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IPod as a viable gaming platform?

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What's people views on the viabilty of the IPod as a gaming platform in the new year?

 

I sometimes use my IPod for gaming having downloaded Phase (great GH/RB lite game) and also Sonic. Phase is a really good game definitly built for the system and uses the click wheel cleverly. But then Sonic is a completely kettle of fish shoehorning normal controls onto the click wheel and it works pretty well.

 

So with this in mind does the IPod have a future as a gaming platform outside of ports, quiz games and mini games?

 

Does it have the potential for a homebrew market?

 

Does the Itouch's abilities lend well to it being a competitor for DS?

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If this is anything like Apple have been with the iPhone then homebrew isn't going to happen.

 

This will never, ever take off.

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I can't see it happening, then again i'm one of possibly few that fucking hates the clickwheel.

And no, NEVER a competitor for the DS.

 

All this stuff gets stupid, it's why i'm happy with my simpletastic 6gb non-colour screen mp3 player, they are for playing music!

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Just like a phone is for making phone calls, but look what happened there :/

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I can't really say i use myt phone for anything except calling and texting anymore. The novelty of other features wore off eventually.

 

Thing is, if all this stuff gets combined into one (mp3, phone, camera, games) the system breaks/is lost or stolen, you've got nothing. But if my phone breaks, i have my DS and MP3 player still.

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I have Breakout on my iPod Video, I personally think games don't work very well on it. It's got nothing on the DS.

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I play solitaire and breakout on my ipod rarely. Its last generation so it can't play that guitar hero thingy. If it did, i'd be stuck to it.

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I can't really say i use myt phone for anything except calling and texting anymore. The novelty of other features wore off eventually.

 

Thing is, if all this stuff gets combined into one (mp3, phone, camera, games) the system breaks/is lost or stolen, you've got nothing. But if my phone breaks, i have my DS and MP3 player still.

 

You'd be stupid not to get insurance if you buy a high quality product which does all of those things though, especially as you'll have it on you almost 24/7.

 

I'm loving my phone at the moment, I regularly check my emails on it using the official Google Mail app, I'm pretty sure I'll be using Google Maps when I'm down in London to find my way about and the portable version of MSN which Three let me use for free is a great way to pass some time on the train or the likes.

 

As for the iPod as a gaming device, no, it will never take off. It's not built for games, they're added on afterwards as an easy money-maker, there aren't enough buttons on it to make a proper game and if they added on new buttons they'd lose the whole clean and simple image they've worked so hard to create.

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Peggle is fantastic on the ipod, works perfectly. Also, at work it looks weird if you bring a DS or something in, but an ipod is ok as it just for listening to music supposedly so it's a good way to have a sneeky game of something. Can't wait until games are available on the touch (without wi fi access)

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I can't really say i use myt phone for anything except calling and texting anymore. The novelty of other features wore off eventually.

 

Thing is, if all this stuff gets combined into one (mp3, phone, camera, games) the system breaks/is lost or stolen, you've got nothing. But if my phone breaks, i have my DS and MP3 player still.

 

Same here. Never bothered to buy a phone even with an integrated camera. I buy consoles soley for games; and MP3's I only use for listening to music. They serve their purpose well. But I guess some people like having all these three mediums on each device.

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iPod will sell the occasional game as a little extra, like with the two games you have. It's like saying the Nokia 3310 was a game platform because of Snake.

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iPod will sell the occasional game as a little extra, like with the two games you have. It's like saying the Nokia 3310 was a game platform because of Snake.

 

true, but then the likes of Snake are widely seen as the first breakthrough steps in making mobiles a true gaming platform... Although arguably we are still someway away from that...atleast in europe and US, although Japan is a different matter.

 

It's interesting to see what people think, just as a way of canvassing opinion.

Personally I see iPod gaming as a nice diversion but its never going to become major. The only way I could really see it kicking off is if they create a dedicated service for the touch/phone and got some major publishers onboard with exclusives.

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Hacked my touch a few days ago, works pretty well for games! Can't wait for Apple to launch the SDKs now so we can get some proper games and apps (i.e. ones with a decent amount of funding that tie into the UI better)

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I can't really say i use myt phone for anything except calling and texting anymore. The novelty of other features wore off eventually.

 

Thing is, if all this stuff gets combined into one (mp3, phone, camera, games) the system breaks/is lost or stolen, you've got nothing. But if my phone breaks, i have my DS and MP3 player still.

 

Way more important than it breaking, or you losing it, is the battery life.

 

I don't want to piss away my phone's battery life by constantly playing music or playing games - what if I, you know, need it in an emergency

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I like Texas Hold 'Em, Tetris and Zuma on my iPod and the LOST game is a good example of what it could be good for, but I tend to only get it out for gaming on the train or whatever, I would never use it for serious gaming.

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I like Texas Hold 'Em, Tetris and Zuma on my iPod and the LOST game is a good example of what it could be good for, but I tend to only get it out for gaming on the train or whatever, I would never use it for serious gaming.

 

Is the LOST game any good has got mixed reviews...but looks intriguing....

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Not really, you have to look at the input, it's very much like mobile phone gaming, it's OK to pass the time but not a serious gaming format, simply because the controls are always poop!

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It's not a bad game but I didn't get into it because I didn't follow the series. That said, it controls better than most games (IMO) and the beginning where you wander round the plane wreck helping people and a dude gets sucked into the engine seems very true to the film. I think big fans would like it.

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ok so major bumpage, but I feel recent changes to the scene mean this is a good time to take another look at ipod as a viable platform.

 

The touch is more and more opening itself for games and developers are starting to take it serious and try to unleash its true power.

 

But lets not forget the latest generation of click wheel ipods. I downloaded the brilliant turn based RPG from Square-Enix Soul Summoner: The Unsung Heroes. A game uniquely based on the ipod.

 

Here's the press release;

 

SQUARE ENIX ANNOUNCES SONG SUMMONER: The Unsung Heroes, a Full-Scale Role-Playing Game for iPod, Now Available on iTunes

 

LOS ANGELES (July 7, 2008) – Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix™ interactive entertainment products in North America, announced the release of SONG SUMMONER™:

 

The Unsung Heroes, on sale at the iTunes® Store worldwide (http://www.itunes.com) and available for play in English and Japanese on the iPod nano with video, iPod classic and fifth generation iPod.

 

SONG SUMMONER: The Unsung Heroes is a Role-Playing Game that transforms your iPod® songs into powerful “Tune Troopers†that you can control in battle! As the protagonist Ziggy, you will embark on an epic journey to rescue your brother from the clutches of the Mechanical Militia! Intriguing characters, an epic story and a tactics-based battle system combine for a rich RPG experience previously only available on home and handheld game consoles.

 

SONG SUMMONER: The Unsung Heroes

 

Publisher: Square Enix, Inc.

Platform: iPod nano with video, iPod classic and fifth generation iPod

Genre: Role-Playing

Launch Date: July 8, 2008

Price: 4.99 USD (iTunes Store download)

 

Story

 

From the days of old, Melodica was a land of music, a land of freedom. The people sang, played and danced to the music they so cherished. Until one day, they came — the Mechanoids, who enhanced their bodies with machinery. Those who were tempted by greed and power willingly gave away their souls for bodies of steel, forsaking their humanity to become cold, emotionless automatons. Now, they seek to destroy all that do not embrace their way of life.

 

But there is hope on the horizon. There are those who are fated to stand against the tyranny of the machines — the Superstars, who can turn sound into lethal weapons, and the Conductor, also known as the Song Summoner, who can summon powerful warriors born of music.

 

In their most desperate hour, Melodica awaits the arrival of their new Song Summoner…

 

Game Features

 

- Transform your iPod songs into “Tune Troopers†to combat the evil Mechanical Militia.

- Tune Trooper types and abilities are determined by the songs used to create them.

- Your Tune Troopers can be powered up even outside of the game–just by listening to the songs you used to create them!

- Control Ziggy, a “Conductor†that creates warriors out of music, and guide him through his journey to save his brother Zero from the Mechanical Militia.

- Experience a turn-based tactics battle system, divided into player and enemy phases where each side takes turns maneuvering their forces.

- Deploy the right troopers at the right time, and use contraptions found on the map effectively to achieve victory in battle!

- iPod Click Wheelallows players to play the game as easily as selecting music.

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I'm still in the camp that the lifespans of such platforms are so short that many developers (and "gamers") don't see them as serious platforms. If a developer gets deluded by the "power" of these platforms, so be it. But the actual market for these titles are poor. Need I mention that pretty much every device is hackable so those who are actually wanting mobile games are going to get them online. For nothing.

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Well well

Super Monkey Ball on the iPhone is pretty damm awesome... makes me wonder why i spent £29 on the DS version when this one is better and only £5.99

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Well well

Super Monkey Ball on the iPhone is pretty damm awesome... makes me wonder why i spent £29 on the DS version when this one is better and only £5.99

 

You bought a Super Monkey Ball other than Super Monkey Ball 1?

 

Shame on you sir! The original is the only one that doesn't deserve the title, Super Monkey Bollocks.

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You bought a Super Monkey Ball other than Super Monkey Ball 1?

 

Shame on you sir! The original is the only one that doesn't deserve the title, Super Monkey Bollocks.

 

Yeah you have a point, tho i did find monkey ball 2 to be pretty good too

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