Comments on: iPhone developer: 3G S graphics will be sooo much better than PSP's

Since the iPhone launched in 2007, I've yet to see a 3D game come close to matching the graphics of the best the PSP has to offer. According to at least one developer, this may be changing.

[tipoo_]

Wow, a brand new product with better graphics than a 4 year old one? Unbelievable!


p.s the Pre uses the same (if the roomers about the 3GS using the Cortex processor are true) processor and graphics solution.

[jbelkin]

We should know by now that graphics means squat if the game is bad ... the iphones main advantage are two-fold. A) Minimal distribution costs - that $40 game also requires a lot of overhead in small things (packaging, shipping, returns) but two critical costs - guessing how many to manufacturer and of course, costs built into the guess - 50K? 100K? 2MM? And if it flops or if it's a raging success? Plus the licensing costs to Sony, Nintendo or MS (why they are really in the console business) + the retail markup ... with an iPhone game, the markup is a flat 30% but you have ZERO manufacturing costs and no need forthe small stuff - jewel case, printing artwork - etc ... sure, you still have overhead but no add'l expendeable costs ... if you sell 1 MM iPhone units, you will not need to ship out 1MM instruction booklets and jewel cases or as some cmpanies find out - have to taken back to markdown 500,000 units.

The other key component is the new pricing add-on structure. It's $9.99 for 10 levels ... next five levels cost you X ... versus spending $40 for 74 levels ... all or nothing. Maybe I'm in - if I like it, I'm in for more, if not - the game company can cut their loses and move on or better yet, UPGRADE the game - no discs to recall - just offer a new download.

This is why the iPhone is the WII of handheld games - beating Nintendo to the punch.

The problem is of course, Nintendo & Sony can't and don't want to undercut their disc based ecosystem ... 15% of $40 is hard to give up versus 15 or 30% of $2.99 and of course, as people get used to no discs but downloading ... Nintendo & Sony have no fears of hardcore gamers defecting but Nintendo's goal of getting casual gamers and Tv personalities to cook with a DSi is gone by the wayside. Why spend the SAME amount for a DSi when you can get an iPhone-video ipod-camera-GPS and gaming portable in one? So, just as the WII has cleaved the video game console market into the MASS MARKET casual gamers & the hardcore gamer market (PS3 will never reach the penetration rate of the PS2) - the iphone has now cleaved the portable gaming market.

And Palm Pre - PLEASE - bwhahahaha. If Palm lasts as a company for 2 more years, that will be a miracle in itself. never mid the 500 apps max it will be offering while the iPhone store passes 100,000 by years end.

[Concept]

It doesn't matter because why would a developer waste time developing for the small percentage of 3Gs phones and leave all 1st and 2nd gen iPhones out? I don't forsee that many people rushing out to upgrade from a 3G so I'm sure there will be 85% of iPhones out there than can't run the games developed for the new 3Gs.

[Pacu102]

is cnet gonna write reviews for the new trojan 2go? hahah a lot of ads going on!

[619clean]

i still don't think that the iphone can dominate the portable games market like the psp does... Regardless of how many people die for an iphone, it takes some experience and more of a focus at times also to dominate the gaming market (thats how i see it). Nevertheless i would be baffled to see it turn into a portable gaming icon....