iPhone


Ok so I am officially a geek (not that I probably wasn’t anyway)! I queued in the launch queue outside the Sydney Optus store just so I could be one of the first to get an iPhone 3g (well I need one to start making iPhone games, that is my excuse and I am sticking to it).

 

So my first impressions are as follows…

Wow! It really is a very cool device. I have had an iPod Touch for a while now so the whole tactile interface is nothing new to me. I do love:

 

  1. Having my phone, ipod, email and games device in one machine now
    1. I used to carry round my touch and my mobile which took up too much space
  2. The 2.0 update has really changed the device from something I would use to listen to music on the way somewhere (or watch some Naruto) to now a device I will use most of the day
  3. The games in the launch line up are great (see separate reviews for my thoughts on those) although it is worth noting they all show off the functionality of the handset really well
App Store a revolution
I really think the app store is going to fundamentaly change the way we purchase software. Now I now it is nothing new as WiiWare, XBLA, PSN and Steam all do this to some extent on various platforms. But to my mind no one has integrated it so well into the core experience. Realistically I can purchase content wherever I am and use it almost immediately. This combined with little approval process means developers, like ourselves, can focus on making great content and getting it out to people without the hassles you get on other platforms.
I am a big believer in letting the consumer decide and the app store does just that. Too many device manufacturers think they should be the gatekeeper or abiters or taste on their device and I feel all this does is stifle innovation (the unique cooky ideas never sound awesome on paper) and also slow the process of making content down. With the app store I truly feel we can get games made and out to you the consumer quiclkly and easily.
What is more is we can add in new features and fix any esoteric issues which crop up. Other systems require extensive certification processes which increase development time and cost money. This means you have to ensure you are confident of the project and also have the budget and time to spend on this lengthy process. For us that means we finish a game and then there is a prolonged period of too-ing and fro-ing before it comes out. As a small company it means the turn around from one game to another is longer as we need to wait for the money to come back in from one project before we can start on another.
I am hoping the app store will allow us to not only reduce that turn around but also continue to support the games you enjoy. Because we can add patches as regularly as we want we can add new features as soon as you request them. On other platforms each patch needs to also be approved, signed off and go through submission again meaning it is a costly endeavour again and therefore unlikely to happen often.
Anyway a bit off topic the above, but it is all down to my enthusiasm about this new bold way of delivering content to you. So grab yourself an iPhone and join the revolution 😛

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