Palm Pre and WebOS Get Native Gaming

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Palm Pre and WebOS Get Native Gaming

Posted by Soulskill on Monday January 4, 2010 @07:48AM from the break-out-your-rocket-launcher dept.

rboatright writes "WebOS developers have been waiting, and with the 1.3.5 release, Palm's open source page suddenly listed SDL. Members of the WebOS internals team took that as a challenge and within 24 hours had a working port of Doom running in SDL on the Pre, in a webOS card. 48 hours later, they not only had Quake running, but had found in the latest LunaSysMgr the requirements to launch a native app from the webOS app launcher from an icon just like any other app. At the same time, the team demonstrated openGL apps running. With full native code support, with I/O available via SDL, developers now have a preview into Palm's future intent with regard to native code SDK's, and a hint of what's coming."

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Just checked out Quake by Anonymous Coward · 2010-01-04 07:56 · Score: 0

I just checked out Quake on my Pre, and it's smooth and very playable -- if you like playing FPS' with one hand and no instructions as to which button does what.
Really great idea, and the hardware is certainly there, but my god the interface...
ScummVM by str8edge · 2010-01-04 08:05 · Score: 1

When ScummVM gets ported to the Pre, then I'll get excited. ScummVM is usually the first gaming software that I install.
1. Re:ScummVM by Anonymous Coward · 2010-01-04 08:07 · Score: 1, Informative
  
  They're already working on it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKcm97mZb30
2. Re:ScummVM by jgtg32a · 2010-01-04 08:11 · Score: 1, Troll
  
  ScummVM is already on the iPhone, I have it installed but I haven't actually gotten around to using it though; so I can't say how well it works.
3. Re:ScummVM by rboatright · 2010-01-04 09:03 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  We have scummVM working now, a release should happen tonight.
  See the webos-internals.org wiki
4. Re:ScummVM by jgtg32a · 2010-01-04 10:12 · Score: 1
  
  I won't lie and say I've never Troll /. before but seriously?
I'll be honest by Monkeedude1212 · 2010-01-04 08:05 · Score: 2, Insightful

I'm not a good representative of the average phone consumer, but I honestly can't find myself playing any games on my phone besides the ultra simple ones, like Bubble Breaker and Solitaire. Even Teeter, (get the ball in the hole by tilting the phone around) seems to demand too much attention and battery to really play it often.
How many other /.ers use their phones for games? What kinds of games, and how often do you play?
Just curious of the demographics for this crowd.
1. Re:I'll be honest by str8edge · 2010-01-04 08:11 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  I don't game on my phone, as I use a corporate cell phone. But I do game on my Nokia N810. ScummVM, some solitaire games, and Simon Tatham's puzzle collection are installed. I play when I'm usually stuck somewhere waiting for something beyond my control, like a doctor/dentist appointment.
2. Re:I'll be honest by jgtg32a · 2010-01-04 08:13 · Score: 1
  
  Chrono Trigger
  Mario RPG
  I might play FF6 again but that would be my 8th time playing it, so I may need to find something else.
  
  Basically SNES games
3. Re:I'll be honest by tepples · 2010-01-04 08:16 · Score: 1
  
  Basically SNES games
  What brand of copier do you recommend for dumping SNES Game Paks that I bought on eBay so that I can play them on an emulator?
4. Re:I'll be honest by Enderandrew · 2010-01-04 08:28 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  Using the traditional buttons, I phone gaming to be an absolute pain in the past.
  Using tilt functionality and a touch screen on the iPhone is a whole other story. I really do love it as a gaming device.
  
  --
  http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
5. Re:I'll be honest by rickb928 · 2010-01-04 08:33 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  On my G1 I play Solitaire, occasionally a Mahjongg solitaire game, Jewels which is Bedazzled knockoff, Tetroid (obvious) and my current fave, Bonsai Blast.
  On a typical G1, you can drain the battery with 3 hours of Bonsai Blast. 2 hours if you have an original battery now.
  
  --
  deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
6. Re:I'll be honest by Anonymous Coward · 2010-01-04 08:36 · Score: 0
  
  just use PirateBay like everyone else
7. Re:I'll be honest by ZosX · 2010-01-04 08:48 · Score: 1
  
  yeah. for all the time and effort, just download the roms. you can at least sleep easier knowing that you actually own physical copies if that sort of thing makes you feel better.
  
  --
  zosxavius photography
8. Re:I'll be honest by gbjbaanb · 2010-01-04 09:16 · Score: 1
  
  Disclaimer: I barely use my phone for texting, let alone all the other gubbins it can do.
  I saw this video of multiplayer Quake running on a Nokia N900, its pretty cool - but what did it for me was that they had it hooked up to a big screen TV. Suddenly gaming on your phone doesn't seem such a bad idea, its like having a video console in your pocket (hopefully without a red ring of death).
9. Re:I'll be honest by larry+bagina · 2010-01-04 09:27 · Score: 1
  
  Not a phone per se, but my ipod touch. I game on flights. Thanks to the crotch bomber and kneejerk restrictions (which wouldn't have stopped the original incident, but nevermind) that might not be an option anymore.
  
  --
  Do you even lift?
  These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
10. Re:I'll be honest by Elwar123 · 2010-01-04 09:52 · Score: 1
  
  I have the Palm Pre and I usually play the games while in the bathroom. The major games I play are solitaire, checkers and chess. The checkers and chess kinda suck because the computer is far too easy to beat (sacrificing bishop to take out pawns, missing opportunities to check mate me, etc.) I tend to kill off my queen in my first few moves to make it more challenging. Other than that there are some multi-player/build your guy up type of games that I occassionally keep up with.
11. Re:I'll be honest by RichiP · 2010-01-04 10:18 · Score: 1
  
  I didn't purchase my Palm Pre to play games on it, but I'm not closed to the idea that, should the right game come along, I might play games on my Pre / phone. It all depends on the gameplay. For all we know, a new type of gameplay might still be created, one that would fit phones perfectly (has some elements of RPGs or tamagotchi coupled with GPS?)
  FPS games might prove challenging, but vehicle simulators might not be too bad. There've been videos of Need for Speed Undercover allegedly being ported to the webOS / Palm Pre platform.
12. Re:I'll be honest by i.of.the.storm · 2010-01-04 11:39 · Score: 1
  
  I think he's making a pointed remark about how downloading/distributing ROMs is illegal, and you're supposed to rip them yourself if you want to play them in an emulator.
  
  --
  All your base are belong to Wii.
13. Re:I'll be honest by i.of.the.storm · 2010-01-04 11:40 · Score: 1
  
  Using the traditional buttons, I phone gaming to be an absolute pain in the past.
  Is that your iPhone's typing correction kicking in there? :P.
  
  --
  All your base are belong to Wii.
14. Re:I'll be honest by hattig · 2010-01-05 02:41 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, Jewels and Bonsai Blast are good time wasters when I'm travelling on public transport or sitting on the bog. The rolling-a-ball games like Teeter got old quickly though.
15. Re:I'll be honest by bobvious · 2010-01-05 03:48 · Score: 1
  
  World Series of Poker on the phone ain't bad.
16. Re:I'll be honest by ZosX · 2010-01-07 14:35 · Score: 1
  
  Sometimes its so hard to tell if there is sarcasm or not in text. I could totally see half a dozen people here asking that same question, even if it is a bit over the top. Hell, I've even thought about copying a rom just to see what the process is like. Then I found a torrent with every single one.
  
  --
  zosxavius photography
Get Real... by TheKidWho · 2010-01-04 08:07 · Score: 1

It's a tech demo, nothing more.
1. Re:Get Real... by rboatright · 2010-01-04 09:05 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  It is not a tech demo. It is a fully playable app. The app launches into a demo. Backswipe in the gesture area to bring up the game menu. Full details of keybindings are on the webos-internals.org wiki. As of this morning, we are using part of the screen for a simulated joystick, which eases gameplay.
2. Re:Get Real... by Ihmhi · 2010-01-04 14:29 · Score: 1
  
  Trying to play a FPS - especially a high-speed, twitchy one like Quake - with anything other than a mouse and keyboard is absolute madness.
  I get it. It's Quake, it's Doom. You essentially have to port it, just for the geek cred. But I really wish people would stop putting these games on phones.
  If anything, I'd think phones (especially ones with touchscreens) are practically made for rail shooters. How about Time Crisis, House of the Dead, Maximum Force, Area 51... those would be a shit-ton of fun. Use Bluetooth/Wifi for linkplay.
  
  --
  Random Thoughts From A Diseased Mind (Not For Dummies)
3. Re:Get Real... by rboatright · 2010-01-05 02:47 · Score: 1
  
  dedicated joystick area on screen for movement, and real actual keyboard with good mapping actually GIVES you that, check the wiki entry.
4. Re:Get Real... by TheKidWho · 2010-01-05 05:00 · Score: 1
  
  It's still nowhere near the same experience as on a desktop. FPS's will always be a pain in the ass on handhelds, take this from someone who was running Quake I on a 203mhz PocketPC in 2002...
5. Re:Get Real... by Ihmhi · 2010-01-05 07:42 · Score: 1
  
  With my sensitivity settings in most "twitch" FPS games, moving my mouse ~2 inches spins my screen around a full three times. You can't get that kind of sensitivity and control on a tiny touchscreen. It's just not possible.
  
  --
  Random Thoughts From A Diseased Mind (Not For Dummies)
SDL by Hatta · 2010-01-04 08:08 · Score: 3, Informative

SDL is awesome. Thanks SDL.

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Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
native sdk - its about time. by ardiri · 2010-01-04 08:10 · Score: 1

apple started off with "web" only development - then finally released a native SDK. google utilized it's Java like language (dalvik) - then finally released a native SDK (NDK).. there has been a native SDK since day one available for the Palm Pre - however, it was restricted to a select few developers. a copy ended up in my hands; and it is a little rough around the edges; but the signs shown here (1.3.5) are promising enough to believe that there will be a native SDK officially coming to the platform. we've been waiting for this opportunity ourselves. it will be interesting to see what CES and MWC announcements are made.
1. Re:native sdk - its about time. by the_archer666 · 2010-01-04 08:31 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  apple started off with "web" only development - then finally released a native SDK. google utilized it's Java like language (dalvik) - then finally released a native SDK (NDK).. there has been a native SDK since day one available for the Palm Pre
  The Android NDK is different from the Palm Pre SDK - NDK can only be used for number crunching. Front end still has to be implemented in Java. So no "recompile, deploy" as in the Palm Pre SDK.
2. Re:native sdk - its about time. by zullnero · 2010-01-04 09:18 · Score: 1
  
  So, you going to port liberty over? ;) So we don't have to try and run it in Classic. And yeah, I remember you as another regular from the old PalmOS mailing list about 10 years ago.
  
  I haven't had too much of a problem with MOJO for webOS...then again, it's purpose was to kind of make the Pre into more of a cloud/networked device instead of a Linux PalmOS port running lots of native code. Apps with light web clients/heavy duty servers like Pandora, Stitcher, YouTube, etc. generally fit the existing platform using MOJO/javascript on webkit have been great. Since those are the apps that people tend to use the most for communications, it kind of made sense for Palm to go that way with things...not to mention it solves issues around deployment, maintenance/security updates, and localizations that other platforms (Android, WinMob, Symbian, even iPhone) have struggled with more or less. But getting real native code and OpenGL support is obviously a huge win for the virtualization and mobile gaming crowd. Of which, I'm sure, you're intimately familiar.
  
  Anyway, it's always good news that there are more options to nerd out with the platform available...so long as bloat is kept to a minimum.
3. Re:native sdk - its about time. by GooberToo · 2010-01-04 09:50 · Score: 1
  
  NDK can only be used for number crunching.
  
  If by number crunching you mean everything except the UI and maybe audio (have not looked), but including OpenGL, then you are correct. The only thing you can't do with the NDK on Android is the user interface stuff. Everything else is readily available via the NDK.
  The only real complaint about the NDK is Google removed all support for exceptions from C++.
4. Re:native sdk - its about time. by Svartalf · 2010-01-04 12:52 · Score: 1
  
  I think he's worrying more about the current crop of apps (from the posting Aaron made over at LinuxGames.com...) than worrying about Liberty or any of his other classic PalmOS titles. (not to mention that you don't need Liberty...there's quite an array of usable GB/GBA emulation options available if you've got SDL...)
  I'm keen on hearing that there really IS a Native SDK out and about and brewing as an official thing from Palm. It makes my life easier once I get done- it becomes a minimal change target from the Maemo version of the game I'm working on.
  
  --
  I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
5. Re:native sdk - its about time. by ardiri · 2010-01-04 18:07 · Score: 1
  
  So, you going to port liberty over? ;) So we don't have to try and run it in Classic. And yeah, I remember you as another regular from the old PalmOS mailing list about 10 years ago
  Liberty was written in 68k assembler :) we ported it to MIPS for a contract job. but no; gameboy emulation; plenty of other options available out there.. but i do intend to bring some of my other palm os games up-to-date :P
6. Re:native sdk - its about time. by badkarmadayaccount · 2010-01-08 21:46 · Score: 1
  
  Somehow that reminds me of Symbian.
  
  --
  I know tobacco is bad for you, so I smoke weed with crack.
Lots of games are pretty good by SuperKendall · 2010-01-04 08:42 · Score: 2, Interesting

I play a fair number of different things on the iPhone - the whole category of tower defense games work pretty well, and there's unique stuff like Peggle (of course) and Doodle Jump and ZenBound and JellyCar and others...
Interestingly, almost all the games I end up being least happy with are commercial games from big development shops. Some of them look impressive to be sure, but I just don't find myself coming back to play them. Star Wars Trench Run is a recent example, where the game looked and sounded good but really I thought the gameplay was over simplified (for instance turrets shooting at you can never hit you).

--
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
2010 will be the year of Linux by daemonc · 2010-01-04 10:21 · Score: 3, Insightful

Forget the desktop...
2010 will be the year of Linux on your phone!

--
All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.
Not just a tech demo... by dtzWill · 2010-01-04 12:11 · Score: 5, Informative

Hi, I'm dtzWill--the developer who ported quake over.
This is not just a tech demo (well opengl, for now, is) but quake is/very/ playable!
Much effort has gone into making this more playable over the last two days or so-- the beta seemed to hit news sites, that was back when I was fighting things like the compiler breaking my code on anything other than -O0.
See the wiki for almost latest information.
Note that instructions to try out the latest before I release are on the wiki.
Finally, a release is probably going to be made tonight so those that own a pre... beexcited!
1. Re:Not just a tech demo... by Hero+Zzyzzx · 2010-01-04 14:07 · Score: 1
  
  I just installed Quake via preware and the performance is excellent. The virtual joystick is a little quirky but I got used to it fairly quickly. GREAT WORK!
2. Re:Not just a tech demo... by molotovjester · 2010-01-05 01:31 · Score: 1
  
  Hello,
  Is there any chance I'll see this in the regular app store? (free or otherwise?)
  Best,
  MJ
3. Re:Not just a tech demo... by rboatright · 2010-01-05 02:49 · Score: 1
  
  not until Palm releases a native code SDK.
  but installing via preware is exactly two clicks.
It is year of UNIX for 2 years on mobile by Ilgaz · 2010-01-04 16:21 · Score: 1

In fact, lots of people seems to ignore that each OS X including iPhone&iPod is UNIX. Even funnier (!), Desktop OS X has exact same certification as IBM AIX. It is also proof that Mach actually works, you know the joked kernel's (HURD) "lite" version but still Mach.
OK, I understand the hate to Apple and fanboys but I can't understand why people ignore that basic fact. Should iPhone show #login on black screen to prove it is UNIX?
As a Symbian user myself (and Apple desktop user), I love the idea of "40 years old archaic" system proves to be success on most trendy device ever. In fact, it started to prove itself on Symbian too, PIPS (a mini POSIX) seems to make Skype possible on Symbian.
1. Re:It is year of UNIX for 2 years on mobile by The+End+Of+Days · 2010-01-04 16:47 · Score: 1
  
  The iPhone OS is the same as the original Unix just like an heirloom axe with a replacement head and handle is still the same axe.
2. Re:It is year of UNIX for 2 years on mobile by badkarmadayaccount · 2010-01-08 21:48 · Score: 1
  
  +1 Terry Pratchet Reference
  
  --
  I know tobacco is bad for you, so I smoke weed with crack.
Palm Pre? by glrotate · 2010-01-05 02:48 · Score: 0

Wasn't that things 15 minutes up last August?