iPhone has the potential to take over handheld gaming

on my NES emu i uploaded the super mario mod from the popular you tube video Super Mario Frustration.

The link to the ROM is: http://www.neogeopro.com/stuff/Super_Mario_Forever.zip

The link to the video is: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6204903272262158881&q=super+mario+frustrations&total=261&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

"Throw in a great distribution platform and a relative lack of competition on the handheld platform (Nintendo is undoubtedly working on a successor to the DS, but other than that, there are no real next-generation contenders so far)"

Erm.. Lack of competition? I'll give you that it has some 3D oomph, but nothing compared to the PSP, and although the DS tech isn't as flashy - its custom made for games.

Over 100 million DSs/PSPs sold. Almost 400,000 DSs sold last week alone and the iPhone selling only 20,000 a week, I think Nintendo will be the ones talking about lack of competition really.

http://www.vgchartz.com/ - puts in perspective.

(and I'm not even going to mention the millions of Nokia handsets and the huge revenues generated by games on them)

How can Apple NOT win this war? With Sony being the competitor, seems like their focus and sensibilities will blow them into the lead.

I really wish these types of articles and analysis would stop. The iphone or ipod can never be a serious gaming machine, because they lack buttons and controls.

You can play niche games without buttons, but for the mario karts of the world, good luck.

I can agree that it has the potential to take over, but I disagree that it will.

I paid a around $100 for my DS, and that's the end of my cost except for once in awhile a new game. iPhone is magnitudes higher in price and you have to pay a monthly fee to use it and then add the cost of a game.

I doubt that will overthrow anything. I could be wrong, but I'd be very suprised.

The PSP has hot swappable memory, removable battery, UMD drive, 16x9 display, so on and so forth.

iPhone? Good luck with that.

>>I wouldn't say it's a different market but a crossover market trying to cover portable gaming, mobile communications, and mobile media.

Amiga_tone, if you haven't realized by now, this article is only discussing handheld gaming not the entire gaming industry. Of course I realize that it is within the game category but it is nevertheless a different market in the sense that it's directed towards a different purpose. No need to defend David's comments as I'm sure he can do that quite well by himself.

>>Remember the iPhone is still a mobile phone with added iPod technology not an iPod with added phone technology.

Both mean the same thing... Only difference is what is being applied first.

>> Ultimately you don't seem to realize that the iPod was originally not for everyone but eventually people started to realize that digital media was better than discs.

Ultimately that was my point, the iPod is not for everyone and ultimately you've made the point that the iPod is designed for music not games. The iPhone was designed as a phone (yes that's right a phone NOT an iPod) that has a more PDA retrospect to it than just calls and messaging.

>> The only concern here is the price and we know from history that this doesn't prove anything.

Price is a concern and it does prove the success of a device. A good example is the PS3, it has taken them nearly 2 years to get the price and configuration right. Yes Apple caters for different price ranges allowing people to afford the tech they want but games for the iPhone and iPod Touch mean targeting a much more senior demographic, i.e. those that can afford it - pretty much heading into the territory of the PSP.

>> It's clearly an extraordinary device that has much potential.

I don't doubt the potential of the device at all. It has a lot of potential, but right now it's a high end consumer device that is heralding in a new generation of PDA (especially in the case of the iPod Touch). There is still too much speculation as to where the device will go. We know that people want the device to do what they want it to do otherwise why are people hacking the device?

>> I don't understand why you find the need to even attack the iPhone as having potential for success.

This article is about the success of the iPhone/Touch as a gaming device not the success of the device in general and even if gaming takes off it will still hold only a small niche in the market with very small chance of taking over from a PSP or DS. How realistic is competing with a company capable of delivering 68.5 million DS' and a company capable of delivering 32 million PSPs? If anything I wish Apple all the best if they wish to take on this adventure but how many people truly turn to their iPod for a game? And the ratio of children to adults? Remember it's adults that make the most use of the iPhone not kids.

>> Apple not only controls the hardware side of the phone but ALSO the software. No mobile phone has compared to such integration... This is essentially a threat to the DS by allowing games to be published at BETTER graphics and without the need for game slots...

Of course no mobile phone has compared to such integration because there has never been a standard for mobile phone development until recently with the release of the Android platform. But to "ring up" the argument of graphics over gameplay? Please, this is a poor argument. Ask the current generation of gaming out there, PS3 to Wii, PSP to DS...

Better graphics != more popular product

Unfortunately/Fortunately the iPhone/Touch is now creating a crossover between portable gaming and mobile communications. Regardless of the successful sales of the iPhone, what percentage of the mobile phone market do you think they really hold? I would like to see some stats that say that yes the success of the iPhone means 40% of the mobile phone market is iPhone, but I'm sure you will find it's no more than around maybe what, the 5% mark? And out of those 5% how many would be interested in playing a game on their iPhone? You cannot say 100%, you probably cannot say 50%. How many use their iPhone for music? You can definitely say probably 99%. These are not realistic figures of course - there have not been any released so I'm only speculating. But can you argue that realistically the number of people it comes down to playing games on an iPhone is only a handful?

@Daniel

Who the hell ever said that Apple has to DOMINATE the damn market? No one... It is a threat in terms of innovation and ease of use that remains unchallenged among even the MP3 players. I already presented why it is a threat yet you just wave it off as no threat... Saying it so doesn't make it so. Many of you have just refrained from reading the RD article and I feel you're included in the bunch.

You're last objection is simply nonsensical. Apple has provided a more powerful CPU than all the handheld devices and we're not talking about consoles. That is a different market FYI.

Apple will start slowly. Over time as component prices decrease the iPhone will become more affordable. The real battle will be for the hearts and minds of developers.