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In yesterday’s article, I talked about the iPhone SDK and how it could revolutionize the handheld gaming industry. I went on to list five specific aspects of the iPhone which Nintendo and Sony should be worried about. Today, I am going to look at the other side of the story and list five reasons why the iPhone won’t compete with the DS and PSP:

1. Price – The iPhone is not a cheap device, even after Apple slashed its price considerably last year. The 8GB model comes in at $399 while the 16GB model is $499. In comparison, the Nintendo DS Lite is only $129.99 and the Sony PSP, $169.99. While the iPhone may be great for people who want a full-fledged multimedia device with gaming capabilities, it is certainly not a viable alternative for someone who only wants to play games.  Although the PSP also offers a wealth of multimedia features, sans a phone, it is over $200 cheaper than the 8GB iPhone. Granted, you could purchase an iPod touch, which will also be able to play games, but even then, you’d still be paying $299 for the 8GB model, $399 for the 16GB model or $499 for the 32GB model. The iPhone/iPod touch could be the greatest gaming platform in the world, but at that price point, it would be very hard to justify purchasing it solely for its gaming capabilities. Yes, you would be getting a variety of useful features with either the iPhone or the iPod touch, but what about the ten year old who just wants a device to play games on, or the college student who already owns an iPod and a cell phone? The iPhone and iPod touch are simply too expensive to be purchased just for gaming.
2. Battery life – When it comes to portable gaming, perhaps the most important feature of any device is battery life. The Nintendo DS Lite has incredible battery life, lasting up to 19 hours (although closer to eight hours if you have the screen at its brightest setting). The PSP’s battery life is significantly lower, approximately 5 hours while playing games.  However, Sony does give you the option to buy an extended battery, whereas with the iPhone and iPod touch, the battery cannot be removed by the user, meaning that if you’re away from an outlet and your iPhone/iPod touch dies, tough luck.  The iPhone is rated at approximately seven hours for video while the iPod touch is rated at 5.  However, this is without any input from the user, so for games, when you’ll actually be interacting with the device and not just watching a video on it, the battery life will most likely be quite a bit shorter. Furthermore, with the iPhone, any phone calls that come in while you’re playing will drain the battery even further. If the iPhone and iPod touch offered better battery life or the ability to swap batteries in and out, perhaps they would stand a better chance as gaming platforms.
3. Controls – The biggest feature of the iPhone and iPod touch is, of course, the touch screen. However, this may also prove to be their undoing in the gaming arena. With games like The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and the upcoming Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, the DS has proven that touch controls for games can be successful. However, even with a thin stylus, I found that sometimes the action taking place on-screen during Phantom Hourglass was obscured. Imagine how much of the image would be covered up if you were using your finger instead of a stylus? Now, you may be saying “Yes, but the iPhone/iPod touch have 3-axis accelerometers”, which is true, but not all games are suited to that form of control. Think about fighting games or action-adventure games, games that require a great degree of control. You would be hard-pressed to play a fighting game by just moving the device around and you can only do so much with the touch screen before interfering with the visuals. This leaves developers in a conundrum as to how their games will be controlled. While the iPhone/iPod touch may be great for some genres, if they cannot adequately accommodate most, if not all of the major genres, they can never hope of taking over the DS and PSP.
4. Accelerometer - As with the touchscreen, one of the best features of the iPhone/iPod touch may not be as cut out for gaming as Apple wants you to think. The built-in, 3-axis accelerometer of the iPhone/iPod touch is great for controlling certain types of games, especially games like Super Monkey Ball. However, the iPhone/iPod touch are portable devices and, as such, will be used in a variety of places. Imagine trying to guide AiAi around a stage in Super Monkey Ball while you’re sitting on a bus, going over all kinds of bumps and dips. How will this type of control fare when you yourself are not in full control of your motions? I worried about this with the Nintendo DS as well, but since the control scheme for the Nintendo DS is indirect (i.e. the stylus needs to be on the screen, you need to be blowing into the microphone, or you need to push a button for something to happen) going over bumps does not have as much of an effect, since it doesn’t matter if the DS itself is moving a bit. However, with the iPhone/iPod touch, where many games will inevitably rely on the 3-axis accelerometer, this could be a major problem.
5. Speakers – While the iPhone does have a speaker, it is certainly not up to par with either the DS or PSP. Furthermore, the iPod touch doesn’t have speakers at all. Therefore, gamers would be restricted to using headphones. You could use the iPhone’s speakers, but the quality wouldn’t be nearly as good. Although this isn’t horrible, it certainly isn’t ideal. Gamers should be able to have a choice of using either speakers or headphones with their portable gaming devices. Ironically, in many instances, headphones may actually be preferred, especially if you will be gaming amidst many people. However, there are still many times when this is not the case and just being able to play a game without having to pop in ear buds each time is preferred. This is certainly the least significant disadvantage of the iPhone/iPod touch, but it is a disadvantage nonetheless.

So, will the iPhone and iPod touch be successful in the handheld gaming industry? To a certain extent, yes. They will certainly help to rejuvenate a stagnating market for cellular games, but they will not take over the DS and PSP. However, they don’t have to. The iPhone is, at its core, a phone and the iPod touch is a music player. They were not designed around gaming as were the DS and PSP, but rather, gaming is merely another feature these devices offer. Whether the iPhone and iPod touch become great gaming platforms remains to be seen, but what is certain is that they are incredible multi-media devices which will soon add yet another useful feature to their already impressive repertoire.

Filed under: Apple, Cell Phones, iPod, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Sony, Technology, Video Games Tagged: | Apple, DS, iPhone, iPhone SDK, iPod, iPod touch, multimedia, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, Nintendo DS Lite, PSP, Sony, Super Monkey Ball, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass