New App Store section for premium games?
Apple may be planning a new section of the App Store dedicated to premium game titles that will put more cash in the pockets of developers.
The new section will supposedly cater to games that sell for about $20, according to the blog PocketGamer.biz, which first reported the rumor.
The new section will be restricted to only games of large publishers, rather than titles created by smaller gaming developers that are already offered through the main App Store, the site said.
PocketGamer believes that Apple will likely introduce the new section its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.
The App Store currently offers more than 1,500 games, which is more than the combined titles offered for Sony's PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS, the two main competitors in the handheld gaming market. But some developers have complained that the open market place of the App Store and its Top 100 lists tend to reward cheaper but higher-volume applications.
That said, the Web site AppleInsider quoted Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of iPhone and iPod product marketing, as saying one of the benefits of the App Store is the low overhead required to become an influential player in the market. Developers don't need a publisher on the App Store to get their game out to the masses, which he said he considers a good thing.
Games are the most popular type of application in the App Store. And they make up almost 25 percent of all titles.
Marguerite Reardon has been a CNET News reporter since 2004, covering cell phone services, broadband, citywide Wi-Fi, the Net neutrality debate, as well as the ongoing consolidation of the phone companies. E-mail Maggie. 
graphics r good and gameplay is almost Wii like
but Bigger companies aren't getting involved
I hope this changes their minds
after playing Warfare Incorporated
I feel there's need for better RTS games
they work well enough now
but gameplay and graphics suck at the moment
Something Blizzard n others can fix easily
I'd pay 20$ for a Starcraft type of game in a heartbeat
Most are crap like fart noises.
No offence to apple and I have a touch and bought a few good games some I wish I didn't, but they can never be as good as the PSP and DS.
N-Gage, anyone?
any more relevant than anyone else but here is what I think.
I think it's safe to say that people are slightly narrow minded when
it comes to defining these portable device. Being a "fanboy" or a
"fangirl" is quite a comftarble status unlike simply being rational
about the situation.
First, the iPod Touch and the iPhone are multimedia platform. Often,
the music player is acknowledge has it's unique feature. The iPod
Touch and iPhone is actually a pretty powerful device (memory, speed
& rendering) that can actually browse the web, run diverse types of
application and support a large array of media files.
These device are now pushing toward their gaming aspect. The Touch
Gen are unconventional for gaming, they are somewhat less technical
and more intuitive (this is the same reason some may never like the
Wii). Because of their nature, a lot of the game released for Apple
devices are crap and of homebrew quality. It was the same for the DS
when it came out, but Nintendo had more experience in blocking trash
from their platform.
It's safe to say that the Apple Premium Games will push the gaming
aspect of the Touch Gen even beyond their MVP app's. They have to.
Why? Well this brings me to my second point.
The DS and PSP which are what people call "gaming dedicated devices"
actually have a lot of multimedia potential. Sony and Nintendo are
slowly but convincingly pushing toward multi-functions devices with
new firmware, hardware and services just like Apple. Everyone is
adventuring in to everyones territory. Thats how capitalism works :P
Apple, Sony and Nintendo actions are not really surprising.
I'll watch how things work out for these guys. Fanslaves, choose your
camp; technical=PSP, hybrid=DS, intuitive=iPod. Has for me, I'm
pretty much versatile.
I don't doubt that improved options for gamers may fit into an interest of some consumers (although I think that serious gamers would prefer playing at home, with a large TV screen, for hours on end..) - but IF this constitutes the main change in the evolution of the current iphone to the next version, I think that Apple will actually be ignoring the great part of its target market (non-gamers, yes, but also specifically Women.)
Tantillo actually had a post a while back on <a href="http://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2008/04/02/tantillo-on-the-news-electronics-and-women.aspx">women as consumers of electronics</a>--and how companies such as Best Buy had ignored these consumers and had started to mend their ways. Apple would be wise not to make the same sorts of mistakes.
I don't doubt that improved options for gamers may fit into an interest of some consumers (although I think that serious gamers would prefer playing at home, with a large TV screen, for hours on end..) - but Brand expert John Tantillo named Apple last week's 'brand winner' (Microsoft was named the loser), specifically citing the fact that Apple, unlike Microsoft, pays attention to its Target Market and what it wants. http://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2009/01/24/brand-winners-and-losers-apple-and-microsoft.aspx
I don't doubt that improved options for gamers may fit into an interest of some consumers (although I think that serious gamers would prefer playing at home, with a large TV screen, for hours on end..) - but IF this constitutes the main change in the evolution of the current iphone to the next version, I think that Apple will actually be ignoring the great part of its target market (non-gamers, yes, but also specifically Women.)
Tantillo actually had a post a while back on women as consumers of electronics--and how companies such as Best Buy had ignored these consumers and had started to mend their ways. Apple would be wise not to make the same sorts of mistakes. http://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2008/04/02/tantillo-on-the-news-electronics-and-women.aspx
- by TerryMaker February 3, 2009 4:51 PM PST
- Hi everyone, I'm a bit late on the chat, it's not like I was going
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
(9 Comments)any more relevant than anyone else but here is what I think.
I think it's safe to say that people are slightly narrow minded when
it comes to defining these portable device. Being a "fanboy" or a
"fangirl" is quite a comftarble status unlike simply being rational
about the situation.
First, the iPod Touch and the iPhone are multimedia platform. Often,
the music player is acknowledge has it's unique feature. The iPod
Touch and iPhone is actually a pretty powerful device (memory, speed
& rendering) that can actually browse the web, run diverse types of
application and support a large array of media files.
These device are now pushing toward their gaming aspect. The Touch
Gen are unconventional for gaming, they are somewhat less technical
and more intuitive (this is the same reason some may never like the
Wii). Because of their nature, a lot of the game released for Apple
devices are crap and of homebrew quality. It was the same for the DS
when it came out, but Nintendo had more experience in blocking trash
from their platform.
It's safe to say that the Apple Premium Games will push the gaming
aspect of the Touch Gen even beyond their MVP app's. They have to.
Why? Well this brings me to my second point.
The DS and PSP which are what people call "gaming dedicated devices"
actually have a lot of multimedia potential. Sony and Nintendo are
slowly but convincingly pushing toward multi-functions devices with
new firmware, hardware and services just like Apple. Everyone is
adventuring in to everyones territory. Thats how capitalism works :P
Apple, Sony and Nintendo actions are not really surprising.
I'll watch how things work out for these guys. Fanslaves, choose your
camp; technical=PSP, hybrid=DS, intuitive=iPod. Has for me, I'm
pretty much versatile.