiniest update to iPhone-related stuff is published, it gets front page coverage and ok, that is no accident, iPhone news sell and that's a huge marketing power but it's crazy to see it plastered everywhere like that.

      Lots of peope on this site have or want iPhones. Lots more people are opinionated on the matter, thus iPhone stories generate lots of comments. You don't need Apple intervention to get silly topics on Slashdot. Look at Microsoft. A bunch of their silly stuff makes it to Slashdot and it's 'news'. The Pirate Bay, somebody's uncle installing FireFox, Opera making a bold claim, Nintendo, Sony, anything that gets the pitchforks a'wavin.

      In terms of smartphones the iPhone is not for me

      It's definitely not a one-size-fits-all phone. Lack of copy/paste and push email is lame. (Well, it does have push email, but it's something like $60/year.) Here's hoping OS 3.0 satisfactorally relieves both. :)

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    5. Re:saturation point by Bill_the_Engineer · · Score: 1

      Am I the only one who's starting to be completely saturated by iPhone stories posted left and right and how it's awesome and shiny and great?

      I swear it's like the damn thing is going to save the world. Even for nerds there must be other topics of conversation, right?

      You are not the only one. Unfortunately for us, nothing drives up web traffic like topics which are prone to start flame wars (ie. iPhone, Palm Pre, Apple, Microsoft, PS3, Xbox 360).

      --
      These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
    6. Re:saturation point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am not an apple fanboi.. and I don't own a mac.. but honestly.. as a first gen iphone user.. i am happier with my phone than people with brand new crackberries. the saturation is probably annoying but it's a really good product and everyone wants a piece of that pie.

    7. Re:saturation point by mgblst · · Score: 1

      Is it really you, and 4 other dicks who feel this way, but somehow still care enough to actually click on the discussion link?? Do you fuckheads go around commenting on every article that you are really "not interested in"??? Go fuck yourselves.

      Mod me down for being rude, but these fuckers deserve it.

    8. Re:saturation point by chartreuse · · Score: 1

      "...If you are acquainted with the principle, what do you care for a
      myriad instances and applications?
      To a philosopher all news, as it is called, is gossip, and they who edit and read it are old women over their
      tea. Yet not a few are greedy after this gossip. There was such a rush, as I hear, the other day at one of the offices to learn the foreign news by
      the last arrival, that several large squares of plate glass belonging to the establishment were broken by the pressure -- news which I seriously
      think a ready wit might write a twelve-month, or twelve years, beforehand with sufficient accuracy."

      That is so true. Mere foreign news that, say, there's melamine in your food, or that a tsunami is on its way to your shores, should be ignored, nay, refused. Seen one tornado, seem 'em all, who gives a shit. (This is why philosophers have short lives and are ignored by the rest of humanity.)

      And there's no need for more than one instance of any application, either. Thoreau lives!

    9. Re:saturation point by causality · · Score: 1

      "...If you are acquainted with the principle, what do you care for a myriad instances and applications? To a philosopher all news, as it is called, is gossip, and they who edit and read it are old women over their tea. Yet not a few are greedy after this gossip. There was such a rush, as I hear, the other day at one of the offices to learn the foreign news by the last arrival, that several large squares of plate glass belonging to the establishment were broken by the pressure -- news which I seriously think a ready wit might write a twelve-month, or twelve years, beforehand with sufficient accuracy."

      That is so true. Mere foreign news that, say, there's melamine in your food, or that a tsunami is on its way to your shores, should be ignored, nay, refused. Seen one tornado, seem 'em all, who gives a shit. (This is why philosophers have short lives and are ignored by the rest of humanity.)

      And there's no need for more than one instance of any application, either. Thoreau lives!

      I'm wondering if someone can so spectacularly fail to miss a point. If this is a troll, it's a pretty good one. What the hell, I'll bite ...

      Clearly, recognizing that the news is rooted in gossip and has much in common with it means that we must eschew all information from anyone, even when it's a warning of an impending event. That's because there is no such thing as balance; we must go from one polar extreme (of a voracious appetite for all news) to the other (ignoring all outside information no matter what). Sure. False dichotomies are great! Or ...

      When Paul Revere shouted "The British are coming!" that was a warning. When a major TV network says "$CELEBRITY is now undergoing her third divorce," that's news. Can we agree there is a difference between those two? Good. The latter case is what Thoreau was talking about, which is obvious, because assuming he's talking about anything else leads to the very objection you raised.

      --
      It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
  13. Yeah Right! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    comparing iPhone games to PS3 or XBox360 games is like comparing a gnat to a pterodactyl. Yes they both fly, but one is a beast while the other is a nuisance. This article holds no merit.

    1. Re:Yeah Right! by thePowerOfGrayskull · · Score: 4, Insightful

      comparing iPhone games to PS3 or XBox360 games is like comparing a gnat to a pterodactyl. Yes they both fly, but one is a beast while the other is a nuisance. This article holds no merit.

      There's a joke in here about which one of those has gone extinct...

    2. Re:Yeah Right! by pwfffff · · Score: 1

      ...and nobody will point it out because we all know which one we'd rather have extinct.

  14. The games are gimmicky by MBGMorden · · Score: 5, Interesting

    As an avid iPod touch user (and iPhone if Apple ever gets one onto Verizon . . .), I must say that the vast majority of the games I've seen for the platform is just too gimmicky. The system has plenty horsepower for simple stuff that might be a good diversion (think Pacman, Asteroids, Space Invaders - or even some more powerful stuff - I recently downloaded Myst for my iPod), but the touch screen interface is just terrible for gaming purposes.

    I just don't see it cutting into Gameboy sales that much. On the other hand as an APPLICATION platform the little bugger is amazing. Sure it's an "iPod" suggesting music player (which is does indeed do, and do well), but my iPod touch is about the best damned PDA I've ever used. There are apps for everything I need, and much unlike most cell phone browsers of old (including the one on the Blackberry Curve that I have for work), the included version of Safari actually works for almost any site I want to visit. I might have to zoom in/out to see some things, but I can use the page at least.

    To tell the truth mine has replaced 95% of what I would use a laptop for. My laptop now has become truly a "portable computer" like the old ones that you just lugged around. I'll take it on a trip to use in the hotel room, but for when I'm actually out and about, in a coffee shop, etc, the iPod is smaller, lighter, and is always with me. Battery life is great too.

    All in all I truly do see them as revolutionary devices, just not so much on the gaming front.

    --
    "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
    1. Re:The games are gimmicky by kindbud · · Score: 2, Informative

      As an avid iPod touch user (and iPhone if Apple ever gets one onto Verizon . . .)

      PHS-300 + Verizon UM-175 + iPod touch does nearly what you want. If only Apple would release an iPod touch with a camera and GPS chip.

      --
      Edith Keeler Must Die
    2. Re:The games are gimmicky by MysteriousPreacher · · Score: 1

      I've been fairly impressed by the controls that some developers have devised. Simcity is working pretty well for me, and Wolf3D and some other shooting games are quite easy to control. The screen definitely limits certain types of games though.

      --
      -- Using the preview button since 2005
    3. Re:The games are gimmicky by Kensai7 · · Score: 1

      ...but my iPod touch is about the best damned PDA I've ever used. There are apps for everything I need, and much unlike most cell phone browsers of old (including the one on the Blackberry Curve that I have for work), the included version of Safari actually works for almost any site I want to visit. I might have to zoom in/out to see some things, but I can use the page at least.

      If this is what you want guys then the killer device is just around the corner. It's built on the Nokia Maemo and the applications will be built/ported with the easyness of Qt. If the screen is sexy enough (decent resolution, AMOLED, etc) while not too bulk it will kiss all PDAs and Internet tablets goodbye...

      --
      "Sum Ergo Cogito"
    4. Re:The games are gimmicky by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As an avid iPod touch user (and iPhone if Apple ever gets one onto Verizon . . .), I must say that the vast majority of the games I've seen for the platform is just too gimmicky. The system has plenty horsepower for simple stuff that might be a good diversion (think Pacman, Asteroids, Space Invaders - or even some more powerful stuff - I recently downloaded Myst for my iPod), but the touch screen interface is just terrible for gaming purposes.

      Now if they will add bluetooth controller syncing and a mini-display port, then we're talking about a game changer...

      I hate most of the touch screen controls...

    5. Re:The games are gimmicky by dangitman · · Score: 1

      As an avid iPod touch user

      I believe the correct term is "iPod toucher".

      --
      ... and then they built the supercollider.
  15. Full size games by Brandee07 · · Score: 1, Insightful

    What the iPhone needs are FULL SIZE games, not these cheap, quick, and shallow things currently available. There's a lot of arcade style stuff, puzzle style stuff, and very flat approximations of every other genre of game.

    In fact, the only games on the iPhone outside of the puzzle/arcade variety that I'd term full-size are Myst and Wolfenstien. That's not to say that the only possible good games on the iPhone are ports of old games, but that if you want to fit a full size game on an iPhone, you need to give up on the super-detailed graphics.

    That goes for xBox 360 and PS3 games too, actually. I like to play games, not watch loading screens!

    1. Re:Full size games by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Put WoW on an iPhone and society may collapse.

    2. Re:Full size games by Brandee07 · · Score: 1

      As a recovered WoW addict, the thought of this makes me weep.

    3. Re:Full size games by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah! Full size games at $0.99! That's genius! Why didn't anyone think of that?

  16. Stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    People keep spouting off hype about Apple getting into games.

    They will fail.

    No one can take on Nintendo in the handheld department and win.

    They compare the iPhone sales to the DS sales, yet fail to account for the fact that the iPhone is a PHONE and the DS is a dedicated gaming device.

    They mention the price difference as if it's a good thing? If you're looking to attract developers, you need to provide them with a market. Which would you want? A market that sells a few tens of thousands at $10? Or a market that sells a few million at $40?

    Do you have a simple, small game that you want to sell for cheap? Both the PSP and the DSi have their own online stores. You can pimp that shit out to the PS3/360/Wii's online stores as well.

    The bottom line is when Apple has something that is the equivalent of Pokemon, we can talk. Until then, Nintendo dominates the handheld arena.

    1. Re:Stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why is it a revolutionary gaming console, when my 5 year old treo (which at least has a dpad and buttons) is a mere phone?

      Seriously? You're not being sarcastic?

      Why don't you compare the following to your "5-year-old Treo":

      The new iPhone 3GS introduces OpenGL ES 2.0 compatible hardware. Its 3D chip--reportedly a PowerVR SGX GPU core integrated in a Samsung chip--is more powerful than the previous generation...The new graphic processing unit provides the iPhone with a modern GPU core with 5th-generation shader-driven tile-based deferred rendering. The current 3D graphics unit is 4th-generation tile-based deferred rendering, compatible with OpenGL ES 1.1, but not 2.0.

      from Will Future iPhone Games Run on Your iPhone 3G?

    2. Re:Stupid by Ash-Fox · · Score: 1

      The new iPhone 3GS introduces OpenGL ES 2.0 compatible hardware. Its 3D chip--reportedly a PowerVR SGX GPU core integrated in a Samsung chip--is more powerful than the previous generation...The new graphic processing unit provides the iPhone with a modern GPU core with 5th-generation shader-driven tile-based deferred rendering. The current 3D graphics unit is 4th-generation tile-based deferred rendering, compatible with OpenGL ES 1.1, but not 2.0.

      All this and it still can't do MMS (pretty much the standard in most of the world for sending media - images/music etc. over mobile networks) or even video calls, while my £69 3skypephone can.

      --
      Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
    3. Re:Stupid by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      Every cell phone since hte late 90s has shipped with the ability to play "games".

      Why do we persist in pretending the iPhone is something new? Why is it a revolutionary gaming console, when my 5 year old treo (which at least has a dpad and buttons) is a mere phone?

      Multi-touch screen. Processing capable of 3d graphics. Accelerometer. App-store. Treo sucked at games. Yadda yadda yadda.

      do they pay for this shit, or is it purely an image/cliq thing? If the former, can I get a piece of the action somehow?

      Niether. You just don't know what you're talking about. Cure your ignorance at Google.com.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    4. Re:Stupid by Ksevio · · Score: 1

      Did you miss the last few stories? MMS is one of the new features to come standard with the iPhone 3GS, with the exception that at&t will take a couple months to add network support for it.

  17. Can't help but wonder about quality... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As a gamer and a software developer, you just have to wonder how "top of the line" the game could be if it can be developed and released in 4-5 months... And even though the install base of the iPhone may start to catch up with DS and PSP, how many of those are gamers that will purchase games?

  18. The games are $10 because they aren't worth more by Jonathan · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Really, I have yet to see an iPhone game that captured my attention for more than an hour or two -- even the recent version of the Sims for the iPhone is a very stripped down version of the real game. A DS or full fledged console or computer game may cost $30 or more but I expect I'll get at least 50 hours of enjoyment out of it....

  19. more frequent game purchases by zmollusc · · Score: 3, Funny

    While I applaud the growing market for games of the complexity and graphic resolution of twenty years ago, I am holding off from buying an iPhone until someone develops an app which monitors the motion sensors and battery level and bills me every time i charge up the phone or take it out of my pocket, and maybe it could bill me every time I change from one cell reception area to the next.

    --
    They whose government reduces their essential liberties for temporary security, receive neither liberty nor security.
  20. I'm a game, have been since 1983. by DragonTHC · · Score: 2, Interesting

    What people play on the iphone are time-passers. Mere distractions.

    While the platform is certainly selling these time passing distraction apps, I don't believe I'll call it a serious games platform.

    Business goes where the money is. Sometimes the money is in wasting your time.

    --
    They're using their grammar skills there.
    1. Re:I'm a game, have been since 1983. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What game are you? Pac-Man? Man, I can't believe Pac-Man is on slashdot!

    2. Re:I'm a game, have been since 1983. by AshtangiMan · · Score: 1

      based on his name I'm guessing he's Joust.

    3. Re:I'm a game, have been since 1983. by greyhueofdoubt · · Score: 1

      Um... For me, the Xbox360, ds, psp, and Wii are also time wasters. They are what I play when I have nothing to do. And books- those are time wasters. I only read them when I don't have something better to do.

      What are you trying to say? That a 50-hour game for PS3 isn't a time waster? That 'serious' games must eat at least 8 hours of your day before you acknowledge their greatness?

      -b

      --
      No offense, but I've stopped responding to AC's.
    4. Re:I'm a game, have been since 1983. by indiechild · · Score: 1

      Agreed. The iPhone and iPod touch are much like the Nintendo DS, or the Wii. They're aimed at the "casual gamers" -- everyday people. And they make a lot of money, because the market for casual gamers is huge. They get dismissed by "hardcore gamers", but those aren't the target market anyway.

  21. Different markets by FLoWCTRL · · Score: 4, Informative

    This is silly; mobile devices and "full size" gaming systems have to be considered different markets.

    I can write documents on my iPhone, but that doesn't mean I won't be buying word processing software for computers any more.

    1. Re:Different markets by Colonel+Korn · · Score: 1

      This is silly; mobile devices and "full size" gaming systems have to be considered different markets.

      I can write documents on my iPhone, but that doesn't mean I won't be buying word processing software for computers any more.

      Completely agreed. I even think this is largely true of the Wii vs. 360/PS3 markets. I don't think the same people are choosing one over the other. Some people are interested in both, but even those people, I think, are imagining them filling different roles and considering them against different opportunity costs.

      --
      "I zero-index my hamsters" - Willtor (147206)
    2. Re:Different markets by sorak · · Score: 1

      The other thing is that they assume that "40million people with iPhones"=="40million people with PSPs". No, the 40million people with iPhones bought them to use as cell phones. They are less likely to shell out $50 for the next GTA game than the 40 million who bought video game systems to use as video game systems.

    3. Re:Different markets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe they are in different markets, but I bet there are a significant number of people whose budgets limit them to either one or the other. People have only so much money to spend, and each dollar spent on one form of entertainment is one less dollar that can be spent on another. Pretending that mobile devices and software for mobile devices aren't in competition with the "full size" consoles just because they're in "different markets" is a very narrow way of thinking. Does EA care that the iPhone is a different market when it comes time to allocate resources? No. If the iPhone game costs less to make and sells more copies than the full sized game, that's the game that's going to get resources first. That doesn't mean there won't still be full-sized games. The same thing happened with the Wii, which many also thought wasn't in the same market as the "next gen" consoles when it came out.

    4. Re:Different markets by mgblst · · Score: 1

      Yes, but you might to buy a new stand-alone GPS for the car. And you might not buy a new music player. And you might not buy a spirit-level, alarm clock, laptop, newspaper, and yes, whoopi cushion.

      But I agree, they should compare it against the psp/ds.

  22. Talk about self-advertising by Aceticon · · Score: 1

    iPhone-only game producer says iPhone is a great games platform (and asks for VC capital???)

    Can we please have a separate category in /. for iPhone articles: I'd really like a way to filter out the dross from the iPhone-cultist crowd.

    1. Re:Talk about self-advertising by chartreuse · · Score: 1

      Not reading iPhone articles is always an option, unless you've got OCD, in which case ask for medical advice (if you don't think medicine is a cult).

  23. Hmm by Drakin020 · · Score: 1

    Maybe it's also because the games that are released also contain updates to make the game more fun.

    For instance, I downloaded a game called Flight Path. They recently came out with an update containing more maps, and different kinds of planes.

    Now in the PC or console industry, they would just re-box this and call it Left 4 Dead 2....

    --
    The greatest revenge in life is massive success.
  24. Shakes Up The Video Game Industry? Yes And No by rsmith-mac · · Score: 2, Informative

    The article seems to be more hype than anything else, but it does hit on a couple of good points.

    Yes, the iPhone platform has shaken up the industry, due to the digital distribution of games. This has a lot to do with timing (you need oodles of cheap flash memory for this) but it also builds on the fundamentals of how the iTunes store has built up over the years. It's clearly proven that digital distribution of games can be viable, and you're going to see a lot of this in the future. Both to sell games that would never be viable retail releases due to pricing (micro transactions come to gaming), and because everyone wants to cut Gamestop out of the loop.

    And no, the iPhone platform has not shaken up the industry, due to hardware designs. The hardware is fundamentally that of a phone. The processor is overpowered and the GPU is underpowered for gaming, and the whole thing eats too much power when you ramp up the *PUs. The DS gets something ungodly (10+ hours) and even the PSP can do 5+ hours with its better graphics. The controls are also lacking - a touch screen is good for some things (e.g. Solitaire) and bad for others (e.g. Super Mario Brothers). iPhoneOS 3.0 will allow what amounts to button caddies, but since buttons aren't standard they can't be counted on. The hardware means it's an additional avenue for gaming, but it's not necessarily a threat to traditional handhelds like the DS/PSP.

  25. Re:The games are $10 because they aren't worth mor by crazybilly · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Really, I have yet to see an iPhone game that captured my attention for more than an hour or two

    You spelled "Nintendo Wii" wrong in that sentence.

  26. Marketing Penetration vs Market REACH by molotovjester · · Score: 1

    Not every iPhone/Touch user is a gamer, so the penetration measurement here is significantly skewed.

    If you wanted to talk about Market REACH (entirely different metric) then you still couldn't compare since the reach of the other systems is still far greater than what Apple can even have a wet dream for.

  27. Stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Every cell phone since hte late 90s has shipped with the ability to play "games".

    Why do we persist in pretending the iPhone is something new? Why is it a revolutionary gaming console, when my 5 year old treo (which at least has a dpad and buttons) is a mere phone?

    do they pay for this shit, or is it purely an image/cliq thing? If the former, can I get a piece of the action somehow?

    Here's a little taste for free:
    "The new iPhone revolutionizes both cameras and phones by having a camera in it!"

  28. What? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    An iPhone is not (and could never considered) a gaming platform. My 3.5 Ghz, SLI-enabled, liquid cooled machine is a gaming system.

    Hand down, a bad article.

    1. Re:What? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I game on my air cooled skt 939 Athlon x2 with 2gb or ram and a single x1950gt. Your point?

      All I can gather from your post is that you like to waste money, which most pc upgrades are at the moment.

  29. Yep by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 1

    While Nintendo might be worried about it getting in on the DS's market, I doubt they are concerned about it getting in on the Wii's market. I'm quite sure that mobile gaming will be a large market, and it doesn't surprise me that a big share will start happening on phones since they are now very capable devices. However, people are not going to abandon their computers/game consoles for their phones.

  30. False Dichotomy by danaris · · Score: 1

    People keep spouting off hype about Apple getting into games.
    They will fail.
    No one can take on Nintendo in the handheld department and win.

    Because, of course, there is absolutely no middle ground between "win out over Nintendo" and "fail completely."

    Dan Aris

    --
    Fun. Free. Online. RPG. BattleMaster.
  31. Big deal! by wytten · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...and I'm not being sarcastic, if my 11 year old son is any indication of what is happening around the country.

    He saved all his birthday, christmas and allowance money for months to buy an iPod touch and spends way
    too much time playing games on it. Most of the games are free or only cost a couple of bucks, meaning he
    can get near-instant gratification without having to save $50 to buy a console game. He uses it almost
    exclusively as a game platform, even to the point of using a clunky old mp3 player for music, in order to save the
    iPod touch battery for game play.

    1. Re:Big deal! by juuri · · Score: 1

      Thanks for posting this, most slashdotters don't understand this point. They can't properly empathize with other age groups to see their directions and intent.

      --
      --- I do not moderate.
    2. Re:Big deal! by TSPhoenix · · Score: 1

      No doubt there are people who use theirs like this. iPods are for entertainment after all. Also your kid is pretty smart, paying more upfront to have access to free games instead of having to spend all his money on a new DS game every month. For more spoiled kids its less of an issue, they get an iPod and DS and get a regular supply of games. I imagine that demographic would lean towards the DS because spending money on games isn't an issue.

      (How far things have come from being able too choose between Gameboy and Gameboy and having a handful of good games to choose from, and having to buy magazines (cutting into valuable game money) to find out which games were worth buying.)

      iPhones on the other hands are phones and productivity devices and whittling your battery to zero playing games isn't feasible for most iPhone owners. So on these devices time-wasters might thrive, but more fleshed out games that have hours of gameplay aren't a good match.

    3. Re:Big deal! by jeffbax · · Score: 1

      What others also don't seem to understand, is that a lot of people don't want the "depth and complexity" in portable gaming to begin with. Honestly, thats what my PS3 is for. Although I will admit both the PSP and DS have many very high quality games, full console AAA quality - I simply have no desire to bend my neck over a portable screen for an extended period of time. Short bursts are why the iPhone games excite me.

      Additionally, you complain about quality and depth now, but if you don't remember - the DS was a wasteland when it came out in terms of actually having good games. Look at it now. Devs learn and evolve to push the platform and see what works and doesn't. I don't see why the iPhone is somehow doomed to be different and ONLY offer trivial games for now. Existing game types might not control the same, but that just means we'll get new game types that are well suited to the input like Nintendo traditionally forces developers to learn with their new platforms and control schemes.

  32. It's NOT got everything that you need for games! by Hurricane78 · · Score: 1

    There is no bigger risk for a game developer, than to have his entire project being blocked, because some company found it "objectionable"
    Which could also mean: We have a deal with your competitor. (Usually EA.)

    Give me a standardized platform that is not dependent on a single company (=point of failure), and you have a developer studio on your side.

    --
    Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
  33. Come on by kuzb · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The iphone is so limited as a game platform it's silly to try to compare it. The touch screen does work well for some kinds of games, but it's an absolutely horrid interface for a lot of others.

    Shooters do not work well with the touch interface. Racing games do not work well with the touch interface. Sports games do not work well with the touch interface. Platformers do not work well with the touch interface. Right there, you've accounted for (conservative estimate) more than half of the game market. The iphone/touch is great at what it does, but it isn't very good as a portable game system. People are still better off getting a DS or PSP if they want that kind of thing, because let's face it. Having a lot of games doesn't mean you have a lot of good games that have interfaces which are implemented well.

    --
    BeauHD. Worst editor since kdawson.
    1. Re:Come on by MysteriousPreacher · · Score: 1

      It kind of depends on the complexity of the shooter. UT2K would be tricky due to it's large selection of weapons and abilities, but the older-style shooters translate pretty nicely. Wolf3D is entertaining, and I've played some nice top-down shooters as well. It's just about developers understanding the platform and then developing games appropriate to it. I can't imagine WoW working terrible well on a simple console controller, since there are too may abilities to map to keys. Even if you present them as buttons, you'd struggle to reach them in time.

      --
      -- Using the preview button since 2005
    2. Re:Come on by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree with your comments about the interface. However, how long do you think it'll be before you see an iPhone accessory with game controls?

    3. Re:Come on by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      [list of game genres] do not work well with the touch interface.

      More correctly, you just haven't seen games in those genres that demonstrate good use of the touch interface. That doesn't mean you can write off the whole genre as uncontrollable.

    4. Re:Come on by StaticEngine · · Score: 1

      "Shooters do not work well with the touch interface."

      Perhaps we should move on to... stabbers.

    5. Re:Come on by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 1

      Shooters do not work well with the touch interface.

      Replace the nunchuk with tilt sensors and the Wiimote with the touch screen and you could have a perfectly serviceable version of Resident Evil 4.

      --
      Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
    6. Re:Come on by cowscows · · Score: 1

      It might be more accurate to say that these different genres don't work yet. Developers need time to figure out how to make it play well. Madden '09 has refined controls on the 360 because it has a controller full of buttons, and people have been making football games for button controllers for decades. They started with controllers with just a couple buttons, and over the years have refined it to the complex system that they've got today. If they were to try and port that to a tiny touchscreen, why would you expect it to be anything other than a disaster?

      What they would need to do is start basically from scratch, and rethink the entire control scheme. Practicality would likely dictate that getting it all right the first time around is unlikely, so they'd have to settle for a game much less complicated than what we see on home consoles (not to mention the iphone's lesser hardware specs). Whether or not a significantly less complicated football game would be accepted by the marketplace is another matter.

      There's nothing inherent about the idea of sports games that makes them unsuitable for a touchscreen. Thirty years ago there were sports "simulating" board games. And the same goes for most other genres. A direct port of a game, or even the genre itself with touchscreen controls pasted on won't be successful in all cases, but a careful rethinking of how it could work is not a worthless exercise.

      --

      One time I threw a brick at a duck.

    7. Re:Come on by greyhueofdoubt · · Score: 1

      For the price of ONE new psp game I could fill my iPhone with games and music.

      That right there is why the iPhone is 'shaking the industry'.

      -b

      --
      No offense, but I've stopped responding to AC's.
    8. Re:Come on by indiechild · · Score: 1

      You've basically summed up most of the reasons people have given as to why the Nintendo DS was bound to fail. And yet it's succeeded beyond people's wildest expectations.

      I think it just goes to show how little imagination most people have. Apple and Nintendo are companies with similar lines of thinking. They release products that narrow minded people claim are overhyped, horrible pieces of garbage, and they continue to succeed beyond some people's wildest expectations. They understand the market, and people's desires and needs, and that's why they succeed.

    9. Re:Come on by Graymalkin · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Rail shooters work pretty well on the iPhone, i.e. Time Crisis works well enough on the iPhone. Wolf3D is also fun to play and I'm looking forward to Doom. There's nothing inherently wrong with rail shooters and there's likely a lot of legs to that type of game on touch devices. A lot of FPSes are effectively on rails but allow free movement to give the illusion that they're not. On the iPhone such a game could just be a rail shooter and let you focus on the shooting part. More to the point, games have adapted to a variety of controller types over the years. A lot of the genres you mentioned are as old as video games. Several game types used paddle controllers in the 70s, if you can use a dial to control a game you can use a tilt sensor. Besides the genres you mention adapting play styles to fit the iPhone there's also the other half of the game market. There's plenty of genres that are almost optimized for playing on a touch sensitive screen. Point-and-click adventure games like Myst are a natural fit as are many types of RPGs. Shmups that use the tilt sensors tend to work really well in most cases.

      The iPhone isn't going to be good at every single type of game but it doesn't have to be. It also offers a bit more than just a touch screen to developers. The iPhone can find its location via GPS, the 3GS can determine its heading with its compass, and can find its orientation in space with the motion sensors. It also has a microphone, a camera, and near constant network connectivity. While the motion sensors are probably most useful for controlling games of all those features the others do offer developers options.

      --
      I'm a loner Dottie, a Rebel.
    10. Re:Come on by kuzb · · Score: 1

      You've basically summed up most of the reasons people have given as to why the Nintendo DS was bound to fail. And yet it's succeeded beyond people's wildest expectations.

      The difference is that the DS has another input option, making the touch screen needed for some games and irrelevant for others. This allows them more freedom in what they develop and how. If the iphone had a D-Pad and a few more usable buttons, the story might be a little different.

      --
      BeauHD. Worst editor since kdawson.
  34. A year? by prestomation · · Score: 1

    "with a year under its belt and an installed base of iPhone and iPod Touch owners at around forty million"

    iPhone OS 2 has only been out for a year. Has everyone already forgotten then the iphone itself has been out for 2 solid years?

    1. Re:A year? by aristotle-dude · · Score: 1

      "with a year under its belt and an installed base of iPhone and iPod Touch owners at around forty million"

      iPhone OS 2 has only been out for a year. Has everyone already forgotten then the iphone itself has been out for 2 solid years?

      No. What is your point? Before the SDK, there was no way to develop and release games for that platform to the general public outside of a niche of jailbreakers.

      --
      Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
  35. elbowed to death on airplane by peter303 · · Score: 2, Funny

    The only complain I have about iPhone games is the big guy who sat in the middle seat on the plane and excitedly played one of those tilt-sensitive race car games all flight. I was elbowed a thousand times. Other than that iPhone games are pretty neat.

  36. A couple of questions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There is obvious hype around iPhone and iTouch, it's is the sexy thing today, but how long?

    Is there any statistics that how many people can make a profit and a living off iPhone game development (not counting the ones who actually lost money, never made enough sales to recover development costs or just manage to break even)?

    Where are the profitable developer companies located? Can US, European, etc. developer companies compete with lower wage locations?

    How many of the games are truly new titles and not porting or rip-offs of existing properties, originally developed for other platforms?

  37. What's the graphic chip capable of? by ShooterNeo · · Score: 1

    What is the 3d chip in the iphone capable of doing? More specifically, how does it compare to the power of an older console like the playstation 2? John Carmack has stated that he thinks Quake 3 could be ported to the iphone : is this really possible?

    1. Re:What's the graphic chip capable of? by dafing · · Score: 2, Informative
      I could imagine it would handle Quake 3, I've heard the latest one, the iPhone 3GS can do more advanced shading etc etc.

      I'm assuming you dont have an iPhone etc and are interested in one? I'll give you a beginners FAQ about the games, they are all quite short sadly, sad is the right word for me, I imagine what the iPhone could do with a full game with levels and quests etc. You know what I think would KICK ASS on the iPhone? Pokemon type games, I really can imagine that taking off, I remember playing Pokemon Yellow when I was little, and that was basically the best game ever! I still remember the items, etc. I guess it was like Zelda for another generation. I think a Pokemon style game could work very well on an iPhone or iTouch, using wifi for multiplayer, swapping items and working together....playing over the internet....

      Overall iPhone games are about Playstation 1, with a few good ones that are PS2 quality. Many games have "cheap" feelings to them, and basically none have a great story that takes days to beat. Most of the time, you have to do something involving tapping, dragging, tilting, and each level gives you more items to work with, and less time etc.

      The iPhone could do so much more, I'm thinking of RPG type games with multiplayer. The graphics could be summed up as PS2 I guess, if people put in the time I think PS2 is reasonable to think of as the average iPhone graphic quality. But, its so much more, with the wifi, motion controls, multi touch etc, its so much more than JUST a old PS2.

      --
      --- ...or a new slashdot signature. Dear aunt, let's set so double the killer delete select all
  38. iPhone cannot replace a Nintendo DS by MobyDisk · · Score: 1

    Nintendo DS lite: $99 street price ($129 list). iPhone: $99 - $400 + 2 year contract + give your social security number to AT&T to get a credit check. An iPhone is not attanable by a 12 year old mowing lawns.

    1. Re:iPhone cannot replace a Nintendo DS by Ksevio · · Score: 1

      But a $200 iPod Touch could be, and it can do all the same stuff.

  39. Yes, but does it run Nethack? by zindorsky · · Score: 1

    Call me when someone ports Nethack to the iPhone. Or figures out a good mobile device type interface for roguelikes in general.

    --
    If the geiger counter does not click, the coffee, she is not thick.
    1. Re:Yes, but does it run Nethack? by Wraithlyn · · Score: 1

      Rogue Touch is pretty good

      --
      "Mind, as manifested by the capacity to make choices, is to some extent present in every electron." -Freeman Dyson
  40. iPhone is God by PopeRatzo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    iPhone Shakes Up the Video Game Industry

    Apple and the iPhone have become the Chuck Norris of high-tech fashion accessories. There is literally nothing that the iPhone (or Apple generally) cannot do: No industry that the iPhone can fundamentally transform. I have seen articles saying that the iPhone has "transformed" everything from transportation ("it has GPS!!") to interpersonal relationships ("it has a phone!!!") to gaming ("you can play Sudoku!!!!") to education ("You can read books!") to shopping ("you can buy stuff!") to journalism ("it has a camera!").

    You name the industry, profession or realm of human activity, and there is an article somewhere that was born in the mind of an Apple publicist or fanboi that explains how the iPhone is going to completely transform it ("there's an app for that!!"). And thank heavens we have media and "news" outlets that are dedicated to spreading the Word about this transformative product.

    And each and every one of these articles will have a quote exactly like the one found in this article: "It's redefining what it means to be a publisher in this world."

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
    1. Re:iPhone is God by Golias · · Score: 4, Insightful

      None of the features of the iPhone are revolutionary, except one:

      They made their features convenient and user-friendly enough to be actually useful.

      --

      Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

    2. Re:iPhone is God by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      That "virtual" keyboard is especially useful.

      The only people who complain about it are the ones who have fingers. But then, they complain about everything.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    3. Re:iPhone is God by c_forq · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I actually prefer it to every other phone keyboard I've used to date, but pretty much only for one reason: symbol and accent entry. I type very verbose text messages and don't use "text speech". Additionally, I use punctuation (especially parenthesis). I use Spanish and French words (not regularly, but often). The iPhone makes this easy, the Nokia I had before the iPhone was a complete pain in the ass. In Windows Mobile I could do it in, but it was not nearly was quick and intuitive as Apple makes it (plus I had to reset my Windows Mobile device at least once a day).

      --
      Computers allow humans to make mistakes at the fastest speeds known, with the possible exception of tequila and handguns
    4. Re:iPhone is God by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      In your opinion. In my opinion, other phones have useful features too (e.g., being able to do things without hacking it, or ease of use by copy/pasting). YMMV. That's the thing about preferences, everyone has their own opinion. Just because you like one phone, doesn't mean it is therefore the best phone ever, or the first phone to do anything.

      I mean, I quite like chocolate cakes, but I don't therefore conclude on that alone that chocolate cakes are shaking up some other industry.

    5. Re:iPhone is God by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      Don't forget that the Iphone is also now setting the gold standard for fluidity!

      to interpersonal relationships ("it has a phone!!!")

      I honestly will not be surprised anymore if I see an article on Slashdot telling us how wonderful the Iphone is for allowing people to communicate with people who aren't present.

      I can hear the special pleading now: "But it doesn't matter that Alexander Graham Bell demonstrated an iPhone-like device 131 years before Apple did. That clearly doesn't count, as it obviously wasn't very useful, and it was clearly Apple who popularised the concept of iPhone-like devices (I never had a phone until Apple made one, so clearly no one else did either except for a few geeks that no one cares about)."

    6. Re:iPhone is God by stewbacca · · Score: 1

      Visual Voice mail is pretty nice. Worth the cost of admission, at least. Web pages that display correctly is another one I can think of that I've never seen on another cell phone. Then there's the whole concept that my iPhone is the best iPod I own (I own 6).

  41. touch screen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Playing games using touch screen? Good luck with that...If they want to make it a gaming platform,put real buttons that can withstand daily abuse.

  42. too much hype by Proxy-One · · Score: 1

    It's less hype that the title and summary makes it out to be. In reality most people who buy iphone games play it for a week or so and dismiss it. The next time they think about buying an iphone game they will learn from their previous experience and think about the money they wasted. The whole iphone thing is much like the internet boom. The technology is there, it's new, people are curious, but it's going to bust very soon and on a large scale, affecting all those who invested in the hope of a long term popularity. On the other hand, if they revive classic NES, SNES games etc or start making novel portable games that are somehow better than psp and ds games on a limited platform, and release them commercially, that would change things a little. But seeing how Sony and Nintendo have solid relations with the real game developers that make games that a lot of people actually like, the chances of iphone grabbing a large portion of the market is slim.

  43. Analysis by kenp2002 · · Score: 1

    Based on iTunes Store, digital distribution on the iPhone, and the quality of games released to the iPhone I can only draw a two word conclusion based on the products offered.

    DIGITAL FLEAMARKET

    --
    -=[ Who Is John Galt? ]=-
  44. hit me with your best mod by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's cool and all, but then you have to talk to southerners.

  45. Re:The games are $10 because they aren't worth mor by Thanatos81 · · Score: 1

    Sadly even "full fledged console or computer games" with at least 50 hours of playtime have become hard to come by lately.

  46. The Other Shoe by Gary+W.+Longsine · · Score: 4, Insightful
    In addition to the rapid growth of the platform's installed base, the flood of interest in iPhone gaming has some interesting characteristics:
    • game developers are learning Objective C, Cocoa, and libraries like Core Animation,
    • game developers seem to like the Apple platform and tools,
    • games are being ported to and developed for OS X, which is really "Mac OS X Mobile Edition".

    Together, these substantially reduce the marginal costs of, and the psychological barriers to, porting games to Mac OS X. Apple could do a few things to shake the gaming industry up even more.

    • License Mac OS X and/or iPhone OS X to another game console maker for next generation consoles.
    • Extend the reach of Apple TV into the gaming console market by adding some horsepower, features, and accessories.
    • Buy one or more prominent game content makers, like, oh, say... Blizzard Entertainment, perhaps.

    Those sort of moves might seem unlikely, but might not be all that far fetched. Licensing OSX to a game console maker is even conceivable, since it doesn't present the threat that licensing to clone makers did to the Mac. One such licensing agreement would vault Cocoa to the top gaming platform.

    Apple could absorb a few game content providers without smothering the life out of them, as apparently the Microsoft acquisition of Bungie threatened to do, until Bungie managed to burst out of Microsoft screaming, "liberation!"

    --
    If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.
    1. Re:The Other Shoe by TrancePhreak · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      ObjC is slow and not often used.
      The platform/tools are pretty standard.
      The types of games are very different from regular/bigger projects.

      --

      -]Phreak Out[-
    2. Re:The Other Shoe by Nilych · · Score: 0

      Blizzard is owned by Vivendi, who has over twice the assets of Apple Inc.

  47. Re: no buttons?! by An+anonymous+Frank · · Score: 0

    Hell, they don't even have real buttons.

    The "Wee" has no buttons either, preferably, and I hear 'bout %50 of the population has one!

  48. So What's Your Point? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can you hurry up and get to it already?

  49. Nobody tell EA.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    With traditional games, developers might wait a year or two between major releases; ngmoco is planning on releasing new versions of its games for the iPhone every four to five months.

    I for one welcome Madden 2010 Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter editions.

  50. Re: no buttons?! by lgw · · Score: 4, Funny

    If I were Nintendo, I'd be tired of all the "wee" jokes by now. They should name their iPhone-fighter the "Portable Nintendo Entertainment System" to avoid any such innuendo!

    --
    Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
  51. And how many seconds do iphone users play 4 by Latinhypercube · · Score: 0

    Iphone games are about as entertaining and long lasting as a fart. I would hazard a guess that after purchase most iphone games are NEVER played again. Leading to gimmick toys that are pushing games nowhere.

  52. Scott Stein, Illogical or Apple Shareholder by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No, I don't think this Apple Propoganda. I just think that it's dumb to say that high iPhone and iPod sales indicate competition for Sony and Nintendo. They are still an MP3 player and a cell phone, and some people buy them to play MP3s and make phone calls; this article doesn't take those people into account. I'd wager my own shares in Apple that the majority of people who buy these devices don't buy it with with a "Whelp, I guess I don't need a Gameboy now" mentality.

    If you really want to do a sales comparison, compare the amount of money spent on games for the DS, the PSP, and the iPhone/iPod. It'd be interesting to see Apple's "penetration numbers" then.

  53. Yeah, It Changes Things by geoffrobinson · · Score: 1

    It expands the market, integrating phones and casual gaming. It has a nice interface, esp given the accelerometer.

    It does change things but more from a marketing perspective than anything else.

    Look, viewing TV shows on your computer screen instead of your 42" plasma HDTV is a growing trend. Sometimes something less good is good enough and has other advantages. That's what changes things somewhat.

    It expands things. It doesn't mean the iPhone games will lessen anything else. But it does change things.

    --
    Except for ending slavery, the Nazis, communism, & securing American independence, war has never solved anything.
  54. It's achilles... by Schnoogs · · Score: 1

    ...will always be it's lack of input. There are more genres better served by a thumbpad and buttons than an accelerometer. I've had an iPhone for over a year and even as an avid gamer I can't find a single game worth playing.

  55. Different reason for purchase by slapout · · Score: 1

    "started to catch up to the worldwide penetration of both Sony's (50 million) and Nintendo's (100 million) devices."

    But...most of the people who bought iPods/iPhones didn't buy them primarily as game machines. People who bought Sonys and Nintendos did.
     

    --
    Coder's Stone: The programming language quick ref for iPad
  56. Patents by tepples · · Score: 1

    People are making DS games and apps right now, for free. Have been for ages.

    There are accusations flying around on various forums that Acekard and other third-party DS flash cards infringe Nintendo's patent on the protocol used by DS Game Cards. Are these without merit?

    To be a developer for Nintendo you basically have to prove that you're an actual business that can put out a game.

    How does one start "an actual business that can put out a game"?

    1. Re:Patents by sexconker · · Score: 2, Informative

      Yes, those flash cards are illegal for various reasons. They violate the DMCA for one. But if you're using it simply to run unsigned code you put together to create a demo to show Nintendo as you apply to be a developer, it's not going to be an issue.

      You start your business.
      legalzoom.com

      You have an actual office (this is a specific requirement for Nintendo, MS and Sony don't have this requirement as far as I know).

      mrofficespace.com

      You make games for various platforms. DS homebrew, PC, java, flash, whatever. You build a body of work. Nothing has to be published, you just have to show that you're not an internet asshate who want's to get their hands on a dev kit.

      You apply.

  57. Mario Hoops 3-on-3 and Kirby Canvas Curse by tepples · · Score: 1

    Shooters do not work well with the touch interface.

    There are three genres called "shooter". There are light-gun-style games (e.g. Duck Hunt), space shooters (e.g. Raiden), and first-person shooters (e.g. Doom). What kind of shooters do you mean?

    Racing games do not work well with the touch interface.

    But apparently they work with the accelerometer.

    Sports games do not work well with the touch interface.

    Have you ever played the video game Mario Hoops 3-on-3 for Nintendo DS?

    Platformers do not work well with the touch interface.

    Have you ever played the video game Kirby Canvas Curse for Nintendo DS?

    1. Re:Mario Hoops 3-on-3 and Kirby Canvas Curse by kuzb · · Score: 1

      I don't know why people keep bringing up the Nintendo DS as a counter-argument. It isn't a counter argument. It has a full D-Pad and more buttons.

      --
      BeauHD. Worst editor since kdawson.
  58. Motorola V980 Shakes Up the Video Game Industry by mdwh2 · · Score: 0, Redundant

    ...must be true, because I can play games on it. I'll just conveniently ignore all the other phones that are more popular.

    You forgot blackberry: over 50 million.

    Not to mention many hundreds of millions for nokia/ericsson/motorola.

    Another example of Apple mod-abuse - the above is not flamebait. If anything, the original article is flamebait, and this response points out why it is misleading: if we are comparing one particular phone manufacturer to games consoles, why not compare other phone manufacturers too, since they can all play games? It comes across as a cheap attempt to make the Iphone look popular, by comparing it, and only it, to a smaller market.

    Yes, it's interesting that phones are likely to become more popular as handheld gaming devices than dedicated devices, because most people don't want to carry around a dedicated device. But there's nothing special about the Iphone. And the same may end up being true soon of cameras and mp3 players, anyway.

    Does the fact that Nokia's sales of hundreds of millions of phones, that contain cameras, mean that "Nokia Shakes Up the Camera Industry"? That in itself would be absurd enough, but this article is worse - it doesn't say Nokia, it instead picks up a niche-player in the market, and just rides on the pro-Apple hype.

    Of course, no doubt I'll be modded down too, as happens with any post that advocates a phone other than the precious Iphone.

    1. Re:Motorola V980 Shakes Up the Video Game Industry by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      Ah, my prediction is correct:

      Of course, no doubt I'll be modded down too, as happens with any post that advocates a phone other than the precious Iphone.

      Note to Apple-fanboy mod: just because you disagree, doesn't mean it should be modded down. If it's "redundant", point me to the post already stating this, not to mention the article that reports the Motorola V980 Shakes Up the Video Game Industry?

  59. Say what? by Gary+W.+Longsine · · Score: 2, Informative

    Objective C is used to build the apps on the iPhone. Sure, some developers might elect to use some C or C++ code, particularly if they have a mountain of it they are porting, but there is a lot of Objective C running on the phone, even in games, and it's... snappy!

    The platform and tools are OSX and XCode, and are not available on other platforms, hitherto frequently derided as being either insufficient or insufficiently "open" by developers with an interest in multiple platforms, and certainly not considered to be "pretty standard".

    The types of games include FPS and highly graphics oriented games, some of them derived from "regular/bigger" projects.

    If there's anything "slow" hereabouts, it's probably not Objective C.

    --
    If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.
  60. Wow! Such progress! by incognito84 · · Score: 1

    We went from playing games on 25" LCD flat panels, down to playing inferior games on touchscreens measuring in at under 5".

    What progress!

    I look forward to a day when I can imagine games in my head with no hardware at all.

  61. *Buying* word processing software? by jonaskoelker · · Score: 1

    that doesn't mean I won't be buying word processing software for computers any more.

    What is this strange concept you speak of?

    :wq

  62. Not gonna happen by Anenome · · Score: 1

    Nah, I don't think so. Three reasons it won't happen:

    1. Only a subset of the installed base is going to play games on the system. Quoting the 40 million figure is misleading--how much of that base actually wants to play games when the primary reason for the purchase has nothing to do with gaming? Who knows. And that's a problem. The true game-playing installed base could be as little as 1 million for all we know.

    2. Only a subset of that subset will want to play the kind of games they have to pay real money for. DS games are $20-$40 while Iphone games have hovered at $5. Most people will be perfectly happy with $2 clones of bejewled, poker and solitaire.

    3. Publishers would much rather sell higher priced games to an installed base who bought the system to buy games. When Ubisoft released 'Prince of Persia' for the Ipod recently, they released at a price of $10, no doubt because Apple forced them to. On the DS, they released it for $40. This was okay with them because they're just testing the waters and the game was already made, already profitable purely on the DS. And Ipod owners still complained that the game was so much, showing that they put far less value on gaming than the average DS player. The dirty truth is that if the Ipod were Ubisoft's only platform, the game would never have been made. It's not profitable at $10. You may as well revert to bejeweled clones. It would be a sad day if the Ipod did triumph in the handheld market and rich games with storyline and some depth never again get made.

    Everyone keeps thinking there has to be some other hook on top of gaming that will inevitably knock Nintendo out the top spot. The truth is, only taking on Nintendo directly with pure gaming hardware has a chance.

    You create the N-Gage and try to mate a gaming system and a phone and you lose. You create something like the PSP and try to mate video, music, media and gaming and you lose (perhaps not as spectacularly, but the PSP has lost). And here it is again, you try to create a phone or a PDA-thing (ipod touch) and then add gaming on top and you're just not focused enough to do it. Let's see Apple get some balls and release an actual gaming device that is primarily sold for gaming first, and only secondarily can do other things. My prediction: they won't do that.

    Furthermore, I don't think anything without two screens can beat the DS at this point, and neither Sony nor Apple are offering that. Do you really wanna buy your kid a PSP or IPod Touch that has virtually no screen-protection mechanism, and can easily be dropped and broken? What's more, Nintendo is the king of software--that's no small secret to their success. Is Apple going to create a games division and kidnap Shigeru Miyamoto? Don't think so.

    So, I'll believe it when I see it happen. Till then, I remain skeptical. The perennial talk of beating Nintendo at their own game, so far is exactly like all the talk of beating Google at search, and ain't one company come close yet.

    --
    "I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist"
  63. Don't you hate it when by maglor_83 · · Score: 1

    half the post is in the subject line?

  64. Re: no buttons?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Friend: Shit dude, what are you doing?
    Me: Chill man, just playing with my "P Nes", you want to hold it?

    Hmmm, much cooler than "Wee"

  65. Re: no buttons?! by mooterSkooter · · Score: 1

    I wonder what sort of penetration the P Nes might get?

  66. Lf Clan in Vampires: Bloodlust by AP31R0N · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Please invite me to your VB clan!
    User ID: 1802 1331 39 /half kidding

    --
    Utilizing the synergization of benchmark e-solutions to pre-workaround action items!
  67. DS games that can be played without the buttons by tepples · · Score: 1

    [The DS] isn't a counter argument. It has a full D-Pad and more buttons.

    You're thinking of games that combine the Touch Screen with the controls inherited from the GBA. But there are also DS games that can be played with only the Touch Screen, such as Kirby Canvas Curse and WarioWare: Touched! and Meteos.

  68. Ummmmmm...... by Drone69 · · Score: 1

    ....no.