iPhone and iPod Touch Revolutionary Gaming Devices?

[Cody Overcash]

A few days ago the folks at Advertising Age noticed a new iPhone add on yahoo (the video above or you can see it in person here if it is still up) that showcases the iPod Touch as a gaming device. While the ad is interesting in itself as it takes the top half of Yahoo's page and makes it dance around with the advertisement a more interesting question can be brought up. Are the iPhone and iPod Touch really revolutionary gaming devices?

If you are Apple the answer is a definitive yes. In addition to the expensive gaming advertising mentioned above Engadget reported today some quotes made by Director of Technology Evangelism at Apple John Geleynse during an Apple event held earlier today in San Jose. On the topic of the iPhone and iPod touch as possible competition to the Nintendo DS Geleynse called the iPhone a "gaming console" and went further saying "it's not a phone, it's a console experience."

Sure you can play games on the iPhone and some of them are fairly neat but is the iPhone really a gaming console experience? I think not. I get it you move the iPhone around and the accelerometer allows you to control functions in a game. Its pretty neat for a bit but when it comes to more complicated games some real buttons would be nice. Like the Wii. Accelerometer with buttons makes sense. When controls in games require buttons the Iphone and iPod Touch rely on the touch sensitive screen which provides no tactile feedback to confirm that you hit the button which isn't very pleasing.

Are the iPhone and iPod touch revolutionary gaming devices? I say no not really. What do you think? Take our poll and/or post below.

[sziklassy]

I am gonna give this a flat out no... Some games are fun... revolutionary? Not at all....

[JacquesChirac]

Especially when the icontrolpad add-on to the iphone comes out, the iphone is in a sense a revolutionary gaming device not only because of its cool native games. I mean, where can you ever find a phone that is also a handheld playstation, GBA, gameboy, NES, SNES, and sega genesis system?!?!


It's still difficult to fathom how far we've gotten technological with this phone when just a few years ago, it was a big deal to have a color-screen cell phone with bejeweled or something.

[sziklassy]

Especially when the icontrolpad add-on to the iphone comes out, the iphone is in a sense a revolutionary gaming device not only because of its cool native games. I mean, where can you ever find a phone that is also a handheld playstation, GBA, gameboy, NES, SNES, and sega genesis system?!?!


It's still difficult to fathom how far we've gotten technological with this phone when just a few years ago, it was a big deal to have a color-screen cell phone with bejeweled or something.

Those games are not what's being advertised much like a PC playing a bunch of roms wouldn't be a very good advertisement :P
And there was the nGage, the problem with it was, well, it was an nGage

[461am]

ngage. lol. I had that.

[Cody Overcash]

Especially when the icontrolpad add-on to the iphone comes out, the iphone is in a sense a revolutionary gaming device not only because of its cool native games. I mean, where can you ever find a phone that is also a handheld playstation, GBA, gameboy, NES, SNES, and sega genesis system?!?!


It's still difficult to fathom how far we've gotten technological with this phone when just a few years ago, it was a big deal to have a color-screen cell phone with bejeweled or something.

well yeah icontrolpad could turn the iphone into a pretty sweet little gaming platform

BUT

Apple is not endorsing and probably doesn't like iControlpad so when Apple compares the iPhone to the DS etc they are refering to the basic iPhone with nothing attached

[one1]

No buttons = no game device. people like to beat their buttons when gaming.

[FairLight]

The music in the advertisment is:

'Around the Bend' - The Asteroid Galaxy Tour.

If anyone was interested :b

[trevorrawson]

If the iPhone had tactile feedback (which why it doesn't is a mystery, and why nobody really complains about it also baffles me) then I'd give it a yes. But as for right now, the way it is...No

[scottjl]

sorry.. hardly a revolution. some games are fun and easy to control yes. but way too many suck..

[dale1v]

I had a good laugh at Apple when they made this claim, and I'll have a good laugh at any fool who agrees with them...People didn't buy it for the games; it's a phone that happens to have the ability to play games.
Damn, and they added the word revolutionary on the front.....sorry but if you self-proclaim that your mobile phone is a revolutionary gaming device, that competes with... actual gaming devices, you're either stupid, cocky or both.
[sarcasm]Oh, Apple, What a wonderful gaming experience you have bestowed upon me, you've really blown me away. [/sarcasm]

If the iPhone was a gaming device, it would be an outdated, unreliable one. Hardly revolutionary. end of.

[Grassmasta]

LOL, I too had an N-Gage. The N-Gage was actually capable of producing similar if not better games (Tony Hawks Pro Skater got me through highschool)...and guess what, it had a nice control scheme, but also had many functions that the iPhone has (mod-ability, music player, blue tooth, etc.). Dont get me wrong, the iphone is way better and you dont look like a fool talking on an iPhone. But in terms of a gaming device, the N-Gage was much better suited and maintained a decent processing power (5 years ago). LOL, the iPhone a revolutionary gaming device? I think no. Give me a portable xbox 360 that makes calls while giving me BJ's and pudding and we'll talk about revolutionary.

[E-Dragon]

It's good at what it's good for.... Playing a quick game while waiting for something or someone. Not an all out gaming platform ...

[domenicp]

A "revolutionary gaming device"? No. More like a revolutionary device that supports some form of gaming.

[shadowhacker27]

I agree with the fact the we need feedback to know that we have pushed a button. the ipod touch might be revolutonary because of the graphics conversion it is capable of and because it would serve as a model in the future for other mobile consoles..However, the accelerometer or touchscreen, being the only way to move around, I dont find it convenient to make a mobile device to be called a Gaming device, at least not for adults. To play kids games like tetris, Critter Crunch and those sort of games, then for that it could be called a gaming device

[JacquesChirac]

Those games are not what's being advertised much like a PC playing a bunch of roms wouldn't be a very good advertisement :P
And there was the nGage, the problem with it was, well, it was an nGage

truuu

[MetallicaFan1991]

No buttons= Not much fun!

You need buttons for to play a game. Like people have said the iPhone is a phone that just happens to have really good graphics on it, it should be compared to other mobiles and not handheld consoles.

I had Ngage aswell! I had a DS but sold it to get a PSP.

[alek]

I had a good laugh at Apple when they made this claim, and I'll have a good laugh at any fool who agrees with them...People didn't buy it for the games; it's a phone that happens to have the ability to play games.
Damn, and they added the word revolutionary on the front.....sorry but if you self-proclaim that your mobile phone is a revolutionary gaming device, that competes with... actual gaming devices, you're either stupid, cocky or both.
[sarcasm]Oh, Apple, What a wonderful gaming experience you have bestowed upon me, you've really blown me away. [/sarcasm]

If the iPhone was a gaming device, it would be an outdated, unreliable one. Hardly revolutionary. end of.

it's not a phone with gaming capabilities. its a computer with a phone and gaming capabilities. Also i think the iphone is = with the ds but way worse then the psp. they revolutionary thing only applies if you look at it as a phone (which it is not) because i have never seen a phone with true 3d or such great (relatively for a phone) graphics

-alek

[noggin123450]

Ok, so you say that you shouldn't compare the iPhone to a phone, and yet in the same sentence you do that exact same thing??? You also say the "revolutionary thing only applies if you look at it as a phone (which it is not)". So is it revolutionary or not???

The iPhone is a smartphone with gaming capabilities. The games that can be considered "revolutionary" are racing games and games that use the accelerometer. All other games need buttons, and therefore are definetely not revolutionary.

[b3nny]

we love katamari ftw

finally a direct port of a hit ps2/psp title. and its not perfect. but it is pretty amazing.