Apple to Track iPhone Gaming High Scores?

[MacRumors]

With on-stage demos of EA's Spore and Sega's Super Monkey Ball (demo video) at their iPhone Software Development Kit event, Apple seems to be serious about mobile gaming on the iPhone. Earlier reports also hinted at this commitment with Apple previously extending their trademark to include handheld gaming devices.

Now, a look back at an Apple patent application entitled "Media management system for management of games acquired from a media server" reveals an interesting possibility for iPhone gaming.

While the bulk of the patent details the downloading and syncing of games between iTunes and iPhones/iPods, Apple proposes extending this functionality even further. Apple describes a method for transmitting iPhone/iPod high scores and other achievements to a central community game server:

"The media purchase system can also be utilized to facilitate a community of game players. These game players acquire games via a client device and media management application, and then play the games on portable electronic devices. The game play data, including game performance data for specific games, can be transfered from the portable electronic devices to the client devices. The client devices can then transfer such game play data over the data network to a game community server. For example, the game performance data can pertain to a high score that a user achieved while playing the game on the portable electronic device."

By compiling high score data, players can compete amongst each other for prizes. All data can be digitally signed so that scores are authenticated.

Besides EA and Sega, Gameloft has committed to 15 game titles for release on the iPhone in 2008. Meanwhile, iPodHacks reveals the iPhone's hardware compares favorably to the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS gaming devices.

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[nomar383]

I dont think they would want to manage all of that data. Plus, I know iPhones are cool and everything, but I see gaming as more of a novelty on them.

[genshi]

Originally Posted by nomar383

I dont think they would want to manage all of that data. Plus, I know iPhones are cool and everything, but I see gaming as more of a novelty on them.

Every story regarding this so far as well as the SDK event itself has shown that Apple is taking gaming seriously (finally)... this will NOT be a novelty thing for them.

Did you actually see the SDK event? Two of the five companies that demoed what they were able to do with the SDK in two weeks were big gaming companies (EA and Sega.) Sounds more than a novelty to me...

[sterlingindigo]

I think Apple keeps track of a lot of stuff. My name wont be on their high scorer's list although I'll probably manage to buy a game or two or three.

[nomar383]

Originally Posted by genshi

Every story regarding this so far as well as the SDK event itself has shown that Apple is taking gaming seriously (finally)... this will NOT be a novelty thing for them.

Did you actually see the SDK event? Two of the five companies that demoed what they were able to do with the SDK in two weeks were big gaming companies (EA and Sega.) Sounds more than a novelty to me...

I understand they are *trying* to take it seriously, but I just don't see people sitting down and playing a game on their iphone for hours on ends, thats all

[arn]

Originally Posted by nomar383

I understand they are *trying* to take it seriously, but I just don't see people sitting down and playing a game on their iphone for hours on ends, thats all

Casual gaming is a huge market. Lots of people have cell phones. Lots of people have time to kill (on subway, etc...).

http://www.metrics2.com/blog/2007/01...annual_cl.html

As wireless handsets continue to gain computing power, the number of mobile-gaming users worldwide will increase threefold during the next five years, reaching 134 million average users a month by 2010, up from 38 million average users in 2005, according to iSuppli.

arn

[nomar383]

Originally Posted by arn

Casual gaming is a huge market. Lots of people have cell phones. Lots of people have time to kill (on subway, etc...).

arn

Point taken

Then again, how many "casual gamers" care about what their high score is compared to someone else's? That was my point

[BrianMojo]

Originally Posted by arn

Casual gaming is a huge market. Lots of people have cell phones. Lots of people have time to kill (on subway, etc...).
arn

Nail on the head.

That said, this sounds like Xbox Live light. I would have been very surprised if they DIDN'T do this -- it would have been a huge missed opportunity on their part considering how important Live has been to making Xbox a household name.

[genshi]

Originally Posted by nomar383

...but I just don't see people sitting down and playing a game on their iphone for hours on ends, thats all

Oh yeah? Just watch me!

[ross.32]

Originally Posted by nomar383

I understand they are *trying* to take it seriously, but I just don't see people sitting down and playing a game on their iphone for hours on ends, thats all

Why not, people do on the DS and the PSP? I think this will become huge for the iPod Touch. It looks like it can match (if not exceed) the gaming capacities of both other portable systems. Another huge benefit is that we do not have to carry the games around with us, they are stored on the system itself. Now I am just waiting for them to turn the AppleTV into a console and let the iPhone/iPod Touch become the controller.

[crees!]

Originally Posted by ross.32

Now I am just waiting for them to turn the AppleTV into a console and let the iPhone/iPod Touch become the controller.

See, that would be awesome. If you remember back probably 1 1/2 to 2 years ago there was a patent that described such a thing; being the interface adapts to the device in use. I believe it actually had TV and VCR buttons. To think about it this was probably one of the iPhone patents in disguise. If someone could pull this patent up I'd like see it again and just compare it to how the iPhone functions.

[lazyrighteye]

Originally Posted by nomar383

I understand they are *trying* to take it seriously, but I just don't see people sitting down and playing a game on their iphone for hours on ends, thats all

Fine.
But what about connecting said iPhone/iPod touch to TVs?
Wii who?

[nomar383]

Originally Posted by lazyrighteye

Fine.
But what about connecting said iPhone/iPod touch to TVs?
Wii who?

Now we're talkin! Acceleometer based/ wii-ish games on the TV would be worthwhile indeed

[eastcoastsurfer]

Originally Posted by lazyrighteye

Fine.
But what about connecting said iPhone/iPod touch to TVs?
Wii who?

I'm sure you've played a wii and realize there is a lot more to the controller than some accelerometers? Pistol grip and the position of the various buttons play a huge part in any game I have on my wii.

[aussie_geek]

Originally Posted by nomar383

I dont think they would want to manage all of that data. Plus, I know iPhones are cool and everything, but I see gaming as more of a novelty on them.

WORD!!

iPhone games will be something like the ones that are on the iPod atm. NO big blockbuster titles just the generic modern day "pong" type games.

Try and play an fps game on a iphone / ipod touch... Not happing ppl.


aussie_geek

[natejohnstone@g]

Originally Posted by aussie_geek

WORD!!

iPhone games will be something like the ones that are on the iPod atm. NO big blockbuster titles just the generic modern day "pong" type games.

Try and play an fps game on a iphone / ipod touch... Not happing ppl.


aussie_geek

Totally incorrect! Read the rest of the articles here on gaming from the last week. Both SEGA and EA have announced that they are building REAL current-gen portable games for the iPhone "platform" as they called it. PLATFORM. As in gaming platform. Doom and Tomb Raider have already been confirmed just to name a few old games, and many more "current" games will be out this year.

The reason this is big news and it's getting so much attention is exactly because we're NOT talking about "pong" type games. We're talking REAL GAMES.

[diamond.g]

Originally Posted by natejohnstone@g

Totally incorrect! Read the rest of the articles here on gaming from the last week. Both SEGA and EA have announced that they are building REAL current-gen portable games for the iPhone "platform" as they called it. PLATFORM. As in gaming platform. Doom and Tomb Raider have already been confirmed just to name a few old games, and many more "current" games will be out this year.

The reason this is big news and it's getting so much attention is exactly because we're NOT talking about "pong" type games. We're talking REAL GAMES.

Where is this list of current games?

What I want to know is how games like brain training or eye training could be done on the iPhone. I also want to know if Apple can actually offer a similar experience to Live or PSN. Or is this high score thing just a simple leaderboard.

Basically if Apple is going to only offer an online leaderboard, then they may as well not offer it at all. They need to just go ahead an offer the full Live (and soon to be PSN) experience. Persistent friends list, in-game chatting, cross game invites. Dedicated servers (please use more servers than what you have currently), custom music playlist, and achievements. That would be a good start. Then they could probably offer demos and other game content.

If Apple doesn't screw up the online, they may be able to leapfrog Sony and go up against MS directly.

[natejohnstone@g]

Originally Posted by diamond.g

Basically if Apple is going to only offer an online leaderboard, then they may as well not offer it at all. They need to just go ahead an offer the full Live (and soon to be PSN) experience. Persistent friends list, in-game chatting, cross game invites. Dedicated servers (please use more servers than what you have currently), custom music playlist, and achievements. That would be a good start. Then they could probably offer demos and other game content.

If Apple doesn't screw up the online, they may be able to leapfrog Sony and go up against MS directly.

I agree. They need to have an online network, but I think that this leaderboard thing is pointing to that. I"m guessing they're hedging their bets...waiting to see just how popular gaming will be on the iPhone before they dump millions into it.

As as far as "leapfrogging" Sony, that's step 2 not step 1...MS is the #3 player in the game, Sony is #2, Nintendo is #1. MS has no portable gaming device as all, Sony has 32M PSPs, and the PS3 has outsold the 360 for over a year now, and by this time next year will have sold more total units than the 360 as well despite the 1-year market difference.

Nintendo, with their 68M DS units and 22M Wiis on the market...they're the mark to shoot for. Also, the iPhone with it's touchscreen and accelerometer is far more like Nintendo's devices than it is like the HD game consoles or the PSP.

[Object-X]

I was wondering when my 6 year old would hit me up for an iPod. Once he sees Spore his PSP will be forgotten.

[Rot'nApple]

HEADLINE - "Apple to Track iPhone Gaiming High Scores?"

Is that all Apple can or might consider tracking on the iPhone?

[SandynJosh]

Originally Posted by Rot'nApple

HEADLINE - "Apple to Track iPhone Gaiming High Scores?"

Is that all Apple can or might consider tracking on the iPhone?

You know how Apple is...really good at misdirection. What if they have in mind going after the 3D interactive game market like World of War, or SecondLife? A central server is the first step.

Imagine a coffee shop or College Union FULL of kids interacting over a WiFi network with the central server. w00t!

[Hattig]

Slashdot Story:

"Apple to restrict games on iPhone

Apple are definitely going to restrict game developers to using Apple's servers for game essentials such as High Scores and Achievements. Despite this only being seen in a patent filing, it's guaranteed to happen because Apple are the new evil, despite contributing lots of truly open source software each and every year to the community. This comes shortly after Apple banned Firefox from the iPhone, as well as Skype, Java and Opera."

[ross.32]

Why would Apple turn away Skype? They already stated that the iPhone could use VoIP if it had WiFi? I don't buy that story.

[eastcoastsurfer]

The problem is that the iphone/touch is very limited as an input device when compared to a DS or even a PSP. Compared to a DS the only unique feature a touch would have over it are the accelerometers. Outside of those, the DS offers more game friendly features (obviously) than the iphone/touch can offer.

[rittchard]

Originally Posted by eastcoastsurfer

The problem is that the iphone/touch is very limited as an input device when compared to a DS or even a PSP. Compared to a DS the only unique feature a touch would have over it are the accelerometers. Outside of those, the DS offers more game friendly features (obviously) than the iphone/touch can offer.

I'd say this is a rather narrow-minded way to look at it, without seeing what software devs can dream up. In some sense you could argue the iPhone/touch is *less* restrictive because the interface is whatever the developer dreams it to be, and it can keep changing/adapting on the fly. "Buttons" or hotspots only appear in context both where and when they are needed, and your fingers (plus gestures) become a part of the game. The interface could theoretically be completely non-intrusive, only appearing when necessary.

I'm expecting/hoping software developers will blow our minds with creative ways to interface with a game, instead of the traditional D-pad with 2 buttons. This is an interface like no other that a game developer has had access to, hopefully people will find ways to really take advantage of it. I like to think of it as imagination being the limitation, not a fixed number of buttons.