iPhone is "future of gameplay" - Apple

DS and PSP are "more in the past".

Apple marketing exec Greg Joswiak has declared that the iPhone and iPod Touch represent "the future of gameplay" - unlike dusty old antiques the DS and PSP.

Joswiak was speaking in an interview with T3. Referring to the 1500 software titles already available for Apple products, he stated, "The gameplay I think has surprised a lot of people, because it’s not just the casual games... There are already so many games and as we look at it, to us it really seems this is the future of gameplay.

"Whereas a lot of these devices [Nintendo DS and Sony PSP] are more in the past," Joswiak continued. "And a big part of that is not just the device itself, which is easier to carry, and has the touch display and accelerometer which is great for gameplay, but it’s the electronic distribution of the apps as well."

According to Joswiak, it helps that "almost all" games for Apple devices cost GBP 5 - compared to around GBP 25 for "apps on other devices". "[Developers] don't have to worry about licensing and manufacturing hardware, they don't have to worry about forecasting, returns..." observed Joswiak.

"At under GBP 5 a game, not only are people saving money, they’re also discovering more because they end up buying more games - because they’re five games for the price of one on another console."

The games developers are working on now for Apple products will "blow everyone away", reckons Joswiak. "Because again the computer power and the 3D graphic power here," he said, referring to the iPod Touch, "Is significantly greater than what you have here," he added, picking up a Nintendo DS.

"So this allows people to do significantly higher quality games. And the Touch is always in your pocket, whereas you can’t always carry some other games consoles."

Comments (67) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • bad09 #1 3 years ago

    My PSP says different....
  • keyboardmonkey #2 3 years ago

    Yep , Err good luck with that.

    Nintendo must be cacking themselves. I imagine the original Gameboy still sells more games on it than the Apple iPhone.
  • monkeylite #3 3 years ago

  • mcbi4kh2 #4 3 years ago

    I agree with him, turning my ps3 on and watching a video / tv show I have recorded from half way around the world, all via my psp, is really old school. Get with the times Sony.
  • aldo_14 #5 3 years ago

    Yes, because people will genuinely want to pay 250 quid for a locked-in-contract phone to play games on the bog.
  • Pirotic #6 3 years ago

    Until it has some proper buttons it really can't compete with the DS/PSP in terms of regular games.
  • J.C #7 3 years ago

    He sounds like that other guy, was his face from nokia. the n-gage is the future, blah blah, nintendo better watch out blah blah. fuck off apple.
  • zhgingaah #8 3 years ago

    Customers also don't have to worry about paying £800 for the platform or being tied to a wallet sapping £40 a month for 2 years...

    Yeah, that £99 DS must be crapping itself?

    And what's that Mr. PSP - DRM free video from my own DVD / Download collection happily shoved on a 16GB Memory Stick on your 4.3 inch screen? £150 you say?

    And games from Sega, Nintendo, EA, and so on...

    ...yes, I simply must buy a g@yphone for the gaming.

    ...a bit like the way I must buy one for the way it offers all that 'business connectivity' that's NOTHING at all to do with MS Exchange... oh no.

    Apple - I don't care if they make any nice products, they're run by prats and sell to even bigger prats.
  • DoctorZoidberg #9 3 years ago

    I agree with him, turning my ps3 on and watching a video / tv show I have recorded from half way around the world, all via my psp, is really old school. Get with the times Sony.

    But how much has it cost you to put all that together? Then an iPhone is free nowadays on contract.

    In some ways I agree with him. If the iPhone was more powerful for games, then he has a solid point, but at present its a bit of a bold statement. I don't own a PSP or a DS anymore, as I just never used them. But if Mario 64 or Mario Kart (as examples) came out on the iPhone, I would be much more likely to have a quick go when traveling etc. One less piece of equipment.


  • mcbi4kh2 #10 3 years ago

    Nothing extra at all really, I had my TV, PS3 and PSP before that feature was available.

    Then an iPhone is free nowadays on contract.
    Nothing in life is free.
  • JonFE #11 3 years ago

    It would help if Apple weren't charging for updates the newer models get for free and changing the specs every now and then :)
  • zhgingaah #12 3 years ago

    @Doctor Zoidberg

    "I agree with him, turning my ps3 on and watching a video / tv show I have recorded from half way around the world, all via my psp, is really old school. Get with the times Sony.

    But how much has it cost you to put all that together? Then an iPhone is free nowadays on contract. "

    Less than the cost of that 'free phone' on it's 'NOT very free contract' I'd wager...

    But don't worry, you can download the episode of Lost he's watching for free on his PSP on the iphone for a 'nominal fee' from itunes...
    Edited by 1 at 12/11/08 @ 08:59
  • zhgingaah #13 3 years ago

    Off Topic: Talking of $5 / £5 games, I picked Every Extend Extra at HMV for a fiver the other day for my PSP... that's the best value fiver I've blown in a while!
  • aliki #14 3 years ago

    I picked up a new copy of Gitaroo Man Lives for £5 at GAME not long ago. You can't do games like that on Apple's ripoff phone.
  • Thamuhacha #15 3 years ago

    I'm not saying he's right. But if you have an iphone, download "Trace"

    It's no Fallout 3, but it's the best free game for a phone EVER
  • DFawkes #16 3 years ago

  • Madafunkola #17 3 years ago

    Contract this.. contract that... These games also work on the ipod touch - No contract.
    You can also rip DVDs to the 16gig internal memory using very simple free software.
  • Greebo #18 3 years ago


    The only thing I saw in Apple's comments that made me want a step forward in dedicated handheld consoles is the digital distribution model.

    It's an afterthought on Dsi and PSP and should be at the heart of the next round.
  • SpyroViper #19 3 years ago

    I agree with this. I use my itouch on the commute to work almost everyday. I got bored of my PSP when I completed the only good game that stupid device has.. god of war.
  • Grump #20 3 years ago

    All this talk about the iPhone - what about the iPod Touch? I used to bring either my PSP or DS with me wherever I went but since getting the iTouch I've no longer felt the need. I've been pleasantly surprised (though not blown away) by the quality of some of the games available through the app store.
    Monkey Ball is great fun once you get used to the overly sensitive motion sensing.
    -Crash Bandicoot racing is good fun but more importantly shows that there is a lot of potential for a Mario Kart quality game in the -near future when developers are able to squeeze more out of the system.
    -Texas Hold 'em is perfect for 2-3 minute bouts when waiting in line etc.

    Also - the 16gb capacity means i can also carry all my favourite music, watch TV shows and films, access email and web all on one portable device. I don't have an iPhone but would really love one because it means I would only need to carry one device around instead of 2.

    Don't write off Apple just yet.....

  • the_dudefather #21 3 years ago

    got a picross clone for the ipod touch, its quite nice for a quick game every so often :)

    once peggle comes out for it my life is complete
  • dr_faulk #22 3 years ago

    "Joswiak" is such an amalgamation of "Jobs" and "Wozniak", it's not even funny.

    Also, I wonder what button on the iPhone fires the red shell in Mario Kart?
    Edited by 1 at 12/11/08 @ 09:37
  • yegon #23 3 years ago

    >>>I'm not saying he's right. But if you have an iphone, download "Trace"
    ---

    Reading your post prompted me to try Trace....it's very good! And free!! Cheers.
  • AusFreelancer #24 3 years ago

    DS and PSP are "more in the past".

    HAHAHAHA!!!! Just like the 3G iphone, which funnily enough is only equipt with 2G phone features...(no MMS, video calls). Phone was obsolete 4yrs before it came out.
  • pinhead #25 3 years ago

    Dear Apple,
    I do not need your pretty looking products in my life. I have fully functional products which already meet my need, which include items such as a phone and a DS. Thanks anyway. Please continue to sell the latest iteration of whatever you have released to people in the media and your ardent followers. I am not interested.

    Thanks
  • Madafunkola #26 3 years ago

    Who here actually uses video calling? I've had it on my last 3/4 phones and used it once to test the novelty.
  • monkeylite #27 3 years ago

    Many of us here use copy and paste I gather.
  • UncleLou #28 3 years ago

    Well, he's got a point.

    My DS is collecting dust since I've got a Touch. But it does need buttons to make it a real alternative as far as gaming is concerned.

    (It does help that the games in the AppStore cost a fraction of DS games, too.)
    Edited by 1 at 12/11/08 @ 10:07
  • dadrester #29 3 years ago

    nooooooooo! not another shitbag badmouthing the competition. All we need now is MS to jump in and we'll have a right old fucking soup of cuntery.
  • kangarootoo #30 3 years ago

    "So this allows people to do significantly higher quality games. And the Touch is always in your pocket, whereas you can’t always carry some other games consoles."

    Well not the ones that sit under your TV, but all of the portable systems are as portable as an iPhone. There are a few gems available for the iPhone, but most of the games are a bit guff imo.

    The iPhone is doing nothing that most other mobile phone game platforms have been doing, save the addition of a touch screen. That doesn't imply quality, in the same way that the Wiimote hasn't automatically resulted in a pile of quality 3rd party titles. A game for £5 is only good value if its any good, and most mobile phone games just aren't that good.
  • Dan234 #31 3 years ago

    I look forward to seeing "the computer power and the 3D graphic power" being put to use for the "future of gameplay," all for a fiver.

    Here's a preview
    Edited by 1 at 12/11/08 @ 10:31
  • jellyhead #32 3 years ago

    Dear Apple,
    Going on your past form and commitment to gaming unless there has been a revolution in your corporation i will think of this statement on iPhone gaming as lies and hype designed to lure people in before you drop gaming support and make pretty calculator apps and hypercard slides like usual.

    Rodger Applehategaming
    President of Vice, Pull the other one Inc.
  • BOFH_UK #33 3 years ago

    *sigh* I really do wonder when the collective geek brain got turned into an 'us or them' engine... Like it or not, Apple have a point here. Let's ignore the iPhone for a sec and focus on the iPod Touch. Costs roughly the same as a PSP once you put a memory stick in the PSP and both platforms give you an MP3 player, let you watch movies, surf the net and play games. It's just that the PSP delivers games targeted at the more dedicated gamer, the Touch is more at the casual gamer.

    And yet... the touch is far smaller than the PSP, has a large number of productivity apps as well, has a web browser that actually works, is a far superior media platform and, thanks to the app store, makes getting new games and applications very easy and very cheap. This is Apple going its own way and it seems to have tapped into a large market that, up until now, maybe wasn't be addressed by the rest of the gaming industry. It's what Nokia have been trying to do for, what, four years now with N-gage and Apple managed it practicaly overnight.

    Does anyone doubt that the next new platform from Nintendo or Sony will have an on-line store? Or that they're going to be working on producing something that looks far more like an iPhone than a PSP at least in terms of size? Or that the attractions of a 3G data connection for gaming will be lost on them? Remember that the iPhone platform is still very, very early in its lifecycle right now, it's going to be very interesting indeed to see what devs can come up with given more time and resources. Is it going to replace a DS/PSP for those that read Eurogamer? Probably not, not yet anyway. But is there a market out there that could make it a major player? Absolutely.
  • jonsaan #34 3 years ago

    the IPhone isn't even the future of music players ffs.
  • Krusty #35 3 years ago

    Love my iPhone, and some of the games (Virtual Pool FTW), but I don't think Apple give a shit about gamers.

    Remember reading an interview with Gabe Newell (Valve for cave dwellers), and they've talked to Apple on several occasions about getting Steam on the Mac... Apple couldn't give a toss, so neither can Valve anymore
  • spitfire1945 #36 3 years ago

    Paying 250€ for the phone and other 600-800€ (or even much more since those profile only allows you 500- 600 MB of download per month, which is ridiculously low!) for a 2 years contract with Vodafone/Tim just to get 5€ games for it? does that means a grat value for this guy? For me it's a total ripoff!

    Apple, no thanks! Not any more money from me!
  • Dan234 #37 3 years ago

    Remember that the iPhone platform is still very, very early in its lifecycle right now, it's going to be very interesting indeed to see what devs can come up with given more time and resources.

    Buttons?
  • Thunderbolt #38 3 years ago

    Not an iphone/ipod touch user but are the games for these devices not just modified Flash-based games that you can play on internet for free?

    I have an ipod classic which pisses all over the touch as its actually a useful MUSIC player not a flash gadget but the games I have for it like Spore: origins, Zuma and Klondike are all fun but not ground-breaking like whats on the DS and PSP.

    I think Sony and Nintendo can sleep peacefully at night over this issue
  • AusFreelancer #39 3 years ago

    @ Madafunkola

    You may not use video calling, but from working in the building industry it's very useful.
    Back on topic: I don't see how controlling by moving the screen around, or blocking the touch screen with your finger is "the future".
  • Goffee #40 3 years ago

    My PSP has metal gear and FF crisis core with more Resistance on the way - I think not mr appley wappley
  • miiiguel #41 3 years ago

    What's the BS nowdays, every want wants to be "avantguard" ? PS3 dude saying "comeptition is losing momentum", and now this?
    Rethoric, rethoric...

    I wished these guys showed us, with facts.
  • jglover4 #42 3 years ago

    "Not an iphone/ipod touch user but are the games for these devices not just modified Flash-based games that you can play on internet for free? "

    Not at all, there are games being made exclusively for the iPhone and iPod touch (like the recently released 'Jumble!' (/shameless self plug :)). Attempting to set aside my slightly partisan view on the platform, I do find myself using it for casual gaming far more than my DS or PSP (carry two entertainment devices on the train? Not me, etc, etc) but it certainly won't mean I'll be getting rid of them - there's plenty of life left in them (and games coming out that I want).
    Edited by 1 at 12/11/08 @ 11:19
  • Weezer #43 3 years ago

    I don't ever think the iPhone/iPod Touch will compete with DS or PSP, but it's SO easy to try/buy stuff for it. And the quality is going up in leaps and bound.

    I'm addicted to Galcon at the moment.
  • rodpad #44 3 years ago

    Funny how people keep on moaning about the cost of the iPhone. You simpletons do know the iPod Touch is identical bar the phone features yes?
  • UncleLou #45 3 years ago

    Paying 250€ for the phone and other 600-800€ (or even much more since those profile only allows you 500- 600 MB of download per month, which is ridiculously low!) for a 2 years contract with Vodafone/Tim just to get 5€ games for it? does that means a grat value for this guy? For me it's a total ripoff!

    Apple, no thanks! Not any more money from me!


    iPod Touch.

    As mentioned about a dozen times in this thread.
  • Thunderbolt #46 3 years ago

    The iPod Touch is a jack of many trades master of none

    Its not that useful as a music player due to the memory size 8-16gb so if you are an audiophile the Classic is your choice or the Nano which is a lot smaller and more conveient

    As a games machine - well see the above comments

    As a media player, decent but limited by memory size and the PSP is actually better for watching movies.

    As I said before a flash gadget but not that useful maybe once they get it up to 32gb and 64gb and at a decent price this might change
  • miiiguel #47 3 years ago

    iPod Touch? That's so passé..., I mean, who wants to carry arround a mobile, an "iPod Touch", maybe a GPS..., everything in it's right place, one place! And for that iPhone is *expensive* for what it does.

    That said, I have an iPod Touch, which, of course, is always at home, and server no real purpose, as it has merely 8Gb.
  • hiddenranbir #48 3 years ago

    I don't want anything to do with your sniffing own fart smugnes, silly Apple.
  • rhubarbandcustard #49 3 years ago

    To repeat what has been written by many others.

    The iPod Touch (8GB for £169) is amazing. Games are soo cheap, literally thousands available, every genre, top five hundred games have production values which match or exceed what's available on PSP and DS which look antiquated in comparison.

    Need further convincing? Check these links:
    [link url=http://toucharcade.com/ ]http://toucharcade.com/ [/link]
    [link url=http://www.slidetoplay.co m/
    ]http://www.slidetoplay.co m/
    [/link]
    [link url=http://www.iphonega menetwork.com/
    ]http://www.iphonega menetwork.com/
    [/link]
    [link url=http://www.apptism.com/ ]http://www.apptism.com/ [/link]
    [link url=http://www.148app s.com/price-drops/
    ]http://www.148app s.com/price-drops/
    [/link]
    [link url=http://www.148apps.com/newest-148-app-store-additions/
    ]http://ww w.148apps.com/newest-148-app-st...[/link]

    By the way:
    Virtual Pool (£1.79) - Game of the year - £1.79!!! One pound and seventy-nine pence!!!
    Field Runners (£2.99) - Game of the year - £2.99!!! Two pound and ninety-nine pence!!!
    etc
    etc
    etc
  • Evolution #50 3 years ago

    but what platform has Phoenix Wright? ;)
  • Biggles #51 3 years ago

    Wow, a lot of negativity, dismissiveness and general lack of objective thinking.

    iPhone gaming isn't there yet, but it won't be long. A lot of games out at the moment are short on content, in part becuase when the sdk first came out developing for the iPod Touch/iPhone was considered far more risky. Now, at the end of 2008, the iPhone is in a very strong position and I think you'll see more resources being directed to developing games for it. Having said that, sinceit launched this summer, there have been more games released on the app store than for the PSP and DS combined for their entire lifespan. Of course most of them are rubbish, but then I think a lot of developers are producing simple copy cat games as a way of learning the ropes or to cash in on being first to market. With time we will definitely see more 'proper' games.

    In particular, from a development point of view, iPod Touch/iPhone has some distinct advantages over PSP/DS:

    * Nice API & powerful hardware
    * No NDA (there was one but it has since been lifted)
    * Very easy distribution model & revenue share model
    * Low development cost & few barriers to entry
    * Bells and whistles: accelerometer, multi touch screen, location awareness, wifi, internet connectivity, large inbuilt storage, ability to continuously update apps etc.
    * Indie friendly

    And in case anyone wants to compare this to 'phone games', which are widely regarded to be mostly rubbish, there are also the following important differences:

    * All of the above as well as...
    * Single powerful API/hardware combination meaning developers can work to the strengths of the platform, rather than write for the lowest common denominator of supported features.
    * A single huge, well established and thriving marketplace for applications, justifying higher development expenditure
    * Apple brand loyalty.

    From a consumer point of view:

    * Easy purchase of new apps
    * Generally low price points and frequent price drops
    * New game genres due to those bells and whistles already mentioned
    * Can replace multiple personal devices: phone, music player etc.

    Of course, it isn't all rosy, there are other factors working against Apple:

    * Nintendo / Sony brand loyalty, especially amongst hardcore gamers as well as anti-Apple backlash.
    * Lack of games industry connections or gaming heritage.
    * Vagueness of Apple's approval procedures and general anti-competitive behaviour.
    * Objective-C learning curve
    * Lack of physical buttons (this is probably the least important factor)

    Frankly, anyone who simply dismisses Apple's handhelds as gaming platforms isn't looking at the bigger picture. Yes, there are hurdles to overcome and I haven't even mentioned the price point, or that the DS and PSP currently seem far more appropriate for parents to buy for their children. At the end of the day, there will be a lot of people out there with devices that can play genuinely good games without even so much as a trip to the shop and there will be a ton of small developers eager to produce those games. I honestly don't see how it could fail to explode or become a huge success.

    But maybe I'm not thinking clearly...
    Edited by 1 at 12/11/08 @ 12:22
  • Blackthorned #52 3 years ago

    Biggles is right and covered a hell of a lot of ground there, I don't think it's reasonable to be completely dismissive when the IPhone and touch are still in their formative years.
  • Les #53 3 years ago

    Haven't got an iPhone or Touch (though having to suffer daily from using a Samsung i600 with Windows mobile makes me wish my employer wasn't so cheap) so can't really comment on the quality of Apple's games.

    I personally think iTunes as an electronic distribution channel is miles ahead of the PSN store, WiiWare and Live and having cheaper games for my mobile devices is definitely appealing.

    I'm not especially attached to my PSP or DS. They both are rather clunky and as I'm not female and therefore still feel rather insecure when toting around a handbag (irrational though it may be), I can see certain benefits of combining several portable devices in one. As with my keys, phone and wallet I'm quickly running out of pockets, especially in the summer.

    So I can definitely see some potential for the iPhone as a portable games device but it isn't there yet IMO. Key of course is that there's quality content. If that's ever the case, I'll have little trouble retiring my current portable consoles.
  • miiiguel #54 3 years ago

    Well, believing in Apples "predictions", all competitors might as well, close their doors and turn the lights out... they're the future of everything...

    Music distribution; TV; OS; Laptops; desktops; media players; mobile phones; gaming...
  • dryden555 #55 3 years ago

    with no input buttons at all, strictly for casual gaming. The battery life on the iphone is shockingly low.

    Nope. Sorry. All Market Hype.
    Edited by 1 at 12/11/08 @ 13:01
  • kangarootoo #56 3 years ago

    @Biggles

    Good post.

    Maybe this is a matter of timescale. My take was that Greg was comparing the current iPhone to the current portable gaming alternative, and perhaps that was shortsighted in my part and created a false impression in my mind.

    I don't doubt the business model of selling games for the iPhone (the mobile phone game market is huge and makes sacks of cash), but I do raise question over the quality. Maybe I should expose myself more to iPhone games, as I'm probably a bit out of touch and I might find myself surprised.
  • Thunderbolt #57 3 years ago

    The iphone will do for games what the itv did for TV. LOL

    Not saying there isnt potential and a market but thats what it is, a choice of a gaming platform not THE portable gaming platform.

    People still use PCs, people use other MP3 players and people still use other phones.

    Apple employees spend to much time kissing Steve Jobs ass and not enough time in the real world.
  • Dan234 #58 3 years ago

    It wouldn't be the first time an Apple product has turned into a great white stylishly-designed elephant (e.g. Newton, Apple TV) once all the hype has died down. I don't buy the iPhone/iPod Touch as a gaming platform, at least for anything other than casual games. Try and imagine (insert hit DS/PSP game here) with touch controls operated by fingertip. I don't think Mario Kart would quite be the same.

    You can't plug CPU/3D horsepower and a five pound price point in the same paragraph, unless you're talking about hundreds of sparkly gems with 3D zoom in Bejewelled.

    MacOS X may do many things well but it doesn't have a history of games development. If Apple bothered about games before it'd have more credibility but as it is the Apple PR bloke is speaking to the 18-25 year old male who has 150-200 quid burning a hole in pocket and doesn't know what to do with it, hence the interview in T3 instead of a games industry rag where any interviewer worth his salt would have picked up on the PR bullshit before he'd finished speaking.
  • Biggles #59 3 years ago

    Dan, as much as I loved the video you linked to earlier, this version of Cube is more representative of the iPod Touch / iPhone's capabilities.
    Edited by 2 at 12/11/08 @ 14:32
  • Les #60 3 years ago

    "hence the interview in T3 instead of a games industry rag where any interviewer worth his salt would have picked up on the PR bullshit before he'd finished speaking."

    LOL. Yeah, video game 'rags' are known for excellent journalism...
  • moggsy #61 3 years ago

    Reading some of the comments here, I'm getting deja vu. Haven't we had similar arguments over whether the Wii is competition for the PS3 and 360?

    The Wii is making more money than the PS3 or 360 and the iPod Touch/iPhone has the potential to make more money than the DS and PSP, whether gamers like that fact or not. So in that way it could be considered the future.
  • Dan234 #62 3 years ago

    My CUBE! is more advanced, it doesn't need to load images all the time.

    Les: I was thinking about Edge or Gamesindustry, but you're probably right for most of them...
  • loop7 #63 3 years ago

    You can get a 1st gen 16GB Ipod Touch from Argos for £148.97 and get £25 worth gift vouchers back at the moment.
  • juho #64 3 years ago

    Blah, like there haven't been cheap, crappy downloadable games for other mobile phones before Apple..
  • cafferkey #65 3 years ago

    Many questions to ask Apple's Greg Joswiak..

    What is Iphone's market share to its competitors ? I only know 1 person who owns a Iphone..

    A good proportion of handheld owners are young children.. Simple easy to use hardware (DS) Will parents allow their children to play games on a contract phone ?

    Great games sell hardware.. Nintendos foundations are built on this philosophy.. What must games do Apple have and are Apples R&D labs up to Nintendos standards ?

    Would you say it would make more sense for Ninteendo to release a gaming mobile considering it has the IP content ?
  • Les #66 3 years ago

    "It's just bloody unnecessary. Why not just press the damn home button to pick up a call instead?"

    My brother has the 2nd generation iPhone and I must say I thought it was one of its better features. No accidental phone calls while the phone is in your pocket. Or fumbling the thing out of your pocket and accidentally hitting the reject button. It's not ideal but IMO better than the currently available alternatives.
  • SEVQA #67 3 years ago

    "Wow, a lot of negativity, dismissiveness and general lack of objective thinking."

    This is a blog and people are allowed to be oppinonated here!

    "future of gameplay" - Is Apple IThink not!