Apple's Greg Joswiak touts iPod touch as the future of handheld gaming

[wraggster]

We speculated in our review of the new iPod touch that Apple had designs on more than just consumption of music and video, and now an interview with company VP of iPod and iPhone product marketing Greg Joswiak all but confirms that sights are set on the gaming market. In a conversation with T3, Joswiak boasts that the devices are breaking through as a viable alternative to established handhelds (such as the PSP or DS) due mostly in part to competitive software pricing and the company's content delivery system. While much of the interview focuses on iPod sales figures, it does delve into more detailed comparisons of platforms, with Joswiak stating, "The 3D graphic power here [iPod touch] is significantly greater than what you have here [picks up Nintendo DS]. So this allows people to do significantly higher quality games." While it's not unusual to hear Apple's honchos hyping their products like they just skipped across some water to heal a few lepers, it is a new trend to see the company aggressively going after gaming platform mainstays so directly. With Sony and Nintendo just getting up to speed on non-traditional content delivery, Apple may find an edge come holiday season with casual gamers -- the real question is whether the hardcore will bite.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/12/apples-greg-joswiak-touts-ipod-touch-as-the-future-of-handheld/

[ziegrim]

Will the hardcore gamers bite? i Don't think so. Personally I have no intentions of getting a touch or iPhone. iPods are good at what they do but I would hate to ruin a good screen by constantly gaming on it with my enormous American thumbs. I'll stick with my modded phat psp thanks.

[gumgod]

well the lack of buttons does tend to make it a little less friendly to more complex games... so I would have to say no.

[Tetris999]

ipod for nifty little games? yes

ipod for ACTUAL games? NO

if anyone ever noticed; the graphics arent even that powerful of that of a psp :p

[cashboxz02]

actually, the ipod touch is REALLY good for gaming. some of the games have extreme graphics, i would say about as good as psp's. and the controls are even better, they're motion sensitive and touch sensitive.

so yea....u should know something before you criticize it.

[cashboxz02]

it's a whole freakin computer in your freakin hands.

[ICE]

Motion and touch are not enough to make a great game that would appeal as "hard core". As Tetris said good for casual not for anything else. I know this because I own one and use it daily. Just not for gaming.

[Veskgar]

Yeah. I can't see myself or many others adopting the iPod Touch as their portable gaming device of choice. With the DSi soon to be released and the PSP, there really isn't any comparison.

[gutbub]

Hell no. Add some buttons and lower the price of the ipod itself, and then maybe. I don't think there is any ipod game that I can't play for free somewhere on the net.

[davidcrew]

I don't see this catching on to the people that actually game for games, and not to kill time waiting for a train or something. But then again, I've been wrong before, and the casual gamer market is very lucrative.

[yakumo]

Paying 600 euro for a handheld?

No thanks, I will not enter in the "apple game".

[BlueJinjo]

I don't think it will. Like many said, for casual gaming maybe. But hardcore complex games probably won't be seen on the iPOD touch, regardless of what hardcore apple goers might think. If they added a more versatile button set then maybe it'd be possible to do some hardcore games. But since the iPod/iPhone is suppose to do a lot with very little, they probably won't be adding anything extra to it.

[havoc_012]

I liked that Tetris Attack ripoff game on the ipod touch. It adds something new by tilting the screen to have the pieces move around.

But without regular buttons, I think the ipod touch games will remain a novelty.