The Ultimate Mobile Gaming Platform?

[HymerSchmidt]

The title should say it all. I was reading on some blog, somewhere, that an analyst(which analyst? I don't know, there are a lot) was saying the iPhone was positioned to be the "fiercest" competitor to the Nintendo DS.

Do you buy it? I want to know why or why not.

And, if you are an iPhone gamer, what games do you play the most?

And, if you aren't an iPhone gamer, what would it take to make you one?

And, what titles would you like to see(DS or not) ported to the iPhone?

 

[IrishJK09]

If it is as powerful for games as they are claiming, I would prefer to see some new and original ideas as opposed to ports. After seeing the demo of Super Monkey Ball, that was literally thrown together in 2 weeks, on March 6th, I have to say I am seriously impressed and intrigued. Being it is a phone above all else, I don't think it will ever supplant the PSP or DS, but I definitely think it will create a new sort of mobile gaming market. Assuming the "gaming power" rumors are true that is.

I am an all around gamer at heart, and have been for over 20 years, so I am very open to this and I hope it turns out well. What types of games do I think we will see a lot of, and which ones will probably turn out the best? I would say anything that is of a driving, or flying, nature will be the best suited due to the accelerometer. Theoretically though, as long as they can overlay buttons on the screen, while keeping them out of the way of the action, anything is possible.

I am definitely excited.

 

[xintelinsanex]

The title should say it all. I was reading on some blog, somewhere, that an analyst(which analyst? I don't know, there are a lot) was saying the iPhone was positioned to be the "fiercest" competitor to the Nintendo DS.

Do you buy it? I want to know why or why not.

And, if you are an iPhone gamer, what games do you play the most?

And, if you aren't an iPhone gamer, what would it take to make you one?

And, what titles would you like to see(DS or not) ported to the iPhone?

There might be some truth to that. I think it will be successful because of its portable size. Carrying a DS sucks because it is just one more gadget. I'm really excited about Spore from EA. I really want to buy that for the iPhone when it comes out.

 

[burnsaa]

I guess I would like some puzzle type of games. But it would be awesome to see somebody bring counterstrike to the iPhone.

 

[xintelinsanex]

I guess I would like some puzzle type of games. But it would be awesome to see somebody bring counterstrike to the iPhone.

I want to play poker and sudoku on my iphone. I don't want a bad web app. I want graphics, the whole 9 yards.

 

[redsoxfan950]

i think that the iphone will be better at gaming then the ds. I would play games like halo but not like poker and sudoku.

 

[cmaier]

iphone will never be an ideal platform for games like halo. First, it has very little memory. Second, it has a tiny little screen. Third, while it has some innovative control mechanisms, FPS is best suited to mouse/keyboard interfaces. Fourth, for long-duration games like FPS, you might as well have a seat in front of a console or PC.

iPhone games will tend toward the sorts of games you can play for awhile in the backseat of a car or while riding a commuter train to work, or while sitting in a boring meeting or even riding an elevator to your floor at work. They will tend to be short duration games or games that are easy to pause and re-start later, and which are well-suited to a small screen and a touch/accellerometer interface.

 

[redsoxfan950]

does any one know if there will be a halo game for the iphone.

 

[cmaier]

No such game has been announced or rumored.

 

[Limozulu]

The title should say it all. I was reading on some blog, somewhere, that an analyst(which analyst? I don't know, there are a lot) was saying the iPhone was positioned to be the "fiercest" competitor to the Nintendo DS.

Do you buy it? I want to know why or why not.

And, if you are an iPhone gamer, what games do you play the most?

And, if you aren't an iPhone gamer, what would it take to make you one?

And, what titles would you like to see(DS or not) ported to the iPhone?

I really don't think that a touch screen can be a good platform in this size with today's technology. my guess is that in 10-20 years we will see touch screens everywhere: computers, cellphones, even on your fridge and your microwave.

 

[HymerSchmidt]

After seeing the demo of Super Monkey Ball, that was literally thrown together in 2 weeks, on March 6th, I have to say I am seriously impressed and intrigued.

I know what you mean, I almost felt like I was being lied to. Watching the live blogs, I was like "is that even possible?" Developer tools are getting to the "amazing" stage apparently.

I would say anything that is of a driving, or flying, nature will be the best suited due to the accelerometer. Theoretically though, as long as they can overlay buttons on the screen, while keeping them out of the way of the action, anything is possible.

I can't disagree with you, again. It would be superior to the DS only because it is a multi-functional device, eliminating the need for a separate gaming device. I'm not sure that was what the analyst was getting at, but I do think it has potential.

iphone will never be an ideal platform for games like halo. First, it has very little memory. Second, it has a tiny little screen. Third, while it has some innovative control mechanisms, FPS is best suited to mouse/keyboard interfaces. Fourth, for long-duration games like FPS, you might as well have a seat in front of a console or PC.

Never say never. First, the memory will undoubtably improve with iterations. Second, you'd be amazed at how easy it is for humans to ignore their surroundings and hone in on something small. Third, just because you are accustom to it doesn't make it the "best." Forth, I agree, but try taking your PS3 on the BART.

I agree it won't replace consoles, but I think your assumptions about mobile gaming is premature. Agreeing with the analyst is hard, but I find it equally hard to disagree(at least 2-3 years down the road).

 

[isitnyu]

the iphone will not be the fiercest compeitior of the ds, because the iphone games that will be coming out, can not match up with the great pokemon, mario, classic games that the iphone will have. THe iphone games will be basically be controoled by the accelerometer that is very difficult, and no young child will have. Surely, the iphone will be one nice gaming experience, but iphones should always be considered as the phone controlled by a touch screen.

 

[IndyJonez]

But it would be awesome to see somebody bring counterstrike to the iPhone.

YES YES and YES I agree 100%!

I dunno how they would make it work and flow but someone should give it a shot! Would be a perfect game to just jump in and play a round or ten and log back out.

 

[xintelinsanex]

the iphone will not be the fiercest compeitior of the ds, because the iphone games that will be coming out, can not match up with the great pokemon, mario, classic games that the iphone will have. THe iphone games will be basically be controoled by the accelerometer that is very difficult, and no young child will have. Surely, the iphone will be one nice gaming experience, but iphones should always be considered as the phone controlled by a touch screen.

I guess gaming on the iPhone will kind of be a fad like the Wii. Not every game could be played on it, but for the select few, it would be a new novel way of controlling the action.

 

[tschertz01]

This is a bit off topic but I wonder who is going to make the special wrist strap dock connector that will keep us from chucking our phones into the street or across the room as we flail around with our iPhones using the accelerometer to play our games?

 

[xintelinsanex]

This is a bit off topic but I wonder who is going to make the special wrist strap dock connector that will keep us from chucking our phones into the street or across the room as we flail around with our iPhones using the accelerometer to play our games?

Lol. More importantly what are they going to call it. The iBand? The iAnti-throw-through-window-cause-im-too-excited iPhone band? LOL.

 

[caseychan]

the iPhone simply oozes gaming potential. Sure they don't have the relationship with game developers as Nintendo does but if a big developer company (like EA) were to port a successful version of a game, it could change the whole landscape.

But then again, in theory, the Mac lineup has 'potential' for gaming too doesn't it..

 

[marcol]

But then again, in theory, the Mac lineup has 'potential' for gaming too doesn't it..

Macs have to compete with PCs, which are good for games, but the iPhone has to compete with other smartphones, which are not so good (Blackberries and S60 devices have no touch screens, few WM devices have decent sized screens and decent graphics abilities).

 

[speced]

I'm not sure the iPhone will be able to compete with the any mobile gaming system considering there are no buttons. Sure, there are a slew of games that could be great using the accelerometer, but once you run out then what? On-screen buttons, No one wants to have to keep looking at the buttons to make sure they are pressing the right one.

 

[cmaier]

The thing is, Apple isn't trying to compete with existing product categories (such as handheld game platforms like DS or PSP, or such as current phone-based games). Much like Wii competes only tangentially against 360 and PS3, Apple has an opportunity to define a new product subcategory here.

I expect the iPhone will become a huge platform for gaming, but it will largely be a new type of gaming. First, on phone, people prefer casual games, because they can play for a few minutes at a time, pick up where they left off, etc. The casual games for iphone are going to blow away what you can play on other phones, both because the screen is one of the best, and because it can take advantage of the accelerometers, camera, and multitouch. These types of games won't lose anything for the lack of hard buttons.

More serious games will also succeed, but these will not be games or categories we are currently familiar with; don't expect a lot of FPS, etc. Think creative variations on current game categories. And RTS and turn-based games, of course, would be quite playable w/o a keyboard.