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Filed under: Gaming, Software, iPhone, iPod touch

N64 emulator for jailbroken iPhones on the way?

by Dave Caolo (RSS feed) on Nov 4th, 2009

There's an exciting announcement at All Tech Related this week that has us saying, "We can't wait!"

ZodTDD, the developer behind GpSPhone (a Nintendo Gameboy Advance emulator for the iPhone and iPod Touch), announced the development of an N64 emulator for the iPhone and iPod touch. Zodttd believes that the current generation iPhone and iPod touch have the graphic CPU horsepower necessary to run those games. "...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."

As iPhone Savior points out, the toughest challenge could be fitting the controls onto the screen in an unobtrusive yet usable way. That was my main complaint about Resident Evil for iPhone [iTunes link] -- my hand is often in the way of what I'm trying to see.

Note that this will require an jailbroken iPhone or iPod touch.

[Via iPhone Savior]

Tags: 3g, 3gs, emulator, iphone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, jailbreak, n64, nintendo

Filed under: Apple Corporate, Gaming, iPhone, iPod touch

Report: iPod, iPhone to take over growing handheld gaming

by Dave Caolo (RSS feed) on Oct 23rd, 2009

In a bold report released this week, DFC Intelligence states that if current sales and development trends continue, the iPhone and iPod could surpass both Sony and Nintendo in the fast-growing handheld gaming market in as little as five years.

Now, DFC isn't describing the number of units sold. They expect the Japanese companies to retain that lead. Instead, they expect the iPhone/iPod's growth rate to expand while PSP and DSi sales have plateaued. In other words, DFC predicts that the iPhone and iPod touch will be the only portable gaming devices still seeing significant growth by 2014.

It's interesting because Apple has never paid much attention to gaming... until the most recent press event where they went overboard to promote the iPod touch as a gaming platform. I play games on my iPhone and my original PSP and while it's a different experience, they're both enjoyable.

Of the apps you own, how many are games? If you own either a PSP or a DS plus an iPhone/iPod touch, how would you compare the three platforms?

[Via Electronista]

Tags: gaming, iphone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, nintendo, sony

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Hardware, Software, Apple, iPhone, Holidays, iPod touch

Pachter: iPod touch is "dangerous" for game publishers

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Oct 17th, 2009

It's been just over a year since we officially noticed that Apple was pushing towards gaming on the iPod touch, and while their advertising hasn't stopped pushing, the actual push hasn't quite gotten to a shove. If you look at this holiday season, certainly the iPod touch is a popular device, butt kids are still asking for the PSP Go and the Nintendo DSi, handheld units meant specifically for gaming. If Apple wants to trounce gaming the same way they've trounced the smartphone market with the iPhone, they've got a long road to travel.

But don't count them out yet, says analyst Michael Pachter -- he says the iPod touch is the "most dangerous thing that ever happened to the [major video game] publishers, ever." Apple's main handheld gaming device is $200 this Christmas, but he says next year it'll be $149, and the year after that, maybe $129. When, in the future, you can put down $99 and walk away with an iPod touch, says Pachter, then "every nine year old kid is going to have one of those instead of a DS or a PSP, and if you train kids that this is the game that you want to play... How about Tetris? Why would you pay USD 20 for Tetris when you can get it for USD 6.99 or USD 3.99 on iPod touch?"

Interesting point. It's true that console manufacturers have been hesitant to lower prices on their products (in fact, Sony's latest version of the PSP actually had a price increase), while Apple seems committed to pushing the prices on iPods ever cheaper. And yes, as long as companies keep releasing the same games on both devices for $30 on the DS and less than $10 on the App Store (and why shouldn't they -- no packaging, no distribution costs), people will go for the cheaper one. I don't expect to see the iPod touch as a huge winner this year (as a gaming competitor, I mean -- of course it'll sell by the truckloads), but Pachter seems right: wait until the prices drop, and the iPod touch might have traditional gaming devices shaking in their D-pads.

Tags: app-store, apple, competition, gamers, gaming, iphone, ipod-touch, nintendo, sony

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple Corporate, Hardware, Odds and ends

Businessweek puts Apple at top of Most Innovative list

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on May 28th, 2009

Businessweek has posted a list of what they call the top 50 most innovative companies in 2009, and guess who is sitting right at the top of the list. Sure enough, it's our favorite computer maker -- according to the survey, taken by "senior executives around the world," Apple is number one, and the reason listed by 47% of respondents is the products. Not that surprising, no? From the iPhone to the unibody MacBooks right up to the new Shuffles, Apple's products ooze new concepts and features and ideas.

Then again, Microsoft comes in at number four, and Wal-Mart is not far behind at number 10, and I don't know too many non-executives who would call those companies out for being "innovative," necessarily. But then again, both of them are being recognized for their "process," not their actual products. In terms of product, Apple is followed by Nintendo (no arguments there), Blackberry's RIM, and then Nokia.

So maybe Businessweek is just asking the wrong people. At any rate, congrats to Apple for topping the list (for the second year in a row), and we can't wait to see what's new in the next year.

Tags: apple, businessweek, executives, innovation, macbooks, microsoft, nintendo, shuffle, survey, walmart

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Hardware, iPod Family, Apple, App Store

Analysts catch on to Apple's games play

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Sep 12th, 2008


We want to personally welcome analysts to earlier this week -- we realized right after Tuesday's big event that Apple was making a foray into the handheld gaming world with the new iPod touch model. If there was any question, Apple even sent out an email this past week to customers asking them to "game on" with the touch 2G, and as business observers are finally noting, Apple is moving the iPod touch away from its former positions as a media player and a cheap iPhone to be game central.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether the push will work -- obviously, the handheld games market has a few very entrenched opponents in it, and Apple has attempted to sneak into the videogames market before, with unsatisfactory results to say the least. But there's no question that the iPod touch is an amazing piece of hardware (at least until Nintendo comes up with a "WiiBoy"), and that integrating the iTunes store gives Apple's unit a nice advantage over units like the PSP in terms of media viewing. There is that nagging tactile controls problem, but moving the touch away from Apple's other lines and throwing it out there for would-be gamers this holiday season is a solid business decision on Apple's part whether it pans out or not.

[via IMG]

Tags: apple, games, holiday, ipod-touch, nintendo, psp, sony, tactile-controls, wiiboy

Filed under: OS, Hacks, Cult of Mac, Mods, Flickr Find

Flickr Find: Macintosh on Nintendo DS

by Dave Caolo (RSS feed) on Jul 6th, 2008

While browsing Flickr this afternoon, we came across a shot of a Nintendo DS running Macintosh System 6 in emulation on reader Ken Fager's Flickr stream. Of course, we contacted him to ask how he did it. Here's what he had to say.

First, grab a DS flash card and install MiniVMacDS onto its root directory.

Once that's done, place the Mac Plus ROM into the "vmac" folder along with a System 6/7 install disk (you can make a blank disk image using Disk Utility).

Finally, turn on the DS and select MiniVMacDS. It will boot the disk images. From there, install (minimal) System 6 onto the blank disk image.

Ken notes that it's a bit pokey, but hey, this wasn't done for speed! Have fun if you try this for yourself. Thanks for sharing, Ken! We love it.

Tags: ds, mac system 6, MacSystem6, mods, nintendo, os

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Multimedia, Apple, iPhone

iPhone has the potential to take over handheld gaming

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Mar 22nd, 2008

Roughly Drafted has a nice, long analysis of the iPhone as a gaming device, and they hit on a lot of great reasons why the iPhone seems destined to be a great gaming platform. Not only will it have the hardware chops to play games (including a few input devices that no other handheld gaming consoles have ever had), but Apple's SDK implementation, when it finally gets off the ground in June anyway, seems poised to let almost anyone develop any game ideas they have for the device.

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), and Apple apparently has the potential to do very well in the gaming market.

In fact, the only problem that Apple might bump up against in building up in the iPhone as a gaming device is the cost -- at $400, it'll be the most expensive gaming handheld out there. But given that it's actually a smartphone, and thus actually benefits from an already installed user base (people who have the iPhone may very well be people who will have never purchased or used a handheld gaming platform before), the price may not be that big an obstacle to ownership.

And if they can build up a respectable library of game titles, they could even brand an iPod touch/phoneless iPhone as a gaming unit, and sell that at a price that would compete with Sony's PSP and Nintendo's DS. Apple has never historically pushed for the forefont of anything in gaming, but if their showing at the SDK event is any indication, they may be lining up to make the iPhone the place to play handheld videogames in the future.

[Via IMG]

Tags: apple, development, gaming, gaming-device, iphone, nintendo, nintendo-ds, platform, price, sdk, sony, sony-psp

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Other Events, Apple, iPhone

EA mobile prez: iPhone is hurting mobile game development

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Jan 8th, 2008

Macworld has news out of CES that EA's mobile division president has good and bad news about the iPhone and gaming. The good news is that the iPhone is a terrific device -- but then again, you already knew that. But the bad news is that Apple's handling everything all wrong. By leaving out the actual distribution platform for gaming on the iPhone, Travis Boatman says that while Apple could be doing great things with games on the iPhone, they're actually hurting mobile gaming by delaying or refusing to turn the iPhone into a gaming platform.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Apple is sitting on a goldmine in terms of games on the iPhone (well, they're sitting on a lot of goldmines with the iPhone, but this is another). With multitouch, the tilt monitor, the microphone, the networking capabilities, and the camera, this is a device that Nintendo would dream about building (their DS has half the features and it's selling like it prints money). It's the greatest handheld gaming device ever made. And yet because Apple has been so stingy with the SDK, there's not one official native game on it.

Not to mention that the "distribution platform" Boatman is talking about is iTunes -- there's no better way to get your games sold and out there. Hopefully, we'll see progress on this as soon as MacWorld (and as late as February, when the iPhone SDK is set to be officially released). But Boatman is right: the iPhone begs to have some great gaming experiences on it, and Apple, so far, is just not opening the door.

Tags: boatman, ces, ds, ea-mobile, gaming, iphone, macworld, nintendo

Filed under: Software

Wii Transfer 2.3

by Scott McNulty (RSS feed) on Jun 25th, 2007

When I was at WWDC I had the pleasure of sitting down with Manton Reece, developer of Wii Transfer, and chatting about his cool little application. He showed off a version that wasn't quite ready for prime-time during the interview, but now it is available for download.

Wii Transfer, in case you don't recall, allows you to access media from your Mac on your Wii. It also converts movies you might have on your Mac into a format that will play on your Wii. New in Wii Transfer 2.3 is:
  • Playback of unprotected AAC's is supported
  • UI has been overhauled
  • Better use of the Wii remote button
  • A snazzy new icon
Overall, this is the coolest application that I have no use for, since I don't have a Wii yet. Wii Transfer costs $14 and there is a demo available.

Tags: apple, nintendo, wii, wii transfer, WiiTransfer

Filed under: Gaming, Rumors, iTunes, iPhone

Rumor mill: Nintendo licensing iPhone games

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Jun 19th, 2007

The rumors are flying about gaming giant Nintendo licensing "a limited amount of content" for the iPhone, and the rumors all seem to point back to this post over on a site called No Heat. They name no sources (of course), but they say that these Nintendo games will show up on the iTunes store at $29, and say that the games will "cater to an older audience."

Now, if anyone is going to provide great gaming content on the iPhone, Nintendo would be a good fit-- with the touchscreen, they've already got some great properties set up on the DS (Brain Age would be a great fit, and of course all of their famous licenses). There are lots of great input methods that I'm sure Nintendo would love to take advantage of.

But $29.99 is a steep price for a mobile entertainment game, even if it's Mario. Super Nintendo games are running about $10 on the Wii's Virtual Console, so either a) Nintendo is going to make iPhone owners pay through the nose, b) the games will be DS quality-- because $29 is about what you'd find a new DS game for, or c) No Heat is making it all up, and this is just another product of the iPhone rumor mill.

Tags: brainage, fake, iphone, mario, nintendo, nintendods, noheat, rumormill, rumors, touchscreen

Filed under: Apple Corporate, Apple Professional, Apple

The Economist on Apple's journey as a lesson to other companies

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Jun 13th, 2007

The Economist has published an article that explores some of the lessons other companies can learn from Apple's journey through the industry, as well as it's unique practices towards product design and customer relations. Specifically, the article outlines four lessons other companies should take notes on, including the fact that some of Apple's innovation comes both from without and within, highlighting the fact that some of its strongest products like Mac OS X and the iPod are either built on the foundation from open source (Mac OS X's BSD Unix core), or originally conceived by an outside consultant (like the iPod). Another great lesson the article mentions is an ability to not listen to customers or the market when one's instincts say otherwise. Both the iPod and Nintendo's Wii are cited here: while the iPod was originally criticized for being too expensive of a gadget, the market has clearly spoken otherwise. In the case of Nintendo's wildly successful Wii, the company was criticized for betting on a portion of the market that was more or less completely ignored by the other video game manufacturers: non-gamers who haven't picked up a console yet.

It's a good read that takes a realistic approach while spotlighting some of the lessons that companies can learn from Apple's wild success in recent years.

Thanks Adam

Tags: apple, business, companies, economist, ipod, lessons, nintendo, practices, success, wii

Filed under: Software, Hacks, Odds and ends, Apple

DarwiinRemote

by Scott McNulty (RSS feed) on Dec 5th, 2006



What do you get when you take a Mac and add the Nintendo Wiimote? Why, DarwiinRemote, of course. This little app, which is still rough around the corners, lets you use your Wiimote (that being the new controller that comes with Nintendo's next gen console, the Wii) and use it as if it were an Apple Remote (only on Macs that have an IR sensor of course).

[via Digg]

Useful? Not really. Cool? You bet.

Update: It would seem the Wiimote uses Bluetooth, so most Macs can join in on the fun. Thanks to everyone in the comments for correcting me.

Tags: darwiinremote, nintedo wii, NintedoWii, nintendo, wii

Filed under: Audio, Software, How-tos, Odds and ends, Freeware

Create an 8-bit masterpiece in Garageband

by Scott McNulty (RSS feed) on Jul 11th, 2006

In my day videogame consoles had 8 bits and we liked it. Nintendo ruled the gaming landscape and Microsoft was no where to be seen. Ah, those were the days.

Why am I going on about 8-bits games here on TUAW? Because Create Digital Music has discovered a plugin for Garageband that turns your Mac into an 8-bit videogame theme making machine (and really can you think of a better use of your Mac? I didn't think so). Check out the tutorial and leave a link in the comments to any 8-bit tracks you create.

Update: As George points out in the comments this is PowerPC only.  Sorry, Intel Mac users.

Tags: 8-bit, create digital music, CreateDigitalMusic, nintendo, super mario brothers, SuperMarioBrothers

Filed under: Hardware, Hacks, Cult of Mac

Top 10 strangest Mac mods

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Apr 13th, 2006


Behold, ladies and gentlemen: the Top 10 strangest Mac mods at TechBlog. Johnathan Ive's blood would surely boil if he were to feast his eyes on such mutant Mac modifications as the NecroMac of the PowerMac G4 Aquarium!

I know we've linked to a few of these in the past as we heard about them, but it's nice to see them all in one big list - and ranked.

Tags: aquarium, case, fish, hacks, lego, Mac, Millenium Falcon, MilleniumFalcon, modifications, mods, necromac, nintendo, Top 10, Top10

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