I’m more than a casual gamer but not quite a hardcore-stay up all night playing World of Warcraft-kind of gamer. I know what I like and right now I’m loving iPhone gaming.
I mooched around my local GAME (UK video game store) the other day, looking for a classic gaming experience on the XBOX 360. Besides the usual line up of violent games based on the premise that killing lots of things is exciting, there was nothing. Yes, I realise that I really should have bought Street Fighter IV, but just as I was making my way to the counter I realised that I could purchase at least fifteen decent iPhone games for the £34.99 asking price. It was at this point that it struck me. The iPhone is now my primary gaming machine. To be honest, I’m still reeling from this revelation. As someone who is a self-professed polygon junkie, you’d think that the iPhone wouldn’t even come close to satisfying my gaming needs. But it has, here’s why…
1. Developer tools and ease of distribution
The Sony PSP should have been the most popular gaming device on the planet. In terms of hardware what Sony achieved with the first PSP was nothing short of stunning. I can still remember reading the rumours of Sony’s first handheld device and thinking to myself how ridiculous is was to even entertain the idea that Sony could put so much power is such a small device… and yet they did.
The PSP is by no means a failure, but Sony simply can’t compete with the massive momentum infused into the iPhone gaming scene at present. I cannot think of *any* gaming platform that has been blessed with so many quality titles within such a short space of time. This rapid development and distribution of games has led to a broad range of gaming experiences that has already cemented the iPhone as the number one gaming platform for new developers. Even if all iPhone gaming development came to a standstill this evening, there would still be enough quality games available to keep most users happy for another two years or more. History will show that the iPhone killed the PSP (and perhaps even the PS3, but that’s another story for another day), of that I’m certain.
2. Price
The App Store has changed the structure software pricing forever. When a decent gaming experience can be had for just 59p, clearly paying £40 a mediocre home gaming experience is just nuts! In short, current home console games have to provide over twenty times the value of a decent iPhone game in order to be worth the price. This just isn’t the case for 90% of console games.
3. Free updates
Some iPhone games have gone from being nice tech demos to near perfect games in the space of just a couple of months. Just two or three meaningful free updates can propel an iPhone game into a whole different orbit. Fastlane Street Racing is an excellent example. When I reviewed it last year FSR was not much more than an amazing tech demo. But those who purchased it at the time will now find that it is also an accomplished racing experience.
Apple’s stunningly simple update facility enables you to take a chance on some games in way that has not been possible until now.
What are the wider implications for the industry if Apple grace the next iPhone hardware with double the polygon performance and a fully featured TV out option? That’s what I’ll be asking in my next article.
I’d love to hear of your personal iPhone (or iPod Touch) gaming experiences. Have you found more and more of your gaming time taken up by Apple’s legendary pocket computer?