{"id":1086,"date":"2008-07-20T11:44:54","date_gmt":"2008-07-20T17:44:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gamingwithchildren.com\/?p=1086"},"modified":"2008-07-20T11:44:54","modified_gmt":"2008-07-20T17:44:54","slug":"iphone-dspsp-killer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/2008\/07\/20\/iphone-dspsp-killer\/","title":{"rendered":"iPhone = DS\/PSP Killer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The iPhone debuted at $600, I got one for about $400 (two, if you count GamerMoms), and now the newer, sleeker, faster, cooler version is roughly $200. The iPod Touch uses the same software and Apple just posted numbers suggesting that its music store is outselling Wal*Mart. And on top of all this – now iPhone’s got game. So much game in fact, Sony and even mighty Nintendo should be scared….<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The App store is something I’ve been waiting for since the iPhone’s release. Since the iPhone is basically a pocket computer with a phone attached, and since it runs on a version of the Mac OS, I wasn’t please to see Apple making their big mistake – again. In a nutshell: back in the 80’s Apple owned the PC market. At a crucial crossroads Apple chose to lock down their system and concentrate on elegance and form. Microsoft meanwhile made sure their platform encouraged amateur and professional development. A circle that fed itself. Geniuses developed for PC because PC was open to development and buyers bought PC because that’s where the programs were (still are, in many cases). The iPhone being locked seemed like a stupid repeat of that mistake.<\/p>\n

Well, it’s only partially locked now. The\u00a0door is ajar, you might say, because\u00a0now there are hundreds of applications. Most of them are free, many of them useful, all demonstrating the potential of the platform and touchscreen. Apple has the hot tech, the in-demand device, the Store, the catalog, and now they have a huge headstart when it comes to easy to use apps.\u00a0 I know other companies got here first, but iPhone is where the bulk of people are going to start and Apple – in my view – has just one the phone wars in their second iteration.<\/p>\n

iPhone gaming is so easy, simple, fun, and convenient – I’m predicting the mainstream death of the DS and PSP. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Notice I said “mainstream” – graphics hounds will still love their PSP and hardcore Nintendo fans and gamers will still play DS games but the market winner, the platform of choice for the Sudoku, Tetris, Bejeweled, music, rhthym, Nintendog, Sims, Solitare, and wildly innovative puzzle titles will be the iPhone.<\/p>\n

Just a minute.<\/p>\n

Okay, uh, tap the App button and the store loads. Call up Games and then, hmm, Super Monkey Ball. I tap the $9.99, I enter my iTunes password, I tap INSTALL, my credit card is charged and an icon appears on my phone. The bar fills and 20 seconds later . . .<\/p>\n

I can play the best (controlwise) Super Monkey Ball game made thus far. The iPhone has an acceloreometer (that’s spelled wrong) so tilting it lets you turn a race car, move a monkey ball, or hopefully in the future, roll a Katamari.<\/p>\n

The games so far are good. I’ve got Monkey Ball now and I’ve tried Crash Nitro Racing, Demon Solitaire, Tetris, Ms. Pac Man, and Tap Tap Revenge (a freebie). I love the freebies. I can get the NYT or AP headlines streamlined with special iPhone pages (they load super quick and often you can get the info without wifi), AOL IM is replacing texting for me, Weatherbug lets me know where the rain actually is and if I oughta cover the blueberry bushes this time, oh and I can make my phone make lightsaber noises, work as a flashlight, or, for $50 and only if my insurance company upgrades, I can buy a program that constantly updates my medical records.\u00a0 As a heart patient, having all my Xrays, test results, etc., in my pocket sounds great.<\/p>\n

The potential for gaming and other useful application\u00a0– casual, corporate, big or small – is staggering. For every “for pay” voice recorder at the apps store is a potentially better free one. Plus they’ve got everything covered from a flight plan program for pilots, to a Kindle rivaling ebook reader, a pocket drug reference, to one that simply makes your screen white or strobe (expect to see\u00a0these at concerts soon). There are already hundreds of programs with more to come as this thing gains popularity. Did I mention that the new one is bigger, faster, and $200 cheaper? What happens when Apple, opting to make money on the blades, starts giving the razor away for free?\u00a0 What are the odds the next surprise gaming sensation is in the hands of a homebrew developer with the iPhone SDK. Sources say: Very High.<\/p>\n

Yes, I know other devices have gotten here first. Gaming isn’t new and the NGage tanked bigtime. The difference is that the NGage was a game player with a phone\u00a0 – one where you had to cumbersomely switch games. Who needs that? iPhone is a multi-use device that happens to be a phone too and its games are stored on the phone itself.\u00a0 Apple isn’t going to win this by being better\u00a0 than rival phone games (even though they currently are and until someone can fund a major catchup strategy – should be for a long time). Or being better than DS and PSP games (they’re not, but really really close). They’re going to win by entrenchement. They were first, the took the bold steps, they made the store and they took the portable player crown with iPod. By making your movie playing iPod phone into a gaming system with unique tilt and touch controls, Apple has transformed my DS and PSP (which are still much better game systems than iPhone) into devices I look at and then put aside for need of pocket space.<\/p>\n

So…<\/p>\n

I carry my phone\/music-player\/portable computer\/Internet device\/email machine with me wherever I go as it is. Why not do my gaming on on there too?\u00a0 Hey non-gaming iPhone owner, check out this game! Cool huh?\u00a0Like it? All you have to do is press the Apps button\u00a0and . . .<\/p>\n

FOR KIDS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jirbo Games (all are good, breakout and matching are fun even for adults)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Super Monkey Ball (too hard for most under 10 and many over it too)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tap Tap Revenge (hoping for AudioSurf or Phase, but for now this one is fun and free)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The iPhone debuted at $600, I got one for about $400 (two, if you count GamerMoms), and now the newer, sleeker, faster, cooler version is roughly $200. The iPod Touch uses the same software and Apple just posted numbers suggesting that its music store is outselling Wal*Mart. And on top of all this – now […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-game-reviews","category-miscellaneous"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1086"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1086\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}