It's Official: iPhone And iPod Touch Gamers' Preferred Choice

CNet provided Apple the opportunity to overtake other gaming platforms in five easy steps.  Since I'm a mobile fan and am an iPhone devotee, I already consider the iPhone platform to be my choice for gaming, at least for the next couple of years.

What's interesting is the poll that CNet put in the article.  The results did surprise me.

I was able to gather two things from the poll.  First let me say this that isn't a scientific poll as those conducted by professional consultants and even those are wrong half the time.  But CNet did provide an opportunity to say where the state of mobile devices and smartphones are and what it means to its users.

• Apple fans are nuts.  And we're proud of it.  However, this would not be the case if Apple did not come out with innovative products with the ease of use, app support, and design, I'm pretty sure this won't be the case.  From Macbooks to the iPhone platform to the changing iPod lines, as long as Apple continue to push the envelope, Apple fans will flock to and relish in the reality distortion field and will shell out top dollars for it.  For that matter, this is the situation for any company.
• I thought perhaps if the option for "Apple iPhone/iPod Touch" was replaced with say "Android/G1" or "Blackberry Storm", what the numbers might be.  Given all the gaming attention the iPhone platform has been given, numbers for Android and Blackberry won't nearly as high.  However, I would not be surprised if they are chosen in large percentage.  I think that is because of the evolution in how mobile gamers and users view their devices.  More and more, folks are interested in devices that can multitask - e-mails, surfing the web, playing music, games, and videos, and other forms of mobile computing.  Increasingly, Sony and Nintendo needs to look beyond gaming.  Nintendo has done this with the DSi but they risk losing ground to smartphones and mobile platforms.

Simply, focusing on one function, gaming as in this poll, is not how owners of the iPhone and iPod Touch look at their devices.  I think that in itself is more interesting and says a lot about how Apple has really changed the mobile market and behavior of users.

At the end of the day, Nintendo and Sony might still dominate gaming but it will be devices like the iPhone that dominate and dictate how mobile users use their devices.  

Coming away from the article which I didn't find a lot of information useful, I think CNet's suggestion that Apple allow larger app sizes for downloads.  Gaming apps is going to require that as Apple move the iPhone 3G S and the forth coming iPod Touch in the fall to next generation graphics, Open GL 2.0.  

Via CNet

Onxo: DS and PSP Didn't Worry About iPhone Then. How About Now?

That's the question Onxo examined today.  Inspired by a post I read over Gizmodo today (must read for all gaming fans), I started wondering about Apple's prospects of supplementing Nintendo and Sony as the mobile gaming leader.

While that issue may be up for debate for years to come, what isn't is the facts that surfaced in recent days about Apple's moves on the mobile front and data that point to Cupertino gearing up for a mobile gaming war.

• 35K apps in the App Store.  Of those, more than 9,000 are games.  
• 37 million iPhones and iPod Touches.  We might see 70-80 million by the end of 2009.  
• 1 Billion downloads in about 9.5 months.  The next billion will not take that long.
• New iPhones coming in June along with iPhone 3.0.  
• Back-to-school iPod Touch giveaways with Mac purchases.  
• Apple commercials with iPod Touch and gaming.
• App Store seeing more games from tier one developers like EA and Sega.  
• Apple's recent hiring of former graphic chip heavyweights.
• Apple's chip takeovers in the last year.

These are just the facts and events that has taken place.  This is more than just about iPhone.  It's about creating a gaming ecosystem that is backed by powerful devices.  Furthermore, after years of watching Apple, I can say with confidence that pretty much is tied in with the Macs and maybe even Apple TV.  This is something that Sony and Nintendo cannot duplicate (though both Sony and Nintendo have their own gaming networks that Apple can't duplicate at this time).  

On top of that, we are certain that additional mobile devices, perhaps a tablet, is on tap in the next year or so (I love to be wrong about the timeline and see it sooner rather than later) that can add a whole new dimension to the gaming market.  

I don't know if Apple will be able to catapult itself ahead of Nintendo and Sony but it's certainly got the momentum, resources and deep pockets to do it.  I'm sure Nintendo and Sony aren't sitting idly by while Apple makes its run.  I can't wait to see DS2, PSP2, and whatever Apple's got on the market to fight it out for our hard-earned dollars.

Via Gizmodo and Onxo