What must Apple do to become the handheld king?

1) Longer battery life.

2) SD card slot to be able to store saved game data/app data/certain media data.

 

I agree with you that higher quality titles will help immensely. Quality over quantity needs to be the focus if this is to happen. By higher quality, I mean major franchises (we've already seen some), and improved graphics/animation.

Pricing is important to a certain extent, and the lower price scale definitely opens it up to a broader audience. But, there's a fine line between being affordable and cheap. Once you hit the "cheap" territory, you run the risk of being viewed as lower quality which Apple needs to balance.

From a technology standpoint, the devices to date have been good, but they also lack certain features. Battery life is the first thing that comes to mind because it is so mediocre.

 

Any way to save the state of any app at any time independently of each other and the ability to restore that data while leaving everything else intact.

A card will never happen but they could make that piece of junk called iTunes do it if they wanted. Until then they don't care about you.

 

battery life for sure, it's just terrible right now
and it's in desperate need of a better app data saving management thingy

 

But the Appstore is a slightly different market than DS or PSP, Apple is aiming to millions of 1$ users and DS or PSP is for 30$-40$. Apple can make more money or a best bussines like is doing but the market is different at last.

At the same time I have PSP and DS and this last year I only buy and play in the iTouch because I like the flow of little and big gems (games) and prices and direct developer distribution.

So for me is the handheld king like you say, but I don´t feel the necessity to any platform to become king. Surely soon Nintendo or Sony will launch a new handheld and will be similar in some aspects to the iTouch (digital distribution, prices, tactil...)

PD: I am glad to see Big Albie around, long time without your reviews

 

They need to take a clue from Sony and make the next generation iPhone & iPod Touch sliders, slide one direction for game controls and the other for the keyboard.

 

Its been said before but.....

Battery life would be a huge advantage.
Quality Titiles/franchises.


I think one thing they have in there favour is version updates, which is good especially if we find a common flaw that they have missed they can update the game and remove it. Unlike other handhelds once the game is released we have to deal with the glitch/problems. Unfortuanly this sometimes can force devs to rush a product to get it on the app store knowing they can fix it later.

 

that would make for a fatter device though

 

Print costs are zero, distribution costs are zero. Publicity is entirely optional given that the big players would be announced from everywhere.

A $10 app puts it within reach of way more than a $20 app.

But if you buy a $20 app that you will put hours of your time into don't you think it's essential that you have a way of saving that progress? Sure if you lose the DS card or the PSP stick you have lost but that is careless. Without being able to save outside of the device you are stuck with Apple's "Trust us because we know best, yes we do".

 

It would, though hopefully not too much. The long term benefits of having both a real keyboard and real game controls are more important then some added bulk.

 

I'm cool with no memory card as long as I have the ability to preserve my game and app data (without Jb'ing) when I delete the app whether temporarily or permanently.

As far as pricing goes. I have never had a problem nor gripe about paying a higher end for quality. I actually encourage it if I know my investments worth.

I am very selective with the games/apps I get on my iDevice so for the most part when/if I do delete something, it's because I have had my satisfaction for what it was worth and tend to let it be part of my vast collection on my iTunes app library unless it offers longevity or a good bit of replayability on my iDevice. When an app gets a very intriguing (i.e. massive update, DLC, etc...), thats when I wish I had preserved data if I had deleted the app.

Right now as is; all I could really ask for is a longer life battery per use. I can get by on lack of being able to preserve certain data because thats how it is now and probably will be until further notice.

 

then with a bigger battery it'll get fatter still
maybe they could make some keyboard that would connect through the dock connector..they'd also make more money that way..but it raises other issues too like charging while it's connected. grr

it's rather hard to think of a way to efficiently incorporate all these ideas smoothly into the iPhone/Pod..maybe Apple will think up something ingenious or do nothing because not enough people want

 

One of the biggest things I love about my iTouch is its compact size and very light weight(as well as the ton of other capabilities other handheld devices lack). I cant even feel it in my pocket most the time. I cant say that for PSP nor DS. I would probably be against adding onto it physically other than a digital camera/camcorder.

 

I like how everything is going right now and I have not enjoyed a gaming device this much in years. However, if I was not active on TA, then I would never even find most of the quality apps due to the amount of garbage that gets released.

That being said, I am having fun and use my iphone for 99% of my gaming at this point.

 

Allow Real Adult Applications. (just kidding??)

 

This post is very, very long.... too long..

First of all, who ever said that we should take a hint from sony is sadly mistaken, sony's PsP slider whatever is the WORST selling handheld device in history. It is an old psp that a mentally disabled person broke and tried to put back together. It doesn't use anything formerly made for psp, and is a sour attempt at copy catting the appstore by using digital downloads. Also, what makes the iTouch special, is the LACK of physical controls, and the use of a great touch screen. Battery life is what really prevents anyone who really wants to play games alot, from playing games alot. Apple could probably create a better battery, maybe a more effecient screen, among other things. The only handicap the ipod touch has on major gaming is the battery, price doesn't limmit major franchises from coming, GTA is a shining example. The last thing apple needs to do though, is add a physical control that memics the PSP slider thing, it would rid you of the still very unusual and extremely enjoyable controls of the touch screen. If a a slider where to come out, psp and ds games would be ported quickly, I can see that, but only because entire control schemes wouldn't need to be redone... It might be cool to have a case that plugs into the dock, and had a built in battery and, possibly physical controls or a touchpad that isn't a screen, so that your fingers don't have to touch your ipod, just the touch pad, but the case/battery/touchpad thing would send the signal and it would be as if you did touch the touch screen, so you could enjoy the highres screen a little bit more, though that is probably impossible since apple is, well, apple

 

Apple would need to travel back in time and stop Nintendo from making the original Game Boy.

 

Apple have Time machines