Apple's Focus on Games: Madden NFL 2010, Nova, Assassin's Creed, Riddim Ribbon

[automan98]

I'm not a gamer, but from the games I've played on different devices I've noticed that actual buttons do make a different and are valuable.

 

[Cyberius]

There is no evidence that the iPhone/Touch will support big budget titles. Honestly, the bulk of iPhone games have more in common with cell phone games than with handheld games.

 

[LoftyTheMetroid]

commander.data speaks truth.

Granted, though, I think the Chinatown Wars ports have more to do with Rockstar wanting the biggest return on their investment, as opposed to finding platforms they find worthy of AAA content. Same reason the PSP titles were ported to PS2. I'm still thinking a Wiimake/port of the PS2 GTA trilogy (plus the PSP side stories) shouldn't be too far down the road, although I'm surprised it hasn't already been pushed out the door by this point.

Shame I don't have much respect for Rockstar as a company, though...

 

[commander.data]

There is no evidence that the iPhone/Touch will support big budget titles. Honestly, the bulk of iPhone games have more in common with cell phone games than with handheld games.

I guess that's why I'm very interested to see how Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars does on the iPhone. It's the first really big name title to come to DS, PSP, and iPhone with essentially the same content and codebase.

And Gameloft's Gangstar West Coast Hustle and Modern Combat: Sandstorm were each reported to have budgets of over $1 million. Admittedly not a huge budget as video games go nowadays, but those aren't cheap projects either. I'm pretty sure EA isn't being stingy on NFS: Underground, NFS: Shift or Madden 10. EA is also making a Command & Conquer for iPhone too which is a major IP that can justify a big budget and is being designed from the ground up rather than a port.

Granted, though, I think the Chinatown Wars ports have more to do with Rockstar wanting the biggest return on their investment, as opposed to finding platforms they find worthy of AAA content. Same reason the PSP titles were ported to PS2. I'm still thinking a Wiimake/port of the PS2 GTA trilogy (plus the PSP side stories) shouldn't be too far down the road, although I'm surprised it hasn't already been pushed out the door by this point.

My hope has always been that Feral Interactive will make a Feral Legends Mac port of the GTA Double Pack (GTA III and Vice City) using the XBox version which is superior to both the PS2 and PC versions due to higher polygon models, better lighting, reflections, and 5.1 surround sound. Of course, as you point out, there isn't a huge profit motivation for a Mac GTA port. Although, it isn't likely to lose money either especially if Feral assumes most of the risk.

 

[iMaggot]

Brilliant and true .
I do play a few games on my iPod but they really are nothing compared to DS, PSP or GBA games.

I agree, the iPhone is no DS or PSP but i still want to see more game on it

 

[str1f3]

I'll try not to say anything redundant. (Thanks jimmi!)



Do you actually follow these sorts of things, or did you just google for a news story that supported your argument?

Any major losses in profit in the past year have usually been due to the Wii having a weaker line-up (mostly because Nintendo's internal studios released their major titles the years before, and third parties not having stepped up to fill the gap in the interim), an overall flailing Japanese game market, and currency exchanges.

Most of these profit losses are typical and expected, and Nintendo already has plans for the following years. There's a reason why they have yet to lower their ridiculous forecasts.

Do you know how to read? From Geek.com
"It’s interesting how Nintendo executives explained investors on a conference call that Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch contributed to the decline in DS sales without even mentioning the rival Sony PSP. The seemingly passing comment indicates that the iPhone platform has become the materially impacting factor in the gaming space."

You cite no evidence for the garbage you are pushing. It is just your own opinion which means nothing if not based on fact.And yes I did Google it because I was already aware of the story. I don't keep bookmarks of every single news story in the world.

Second link doesn't work, and the first doesn't have anything to do with quality games, just business tactics. (Not only that, I was referencing the Wii's success, so why would you bring up Sony and Apple? That's a whole other can of worms...)


I'm probably also in the minority that didn't like "Crappy Summer Blockbuster X". (I think it was Transformers 2 this year...)

Try out another link. Microsoft luring iPhone developers for Zune apps. Chances are I've watched more indie movies and have been gaming since the Atari 2600 and am now a casual gamer. You are kidding yourself if you think that gamers first question isn't "How are the graphics?". Yes good gameplay is always important but you are comparing a platform that has been out a little over a year to a platform that's been around for a decade and they are supposed to have equivalent quality of games out of the box.

You mention why I bring up Sony as if another portable gaming platform has nothing to do with this conversation.

Just because certain games are selling or are popular, that doesn't mean they're good.

Again, I don't think Apple's quality control and development environment are going to allow them to intrude on, say, Nintendo's market. A plethora of small "hits" that don't aspire to be anything more than light entertainment on-the-go will, once again, create a "YouTube-esque" market.

(And yes, you'll get the occasional high-quality, ambitious iPhone game, just as you get the same from YouTube, but they'll be rare and far in between.)

Who says so? You? There are a ton of games on the App Store that are classics but those aren't good enough for you. I suppose that's the reason why other platforms are trying to lure these developers away because they're so lousy? That's a ridiculous notion. Nintendo fanboys are always hilarious.

You're kidding yourself if you think this is going to be anything substantial.

iPhone Tekken : Tekken 6 :: iPhone MGS : MGS 4

I think that's the analogy syntax...

I'm glad you think so highly of your own "experienced opinion". I suppose that you think that the iPhone can't manage similar games with a more powerful hardware and downloads being the future. This is not even considering those oh so holy buttons on controllers are being developed as we speak.

 

[iTootyFrooty]

I would have to agree with alot of people here. The analog stick on the touchscreen is kind of naf. Its ok but it just doesnt sum up to the d-pad on the DS and PSP. Not to say that the touch is a fun little device ! Its just not exactly made for gaming.

 

[str1f3]

Don't Apple also have a fund for iPhone app developers?

My point is that the iPhone has better games than what Metroid (or whatever) is trying to say. It says something when you are actively courting developers from another platform. It means that their games are not garbage.

That's a silly thing to post. Even first party Nintendo titles cater to the hardcore crowd (Metroid, Zelda, Advance Wars). And then 3rd party titles like Final Fantasy, Castlevania, Nanostray, GTA (just looking at my own collection) are hardly casual titles either.

The DS (as all Nintendo products) is primarily marketed to kids. This is known very well throughout the industry. Nintendo may come out with some really good games but they don't hide their intentions in the least. They believe that they will have more sales appealing to the casual gamer, since they are the largest market, which turned out to be true.

Then why is the DS outselling the PSP. Why did the Gameboy outsell every competitor it ever had. Why did the Amiga flop against the 16bit consoles. Why is the Wii outselling every other console ever. Why did the PS2 outsell everything last gen?
Comparative graphics actually do mean nothing. And the DS has proved that so long as the game is legible it doesn't matter the graphic quality. New Mario on the DS has 2D sprites, prerendered 3D and the occasional 3D model and looks basic compared to even Yoshi's Island, but it's one of the best selling DS titles.

Again it is primarily a kids' device. The PSP is marketed moreso at an older crowd. I've only seen two adults in my life using a DS and one traded it in for a PSP. Hardcore gamers do not care too much about portable devices. The problem for the PSP is that Sony thought that the same older group who bought the PS2 (average age 29) would also buy the PSP and they were wrong.

But the dev time has nothing to do with the file size. You were making a point that iPhone games aren't big because of filesize problems, but the smallest iPod for a while has been the 8gb model. Yet there have been no big games. Early PSP games were also very large - look at Monster Hunter Freedom, the 2 GTA's, Final Fantasy Tactics or any of the other ports. Again all out very early in the PSP's life.
Of note the early PSP GTA games are much bigger and have more depth than the DS port the iPhone is getting.

You act as if there are no good games on the iPhone. There are. You also forget that 8gb is not a lot. Not even 16GB or 32GB. I don't have a ton of games and my iPhone is already full. The iPhone is more than a gaming device. Their apps do more than games as well. That is why devs are concerned about filesizes. I can't even buy Myst because I have no space on my 16GB iPhone 3G. I'm also pretty sure that most people are having this problem as well since you are managing photos, music, movies, and apps.

You can say that the PSP version is better than the iPhone (for now) but I get to pay at least 1/3 the price and don't have to carry around extra media. As it is, it's a casual game and I couldn't care less on the small extras I'm missing.

They likely will. But it won't be for the better simply because of the controls, which you can't change on an iPhone.

I've never had any real problems with the controls of games personally but manufacturers as we speak are developing controllers if that floats your boat.

Pokemon isn't just a kids game in the same way Mario or Zelda aren't. Have you played it? It's the simple most customisable and deep RPG on the market today. And Tekken on the iPhone, again it will be limited by the controls. You can't get pixel precise controls without a digital input (ie a dpad, face buttons), so chances are that will be simplified to be easily controlled.

You may be right. No offense but I don't care. I'm an adult. I'm not going to carry around a Pokeman game.

QUOTE=raggedjimmi;8453859]And that's the problem with every iPhone game I've ever played. Compromises are made to get an established franchise or genre working with only touch controls.[/QUOTE]

That may be your case. I actually appreciate the touch screen because it's helped create different kind of games. I stopped being a hardcore gamer a while ago because it was boring. Essentially all games were the same but had different skins. I had every generation of consoles from the 2600 to PS2/XBOX generation. Like I said before, there will be controllers coming out for the iPhone.

 

[0098386]

I don't believe that is actually true. Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories were amazing for their time because it largely recreated the PS2 environment on the PSP. But, I don't believe the story or missions were judged to be as good as previous console version though, particularly Vice City Stories.

As someone who has played to completion the Stories games and Chinatown Wars the 2 are very different. The world map is bigger for CW but it's very diluted, there aren't as many missions and it's over way too quickly. Unlike the PSP versions which are completely fleshed out titles, only slightly shorter than the console versions. CW doesn't have voice overs and the cutscenes are nothing more than unanimated static character heads and text. It's more arcade based so it's got a pick up and play factor, but it's also drastically short because of it.

It'd be very interesting to see how Rockstar prices the iPhone version compared to the $40 PSP version and $35 DS version. If anyone can reverse the downward price pressure in the App Store by delivering enough content to justify $20+ game prices, it'd certainly be Rockstar.

Of note the DS version was £9 here in some shops (new). The PSP version will be £25 and I'd imagine the iPhone version will be £10-15. But it sucks to be the people buying that, it's a port of an old DS game that most of us have already played.

The iPhone is already more powerful than PSP and DS. Give the game developers another year or two and you'll see "in-depth" games and hardware add-ons that will make those dedicated devices look like old junk.

Again - it doesn't matter how powerful the system is (read posts people, it makes this a lot easier). Infact if the past 25 years of gaming have shown it's that the more powerful system flops. I was predicting similar results for the current gen and they've been right.
It doesn't matter because the major developers are elsewhere. Konami are making their best games on the DS/PSP, Square are making their best for the DS/PSP, Nintendo only build games for their own hardware and the same for Sony's titles. And if you look over the metacritic results for these games you'll see all the best titles are first party. Speaking of I'd love to see the Metacritic average for all those 21k games.
The iPhone can get all the "Chinese Rolex" titles it wants from Gameloft and the like - so long as Nintendo and Sony don't support the iPhone it won't get far.

Again it is primarily a kids' device. The PSP is marketed moreso at an older crowd. I've only seen two adults in my life using a DS and one traded it in for a PSP. Hardcore gamers do not care too much about portable devices. The problem for the PSP is that Sony thought that the same older group who bought the PS2 (average age 29) would also buy the PSP and they were wrong.

Maybe it's different from what I've seen since the DS's launch (started at university and now in the game development field) but everyone and their dog owns a DS and most play it regularly. Most own PSP's too but don't get the full multimedia experience out of them. I've seen children with both, I've seen adults with both. Adverts are targeted (for both Wii and DS) at the 3 main age groups - children, teen and adult. Don't confuse a universal device as a kids device.

I just saw the trailer for the Gameloft fighting game. Does indeed look like a poor mans Soul Calibre with some terrible voice acting to boot.

 

[diamond.g]

I've never had any real problems with the controls of games personally but manufacturers as we speak are developing controllers if that floats your boat.

As far as I have been able to tell, so far only Rock Band and Guitar Hero have been successful selling aftermarket add-ons for games. Very few people are going to buy a controller add-on for a game they may or may not be interested in playing.

The second thing that people like to do is sell their old games, in order to buy new ones. Now aside from the fact that most (if not all) of the games are cheap how does one do that for the iPhone platform?

 

[commander.data]

Of note the DS version was £9 here in some shops (new). The PSP version will be £25 and I'd imagine the iPhone version will be £10-15. But it sucks to be the people buying that, it's a port of an old DS game that most of us have already played.

Well I was just using launch MSRP for DS and PSP pricing. I thought Rockstar felt DS sales were disappointing? Which should mean that many people, particularly existing GTA fans who Rockstar were expecting, didn't actually buy it.

I think bringing GTA to iPhone is also a strategy to get more money from Sony. There is now a very real possibility that any new 3D GTA game like a new Stories game coming to PSP would also come to iPhone. Seeing that the PS3 seems to have lost out to the XBox 360 with the GTA IV DLC, maybe Rockstar will try to negotiate a cash deal with Sony to make the next PSP game exclusive or at least severely delay the release on other platforms. Was the DS exclusivity for Chinatown Wars and actual signed deal with Nintendo or was it just a verbal marketing thing?

 

[CQd44]

I'd like to see something like Elite Beat Agents done on the iPhone. Shouldn't be too difficult.

For things like Castlevania.... woo boy. Best of luck.

 

[AAPLaday]

Id love to see Toe Jam and Earl. I used to love that game, the first one anyway. It would rock over bluetooth multiplayer as well

 

[CQd44]

Id love to see Toe Jam and Earl. I used t love that game, the first one anyway. It would rock over bluetooth multiplayer as well

I wish I had the guts to buy the genesis emulator for my G1, otherwise I'd be playing all sorts of games.

The genesis emulator on the DS is alright, but it won't load games over 3.3 MB :[

 

[AAPLaday]

I wish I had the guts to buy the genesis emulator for my G1, otherwise I'd be playing all sorts of games.

The genesis emulator on the DS is alright, but it won't load games over 3.3 MB :[

Have you heard about a genesis emulator coming to the iPhone? Whats the deal with the android one? Is it worth it?

 

[CQd44]

Have you heard about a genesis emulator coming to the iPhone? Whats the deal with the android one? Is it worth it?

I was under the impression from reading posts on this forum that emulators aren't allowed in the app store. I have no idea what Cydia offers though; I don't own an iPhone.

I just found Gensoid Lite in the Android Market. I'm installing it and when I try a game on it I'll let you know how it runs :]

EDIT:

Just loaded up Rocket Knight Adventures. It runs pretty smooth, it has sound, and is overall a good experience. Gensoid Lite is free and it's what I'm using. Try it! The only gripes I have involve trying to press up-left or basically two buttons at once.

 

[gavin83209]

Just something that I would throw out here is that I took the unweighted average of the ratings of the top ten most popular games from the Nintendo DS, the Sony PSP and the iPod Touch/iPhone and came up with the following numbers:

Nintendo DS games (wikipedia most popular list and gamespot reviews)
1. Nintendogs: 8.92 (all versions)
2. New Super Mario Bros.: 9.0
3. Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day: 7.2
4. Pokemon Diamond and Pearl: both 8.5
5. Mario Kart DS: 9.2
6. Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day: 7.0
7. Animal Crossing: Wild World: 8.4
8. Super Mario 64 DS: 8.4
9. Mario Party DS: 8.0
10. Pokemon Platinum: 8.0
Average: 7.37/10

Sony PSP (wikipedia most popular list and gamespot reviews)
1. Monster Hunter Freedom Unite: 6.5
2. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories: 8.6
3. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII: 9.0
4. Daxter: 9.1
5. Monster Hunter Freedom 2: 5.0
6. Need for Speed Most Wanted 5-1-0: 6.9
7. Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition: 7.3
8. Monster Hunter Freedom: 6.5
9. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories: 8.4
10. Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee: 7.8
Average: 7.51/10

iPhone games (most popular according to App Store)
1. Dennis Mengelt: ***/5.82
2. Uno (tm) - FREE: **/4.44
3. Mr.AahH!! Lite: ***^/7.03
4. Geared - Free: ***/5.69
5. Sheep Launcher Free!: ***^/7.02
6. Paper Toss: ***^/6.63
7. PAC-MAN Lite: ***/6.00
8. Dirt Moto Racing Lite: ***/5.51
9. Jurassic 3D Rollercoaster Rush FREE: ***^/6.75
10. BATTLE BEARS Free: ***/5.82
Average: 6.071/10

Most popular full iPhone games:
1. Dennis Mengelt: ***/5.82
2. Paper Toss: ***^/6.63
3. Tap Tap Revenge: ***^/7.19
4. Water Slide Extreme: **^/5.24
5. Kingdoms Live(tm) - 45 Legend Points: ****/8.31
6. Racing Live(tm) - 25 Prestige Points: ***^/6.86
7. iMobsters(tm) - 20 Favor Points: ****/8.40
8. Biker Blast Off: **/3.81
9. Vampires Live(tm) - 15 Loyalty Points: ****/8.16
10. Ninjas Live: ***/6.42
Average: 6.684

iPhone ratings counted by averaging ratings where:
***** is 10
**** is 8
*** is 6
** is 4
* is 2
^ is half of a star

As you can see, the DS and PSP games rated a full 1.3 or 1.5 points higher respectively, counting trial versions. Not counting trial versions, this number is really 0.6/0.8. Not so dramatic as the first draft, but still there. If you don't believe me, I have cited my sources:

NDS and PSP reviews from gamespot
Wikipedia page with most popular games
App Store Most Popular games page (don't know how to link to this)

I did not double check the numbers, so if anything is way off, just let me know and I will fix it.

 

[commander.data]

iPhone games (most popular according to App Store)
1. Dennis Mengelt: ***/5.82
2. Uno (tm) - FREE: **/4.44
3. Mr.AahH!! Lite: ***^/7.03
4. Geared - Free: ***/5.69
5. Sheep Launcher Free!: ***^/7.02
6. Paper Toss: ***^/6.63
7. PAC-MAN Lite: ***/6.00
8. Dirt Moto Racing Lite: ***/5.51
9. Jurassic 3D Rollercoaster Rush FREE: ***^/6.75
10. BATTLE BEARS Free: ***/5.82
Average: 6.071/10

iPhone ratings counted by averaging ratings where:
***** is 10
**** is 8
*** is 6
** is 4
* is 2
^ is half of a star

As you can see, the DS and PSP games rated a full 1.3 or 1.5 points higher respectively. If you don't believe me, I have cited my sources:

NDS and PSP reviews from gamespot
Wikipedia page with most popular games
App Store Most Popular games page (don't know how to link to this)

I did not double check the numbers, so if anything is way off, just let me know and I will fix it.

I think your iPhone stats are skewed because most of those Most Popular downloads are Lite or Trial versions of games. They are meant for people to try so you're more likely to get people who tried, didn't like it and rated it as such. To more directly compare to DS or PSP games you should only compare iPhone games that are full versions, whether free or paid apps.

 

[LoftyTheMetroid]

Do you know how to read?

A more unbiased story would be the actual source: Reuters.

Again, I don't think it's anything major, and the losses have more to do with the other factors I mentioned. Obviously, Apple is going to have some impact on Nintendo, but I think Nintendo is treating Apple as more of a scapegoat to explain certain losses that could be attributed more to an incredibly weak '08-'09 software lineup.

Even if Apple continues to gain more momentum, I do not think it will be at the expense of Nintendo's own success, or, at least, once the dust settles.

You cite no evidence for the garbage you are pushing. It is just your own opinion which means nothing if not based on fact.

I follow a lot of game industry analysts and news stories and have a pretty damn good idea what's going on. I mean, it's not like I need to keep track of sources telling me the U.S. economy has been hurting – same goes for happenings in the game industry.

And yes, when Nintendo's Tokyo EAD offices, Kyoto EAD studios (including the Aonuma, Konno, and others' teams), and Retro Studios are all in development after blowing their major titles (from Twilight Princess to Corruption to Super Mario Galaxy to Mario Kart Wii [at the beginning of '08] to a number of others) in the '06-'07 period, there's going to be a lull. Fortunately, beginning this holiday season, we should see Nintendo performing better as it has several major EAD titles poised for launch.

But anyway, you can believe what you want...

Try out another link. Microsoft luring iPhone developers for Zune apps. Chances are I've watched more indie movies and have been gaming since the Atari 2600 and am now a casual gamer. You are kidding yourself if you think that gamers first question isn't "How are the graphics?". Yes good gameplay is always important but you are comparing a platform that has been out a little over a year to a platform that's been around for a decade and they are supposed to have equivalent quality of games out of the box.

(...What's been out for a decade?)

First, I've been talking about Nintendo. I don't really care about Microsoft or Sony, nor do I believe that their philosophies or actions will allow them to succeed in the game industry beyond what they've already accomplished.

Second, just because a company is courting devs, that doesn't mean the devs' games are good, it just means they're profitable... (Also, I'm sure Microsoft doesn't want those devs working for Apple, in addition to other reasons.)

You mention why I bring up Sony as if another portable gaming platform has nothing to do with this conversation.

You're giving me a headache...

I was talking about game quality in relation to Nintendo's console being a key to their success, and you brought up Sony courting iPhone devs. Those are two completely separate topics. It didn't address anything I said at all...

(And yes, Sony is completely different, but I don't want to have to delve into explaining if you don't care. Suffice to say, they have much more to lose, considering the PSP was a partial response to the iPod...)

Who says so? You? There are a ton of games on the App Store that are classics but those aren't good enough for you. I suppose that's the reason why other platforms are trying to lure these developers away because they're so lousy? That's a ridiculous notion. Nintendo fanboys are always hilarious.

Tell me exactly what "classics" I'm missing out on, and why they're so good and worthy of note.

I'm glad you think so highly of your own "experienced opinion". I suppose that you think that the iPhone can't manage similar games with a more powerful hardware and downloads being the future. This is not even considering those oh so holy buttons on controllers are being developed as we speak.

With the iPhone as it is, I don't think it will be a viable platform for games without buttons. I've played more than my fair share of touchscreen games, and I know what a touchscreen analogue stick feels like...

Anyway, again, the hardware is not the issue. Devs don't treat the platform seriously because the iPhone is not designed to treat the medium seriously, but that's a whole other discussion...

It says something when you are actively courting developers from another platform. It means that their games are not garbage.

It says that they're profitable, not necessarily good...

-----

The DS (as all Nintendo products) is primarily marketed to kids. This is known very well throughout the industry. Nintendo may come out with some really good games but they don't hide their intentions in the least.

I've never used a DS so I can't comment on it.

I stopped being a hardcore gamer a while ago because it was boring. Essentially all games were the same but had different skins. I had every generation of consoles from the 2600 to PS2/XBOX generation.

It's all starting to make sense...

Has it never struck you that the only reason all the games you played were essentially reskins of one another had more to do with your ignorance of the medium and susceptibility to marketing gimmicks like "hardcore" and "adult" than actual game content? The very mentality that blinds you from seeing and experiencing genius and creativity is the same that stuck you in the rut of monotony, methinks...

In a way, I kind of envy you knowing that there must be countless incredible games out there that I know you haven't played that I wish I could experience again for the first time. Unfortunately, it's that same ignorance that will probably prevent you from touching all those wonderful titles – oh, the tragic irony...

(I wonder if you think Pixar movies are just for kids...)

Anyway, tell me if you ever pick up a Wii or something. Metroid Prime: Trilogy JUST came out, and it's the best deal since the Orange Box. And, if you like fighting games, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars is just right around the corner. The Virtual Console would also give you a chance to catch dozens of classics you may have missed, such as Majora's Mask or Super Metroid.

Id love to see Toe Jam and Earl.

*Pats his Wii*

Virtual Console, baby. XP

But yes, a sequel would be oh-so lovely.

 

[BrokenChairs]

Misled

Do you think it's possible Apple will focus on games for their Macs next? Maybe they will after their next even in October.

When I first saw the heading I thought "Amazing AC2 and Madden on Macs...only to be disappointed it's for the iPhone

But it seems that the iPhone is the way Apple is going for games. So much for that call on games for Macs presentation a few years ago...

 

[gavin83209]

I think your iPhone stats are skewed because most of those Most Popular downloads are Lite or Trial versions of games. They are meant for people to try so you're more likely to get people who tried, didn't like it and rated it as such. To more directly compare to DS or PSP games you should only compare iPhone games that are full versions, whether free or paid apps.

A very good suggestion. My original post has been updated with the new numbers. Again, if I missed one as being a trial version, let me know. The difference is still 0.8/0.6 for PSP and DS, respectively.

Most popular full iPhone games:
1. Dennis Mengelt: ***/5.82
2. Paper Toss: ***^/6.63
3. Tap Tap Revenge: ***^/7.19
4. Water Slide Extreme: **^/5.24
5. Kingdoms Live(tm) - 45 Legend Points: ****/8.31
6. Racing Live(tm) - 25 Prestige Points: ***^/6.86
7. iMobsters(tm) - 20 Favor Points: ****/8.40
8. Biker Blast Off: **/3.81
9. Vampires Live(tm) - 15 Loyalty Points: ****/8.16
10. Ninjas Live: ***/6.42
Average: 6.684

iPhone ratings counted by averaging ratings where:
***** is 10
**** is 8
*** is 6
** is 4
* is 2
^ is half of a star

As you can see, the DS and PSP games rated a full 1.3 or 1.5 points higher respectively, counting trial versions. Not counting trial versions, this number is really 0.6/0.8. Not so dramatic as the first draft, but still there.

 

[Bjohnson33]

So could the touch eventually take over the PSP and the like for handheld gaming systems?

If they released some sort of controller for the iPhone and Touch, it could give it a real run for its money. It might be smarter though to do similar to the Wii - target the casual gaming market and leave the hard core gamers to the dedicated game machines. Nintendo has proven that there's a huge untapped market in people that just want to pick up a simple game and play.

 

[Bjohnson33]

Sorry but that's nonsense and the misunderstanding is yours - people don't generally buy an iPod Touch because it's a games machine, they buy it as a PMP which has games as a side function.

There will always be a market for more in depth titles and there will always be machines that support that market.

I think you're right - there's room in the market for both types of gaming.

 

[Bjohnson33]

I think Apple has something here. My kids have spent way more time playing "rope 'n fly lite" (price: free) then they have with any of the games on their brand new Nintendo DSi. They constantly have their iPhones or touch at their side, while the Nintendos are collecting dust. I think it is only a matter of time until we see preferential game development for the iPhone/touch platform and the DS and psp platforms become irrelevant

I think that's a good point. Similar to how the best camera is the one you have with you. The fact that people have their iPhones or Touches with them most of the time means they can potentially get a lot of casual gaming done.

 

[Bjohnson33]

I don't think games will be 100% effective until a gamepad of somesorts can be added to the iPhone dock connector.

I think this is the biggest thing holding it back from being a pretty serious contender. They already have a ton of units in the wild, plus they have a great distribution method with the App Store.