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Can the iPhone Hang with the Handhelds?

June 11, 2008 in Blog comments 6

With the new App Store and iPhone 3G on the way, Apple is in prime position to take advantage of the iPhone as a gaming machine. Although it's a mobile device, it has the resources to compete with the current handheld generation. Could it revolutionize the portable gaming niche?

In the same way that Wii has blurred the lines of gaming, the iPhone could soon blur the distinction between "mobile gaming" and "handheld gaming."
The iPhone already has several favorable things in place if it wants to become a gaming machine.

With gaming-related functions in touch screen and motion sensing technology, the iPhone easily rivals both the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP. More and more developers become interested in the iPhone by the day, and having the ability to do what pure gaming systems do simply leaves the door open for third parties to get excited about the possibilities.
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  • 0
    Akira_EX* Jun 11, 08
    Short answer: No.

    It's too expensive.
    • 2
      McClubbin Jun 11, 08
      Not really. First off, they're trying to reach a larger market by dropping the price to 200 bucks for the 8GB model, which is affordable. Secondly, regarding the pricing of games, they'd showed off some game demos at Macworld and announced that the price for the games were $9.99, which isn't very expensive. They showed off Super Monkey Ball and the Sega representative said that they managed to create more than a 100 levels for the game. Both, SMB and the other game they demoed, seemed to have graphics which rivalled the DS. So if they're charging 10 bucks a pop for all of that, then the iPhone might very well be recognized as a competitor
  • 0
    plower glove Jun 11, 08
    It's the affordability with functionality that makes it so appealing for developers. There's no guarantee all games will be $10 though, as it's up to the developers to price the software
    • 1
      McClubbin Jun 11, 08
      True, but at this point I don't think developers would risk creating a $30 software because the iPhone isn't viewed as a gaming handheld. I'm going to go ahead and assume that until the iPhone gains significant momentum in the gaming industry, developers will stick with a lower price point because we all know that the iPhone's primary funstion is to act as a phone. Heck, gaming isn't even its secondary or tertiary function. Also, I don't see why developers would deliberately create a fleshed out $40 game for the iPhone when they can generate more sales by creating it for the DS or PSP, which are gaming handhelds. My bottom line is that I don't believe most of the games will be that expensive. The service seems analogous to how Wiiware games are a cheaper, casual alternative to the main software.
  • 0
    DusktoDawn Jun 12, 08
    Too many handhelds. iphone would definitely not fit my budget.
  • 0
    Tromonator133 Jun 15, 08
    No. Right now it's a phone with a lot of extra stuff added. I think that It would be too small at the size it is for a game system. Game systems have to have certain default buttons that you press to control the game. To me it seems unlikely.

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