iPhone 3.0 - the game's the thing

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 18 March 2009 11:52

Opinion and Analysis

(I've often wondered why the operators of games such as World of Warcraft leave room for gold farmers and levelling-up services - try as they might, they don't seem able to stamp out the practices, so why don't they abandon the myth of a level playing field and rake in more cash?)

Another significant aspect is the provision of an interface between applications and hardware accessories.

Not every game is suited to touchscreen and accelerometer control. Sometimes you can't beat good old-fashioned buttons or a joystick/joypad.

It's not difficult to imagine a game controller 'sleeve' that the iPhone or iPod touch would slot into. This could provide a rigid platform for the buttons or whatever, and ensure there was no strain on the dock connector.

And multi-player turn-by-turn games along the lines of chess will benefit from the arrival (at last!) of the Push Notification service. A badge on the game icon would alert you that your remote opponent has taken his or her turn.
 
If you're not especially fond of a game's background music, wouldn't it be handy if you could replace it with your own playlist? The new APIs include access to the music library, and this will presumably allow sound effects to be superimposed.

So if 2008/09 has been a good year for iPhone gaming, 2009/10 looks like being even better.