Can Apple beat Sony and Nintendo at their own game?

Apple and gaming? hahahahhaha, no way. Apple has still yet to figure out the importance of gaming or do it well. Developers consider them only in after thought. Gamers don't think about Apple period. Apple has a mountain to climb if it wants to try to get into the gaming market, and sitting on top of that mountain, are several ginormous gorrillas.

Funny little games to play on your ipod while waiting at the dentists office are just that. They about as threatening to Sony and Nintendo as a Gokart Racer is to Nascar.

subtlety and remaining invisible are the best tactics to play when coming into a new market. It catches the those that feel stable by surprise until one day when they wake up and realize that something has changed and they are not prepared for it?

Anyone who poo poo's and balks at new things in the market are "side liners." And they better stay working at their jobs. The smart ones NEVER underestimate their competition, but watch and stay ready, always analyzing for the next move to keep them ahead of the market. The one thing that is for sure, is that the market is never stable! It is always moving and is unpredictable. The only way to stay with it is to always be on top of it. BECAUSE..... you never really do know, what it does!

Don't discount Apple because it's new or different! That would be stupid!

Nope - won't happen with the iPhone and iTouch. I'm a big fan of my iTouch but gaming is nowhere near where it would have to be to actually compete with the Nintendo DS or the PSP...not even close. Games on the iPhone/touch can be fun, simple games for quick distractions but not what heavy gamers are typically looking for.

Now, that not to say Apple couldn't get into a gaming arena with either a console or true hand-held gaming system...now that could be intersting...

Apple doesn't do gaming, if they did... watch out.

Nokia tried, and tried with nGage. Nokia was and is still as serious as they could possibly be, but wasn't good enough.

Apple is good enough, but hasn't even lifted a finger of effort to support gaming on any of their platform... but if they do, ignoring them would be a serious mistake.

I've played all three and also have a macbook, if apple gets serious about getting into the gaming industry..........this will be interesting. You can probably put it as when microsoft revealed the first xbox, i hated it but I now have the 360. I guess the world may never know.

Are you people serious?

@Eggoman: Developers only consider them in AFTERTHOUGHT?
THQ? Gameloft? EA? LucasArts? Sega?

How would you explain EA prepping 9 of it's largest franchises for the iPhone/iTouch? How do you explain Spore: Origins? How do you explain a Star Wars game being available? Explain to me how a free little rhythm game called Tap Tap Revenge is now drawing the attention of major labels, who want to include their music in the game? Probably because of it's 1.5 million downloads so far. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

@Goose: The visuals of the iPhone far surpass that of the DS (see: MonkeyBall, Spore Origins, Asphalt 4, etc) and while it can't come AS close to the PSP, it's quite near. This isn't an opinion, this is research carried out by looking at the tech specs of all systems.

@S-480203: Apple hasn't lifted a finger to support gaming? Did you know they developed an ad-hoc system to allow developers to send out 100 digital copies of their title to reviewers absolutely free? No postage required, just an email and a code.

I'm not an apple fanboy, I'm a journalist who enjoys ALL gaming platforms. I'm all for people having opinions, but at least make them rooted in truth.

Thanks;
jason evangelho
Executive Editor, www.gamesareevil.com

I don't think the Iphone/Ipod touch software will really compare to the DS or the PSP in the same way. I definitely see some impressive stuff from the App Store, but I think it kind of scratches a different itch. Kind of interesting when the Iphone controls, the DS controls, and the PSP controls vary in quite a few ways. Games generally try to promote that specific platform's control system.

There are still lots of games which require much game-pad use and a group of buttons to work. Both PSP and DS has solutions when you need directional input for both controlling the characters and camera manipulation. The Iphone will have to make do without that solution. On the other hand, the Iphone's accelerometer is really nice, and I can see games tailored to that which won't work quite as well on the other two systems. Nintendo's DS has more options to do something that behaves like the accelerometer given the cartridge port and such.

What I do think, is that the Iphone/Ipod-touch has definitely shot itself way high in the list of portable-cellphone gaming. Something that is already a lucrative market. I just don't think it can replace dedicated game systems that already have their own control advantages depending on the type of game. There are too many games on the DS and PSP that I couldn't hope to see done well on the Iphone.

No way, the touch is missing buttons and a joystick, and Mario just to name a few things.

As usual in these forums full of Apple skeptics, the question at the end of it all is... Have you actually used the iPhone or iPod touch? I has been my experience that many people change their tune when they test first hand (for more than 30 seconds at the Apple Store). And of course you can never underestimate the intangibles that come from the incredible user experience with the iPhone or Touch. You feel like you are holding the sleekest, most cutting-edge piece of technology out there. While there is some refining to come, the hand-held gaming experience is excellent and as mentioned above has attracted some big names in the business. Whether we consider them legit or not doesn't matter, the big dogs who really know this stuff do. It's only going to get better from here. Watch out DS and Sony!

Apple will have a difficult time matching Nintendo and Sony on the basis that you don't buy your preteens/tweens Iphones. That's a horrible choice for a parent because kids are more likely to break it or lose it. Nintendo DS and PSP are a little more disposable and are only intended for gaming.

My iphone goes through its battery charge quickly enough between using it as a phone, checking stocks and internet stuff throughout the day...i can't even imagine using it as a portable game playing device on top of all that. DS/PSP will always be vastly superior to the iphone/itouch as far as games are concerned.

The iPhone/iPod Touch have already proven that they're not the Pippin, so I don't think there's much to worry about on the "potential flop" front.

I think if iProduct gaming is to really take off, something must be done about battery life. Playing Spore for 45 minutes drops my iPhone 3G's battery from fully-charged to about 50%.

Just the fact that the iPod Touch's site touts it as "the funnest iPod ever" and the TV commercials blatantly feature games makes me wonder what's coming down the pipeline.

Those who say Apple will never be a threat in the gaming world haven't seen enough disney movies to know that it is possible for the underdogs to come out of nowhere and take the lead.

On a more serious note, I don't think it's totally fair to compare the iphone to the psp / ds in the sense that the psp and ds were specifically designed for video games. The iPhone's original intent was for phone, internet and such and they were like "hey, what about games?" and look where that's putting apple now. I wouldn't be surprised if later on down the road (years and years from now) apple came out with a device geared more towards video games.

As someone else already mentioned, the biggest reason the iPhone iTouch will never beat either Sony or Nintendo at the portable gaming market is quite simply the lack of any tactile button system. All the games that are on the iPhone and iTouch require screen touching (Like the DS) and/or tilting the unit (kind of the way the Wii-mote set up works). However, games still require the need for buttons and there are a lot of good games that you are never going to see on the iPhone simply because it lacks the buttons and joystiq available on the DS and PSP. Is it better looking? Most would probably say so in comparison to the DS and less would say so in comparison to the PSP but that's arguable (eye of the beholder). Has it got a better screen? Better than the DS in any case but the DS is no real slouch visually. In the end, things like looks and screens can be fixed and made better with each iteration, but the iPhone has to come up with a way to circumvent its lack of tactile feedback otherwise its really not going to get too far in terms of competition for Nintendo or Sony. Just because you've got 700 games fired up in 60 days doesn't mean that they are all good. It doesn't even mean that the majority of them are good.

not approved by apple, YET. but in years to come, it could solve some gaming difficulties.

gamesareevil.com - agreed.

Ok. If apple (Jobs) can get big hitters such as EA to start developing high selling games equal or ap much as winders then maybe but intil apple can build into its os windows capability meaning that you can run a windows game in OS X with out an emulator. Well it just will not happen. iPod Touch is a small and cannot handle the huge memory and graphics demand for big game names that windows runs. I do know that BF 2142 is developed for OS X. It looks better on the windows. Only because they put a joke ghost figure in the Mac version. A hand on the screen. Seems that they do not want to develop apple games or maybe some one in the development doesn't. I am a serious Mac person. I would love to see equal game development for Apple. Maybe Steve needs to spend a billion of so on that. Maybe to the companies. Lets see. Senior Jobs may we get the duel. Slap them with the glove preferable the rawhide one.