I'll admit it: since the release of the iPod and the reemergence of Apple as a major player in the computer industry in the last decade, I've been quite the hater. I'd have to guess that much of that stemmed from my inability to afford Apple products for a large portion of said time period. But after several years of using Apple products in school and trying out iPod touches owned by various members of my friends and family, I decided to bite the bullet and bought myself a birthday present: a 32 GB iPod touch.

As a gamer, I must say that I've gotten my money's worth. For one thing, almost every genre is well represented on my device. I've got platformers, single player FPSs, online FPSs, kart racing, racing simulators, fighting, adventure, and... what's this? An MMO? On an iPod?!? Ridiculous! 

But just being able to play various types of games does not give a system the "it" factor that I believe Apple has caught on to. Rather, I feel that it is the way in which the iPod is open to "pass and play" in a way that has not been previously achieved by portable games systems.

How has it done this? I believe it is a result of app developers taking advantage of the iPod's form factor. Generally, games for the system are well suited for 1 to 5 minute "bursts" of gameplay. An example of this would be the game Doodle Jump. Not only is this game exceedingly addicting, but the inclusion of a local high score feature creates incentive for local, pass and play competition. The system's size and "sturdiness" make it less frightening to let even the more clumsy friends have a go. 

The combination of control schemes also brings the iPod to another level, gameplay wise. While the PSP and DS are both limited in certain ways different aspects of control, the iPod seems to have found just the right combination to allow for games to behave the way they gamers are used to playing them: shooters can be played with twin "analog" sticks, adventure games are moved by analog stick and the camera is dragged around, and racing games are controlled with a tilt of the device itself.

And finally, our experiences can be shared over the web, thanks to Facebook Connect and the upcoming Xbox Live-esque "Game Center". Oh, and did I mention screen caps are available?