iPhone Teaching Nintendo DS, Sony PSP a Lesson?

iPhone may be a smart-phone, but it’s a lot of other things too. It’s a GPS, a gaming device, a mini-ebook reader, and much more. It’s so powerful that it has already put pressure on the leading companies in multiple industries. Take the mobile gaming industry for example. Sony and Nintendo have been the top players in this industry for years. Sony PSP was the king of this market for years until Sony dropped the ball and let others gain ground on Sony PSP. But with the emergence of the iPhone platform, it seems all these mobile gaming devices are in trouble. It’s true that iPhone is not yet a powerhouse in the mobile gaming business. It is, however, gaining momentum and is a real threat to one trick pony devices such as Sony PSP and Nintendo DS in the mobile gaming business.

A few experts claim that comparing iPhone with Sony PSP or the DS is like comparing apples and oranges.You could maybe say that a couple of years ago. But not today. There are plenty of sophisticated games available on iPhone that are more than capable of holding their own against titles made for other devices. Besides, iPhone games are much cheaper and easier to get one’s hands on, effectively giving shoppers yet another reason to consider purchasing an iPhone over Sony PSP.

So why is iPhone so successful in the mobile gaming market? Here are a few reasons:

• Design: iPhone’s somewhat unique design and features have brought another dimension to game programming. There are plenty of apps that use iPhone’s accelerometer, GPS, and other features to their advantage. So iPhone does provide a unique gaming experience, for now anyway.
• Platform: the iPhone SDK is very easy to work with, and there are plenty of resources available for the developers who are planning to get started with iPhone programming. The platform has essentially leveled the playing field, allowing small gaming companies to go against the giants.
• Titles: there are plenty of killer titles available on iPhone. Many companies have remade their games for the iPhone. Playing some of those classic games on iPhone can be a lot of fun.
• Pricing: iPhone games are much cheaper than games made for other devices. You can a lot of top games for $0.99 on iPhone. So if you are a serial gamer, you are going to save money with iPhone in the long run.
• Convenience: there are a lot of people who are familiar with how to use the iTunes and download music and games. Finding new game titles and adding them to your iPhone is very easy. So not only you save time and money with iTunes, you get to find many addictive iPhone game titles using iTunes’ interface.
• Networking: playing iPhone games is much more fun when you can do so against your friends and even strangers. Being able to play games over WiFi has enabled developers to come up with more sophisticated games.
• Innovation: perhaps the biggest success factor for iPhone in the gaming market. iPhone SDK allows many developers and smaller companies to compete with their larger counter-parts. That means there are a lot of unique games that are available for iPhone, which you won’t see on Nintendo DS or Sony PSP. With the iPhone community actively involved in developing games for the device, iPhone has a considerable momentum in this market.

There are plenty of other reasons that the iPhone is becoming a powerful player in the mobile gaming market. At the end of the day, the iPhone is not a one trick pony device, and that could be its biggest advantage of them all. It also helps that Apple likes to be a market leader instead of a follower.