Search Results
Apple is looking to hire an experienced multimedia engineer for the iPhone and iPod touch, who’s a passionate gamer and has shipped at least one “AAA” game in the last few years.
While first-party titles are a mainstay, and main point of attraction for dedicated gaming platforms like Nintendo (Mario), Microsoft (Halo), and Sony (Little Big Planet), so far all Apple has offered its “funnest iPod ever” is Texas Hold’em [$4.99 - iTunes link] back in 2007.
Just what could Apple be brewing now? Anyone imagine what a first-party Apple gaming franchise could be?
[via AppleInsider]
Nintendo president, Satoru Iwata loves his MacBook and his iPhone, and firmly believes Nintendo and Apple aren’t competitors (they appeal to different customers), and any talk of it makes him uncomfortable.
Yet Apple is most assuredly aiming at gaming (even if John Carmack thinks it’s between clenched teeth), especially with the funner iPod touch ever, and its game-heavy marketing.
With Nintendo profits down 52% for the first half of the year, and Apple selling record numbers of iPhones and reporting 100,000 apps and 2,000,000,000 downloads (with games weighed heavily among them).
Even with a dedicated gaming device like the DS (and perhaps a new platform on the way next year?), and a high-profile set of first-party properties like Mario, Metroid, Zelda, Pokémon, etc. those are tough numbers to look at. And Nintendo isn’t kidding themselves about that:
“If we can’t make clear why customers pay a lot of money to play games on Nintendo hardware and Nintendo software and differentiate ourselves from games on the mobile phone or iPhone, then our future is dark.”
Still, there are no plans for a WiiPhone (no matter how cool that might sound to us!), though an Amazon Kindle-like model, where the end-user doesn’t see any of the cell network bills, does appeal to Iwata.
Likewise, we can’t hold our breath for even older 1st party GameBoy titles to show up on the iPhone either. At least not anytime soon.
[Wall Street Journal -- thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
We have some good news for all of you Nintendo fans out there as ZodTDD, the developer the Nintendo Gameboy Advance emulator GpSPhone, has announced that they are currently working on an N64 emulator for the iPhone 3GS and iPod touch. Zodttd feels that the iPhone 3GS and the current iPod Touch contain the graphical horsepower needed for N64 games.
“You may soon see N64 on your favorite Apple device, But I can’t promise it will run games top notch just yet, as things are too early to say. There’s hope though, with a 3D accelerated graphics plugin, as well as an ARM dynarec.”
We would love to see this pulled off but the lack of physical buttons on the iPhone may prove to be a major issue. There currently is no release date set but regardless, we are looking forward to checking this one out.
[Via Gizmodo]
Update: per comment below, Eliminate Pro and Touch Pets Pro are only available in Canada for now whole ngmoco tests their servers. Wide release to follow soon!
First-person shooter Elminate Pro [Free - iTunes link] and virtual pet sim Touch Pets Dogs [Free - iTunes link] for iPhone and iPod touch, first shown off by ngmoco at WWDC 2009, have begun making their way into iTunes App Stores around the world (we’ve confirmed them in Canada, other countries should be getting them soon as well).
Both games utilize the plus+ network for community gaming, with Eliminate looking to bring the classic Golden Eye/Halo style gameplay to Apple’s platform, and Touch Pets Dogs, the Nintendogs virtual pooch model. (Sadly, no, there’s doesn’t seem to be a way to cross over within the two games yet, and hunt the mean soldiers with doggy cuteness — or vice versa).
The price for both being zero, we’re guessing Apple’s new policy of “free games can charge for in-app purchases” is having an immediate an obvious effect. Demo without risk, and if you love one or both, they’ll figure out levels or gear or powerups or accessories you can buy to enjoy to love them even more.
Touch Pets Dogs video after the break, and if you try them out, let us know what you think!
[Thanks Alexander for the tip!]
For today’s TiPb Top 5, we are catering to all of our iPhone and iPod touch wielding readers who enjoy sports games and sports apps. Just like our other TiPb’s top 5 must-have posts, all of these applications are available in the App Store. For the full run down, follow us after the break! Read the rest of this entry »
Earthworm Jim [$4.99 - iTunes link], an iPhone and iPod touch remake of the classic Sega and Nintendo game of the same name, has just landed in the App Store.
Confession: I was a huge Earthworm Jim fan back in the day. The animation sold me instantly, and that animation looks just as good on the iPhone. I’m downloading it now. If anyone else gives it a try, especially old-school fans, let us know what you think.
The above graph, part of Morgan Stanley Internet analyst Mary Meeker’s presentation at Web 2.0, showing iPhone/iPod touch as the fastest-growing consuming electronic platform in history pretty much speaks for itself. However, TechCrunch is happy to add a big exclamation point at the end:
[iPhone/iPod touch] adoption ramp is even steeper than videogame consoles including the Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, and Sony PSP. The original iPod and Blackberry aren’t even in the same league.
No doubt this plays into Apple’s recent financial results, but building on what must now be around a 60 million strong install base (50 million from last quarter + 7.4 million new iPhones, + undisclosed amount of iPod touches), builds just the kind of momentum that tends towards freight-train like.
TechCrunch also shows charts highlighting the increase in AT&T data traffic since the iPhone came online (4,932%), and how mobile adoption is “outpacing” desktop. Check out the full article, linked above, for more.
20 years before there was Verizon’s iPhone iDoesn’t… and Droid does campaign, there was Sega Does and Nintendon’t.
Be interesting to see if it works out better for Droid than it did for Sega…
[via Daring Fireball]
Looks like the iPhone topped the 2009 CoolBrands Rankings, coming in at a frigid #1, with Apple itself at #3 and the iPod at #4 (that’s 3 out of the top 5 spots, according to our match department). Says Stephen Cheliotis of Centre for Brand Analysis:
The iPhone is something everyone has been talking about. There has been so such a buzz around it and people who haven’t got one, want one.
And yeah, with the way they spell Centre and the notable inclusions and exclusions on the list (Xbox 360?) it’s likely not a US-based survey. Still, nice to see the iPhone owns international mindshare as well…
Here’s the full top 10:
- iPhone
- Aston Martin
- Apple
- iPod
- Nintendo
- YouTube
- BlackBerry
- Bang & Olufsen
- PlayStation 3
[via 9to5mac]
For our iPhone 3GS hardware review, we joked it was the same as last year, end of story. Thanks to Apple, we’re left with pretty much the same opening line here: the iPod touch G3 is the same as last year.
Except, of course, like the iPhone 3GS, that outward assessment doesn’t tell the inner story at all, and while Apple marketing didn’t see fit to call this the iPod touch S, that inner story is again all about speed.
Note: You’ll see a lot of “like the iPhone 3GS here” because, frankly, it is and we reviewed that member of Apple’s mobile platform family first. That also means we’ll focus on what differences there are, and we’ll also take a look at whether the iPod touch G3 is a good choice for those who want in on Apple’s iPod and App Store ecosystem, but don’t want an iPhone or smartphone contract. (Yes, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Palm, Android, and feature-phone users want an “App for That” too…)
