How Microsoft, Nintendo, And Sony Will Bring Portable Gaming to Mobile Computing Market

Some quick thoughts about mobile gaming in the age of app stores, casual gaming, and diminished support for portable gaming consoles, is it time to give thought to how Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo will go on. I see a merger of platforms, birth of new ones, and a salad of old tech mixed with the new.

Which is better?

More at Onxo.

Metal Gear Solid Touch for 99 Cents!

I'm surfing the Web planning for Black Friday and I cam across this from Dealnews.com:

Metal Gear Solid Touch, typically for $5.99 is now $0.99!  I don't know when it'll last so get it when you can.

Dear Game Developers

Over at Onxo, we wrote a letter to all top game developers on what they should do to bring games over to mobile devices like the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Take a look and we love to hear how else we can entice Sega, EA, and others to ramp up rich and sophisticated games that are still the domain of the DS and PSP.

Link: Onxo - Dear Game Developers

iPhone Game Thoughts: Duck Hunt and Footbal

Macworld reports that Apple pulled Duck Hunt from the app store at Nintendo's request.  Frankly, I'm very surprised by how long it took for Nintendo to make this request.

However, the developer will provide an updated version without infringing on Nintendo's copyright - meaning removing the graphics and music.

Now, sports games.  Today, Macworld wrote an article about football games for the iPhone and iPod Touch.  I thought "wow, how could I have missed those games completely".  I have been complaining about the lack of sports games.

Well, it turned out it's not real football like what we see on the DS or PSP.  No Madden.  Still, it's a great post that I recommend readers head over to read.  Instead of real football, it's finger football or paper football.  Basically, you flick something between a graphical pair of hands set up to look like the goal post to see if you can make the "field goal".

There's a game called "X's And O's" but I hesitate to call it a real football game.

So far, Real Soccer 2009 is the only sports game that is true to being what the specific sport is about.  But for developers out there looking to get into the app store where there isn't a lot of competition, sports games like football, baseball, hockey, and basketball are nonexistent and will millions of iPhone users who are also sports fans, you can probably charge a pretty dollar to get us to purchase and download the games.

Think about it.  We're waiting.

Konami Turns iPhone and iPod Touch Into Serious Gamers

I had planned on posting some updates about portable gaming over at Onxo but that's on hold for a bit as we absorb the great news about Konami's mobile plans for Apple's mobile platform.

You read it correctly.  Four games from powerhouse Konami.  Big bad KONAMI!  What are the games?

• Silent Hill:  The Escape
• Frogger
• Dance Dance Revolution

And here's the big one:

• Metal Gear Solid Touch!

No word on when these games will be coming to an app store near us.  But this bit of news makes up for the sadness I feel from Apple pulling out of Macworld and knowing that Macworld 2008 was Jobs' last keynote.  Back to gaming.

Sega's presence with Super Monkey Ball was a great coup for Apple.  But since then, we haven't had a lot of power house developers from Japan joining the iBandwagon.  And these games aren't just any lowend games.  These are legacy titles we're getting from Konami.

This new development does help Apple make the case that the iPod Touch and iPhone are contenders in the mobile gaming realm.  I wonder who's next?

Links:

• Konami Touch (In Japanese...sigh)
• Gizmodo
• Joystiq
• TUAW

Note:  For some reason, I thought Frogger was already available on the app store.  It might be from Atari.

Macbook and Gaming

Given the strides that the new unibody Macbooks has made in the graphics department with the Nvidia integrated graphics process, it is suffice to say that we should also see a change in the specs of some games to reflect the update.

However, that has not been the case.  Checks on gaming sites like Inside Mac Games, publishers, and online stores that offer Mac games offered nothing.  In fact, no mention of Nvidia's 9400M at all. 

I do a little gaming.  I used to play a lot of LAN games.  As someone who is on the sideline waiting to get into the market for one and can't decide on which model best suits my needs as far as some gaming, video editing, and a mix of writing, e-mail, and everyday Web work, I would like to know how today's gaming requirements compared to the Macbooks. 

Resorting to Googling and combing through Mac-centric forums have helped but all are quite subjective due to the settings and tolerance of Macbook owners.  Some want settings really really high.  Others won't consider gaming good if they can't get 100+ FPS.  And still others don't mind play at the rate of a slide-show. 

I'll be making a call and buy in a few days.  I'll let you know what I decide on what the reasons behind my choice.  And if I do go ahead and update this time around, I'll try and set up a page for games that I've tried so everyone can have a better idea how the Macbook stack up to today's games.

Note:  I won't be talking just about Mac games.  I'll also be talking about running games via Bootcamp.

Mac Hybrid - Speculative Fun on Secret Product from Apple

People are all over the place when it comes to what sercet product, if any, will Apple be introducing that require them to warn investors of lower margins in future quarter?

Some Apple fans think Apple will merely be lowering prices but others think Apple will actually introduce a brand new product that will cause panic and pandemonium among its competitors.  TUAW reportedly received information that points to changes among Apple TV marketing material and a September 30th webcast.

Pure speculation.  Simply rumors.  It'll be a couple of slow weeks between now and mid-October, when Apple is most likely to offer new Macbooks.  But for speculative purposes, it would make sense for Apple to merge it's "hobby", the Apple TV, which has been met with limited success to be it kindly and the Mac in creating a consumer-class Mac that let folks use it as a computer, gaming machine, and as an Apple TV.

What would be the sole purpose of the "Mac Hybrid". (Apple, please feel free to use this.  I mean it.  Go ahead.)

• Do what Apple TV cannot do alone.  In corporate Apple TV into Hybrid will allow more "Apple TV" to be sold.  In stead of thousands, millions of Hybrids will allow Apple to truly move into homes, if not living rooms.  That is right, there is that much pinned up demand for a midrange Mac.  Mac Mini has not been upgraded for almost 1.5 years now.
• A stealthy way to build a console without actually entering the console war.  It'll be more expensive than Xbox 360 and PS3 but those two cannot claim to be a real computer now, can they?
• More integration with iPod Touch and iPhone.  Provide app developers with a larger market.  Give the Mac Hybrid to use apps will Apple's walled garden App Store to expand "its perimeters".  In fact, this feature should be extended to all Macs.  It's my belief that Google will eventually develop an Android virtual environment to do just that.
• Limited upgrade options.  Apple will offer limited upgrade option here but it could really get a lot of hobbyists interested in using a Mac that runs both OS X and Windows.  Gamers are just as fanatical as hardrest core of Mac users.  Win their loyalty and you've got another regiment of army that will do anything for you.  

My core demand for such a machine is added integration with iTunes material and Apple's mobile platform.  The seemless ability to use apps on these Macs on TV will go a long way in allow developers and consumers more flexibility, not to mention it'll help take away some heat Apple is taking from developers regarding their NDA impementation.

Source:  TUAW