Hi all, I've been playing a ton of games on the iPhone, ever since the platform was introduced. The games keep getting better and better! =) In some sense, it has largely replaced a lot of my console/computer game-playing. What do you think!?
iPhone is fun to play on but it will never replace my PS3 or Computer. I find the iPhone is better for the casual games. If it is anything more I do not find myself playing though to the end unless it is very good. Really the only game I can see to have a 10 hour story and I would play though is Metal Gear AC!D but my wishing has yet to come true. The whole lack of a controller really limits what kind of games I can enjoy on it which is the primary reason it will never replace the other systems. It is just like having consoles replace FPS/RTS games. I find they do not work as good on a console without a keyboard and mouse so I will stick with them on Computers. The iPhone is lacking controls so I will stick with the action/adventure games and racing games on consoles.
It has definitely replaced my consoles except for specific games like Mario galaxy and professor layton. I just love the AppStore and iPhone games so much. So much better than console gaming for me.
iPhone / iPod platform replacing Wii, Xbox 360, PS3? Never. iPhone / iPod platform replacing DS, PSP? Perhaps some day but we're not there just yet. In my opinion but I'm sure this is depatable amongst certain users.
IPhone has done a lot to change my style of gaming in that the battle for the one device you carry around in your pocket has definitely been won by my iPhone, but it is by no means perfect.. Take playing FIFA for example on the iPhone compared to my PSP, I hate that my finger take up valuable screen space on the iPhone and for me nothing can replace the touch of a proper buttons, digital and analogue sticks as opposed to the virtual ones on the iPhone... Too many times my fingers have slipped away from the keys when paying iPhone games which makes it a little harder to play. Pricing for iPhone games has also played a bit part... The price point is quite incredible in comparison to buying say a DS game but Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft are much more stringent about game quality than Apple (in my opinion) so I feel like I play iPhone games for a much shorter amount of time all in all. But not even the mighty iPhone 4 or an iPad could ever take away from true console gaming... Compare Real Racing (which I love) to playing Activision's Blur in Hi definition on my 46 inch TV... Sorry.. Not even close.
for me, it's been my main and pretty much only gaming device for the past year and a half. I buy everything so there's always a diverse amount of games and genres available. but anyways, yeah, the only games i play on the pc are with some friends on like omgpop, or games on the ps when my bro forces me to play. go idevice gamesssss
(most of the time) When developers try to put traditional button-based games on iPhone, they tend to be crappy, but when developers have imagination, gems surface that completely change the way games are played, and captivate us in unique ways. Imagine playing something like jet car stunts, tilt to live, skee-ball, pocket god, or zen bound with sticks and buttons. On second thought, don't, it just sounds to crappy. Edit: This also explains indirectly why I love indie games much better than EA and gameloft stuff.
iPhone is by far better than DS and PSP as the games for the iPhone are way better and way less money. I can go buy Assassins Creed for my DS for 30$ of 5.99 on the App Store. Also, some of the free games are better than paid games for DS/PSPs. But Xbox/PS3/PC is better I think than the iPhone.
I just can't wait until the rest of these big devs out there see there's money to be made here. Also I hate to say it but I think because of these very low price points is why were not seeing some of the other devs out there making games. But I must say if activision brought a call of duty game to the iphone and charged $20 for it I can guarantee you that if its a good game then people will buy it.
an onlive iphone app that employs the new gyroscope controls as in the nova update could really help solidify the iphone gaming experience.
Yeah, the iPhone really threatens the traditional consoles from a development standpoint. Speaking as a indie developer here, we basically could never afford to port our games to the traditional consoles. They lost us at hello - they're that tough to get into, and not really worth it if you do. People might grouse about iPhones being "closed" in some ways, but really it and android aren't terribly different - and the traditional consoles are MUCH, MUCH worse. It doesn't take much work to port a computer game to the iPhone because the iPhone already is a unix computer with opengl. The game needs to be optimized, but it doesn't have to be rewritten. That's the problem with traditional console games, because not only are they on proprietary OSes, but everything in the entire stack - hardware acceleration and all, is different. Not only that, but the console maker might demand that your game be platform exclusive to be allowed on the platform at all. Also, the whole digital distribution thing works wonders for mitigating risk - you have zero concern about being pulled from shelves, complete worldwide availability out of the gate, no shipping/printing costs, and because apple handles all the payment processing, you don't need to have your indie company hire an accountant or other fluff positions. Most traditional computer shareware shops of any size need to actually hire a fulltime phone guy or two to handle registrations. That's really expensive. And the iOS distribution system completely eliminates that, because people can't buy stuff over the phone. That pulled from shelves thing is a big deal. You don't have time to build word-of-mouth. You have two weeks to be selling big-time, or they put something else in your valuable shelf space (which basically means you're completely screwed). This means the only games that can sell at retail are games with massive, nation-wide advertising campaigns that cost millions of dollars. Which slams the door in the face of basically everything but enormous publishers like EA. It completely shuts indie developers, and even many larger, successful companies, out of the market. It's killed dozens of them and forced them to sell their IP to a big publisher. Plus, the iPhone makes "microtransactions" possible for the first time, which really opens your games up to tons of people who otherwise might never play it. When it's $60 upfront, you really think twice about buying a game. When it's $2 ... who the hell cares if it ends up a lemon. If it looks remotely good, you just buy it, because $2 is pocket change. A can of red bull costs more. With traditional consoles, you actually have "competition" between titles, because individual games are so expensive that people can only afford to buy a few. So they have to pick and choose, often leaving some devs without any sales. Also, the iPhone, unlike Android, has the console-style advantage of having very few hardware variations. So the consoles have no advantage there - which is normally a huge advantage they have against PC gaming in general. Writing PC games with hardware acceleration, and being able to guarantee they'll work on the purchaser's computer is impossible. Whereas it's de rigeur for consoles - a PS2 game will always work in any PS2. Developing for the iPhone is hands-down so much better than writing for a console that it's not even funny. As for actually playing games on the iOS, they're a mix - some genres are categorically better, and others categorically worse, with multitouch instead of a traditional game controller. iOS wins on anything involving tilt, and wins on pretty much any strategy games controlling multiple characters on a screen - that's much easier on a touchscreen. Starcraft 1, for example, would be one HELL of a lot easier to control on an iPad, as opposed to on a playstation. (There was actually an N64 port of the game that was ... such a dud most people aren't aware it even happened). Likewise practically any TBS games or non-action RPGs would work better on an iOS device; whether J or Western (FF games would be easier to control if you can just actually tap items in a menu rather than laboriously scrolling; games like the early fallouts and baldur's gate would work wonderfully with a "tap to go here" mechanic. If square actually reworks the UI, their upcoming FF Tactics re-release might blow their Playstation one out of the water on UI alone. Where the multitouch falls down is doing hardcore dpad/keyboard twitch games. Quake. Street Fighter. Many arcade games and platformers. I say this having just released a platformer, that I know many kinds of more brutal timing/twitch requirements in the genre wouldn't work. We had a relaxed enough game design that it did, but a game like mario might be so aggravating as to not be worth it. There was a recent GnG game, and anyone who played it will notice how wildly different it was from the SNES/Arcade titles - a strict port of any of the old GnG games would be unplayable.
It's great to hear a perspective from an indie iPhone game developer! I agree with much of what is said below and I'll continue to support game developers who bring out innovative iPhone games. =) I really do think that the iPhone/iPad have broken into the mobile gaming market. This is because of the iApp Store distribution model, good hardware, and price.
First off, part of me is hoping there's some sarcasm in what this dude said. Bragging about being a spoiled rich kid...you f-ing serious? Is that really something to be proud of? I bust my ass working full-time and then some 7 days a week but at least I can say I earned what I've got. Maybe you should put down the games and get a sense of responsibility. To get back on topic, as far a gaming goes the idevices have a lot going for them and may provide slight competition in the portable niche for ds & psp bit they'll never replace them. In terms of console/pc gaming the idevice can't compete. Even if a big dev were to put serious time, effort, detail, & content into an igame with a price tag of $20, I'd rather pay an extra $30 for the console version. Why? Because I see it better to play a game in hd, on a big screen, with surround sound that doesn't require headphones to fully appreciate it, & with a controller that doesn't require me to block out gameplay scenery. And please don't misinterpret what I'm saying here. My iPhone memory is maxxed out with games that are fun, original (to an extent), & intuitive with more complements going to the game devs rather than apple. After all, the devs are the ones that have to figure out ways to make the games work on apple's limited systems. However, the reality of it is way more often than not I'll get bored with and switch between 5-8 igames in the course of an hour before turning on the ps3 to put in several hours of real game time with just one game. A perfect example would be Nazi zombies. I got it for my iPhone out of curiosity to see how it would compare, played it for 45 min in both solo & coop, deleted it, & turned on the ps3 for a 5 hour session of the original Nazi zombie mayhem. In my eyes, the $10 I spent on the iversion was a waste of money. The $100 or so I spent for cod: waw & add-on map packs was worth every penny.
I must admit I've virtually never resurrected my DS or PSP since getting my first iPhone. Those devices do have some stunning games though, with dev costs that no sane person would risk on the iPhone (although that could soon change I think). Games like Loco Roco for example spring to mind. I don't think the iPhone will replace console/pc games. But not because the iPhone is lacking in any particular way. It's more the fact that games are diversifying as the whole medium matures. This is in large part to do with input mechanisms (touch screen, wii controls etc). Input in games is very important in my opinion, and because games are only limited by tech and imagination, there will never be a control mechanism that is better for every conceivable type of game. The iPhone is undoubtedly the best casual gaming platform, and not to say it can't do more hardcore stuff, but that's what it's best suited to. I'm personally really happy to see games diversifying in this way, it almost feels to me now like the iPad and the iPhone are just a totally different sort of thing to a pc or console. You can't really draw comparisons as easily any more, in the same way you used to when comparing nintendo vs sega, or ms vs sony now.
Oh good, I'm not the only one who thought it was pretty arrogant of him to say that. As to the iPhone replacing console, I don't see that happening ever. However, since i've gotten my iPod Touch my PSP has been gathering dust unless I want to play GTA or MGS Peace Walker. Not to mention my only place to play games has been my computer and my iTouch since my sister hogs the PS3 and my mom exercises on the Wii (I told her it doesn't do anything, she doesn't listen).
