I bought a DS Lite as soon as it came out. Never a single problem with it, ever, and it was $125.

Every iPhone owner I've talked to has had hundreds of complaints regarding their $600 device, which becomes a brick should you try to do anything Apple doesn't approve of, or if you should cease paying Cingular $50 (or more) per month. For $50, I could get two new DS games per month, or a bunch of used games, or pay for my GameFly subscription twice over.

As has been pointed out by a bunch of other people on this thread, gamers are POOR and MONEY IS AN ISSUE.

Also one last thing: remember how everyone said that the PSP would knock out the DS in terms of console sales? Yeah...How is that going? MEDIA DEVICES ARE NOT GOOD GAME MACHINES. Some day, people will wake up and realize "Wait a minute, this machine I specifically designed to play videos might not be that great in terms of being a gaming device."

Not to say that there won't be games for the iPhone. There will probably even be good ones. Great ones, perhaps. But the fact that the iPhone is (A) A phone and (B) a media device before it is a game console means that any games for it will be the sort of thing developers add in to make sure you keep reassuring yourself "This device is worth $600 + the monthly bill."

incognit000

@CCCombobreaker: Unless steve jobs can make POKEMON games apple isn't a threat to nintendo.

There, rewrote it for ya. :)

masvill20

No.

R3load

Well.. remember NGage? :P

CockroachMan

LOL, That's the first laughing spit-take I did just reading a headline in a while.

I HOPE it would be a bigger sucsess in the gaming market then the N-Gage. Because as it stands, cell-based games in general still suck. But they have a loooong way to go to get anywhere near the DS user base [www.vgchartz.com]

Maybe if Nintendo actually made a CELL PHONE, the iPhone would 'kill' it. But the DS? ROFL.

TKWarrior

Geez hell no..The Nintendo DS was made for gaming purpose.And the iPhone was not..So it wont do good!..Lol if it was like this what would u know next..Zune to have games too xD lol

motogp

I own a DS with no games, you can imagine why. My iPhone is with me all the time and if I see a few inexpensive games on iTunes when the Apps store launches I wont hesitate to pick a couple up for when I've got a few minutes spare time.

Almost zero piracy will attract a lot of developers. In two weeks Spore was running on the iPhone and its been touted as very easy to program for. I expect a lot of choice in the next following months and some cool little games I can't resist.

sparced

@Robotube: indeed. It's marketing tunnel vision. Apple's PR person just submitted a silly story so we'd get to talking about the IPhone again. And a forbes editor really didn't feel like scrounging for another story this morning.

You've gotta look at who's buying handheld gaming systems the most: Parents w/ brats who need to be distracted. And unless you're the hoity-est of the toity you're not handing your 8-year old an IPhone to take with him on the bus to school.

Drowner

if all this free SDK stuff and all then why hasnt the GP2X killed off the nintendo DS?

Apple have built the iPhone for calls and iPOD stuff, gaming i could see maybe RTS and super monkey ball style games but the battery life would be crap and the interface??, if graphics maketh the machine then why in the hell are two underpowered machines killing all competition?

JUFONUK

Unless steve jobs can make mario games apple isn't a threat to nintendo.

CCCombobreaker

The cellphone is one electronic device that I really just don't care about at all. If it talks/texts, thats where it stops for me. I don't use a phone to watch TV, browse the internet, or play games on. I have better dedicated devices that do that kind of thing.

slikz21

Iphone is too expensive.. it costs more than a ps3

Schoolimangooli

let's look at the ds to iphone ratio
who own's what
wait what is this...
millions of people already own a DS
yeah..my point in a nutshell.

evilralphwiggum

I doubt the iPhone will have any impact on Nintendo or the DS. Its just too expensive for most gamers and you have to be on a contract. Kind of Limits its audience when you think about it.

Tiberian

This won't take over gaming anymore than the demo version of blackjack on a Sprint cellphone I used to have years ago would have.

evslin

Or... Can EA kill the iphone?

cnas

I'm surprised an institution as reputable as Forbes would suggest something so totally ludicrous.

Robotube

The price tag is gonna be the biggest hindrance for Apple if they think they can position the iPhone as a handheld gaming system.
There is another problem that Apple needs to sort out if they expect this to take off...
That problem is the whole jailbreaking craze. JailBroken iPhones are already capable of running emulators up to the Genesis/SNES(don't quote me on that - I own a WinMo phone). Making money on game sales will already be an uphill battle for Apple. The most I could see is a DS competitor but, not a DS killer or PSP killer, for that matter.

Eclectified

There's just no way it's going to effect the DS. Even if it gets some solid games, the thing is just way too expensive.

The people shelling out for one aren't the kind of people who are going to play games on it, at least not on a regular basis. I'm sure games like Peggle would do fine on it.

As for Nintendo announcing a new handheld, this Fall is the DS' 4 year anniversary, which is the longest Nintendo has gone without releasing a new handheld platform since the original Game Boy.

The DS is doing so well though that I wouldn't expect a "DS 2" until Fall 2009 at the earliest.

skullivan

No chance.

And I'm with avenger339, I'd rather see Nintendo wait a while before introducing another handheld (like, at least another 2 years).

FLegion

Highly doubtful

D-Sovereignty

@AndrewDB: Wow, where'd you get that figure?

Brian Crecente

You can't compare the iPhone to the N-Gage. You just can't. They may both be cell phones, but that's like comparing "(Crank Dat) Solja Boi" to "Sgt. Peppers" because they're both songs.
Apple has such a fan loyalty built in already it might as well be a small cult nation. With the downloadable content on the already streamlined interface, I wouldn't be surprised if iPhone gaming took hold of the market.

NoahIdea

No because of two things: price and controls

Garo

The data plan is way too expensive.

Solid_hedgehog

Apple... Gaming...

HAHAHAHA!

Manny

Will I be able to play Mario games, Phoenix Wright, Porf. Lewton etc?

No? Well, then, sorry Apple - you're great at some areas but gaming is not one of them.

Nexus-6

@AndrewDB: uh, i pay $60. but you're still right. it costs twice as much as a DS before your plan. the ds base is in the tens of millions and was bult for gaming. iphone games are hardly an afterthought. doesn't mean i don't own and enjoy both.

mister_shhh

Touch controls can't compete with good old fashioned d-pad and button hardware.

Tubatic

Nokia's N-Cage couldn't, so the Iphone won't fare much better. On another note I've read in the 'Daily Mail' Apple's Ipod is actually hurting the DVD market.

humongous_mouse

Japanese love fat italian plumbers for some reason. So I don't know..maybe Apple need a gaming mascot.

stargateheaven

not a chance in hell. that's all i have say about it.

Striderhayasa - Phillyyakk on PSN and Live.

Mabye it's just me, but I DON'T want Nintendo to "...drop news of another, more advanced handheld in the coming year or so." I mean, the DS is still pumping out quality games, why kill it before it's time is over? The last thing I need is ANOTHER game system.

avenger339

Sounds like sensationalism to me. The answer is NOWAY.

Cham

No, and as for a reason:

The DS doesn't have a 160 dollar a month to use, user plan.

AndrewDB

As interesting a war it could be, I'd still place my money on my DS for gaming, though I'd love to see what's next on the portable gaming front.

Besides.. what if I wanted to talk and game at the same time?

MelodyKitn

*blah blah* "Killer" is not the way to market things.

The N-gage has taught us that much.

Truvill

No. Sorry, just no.

Shiryu

I'd sure like a DS2 or something to that effect!

Poojipoo

"handheld-to-handheld combat":

Great play on words, or greatest play on words?

Crawl to China

Answer: No.

Wow, I wish I got paid to write bullshit about things that will never, ever, happen.

Wait, no I don't...

VicViper

@Brian Crecente: That $160 was high... but I do recall that when it first came out in the States, Canadian Magazine Macleans ran an article on it (as it wasn't coming to Canada yet). They reported that it sold out day one, but that the minimum plan cost for a year exceeded a thousand dollars - so over $80 a month.

As for this 'news' from Forbes? It sounds like the headline took over the article, because the article basically says the handheld market is going to undergo an evolution - but nowhere does it say that Apple is going to overtake Nintendo. Ever.

Just because it has a touch screen and an accelerometer, combined with downloadable content, doesn't mean that it's as good as a Wii, a DS and a hard drive all taped together.

Tonx

@emag: They're getting them this month. Read the links.

Brian Crecente

Sure, if the iPhone had the games. But it's not going to get them within the next five years, so speculation on the matter is moot.

emag

(Oh, an addenda. See how Apple makes no mention of games on its web site. Zilch. Nil. They're going to use the game business to make money on the side, and if it becomes a huge deal, they'll gain from it; otherwise, they'll still make a lot of money from the rest of the business.

See the cleverness?)

l0ne

It won't kill the DS or anything else unless I can easily buy it and use it for any wireless network instead of being tied to AT&T.

lionkitten

Not a chance in hell.

Foxstar Sixtail

Defensive logic always fails, Forbes isn't suggesting people are going to throw away their Nintendo DS and rush to buy an iPhone. Sit down and consider this for a second, gaming device penetration is actually quite small, cellphone device penetration is very high, most cellphones suck horribly when it comes to games (Controls, hardware capabilities, idiotic pricing, etc.).

The iPhone has the hardware to be a decent gaming machine, as for the controls? Could be, not 100% certain that for certain genres having multitouch controls is the answer.

But what the article suggests is that the iPhone could become the 3rd in the handheld race.

@wallapuctus: No, you only need to get raped on prices of carts and remakes, Sony does the same thing BTW. I welcomed the virtual console because it was a legitimate way to retrogame... until I saw the prices.

zoesch

@Truvill: Exactly.

The more something is touted as a ____-Killer, the less likely it will actually be able to do as such.

Case in point:
1) Fable would be a "Zelda-Killer"
2) Killzone would be a "Halo-Killer"
3) N-Gage would be a "GBA/DS-Killer"
4) PSP would be a "DS-Killer".

...It's all hype.

TRT-X

As nearly everyone above has said. No! The mobile phone market outside of the US is very fast moving new handsets are updated within a matter of weeks and while you have handsets that are seen as the top of the range next big thing (n95) the iPhone's 'long' product life makes it too unrealistic a purchase for most.

Klopfer123

Of course, you're all missing the point, and the point is that Apple has a device that is hip with the gamer demographic and requires no subscription and plays all games the iPhone can play and would be killer after a price cut...

... aka the iPod touch.

Which, by the way, uses (along with the iPhone) the same GPU as the PSP, a higher amount of RAM (128 vs the PSP Slim's 64 and original PSP's 32) and has at least 8 gig of onboard Flash, plus digital delivery of games, plus Wi-Fi. Ah, and it's an iPod -- great brand leverage. Ah, and it has motion controls like the Wii.

Which is pure Apple ownage™ (as in "we have an answer for most of your objections right in front of you even before you start making them").

l0ne

I could imagine it could... if you basically didn't have to use it as a phone, or had more options of how to use it as a phone. Once it's really actually available, then it comes down to if the games are any good, and the input devices usable with any speed for new users. :)

I'm personally really looking forward to the next Nintendo Handheld, though it's likely a fair way off.

@Justin42: If there's one thing the DS proves, it's that huge power isn't necessarily the most important thing in a handheld, that's for sure... That said, though, the DS would be absolutely incredible with more power, too. ;)

Aprocalypse

Does Forbes employ Michael Pachter?

No?

Then, sorry, this prediction is false.

@Northern Cat: I agree. PDA functions on a DS would change everything.

Gomerboy

Come on... GBA games are still selling. I see some people not wanting a DS because it's "too complicated". And besides, would you equip your 6 y/o kid with an iPhone?

While we're on topic though, what I would like to see is a DS with PDA functions. It can handle it, it would be great. Keep your phone numbers, memos, calendar, agenda, all into your DS. it could have functions like calculator, etc.

Northern Cat

@wallapuctus:
What service do you use? Just wondering.

francoamerica

I've learned never to entirely discount something that sounds this stupid when it comes to Apple products-- Apple has surprised me again and again with what they're able to pull. (seeing my non-techy friends, who hate spending a penny on anything technology related, go gaga over the iPhone when they don't even use 99% of what it's capable of still boggles me).

The thing is, though, it's a PHONE. You couldn't pay me to use AT&T/Cingular's horribly crappy service again. And I'm not going to buy an iPhone just to activate it and pay just to play games. It might becomes the most popular cell phone gaming system but I can't see it overtaking the DS in any possible way unless they made it "free" (no activation) for game playing/wifi. (and in that case, the iPod Touch would be the preferred platform, not the iPhone)

That said, it would be nice to see Nintendo get a bit of a push. There was the rumored "true followup" to the Gameboy that supposedly was going to be compatible with Gamecube games-- not sure how true that ever was, or if it was just being floated so that Sony would think they had something ready to compete with the PSP if the DS failed, but it'd be nice to have a bit more power behind the DS... It's borderline too early, but the DS came out in late 2004 so maybe next year would be time for an announcement.

Justin42

New more advanced handheld? But it prints money!

Chewbenator

It will have an impact but I think a very small one. Nintendo is targeting those casual types and trying to get them to pick up a DS and when they go spend all that money on an Iphone and find out it can play games they may just buy some games rather than buying a DS.

The issue is, as said in the article, there are already 70million+ DS units on the market so its not to say game designers are going to make the money they can make on the DS.

majatt

When it comes to DS, the money has already been made. Good Lord, has it already been made.

markuspants

No, it's too expensive.

Plus, I don't need to get raped by AT&T's horrid service to play my DS.

wallapuctus

The Pro-iPhone comments are funny, because all of these points were made a few years back when the iPod was getting 'games'. At least then they made a little more sense. I mean, look at how many iPods are out there. I remember similar 'Forbes' articles claiming the end of the DS then too. Didn't happen.

And I've seen people hold onto their iPods until they broke. Granted, these are not the crazy apple-head 'OMG, the new iPods is 1mm thinner, I have to have it' crowd. But for the most part cell phones these days are not held onto as long as most other devices like MP3 players and gaming devices. And with a shorter lifespan, you have the issue of making it easier for the consumer to keep their games from one generation to the next. If apple cares about that at all.

If anything, the article would have made more sense as 'Can the iPhone Kill the PSP?'. Both are multi-function devices and are more in competition then the iPhone-DS. But mentioning the DS obviously grabs more attention.

TKWarrior

What a stupid question, of course it can never beat the DS. It won't even compete with the PSP for crying out loud. For a start the iPhone is insanely over-priced and let's not forget it's not a gaming device, it's a phone.

The iPhone killing the DS is like saying the ngage would have beat the Gameboy Advance.

Winterbringer

And the answer is, Heck no! Barely anyone actually has an Iphone because most people don't want to have to pay a bunch of hidden fee's and sign a 3-year contract and only be able to use one phone service (AT&T is terrible). DS has the biggest install base then any other game console hands down. Dumb question.

todde7

@l0ne:Hardware means complete crap till the devs do something with it. We all see how 'well' those cellphone developed games in Japan and Korea do, don't we?

Foxstar Sixtail

LMAO DS killer ha never

Fstrike

While the iphone is an amazing piece of hardware, and I'm buying an iphone 2 in a couple weeks... no... The Ds is a game machine and has the best of both worlds. I'm sure Nintendo is ready to fight another coming challenger...

VakeroRokero

Me: Will the iPhone kill the Nintendo DS?
*Nate shakes magic 8 ball*
Magic-8-Ball: Don't count on it.
Me: Is it because a Nintendo DS don't have a monthly fee and the iPhone is restricted to one carrier in the US?
Magic-8-Ball: Most likely.
Me: Could it also be because an iPhone costs hundreds of dollars more then a DS, and you probably wouldn't want to give one to a child?
Magic-8-Ball: As I see it, yes.
Me: Does it seem strange that Forbes, which is normally fairly on the ball, would make such a crazy claim? It doesn't even seem to have the slightest basis in reality!
Magic-8-Ball: Better not tell you now.

Seriously, it's a pretty wild claim that the iPhone could unseat the DS anytime in the next few years. If the iPhone was available on all carriers this might be a slightly less crazy proposal, but since it is restricted to one network this really is a pipe dream. Yes, it would help if the device were less expensive as well, but a lot of folks I know have their whole family on 1 carrier so they can call each other for free, and that tends to lock people into their carrier.

Randomness: I've been told by friends in Vermont that they are not allowed to sell the iPhone in that state. Plus, if you buy it out of state and start using it exclusively IN the state, they turn your phone off. This is all anecdotal, so take it with your sodium chloride, but still sucks for the people who live there!

NateN

That's funny lol We all know that games on mobile devices on PDA's and cellphones suck, iphone is no exception. What are they gonna do, give a free copy of Tetris that I already have 3 times over?

redrabbit

Attention Apple, extend the battery life first and then we'll talk.

TaggarT6

I don't think that it can kill the DS because it is a phone first and foremost and I can't picture a lot of business users turtning around and using the phone for gaming. I think it will do fairly well but I don't think it come anywhere close to the DS.

kylo4

Two words: Apple Pippin.

Apple and games just don´t match. History told us that in the mid 90´s.

That pretty much sums it up...

lucasreis

Even if the iPhone somehow could compete with the DS, I don't think nintendo would care that much. It's not like they haven't sold any DS's.

This would be like sony getting all worried about a PS2 killer.

TheJordanator

ROFL! unless they plan on dropping the iphone to 99.99 and having it where you can play games and get it activated without having a 50-100 dollar a month plans this wont kill shit

i can buy a ps3 for the price of a iphone

styl3s

LOL!

Fetus_God_of_Love

How about getting some decent PC games to Mac first?

Hansel

I haven't played around with an iPhone or iPodTouch, but I must say that their approach at touchscreen is awesome. The only outcome I can see from this is Nintendo bringing a DS2 or gameboy out with a touch-screen on par with the iPhone. As people mentioned before, the time is ripe for Nintendo to come up with a new handheld.

I think the iPhone could make some great use of its dual-touch for games but I really doubt it will have any impact on the REAL gaming consoles.

Did you know the DS can play mp3s with the correct hardware. Is it an iPod killer? nope, it's a gaming console.

furka

i dont care..i own both iphone and nds. Just happy to see iphone is getting some real games.

Dante18

$129 handheld video game system vs $399 all in one device.

Hmm

Yes the iPhone can do a bunch more stuff then the DS, but I think the price point will allow the DS to never be killed. In fact I would say the only thing that can kill the DS at this stage of the game is a new handheld system from Nintendo.

Zarian

My hate for Apple is more then my hate for Nintendo.

Sailorcancer

at the current price point for an iphone, not a chance.

Deekman

How could the iPhone be a serious threat to the DS or even the PSP if the games are pretty much an afterthought? At best it's going to be a N-Gage that doesn't suck.

Nirual

Seriously?

Are you kidding me? Who would give an 8 year old an iPhone to play games? You cough at the damn thing and it breaks.

Yeah and exclusive touch screen gaming is 'great' for games.

Not to mention the fact that they will never, and I mean NEVER have any strong titles beyond maybe a Tony Hawk game, and they haven't been any good since part 3.

FrigidAir44

Suuuuuuuuuure it will. As soon as I can pick up an iPhone for 129 bucks and not have to pay an exorbitant monthly fee to use one with a phone service carrier I didn't choose, then it'll all be asses and roses for Apple!

Really. Some people.

fnc

@kemicon: Hey! I loved Captain Goodnight on the Apple IIc!
His chin would make Bruce Campbell jealous.

+ Watch video

Antiterra

@Sailorcancer: Maybe you should find a different hobby.

In all honesty, the reason the iPhone could never take over the DS is the same reason the PSP won't. It's identity. The iPhone clearly says in it's name 'Phone'. When was the last time you went out to your car to, say, listen to the radio or charge your cell phone, when you already have those things indoors? When you possess things dedicated towards that end goal, they've generally been of a better quality than those that try to do too many things at once. Or are marketed that way.

That, and price, of course.

Ampillion = That Man.

I'm sure Nintendo is scared since Apple has such a great track record with gaming.*sarcasm*

kemicon

I guess forbes had nothing better to write about. This has to be the dumbest question asked. Nothing as of today will ever beat the DS. I have an iPhone and i love it, the games are getting better and better each update (through Installer). But the iPhone is... well IT'S A FUCKING PHONE.

Cuban__B

Hmm the real question is if you threaten nintendo on their home turf can apple survive a nintendo brand cell phone? And i guess the next question is, how long a wait before we can expect a nintendo brand cell phone to hit the stores? Its gotta be in the works!

60Hz

Sure, at $200, fully unlocked.

Otherwise as far as gaming platforms go even the PSP will streak past, and it might kill the nGage or at least prod it into not sucking so bad.

fuchikoma

That headline was good for a laugh.

Competition is good, I suppose, but many have tried and failed. What makes the iPhone any different? Srsly.

Cola82

No.

The iPod touch and iPhone are not satisfactory forms for gaming. The problem with both is the limited amount of space that is competing with other forms of multi media such as music, pictures, and videos. The gaming aspect will probably be just as important to a user as these other forms of media. Furthermore, the physical numbers are just improbable to topple and I doubt many gamers will be flocking over to iPod touch and the iPhone for their gaming purposes. The purpose of each device is just too different to have an effect where Apple will be taking major chuncks from Nintendo's business.

yjaved1

I agree that the iPhone probably won't topple the DS in its lifetime, but it would be cool to see if it pushes Nintendo to make the next handheld even more awesome.

GamerBunny

The iPhone in it's current state is garbage. No 3G, you can't send picture messages and you can't view them either. They are over priced too.

Sollus

The iPhone cost too much, if it's going to be used as a handheld against the DS. Heck anything over $200 bucks, is overpriced, so it's not happening. Since they're doing digital downloads, what about people who actually WANT a physical copy of a game? It's not happening people.

zerokoolpsx

Yeah, this'll happen just as soon as Macs become a threat to PC gaming.

i.e. - never.

Let's face it, people. The iPhone's an overly expensive piece of machinery that, while very impressive, most phone users aren't willing to buy even if they had the money to get one. Not to mention the fact that Apple's history of rerererereleasing everything exceeds even Nintendo's tendency for that, so the last thing that a gaming platform would need would be having the base market go nearly obsolete every 8-12 months or so. Couple that with Apple's history of keeping a close hold on all levels of development and its poor relationship with game developers, and I doubt that something like the iPhone could make a dent into the DS's market share.

Let's face it, the iPhone's the cool item to look at nowadays, but the fact is that it's not selling as well as most anticipated. 5-6 million in three quarters is hardly what could be considered impressive. Even the PS3 broke that!

NoFunShogun

I don't know about you, but as soon as I got my iPhone, I chucked the DS. I mean, what's the point, anymore?

hikkifan1986

iPhone has a greater DID than the PSP, and that's really not going to help it. It's trying to do too many things, and since this is Apple we're talking about, locked iPhones are extremely gimped.

It's far more stretched out than the PSP, and far more costly just to play games.

You won't have little kids buying the iPhones in droves because they keep breaking it, and that's where the money is for the DS.

Plan303e

@Shiryu: If the iPhone had a neat little controller attachment that plugged in the sync port thing, it might have a chance to rival the psp, not the ds.

Swizzler121

I highly doubt that iPhone can get the better of DS.

darkstar5555

Hahaha no fucking chance in HELL

Sunjammer

iPhone: 6 or 700$

DS: 130$.

Hmm....

PlayerX

At first, I laughed. And I laughed heartily. And I chuckled as I read the comments here - echoing what I was thinking. Then it occured to me: the iphone is a red herring. A $199 ipod touch with 3D graphics, maybe some buttons and thumbpad could at least put a massive dent in PSP sales; potentially supercede the DS if the games were good enough... suddenly I don't feel like laughing.

mariospants

*Jailbroken

XLS1

Activated regularly?No effing way.But when it's jailbreaked,the possibility is actually plausible.

XLS1

I lol'd very very hard.

kagebutsu

Simply put, no.

Wolfers

oooh "shaking a tree at Nintendo" got me thinking about how great it would be to grow oranges and tomatos in an iPhone version of Animal Crossing or harvest Moon where you would literally shake the fruit lose with the motion sensor. Or cut trees with a sawing motion. Or hump your cow with a thrusting motion.

Obiter

I wouldn't use an iphone if you gave it to me for free.

Sentouki

Consider the price difference, no. Now if iPod touch became slightly cheaper and including all the same gaming experiences, then maybe.

Replica23

Remember that the iPod Touch also runs the OS X Touch platform. The same games can also be downloaded and played on that, without the buyer being hooked into a cell phone contract like so many of you are concerned about.

That said, as a huge fan of the OS X Touch platform, no way they will topple Nintendo. Apple will still be successful and provide a completely unique platform (motion sensing, touchscreen, and location awareness on a handhel device), but the #1 spot is still Nintendo's to have.

KoolAidMan

Two things:
- For those who think the iPhone is too expensive, remember that the iPod touch counts as well.
- The iPhone is much, much more than a handheld game system.

uros643

Not a chance in hell. Forget the price discrepancy, Nintendo's vast library, and everything else, it's just too difficult to make good enough controls with the iPhone for a lot of game types.

Strangelove

Giving away the SDK? Wow - that's a lot more than we can say for the DS. Hard to say at this point, but Apple seems more developer-friendly already!

stevesan

Um so like yeah, like kids (and most adults) have $600 to blow on a phone, which REQUIRES an expensive contract.

zzt

Has any later-released product actually "killed" a "top of the heap" market leader ever?

Please.

sandwiches

No. PSP did't kill it, iPhone much less.
And btw, the moon isn't made of cheese also.

Bokusatsu_Tenshi

I'm sorry, but I had to laugh too.

iPhones cost more than any console currently on the market, plus monthly fees. There's a reason why the DS outsells those, and believe me it's not because Phantom Hourglass is better than Uncharted, Halo and Wii 1st parties. Portability only takes you so far.

I doubt that it would even give the PSP a run. Probably because if you cared and could afford an iPhone, you could afford everything else as well.

daemonx2

I don't see the Iphone becoming a major gaming machine. I think it will have respectable games but at least in its current form its too expensive as a stand alone devise that is not 100% dedicated to gaming. Not sure how well the system can really do as in game variety since it lacks a dpad and buttons im sure they can get creative with touch screen and motion control though. Maybe when iPhone is no longer proprietary to AT&T and other carriers start selling it it can get promos to make them more obtainable at a reasonable price. Basically I think the iPhone will have some great games but far from a DS killer. Though it could put a dent in the casual market since the iPhone is desirable for Music playback etc too.

Konchu

2 reasons the iPhone will never kill the DS

1 - stupidly high price point
2 - only works with one cell carrier

PlaidNinja

No, not for us hardcore gamers. I don't think the iPhone will beat the DS for (quality) games. The problem with the iPhone is the same problem for the Wii; the market will not be gamers. As Ubisoft's mods implied a week or so ago, the Wii is their dumping ground for shovelware because the audience is full of "casual gamers", or ignorant folks that don't normally play video games. The iPhone's primary functions are those other than gaming; music, internet and phone; so the audience will not be primarily interested in gaming. The SDK is cheap (free), and you have tons of ignorant sheep who would be satisfied playing "Bejeweled!" and "Carnival Games!". Why would any game company risk making complex and involved games for the iPhone, if they can make a killing in shovelware? It's lower risk than making a "Bioshock" or "Final Fantasy" and profit is far more likely. The DS and PSP on the other hand can't rely on shovelware as much, because a real gamer market propels it primarily; make shitty games and you'll lose the core market.

onikuwagata

@PlaidNinja: It won't kill the DS, ever, but your second point is irrelevant since those same games will also work on the iPod Touch, something that doesn't require a cell contract.

As for the price, a baseline touch doesn't cost much more than a PSP while sporting much more powerful internal hardware. That said, Sony has nothing to worry about either. None of these platforms are going anywhere.

KoolAidMan

the iphone is gonna have more bottom of the range shovelware than the DS has..there`ll probably be a few gems, but it`s not worth the money for a few nice games.

gique

Who cares. Can't we just have more than one system. It's really irritating for every company to always be aiming for the killer. How about just a good alternative...

realjas

Cell phone and games...Wow if thats not an oxymoron right there I don't know what is..

ghost_wolf

I'll answer this question with one word: No.

furiku

Kotaku: mad props for a click-generating headline.

All props subsequently taken back for sucking at the iPhone teat so hard that you're liable to create a localized black hole and destroy the space-time continuum as we know it.

No, a $500 product that also requires you to pay ~$100/month plus however much the games cost is not going to be able to beat a one-time outlay of $130, especially considering one of those products is dedicated to gaming and the other one is your damn phone.

Sqube

wow, funny!!!!

freespeech