iPhone: Apple's New Videogame Console

If you have a chance take a look at the video of Apple's recent March 6th presentation at its software developers conference. Besides announcing that iPhone would be fully compatible with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and essentially targeting the enterprise market, they also showcased announced that they would be opening up iPhone to outside developers.

While I am an Apple shareholder and think this is could be huge for its stock, I was blown away by the videogame demonstrations that were presented by Apple, Electronic Arts and Sega at the conference. Apparently Apple's new SDK (which was downloaded by more than 100,000 programmers within four days) makes it really easy for coders to develop all kinds of things including video games. Moreover Apple will showcase new applications (videogames) in its Apps Store which will be on the homescreen of every iPhone ( there are already 4 million in circulation). Apple will share 70% of application revenues with third party developers and Kleiner Perkins announced it was setting up an iFund with $100 million to finance new iPhone applications. (Remember how Facebook usage exploded after it opened up its platform to outside developers?)

Anyway, EA showcased its long awaited Spore video game, Sega showcased Super Monkey Ball and Apple demonstrated a jet fighter game called Touch Fighter. Each had under two weeks to develop their iPhone games. All of these games were motion sensing games taking advantage of iPhone's 3.5 inch touch screen and its triple axis accelerometer. Please watch the video of Touch Fighter below. It is amazing.

Once you see these demos you will realize that the iPhone/iPod Touch is Apple's bold step into the video game business. The iPhone is not only an amazing mobile device for productivity and connectivity, but it is a handheld videogame console which could give Nintendo's DS ( 50 million units sold) and Sony's PSP a run for their money. There is even a cheaper version called the iPod Touch, which has all the cool features except the cell phone. So why carry a cell phone, Blackberry, and or videogame handheld, when you could just have the smartest mobile device on the planet, the iPhone. This could be really big.