Mark this one down to the “totally-not-a-surprise” department. As we’ve reported over at the Mothership, id Software co-founder John Carmack has said that Apple is “not exactly supportive” of games on the iPhone:
“I have an iPhone right now and it’s a platform I would enjoy developing for but Apple is not taking progressing steps in regards to [gaming],” Carmack is quoted as saying.It’s a little strange to think that the iPhone is lacking any sort of game—even the original iPod had a hidden version of Breakout on it. As plenty of third-party developers have shown, gaming on the iPhone is perfectly plausible, and while the touchscreen may not be the best interface for just porting over PC games, it would seem to lend itself well to new, innovative types of gaming in much the same way that the Nintendo Wii’s motion-sensitive controller has.Carmack confesses that Apple’s iPhone development strategy is working “from a business standpoint,” and said he’s not going to second-guess the company and tell them they’re “being fools or idiots” for not focusing on gaming for the device.
Then again, Apple’s never really shown that they “get” games, despite repeated claims to the contrary. Even the deals they’ve made for bringing games to the iPod have been less-than-spectacular.
Let’s throw this out to you, iPhone users: do you miss gaming on your iPhone? Or are you too busy listening to music, watching videos, and surfing the Internet to care?
The lack of games is really unforgivable, although it's no worse than my old Blackberry.
How do you not even port over the iPod games?
Yeah, I'm too busy using the other features to mind too much. Then again, I'm not much of a gamer to begin with. I wouldn't mind playing Frenzic ok my iPhone. I think that game would be well suited for the iPhone interface.
Don't care about games on my iPhone, or anywhere else but a game console in front of the TV. I don't need games everywhere or the need to disconnect during every free moment I have. I guess I don't "get" games either. :)
I purchased 3 games for my Video iPod, one of which is given away with the iPod classic now. None of the games works on my new Nano, iPod classic or iPhone. Why bother? I will never buy a game from Apple again. What if my video library or all the songs I bought from iTunes will not work on the iPhone 2.0 hardware or software?
I'm not a serious gamer, but I would pay real $$ to get a good game for the iPhone. I just spent 7 days on a cruise - disconnected. Web-based games were not available.
One word...
LABYRINTH!
One of the coolest games I have found within all the third-party games.
This one impresses everybody the most. No controls just ever so slightly tilt the iPhone.
Very Cool.
No, don't care at all about games, however I'm sure others will.
Yes, I care about games. And I miss them very much. A quick game of Bejeweled, solitaire, etc are a quick and easy way to relax. It was my only real concern about switching from a phone and Palm set up!!
The Nintendo DS has shown just how good portable gaming can be on a touch screen. What I would really love is to have the Brain Training of games on iPhone. Even something like Jam Sessions or Electroplankton would be a great fit. Non-games are the way to go, especially for the iPhone audience.
I think Apple left off the games to preserve battery life--all those gaming hours would drain the limited-cycle battery.
Anyway, it's fine with me...cell phone games don't appeal to me anyway, and I like getting 5-7 days on my battery.
Gee, why would anybody want to play games on a large, gorgeous, portable touchscreen device? That's more ridiculous than saying users want silly stuff like to-do lists and document editing!
Yes, I miss games. Not big games just time killing games. I used my Treo (pre-iPhone) to keep myself from getting bored out of my mind when at meetings or while my bride shopped. I was really hoping that I would at least be able to get the same games that are available for the iPod.
I wouldn't mind seeing games for the iPhone, but I don't lose much sleep over it. I had the option to download games with other cell phones and never did, but with the iPhone I find myself using it to entertain me while my girlfriend is shopping. If you can't find a free wifi connection or EDGE is blocked, it would be nice to have some games to occupy my time.
Yep, I miss games. One of the main reasons I'm waiting for the SDK with baited breath!
Yes! I would like at least 1 or 2 games. Even just a simple solitaire. Something! But I would really like a book reader! I used to read books all the time on my Treo, and I really miss that feature.
I personally am too busy with the other features. There are some web based games that are more puzzles than anything else (sudoku, word find, etc...)
I wish there was scrabble though. I envy those who can play scrabble on their phones and I wish I could on my...poo.