iGameboy?

well they is alot fly around about apple geting into hand-held games

they take a new trademake today

Rumors of Apple gunning to enter the handheld games market have been circulating for a while, but a new trademark application discovered by Trademork dated Feb. 5th seems to lend credence to the rumor mill. According to the application, Apple is upping its trademark to include "Toys, games and playthings, namely, hand-held units for playing electronic games; hand-held units for playing video games; stand alone video game machines; electronic games other than those adapted for use with television receivers only; LCD game machines; electronic educational game machines; toys, namely battery-powered computer games."

With the enormous popularity of the iPhone and the phenomenal success of the iPod, anything handheld from Apple seems like a sure fire hit. But on the other hand you have Apple's inability to bring a lot of quality games to their platforms. If this gaming device does come to fruition, will it end up being the next DS or just another Gizmondo?

if they did will it top DS?

http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=77388864

( Edited 10.02.2008 20:46 by Jump_button )

I'll bet (if true) that it'll have loads of pointless extras like the PSP, and it'll be stupidly expensive. And you'll HAVE to use itunes to put your games on it.

Highly doubt anyone will ever topple Nintendo in the handheld market. Especially considering the insane popularity of the DS...

(OMG! My 500th post! *Does little dance* )

( Edited 10.02.2008 21:16 by Ikana )

Ikana said:
I'll bet (if true) that it'll have loads of pointless extras like the PSP, and it'll be stupidly expensive. And you'll HAVE to use itunes to put your games on it.

Highly doubt anyone will ever topple Nintendo in the handheld market. Especially considering the insane popularity of the DS...

well i dont mean to be the bearer of bad news but the psp is selling better than the ds in japan atm

well i dont mean to be the bearer of bad news but the psp is selling better than the ds in japan atm

Selling marginally better for one week in one region means nothing. Though I'll give the PSP props for still hanging in there. Its been doing a lot better in Japan of late.

Anyhow, it wouldn't shock me if they did, but I don't know what kind of market share it would have. Nintendo already has the "iPod" of the handheld arena..

iangennery said:

well i dont mean to be the bearer of bad news but the psp is selling better than the ds in japan atm

Jacob4000 said:

well i dont mean to be the bearer of bad news but the psp is selling better than the ds in japan atm

Selling marginally better for one week in one region means nothing. Though I'll give the PSP props for still hanging in there. Its been doing a lot better in Japan of late.

Anyhow, it wouldn't shock me if they did, but I don't know what kind of market share it would have. Nintendo already has the "iPod" of the handheld arena..

im sure if ipod did release a handheld that it wouldn't just play games but more of an handheld enterainment system (like the psp)

Yeah but would they really go for the hardcore gamer stuff? I think thats what jacob is getting at they will probably release very casual simple games probably rip off or maby even get ports of a few of the DS' touch screen only games(thats if they go with a touch screen...)

( Edited 10.02.2008 21:20 by Blade2t3 )

Handhelds! They come, they go, they Gizmondo... but Nintendo always win!

lol, remember N-gage? And the Neogeo pocket?

They made me laugh.

Eh. They could try, but the market is already quite crowded. If any company could, it's Apple, but I just don't see them crafting a system that satisfies the same aspects as the DS and the PSP.

It'd need to last, for a start. No break downs after a year and a half or anything like that. But ontop of that, considering it's new territory, I wonder if Apple could shape a system that doesn't have any cosmetic flaws. Buttons exactly where they should be, the body feeling right, for all of those things Nintendo and even Sony have decades of experience. Apple don't. And I know they make sexy gear, but this is different, there's a thin line between a sleek handheld and a downright impractical one.

They'd have to avoid creating new generations all the time too.

Seems more likely to me to be a 'download old 2D games' kind of thing rather then a DS/PSP killer. Probably just an extension of what Apple are already doing.

Yeah but would they really go for the hardcore gamer stuff? I think thats what jacob is getting at they will probably release very casual simple games probably rip off or maby even get ports of a few of the DS' touch screen only games(thats if they go with a touch screen...)

Yeah, they'd probably stick with Tetris clones, a few puzzle games etc. I just don't see them coming out as a big hardcore machine, especially considering their products.