The iPhone and iPod touch has become the next break out gaming platform. The app store has been a huge success with tons of games coming out each day. The iPhone is a great way to get gaming out to people who otherwise would never thinking of buying a handheld such as a DS or PSP thanks to its impulse pricing of the app store, and the iPhone and touch’s other uses besides gaming. These devices truly are meant to be in your pocket all day. There is one snag for creating games on this platform; the only control scheme, touch with limited screen real estate. Touch screens aren’t the best way to control games, because of their sometimes unreliability and no feedback such as rumble.
Take a game like Soosiz, a great platformer similar to a Mario. Unfortunately, because there are no real buttons on the iPhone, the buttons have to be placed on the screen, taking up space and limiting your line of sight. Another problem is not knowing where the “buttons” are and causing you to mess up.
Last year, Apple released an update that allowed iPhones to use third party peripherals. There have been very few developers to take advantage of these few peripherals. If a game like Soosiz had a peripheral with a Dpad and some buttons, the game would be as great as a thirty dollar game on ds, for only three dollars. A snap on peripheral/case could be a great thing for Apple to make and sell. Of course it would have to be inconspicuous when needed. I love the app store’s pricing model, with the bravest developers pricing their games at ten dollars! I feel a peripheral making the iPhone a true gaming rig, could be a huge success, and begin to compete with the likes of Sony and Nintendo.
contructive criticism is welcome please!!!!
Whoa, you are truly "taking the plunge!" Very cool.
I think the only "this console needs ____" discussion happening more than "the iPhone needs a d-pad," is "the PSP needs a second analog stick."
I understand your point. iPhone games like the Mega Man 2 port are all but unplayable due to the inconsistent controls. That being said, I think App Store developers should try to be more creative in their control schemes.
My favorite games on my iPod Touch are GeoDefense, Tilt to Live, Word Fu, and Tap Quest, none of which rely on virtual buttons to play. If devs took advantage of the hardware instead of trying to shoehorn more conventional ideas into a less conventional device, I don't think anyone would be nearly as insatiable about a d-pad peripheral.
Not a bad job on the article. And I'm truly touched you used included my tag in your debut.
Welcome to Bitmob, Drake!
I would buy and use a snap-on D-Pad all the time. I agree with Chase that games have to take advantage of the touch controls, but Mega Man 2 would actually be playable with a real D-Pad!
Street Fighter 4 works surprisingly well with onscreen buttons.
A d-pad would help immensely for games that need that kind of control, but it seems to me more of a case of developers not thinking outside the box. The iPhone has a different interface and different functionality to traditional gaming handhelds -- it should have games that take advantage of the uniqueness that provides.
So sure, a d-pad would be great -- for the very reasons you describe. But it's like jamming a leak with paper -- it doesn't get to the heart of the problem, and will only make things messier later.
Welcome to Bitmob!
(I posted this comment before, but I guess it was after the migration to the new server started -- thankfully I had it cached.)
Thanks for the warm welcome guys, and Chase i thought your tag was a great way to welcome new people to the site, just like me!