ajit verghese

Apple’s Hidden Gaming play

According to this article in Businessinsider.com, the iPhone will be the primary driver of growth within the mobile gaming industry by 2014 - as the PSP & Nintendo DS have reached their growth potential and the ability to purchase games on the iPhone immediately via the App Store will be the future of gaming.

As an iPhone and DS user, there is an appeal in both devices and a use for each in gaming. iPhone games are tremendously fun - and the most successful games in my opinion on the device are ones which are simple and allow you to play for a few minutes on the train during your morning commute, or while you are waiting for a few minutes. iPhone games are like Tasti D-Lite - not filling, but fleetingly delectable - and I find myself playing a game on the iPhone in just these situations.

DS games are usually more complicated - have longer game play - and are more immersive by nature. With an actual gamepad - the playability for me is unmatched. And yes you can argue that the iPhone has the ability to emulate the buttons of the the DS, however it is a totally different type of game play and I appreciate the tactile buttons when playing a game that requires more than just guiding planes down the runway.

The convenience of the iPhone and the ability to download low cost games on a whim make it compelling.

However I think that Apple MIGHT have a larger gaming play in front of them.

With the dearth of AppleTV units out there (predicted sales of 6.6 million Apple TVs by the end of 2009.^[96]) I could see Apple use this install base to create an in-home gaming platform which utilized the AppleTV to download and store the games sold via iTunes while using an iPhone as the ‘controller’. With the iPhone 3Gs, Apple could use the accelerometer + magnetometer. In theory, the accelerometer already gives both X, Y and Z location data - albeit linear information as Z values are not Yaw but whether the phone is Face up or Face down. To get true yaw in Z requires a compass value which the magnetometer can offer. (via tuaw.com ) Fear not older iPhone users - a simple add-on like the MotionPlus Wiimote accessory could solve the problem. Perhaps there is even a way to provide an accessory that would work with older iPods.

Or of course we could KISS and have a wired or wireless adapter that plugs into the USB port of the Apple TV console.

Either way, mark my words - Apple’s gaming pursuits aren’t limited to just its mobile devices.