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As Apple's marketing tells us, the iPhone's a phone, an iPod and a mobile internet browser all wrapped up into one handy device. But it's much more than that, the device has capabilities that even Apple didn't realize when it was released. The iPhone had all the technology to be a full featured mobile gaming platform, all it needed was the software.

When Apple's App Store opened on July 11 it got just that.

But, since the advent of Snake', don't all phone's have games? Well yes, yes they do, but the problem is they're not very good - Especially when compared to the iPhone (& iPod Touch).

To create one smartphone to rule them all Apple packed so much power into it's device that it actually compares favorably to dedicated gaming consoles such as the Nintendo DS or Sony's Playstation Portable. The iPhone (the original and new 3g) has a faster processor, much more ram and a bigger screen.

Games can utilize a 3.5 inch multi-touch screen, an inbuilt accelerometer, as well as full internet and wi-fi networking. Ethan Einhorn, who worked on Sega's Super Monkey Ball, sees a future for iPhone Gaming; "From a technical standpoint, the iPhone is competitive with dedicated handheld gaming devices. This is a phone that offers plenty of power to work with, no compatibility concerns, and uniform input functionality. That represents an evolution in the mobile gaming space."

John Carmack from id Software, the creators of Doom, even compared the iPhone to home consoles such as the PS2. "The iPhone, as a device, is in the same generation power-wise as the PS2 or Xbox... The graphics are a little lower but the RAM is a lot higher."

The iPhone also offers developers an easy low-risk distribution platform, the App Store. The Store will be instantly familiar to anyone who has used the iTunes Music Store. Purchasing apps is as easy as buying songs, just register an account and plug in your password.
Applications can either be free or priced anywhere between 99c and $999 and must be no larger than 2 Gigabytes. Apple takes a 30% cut out of all apps sold but doesn't charge developers anything to offer apps for free. John Carmack: "You could easily spend $10 million on an iPhone game, but the market just can't support that yet."

So what can the market support at the moment? Currently games are the most popular applications on the store.

Cro-Mag Rally and Crash Bandicoot Nitro-Cart offer impressive 3D racing visuals and an intuitive control system whereby the user tilts the device as if it were a steering wheel. Sega's Super Monkey Ball is another popular title which uses tilt and balance to control a rolling monkey in a ball (hence the name).

At the time of writing Crash Bandicoot Nitro Cart 3D' is the most popular paid application ($9.99). Followed by Brain Challenge' ($9.99), the Apple Developed Texas Hold'em - which features multiplayer over wi-fi ($4.99) - and Sega's Super Monkey Ball ($9.99). Six of the store's top ten applications are games.

New companies have already been created focusing solely on developing for these devices and many more applications are planned. The line of applications waiting to be approved by apple numbers over a thousand. The iPhone and iPod Touch offer a platform which powers ahead of other phones and mobile computers, possibly rivaling mobile gaming platforms such as Nintendo's DS and Sony's PSP.

Developers have only had a few months to work on games for the iPhone and now that the App Store is up and running and iPhones are spreading across the world (7 million so far), the release of more amazing and unique games can't be too far off.

Learn more about this author, Ben Winsor.
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