WiiNintendo

Posted by Joel Johnson

Of all the software demonstrated at the iPhone SDK launch yesterday, nothing was more compelling to me than the games. With the addition of the iTunes App Store which will allow iPhone users to purchase and install third-party applications right from the phone, even over the relatively slow connection of the EDGE network, the reward for the developer who creates the first hit game for the millions of existing iPhone and iPod Touch customers could be substantial. For just $100—the price of the iPhone SDK—even indie developers have soup-to-nuts sales access to millions of mobile gaming customers.

But there’s more than just the easy access that makes the platform promising. Mike Lee, “Chief Primate” of fledgling software company United Lemur (and formerly of Delicious Monster) thinks the hardware is more compelling than that of even dedicated handheld gaming devices.

“It’s more like a Wii than it is a DS,” said Lee, before warning that “superior hardware doesn’t guarantee success.” I pointed out that some types of games, such as traditional fighters and platformers, pretty much require a dedicated directional pad.

“Instead of being stuck with a d-pad, you can create any kind of control setup you want,” said Lee. “When you need something more sensitive, like an analog coolie hat controller, the phone itself can be used. Like the Wii, the developer may need to think outside the box a little when it comes to game design and control, but that’s a good thing.” Developers can view the hardware as a limitation or inspiration.

Certainly some games will work better than others. At the SDK launch event, SEGA’s Ethan Einhorn said Super Monkey Ball on the iPhone “feels like it was always the way Super Monkey Ball should be played.”

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