Follow Slashdot blog updates by subscribing to our blog RSS feed

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
Iphone Portables (Games) Games

Verizon iPhone Could Double US Mobile Games Biz 115

donniebaseball23 writes "Earlier today, Verizon and Apple finally confirmed what everyone knew was coming: iPhone will soon launch on the Verizon network. The hugely popular iPhone has been a hit with gamers and game developers on the App Store, and by bringing the phone to the largest carrier in the US, the installed base suddenly could get much larger. The folks at social gaming network OpenFeint believe the Verizon iPhone impact could be immediately felt this year. 'The iPhone coming to Verizon is a highly anticipated event by the mobile gaming community,' said Peter Relan, chairman of OpenFeint. 'Adding 13 million more potential gamers on the iPhone is going to be a watershed moment for mobile gaming. I wouldn't be surprised if the US mobile gaming industry doubles in revenue this year because of this deal.'"
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Verizon iPhone Could Double US Mobile Games Biz

Comments Filter:
  • Life without Apple (Score:3, Informative)

    by mykos ( 1627575 ) on Wednesday January 12, 2011 @02:09AM (#34845352)
    While I'm sure it will sell like gangbusters on Verizon, the AT&T exclusivity of the iPhone allowed the Android platform to flourish on the nation's largest wireless network.

    Apple is now releasing a seven month old single-core phone against a deluge of versatile dual-core Tegra 2 devices.
    • by ZackSchil ( 560462 ) on Wednesday January 12, 2011 @02:30AM (#34845434)

      No one knows or cares what processor is in their phone as long as the interface is smooth. And iOS 4 is smooth as silk on that seven month old single core processor.

      For games, all that really matters is how well developers are targeting your platform. I'd say they're doing a pretty good job of targeting the iPhone 4.

      • by MightyMartian ( 840721 ) on Wednesday January 12, 2011 @02:35AM (#34845450) Journal

        That's what the Amiga fanbois kept saying as Macs and EGA-capable PCs were steamrolling over top of them.

        • by Sockatume ( 732728 ) on Wednesday January 12, 2011 @06:01AM (#34846346)

          It's also what console gamers have been saying since the first 3D cards appeared and PCs became the more technically capable platform. Yet the home games market still doesn't seem to be in any danger of a massive swing towards the desktop, nearly two decades later. Suffice to say that specifications are not a reliable predictor for or against a game platform's dominance in isolation. What'll matter is how developer support is courted and maintained, and by all accounts that's what Apple and Google are betting the farm on.

        • by node 3 ( 115640 )

          Um, no. They kept saying that the Amiga had a superior processor to PCs (Motorola 68k series) and had coppers (co-processors) for sound and video which were superior to anything either PCs or Macs came with. If anything, Android fanboys are like the Amiga fans in that they are generally a geekier crowd who are completely flummoxed as to why their preferred system isn't as highly coveted by less-geeky consumers as it is with them.

          Slashdot is such an isolated echo-chamber, you actually get absurd posts gettin

      • Re: (Score:1, Interesting)

        by tuppe666 ( 904118 )

        No one knows or cares what processor is in their phone as long as the interface is smooth. And iOS 4 is smooth as silk on that seven month old single core processor.

        For games, all that really matters is how well developers are targeting your platform. I'd say they're doing a pretty good job of targeting the iPhone 4.

        Lots of people care. Thats why they publish specifications, and put them on little labels next to phones. When the iPhone was a smartphone competing against feature phones it didn't matter - or phone with pinch and zoom...or the amount of applications that it had. It matters more because people are on contracts at Version and the iPhone is getting less attractive by the day. You have to remember that some of us have has the iPhone on Multiple carriers for a long time and still seen explosive growth of andro

        • They publish specs next to the phone so they can try to market their phone as so much more better then the other ones.

          While technically smart phones are the same as a normal computer. There doesn't have a much of a white box do it yourself Smart Phone community like they do with PCs. You cannot buy customization to your phone to make it better for gaming or better.

          In the US market there is probably about 6 carriers you can choose from and they will offer 10 different smart phones each. It is easy for soft

          • They also publish specs to "check the box" for the lazy shoppers who don't want to feel like they are missing out.

            Seriously, compare a Nikon and Canon equivalent DSLR. They all have features A, B, C...some have D, while others have E and F but not G. I'm thinking specifically of my dad who bought some lousy Sony camera because "it has more pixels than your Canon 1D".....riiiiiiight.

            Why is it, though, that few people actually care about HOW GOOD Nikon's A is compared to Canon's A? They only care that Nikon

            • Consumers are dumb so we get dumb marketing. If it didn't work, they would keep doing it.

              Not as dumb as you, apparently.

              • Yes, because intellect and proof-reading while posting on slashdot at work are so tightly correlated.

        • When some one has not even heard the name of a phone, specs are the only way they are going to sell. When people have been already convinced/sold/brainwashed/decided what they want, though, specs don't matter.

          • When some one has not even heard the name of a phone, specs are the only way they are going to sell.

            No, this is simply not true.

            Watch an iPhone commercial and tell me what specs they advertise. They don't. They show a guy using (some of) the features on the phone in a way that people can understand, regardless of tech specs.

            • Read my whole post, it was not that long.

              Repeat here: When people have been already convinced/sold/brainwashed/decided what they want, though, specs don't matter.

              If you are watching an ad you are only looking at one product and being brainwashed/convinced/persuaded to like it. When you go to the store and you see 10 different phones you never heard off, though, specs are the easiest way to decide.

              • No I read that part. I dismissed it as blatantly biased and regurgitating it again does nothing for your argument.

                The "easiest way to decide" is to pick one up and use it. Since you can't touch stuff on your tv, a good simulation of this is to have your ads have people using the product as you would be so inclined to do in real life.

        • "Lots of people care" is a very narrow, somewhat ego-centric distortion of a greater reality, however.

          Yes, lots of people care about specs but most don't. If most people did, you could argue most people would have mostly the same stuff, because it is clearly evident that most stuff for sale can be quantifiably identified as being better or worse than the other thing.

          If there's one thing I've learned in 41 years about US consumerism, it's that companies make stuff for the indiscriminate masses, not the hard-

    • by Man On Pink Corner ( 1089867 ) on Wednesday January 12, 2011 @02:48AM (#34845498)

      Translation: "I've never used an iPhone 4 in my life, but that's not going to stop me from telling you all about how slow and clunky its CPU is. Instead, I recommend that you buy a phone designed by an ad agency."

      • the ad agency that trumped microsoft on their own playground right?

    • by BasilBrush ( 643681 ) on Wednesday January 12, 2011 @03:07AM (#34845588)

      Apple is now releasing a seven month old single-core phone against a deluge of versatile dual-core Tegra 2 devices.

      Yeah right. Because the average smartphone user buys based on the number of cores in the CPU. Time to get out of the basement.

      I guess Android must need that extra core though, because the most common thing I read in reviews of Android devices is that the device in question isn't as responsive to touches as an iPhone.

    • So John Vechey, Brian Fiete and Jason Kapalka from Popcap games are about to buy themselves another mansion I guess.
    • by obarthelemy ( 160321 ) on Wednesday January 12, 2011 @04:02AM (#34845818)

      some people do get that hardware is only part of the equation. OS, Apps, Content, Ecosystem are probably more important to the user experience. Even on the very narrow subject of performance, it may be news to you, but it's not all about hardware: the OS and the way apps are written is as important, if not more, as the hardware.

    • I've been hearing more from people who own Iphone 3g's and 3gs's that want to switch to Verizon from AT&T then I have heard from android users who want to switch to Iphone. A lot of Android users like me have picked out the phone they wanted within the android ecosphere and are very happy with their decision.

      That said, this years Iphone will most definitely have a dual core cpu and some kind of advanced graphics processor, leaving all the other Iphones in the dust, and creating the same hardware i

      • I'm not aware of any incompatibility issues with new versions of the iPhone. This is one selling point (for me at least).

        Applying the shortcomings of the open Android environment to the iPhone, when the iPhone's environment is designed specifically to avoid those problems is not valid.

        • any software written to take advantage of the new IPhone hardware will not run on the older models. This is the same issue that android faces with it's different models. No different.

          • any software written to take advantage of the new IPhone hardware will not run on the older models. This is the same issue that android faces with it's different models. No different.

            Every single app I have will at least run on the first iPhone ever shipped. I don't get features like unassisted GPS support where the hardware simply wasn't there, and the app might be slow as hell, but the compatibility issues are nothing even remotely like what Android users have to think about before they hit 'Buy'.

            Apple d

            • The features you speak of are exactly what I'm talking about.

              When android phones are incompatible with some piece of software that is exactly what is going on. There is missing or old hardware that the software doesn't work on in the exact same way that your old Iphone doesn't work. If you are thinking that it's up to the user to sift through the android market place your a little behind the times. [android.com]

              Look I have no problem with Iphones. I show new users how to use them all the time (and yes setting up email

      • by node 3 ( 115640 )

        I've been hearing more from people who own Iphone 3g's and 3gs's that want to switch to Verizon from AT&T then I have heard from android users who want to switch to Iphone.

        That's exactly why the iPhone will do so well on Verizon. People aren't dissatisfied with the iPhone, just with AT&T.

        A lot of Android users like me have picked out the phone they wanted within the android ecosphere and are very happy with their decision.

        Not relatively speaking. Most Android users did not specifically want an Android phone nor did they weigh all the different models. Why do I say this? Because most consumers don't do this, and Android is the best, most prolific and most interesting system on all carriers in the US that aren't AT&T. If you're on Verizon, until now/next month, the choice was between a bunch of uninteres

        • OK if it helps we can refer to fanboys as protagonists. The point is still very valid however that there will be plenty of software written for the iPhone 4 that will not run on the older phones because of hardware incompatibility. Older phones don't have forward facing cameras or the ability to record movies or fast enough processors to handle software written for newer iPhones. That is reality.

          And yes I admit I do not have any more statistical data than you do however I still don't believe that

          • by node 3 ( 115640 )

            The point is still very valid however that there will be plenty of software written for the iPhone 4 that will not run on the older phones because of hardware incompatibility. Older phones don't have forward facing cameras or the ability to record movies or fast enough processors to handle software written for newer iPhones.

            "Plenty of" is overstating it much, but...

            That is reality.

            It's reality, but nowhere near the fragmentation like it is with Android. Specifically, I was replying to this part of your post "creating the same hardware incompatible environment (old vs new) that IOS fan boys complain about when talking about android phones." It's not the same, and in two very important ways.

            First off, iPhones simply upgrade each year. There aren't multiple current iPhones in terms of supported features, just one (although Apple does tend to kee

      • by Dr Max ( 1696200 )

        That said, this years Iphone will most definitely have a dual core cpu and some kind of advanced graphics processor, leaving all the other Iphones in the dust, and creating the same hardware incompatible environment (old vs new) that IOS fan boys complain about when talking about android phones.

        I was originally thinking the same thing about apple's next phone being a dual core but I’m not so sure any more. They may just settle for an a9 core (smaller architecture would mean significant performance increase and lower power consumption) running maybe a little faster than the current a8 with a sgx540 gpu from the galaxy s. It would mean it’s easier to adapt current ios (keeping a more compatible enviorment), a cheaper price, higher supply of hardware, and smaller size.

    • Apple is now releasing a seven month old single-core phone against a deluge of versatile dual-core Tegra 2 devices.

      And most people (not on slashdot) don't even know what that means, nor do they care. I know what that means I don't really care.

  • I find it amusing that this blurb uses the term "App Store" in a manner befitting its trademarked status, given the immediately previous story [slashdot.org].
    • I would've thought that referring to Apple's "App Store" as a proper noun implies that the uncapitalised "app stores" refers to something else entirely, i.e. that "app store" is a generic term. Think of the difference between writing "I bought a thermos" and "I bought a Thermos".

      • No . . . if they had referred to it as "Apple's app store" it would have indicated that "app store" was a generic term. Capitalizing it indicates that it is a proper noun and refers to one thing (i.e. is not generic).
  • by syousef ( 465911 ) on Wednesday January 12, 2011 @02:53AM (#34845522) Journal

    ...or then again it could just flop. News at 6.

    • by node 3 ( 115640 )

      Yeah, iPhone is totally going to flop on Verizon...

      • by syousef ( 465911 )

        Yeah, iPhone is totally going to flop on Verizon...

        Who said anything about the iPhone flopping? Are you dense? Need help grasping analogies? There's no guarantee it's going to double games sales either though.

        • by node 3 ( 115640 )

          Yeah, iPhone is totally going to flop on Verizon...

          Who said anything about the iPhone flopping? Are you dense? Need help grasping analogies? There's no guarantee it's going to double games sales either though.

          Um, this was your entire post that I was replying to:

          "...or then again it could just flop. News at 6."

          Jackass.

  • by Dr. Hellno ( 1159307 ) on Wednesday January 12, 2011 @04:45AM (#34846000)
    That anybody was waiting for Verizon? Almost nobody holds back on something they want for 3 years because of something as insubstantial as a moderate and geographically varied difference in network quality. Maybe the install base will increase, but double? Hah!
    • Actually... Yes, having a phone on a network that actually... WORK... is quite a dealmaker for me... Here only softbank have the IPhone... And their network coverage in the sticks is notoriously bad... on some place you're better off communicating with smoke signals... Therefore I'm stuck waiting with my crap-phone on a pretty reliable network wherever I go... But it's driving me totally mad.

      • I'm one of the people where AT&T, though crappy, at least gets service to my house. If I were to use Verizon, I'd have to go somewhere else to make or receive a phone call, and that's just not acceptable. Some of my friends have the same issue; Verizon doesn't get service to their houses, but AT&T does. I bet it's different nationwide, but in this little slice of the planet, AT&T gets better service. Shitty service, but still better than nothing.
      • by Anonymous Coward

        Still no excuse when there are good Android phones available on said network. Does it really have to be an iPhone for you to be 100% happy? Or are you already totally mad? :)

    • by spxero ( 782496 )

      Yes. I don't quite think it will double, but there are quite a few that have been waiting. My wife won't give up her Verizon service for anything and as a result she is very excited to get the iPhone there. When she gets one, her mother will get one so they can do facetime. Not a huge jump for gaming, but definitely one for apps in general.

      • I'm consistently amazed that people have any feelings (let alone strong ones) for service providers. It's the phone, not the network. Well, for some people it can't be the phone because the phone only works on a network they can't access. I'm guessing this is why adding Verizon is good for both Apple and Verizon.

    • That anybody was waiting for Verizon? Almost nobody holds back on something they want for 3 years because of something as insubstantial as a moderate and geographically varied difference in network quality. Maybe the install base will increase, but double? Hah!

      You must live in a city. Outside the city the difference in carriers is huge!!! AT+T won't support iphones in my area. (they actually cancel your contract if you use your iphone more than 50% of the usage in my zipcode) So yeah I've been struggling along with a jailbroken iphone on t-mobile, but that's cause I'm nerdy enough to jail break it. most people here can't do that and have been panting for a verizon iphone.

  • by cerberusss ( 660701 ) on Wednesday January 12, 2011 @05:24AM (#34846196) Journal

    Here in The Netherlands, we had T-Mobile as the sole distributor of the iPhone. Since one or two months, the other carriers offer the iPhone as well. Problem is, they don't always specify what works and what doesn't. For example Vodafone doesn't offer Visual Voicemail. I think this is a very nice feature and if it's missing, this should be well-noted. Other carriers offer them with a very tight data limit, which makes watching Youtube and the evening news, or using Spotify, uninteresting.

    So I applaud the fact that this freaking phone is available but I'd suggest other slashdotters that they are careful and look at the whole package. And there's something else as well: there's a new iPhone expected around June. Wait a little bit for a discount, or get the latest model.

  • by LodCrappo ( 705968 ) on Wednesday January 12, 2011 @05:47AM (#34846286)

    So I see the headline proclaiming that the mobile games business could "double".

    I see a quote about adding 13 million potential new gamers.

    Even if we ignore the fact that some if not a majority of VZ iPhone users will simply be former AT&T iPhone users, thus causing no change at all in the size of the gaming market.. Apple moved 10 million phones in Q4 2010 alone. The installed base is pushing 100 million devices. I guess we are also supposed to forget about the even larger number of Android devices out there, and the even larger number of new Android devices being sold each quarter when we think about the mobile gaming market.. but still how exactly does 13 million new users double anything?

    • Maybe it doubles the US iPhone install base? Still wouldn't double the mobile gaming business, considering all the Android devices out there.
    • by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

      I don't get it - the VZ iPhone may double the number of iPhone users, but it will not double the number of mobile gamers

      The reason is simple - the iPhone sells a lot. Guess what sells A LOT MORE? iPod Touches. The iPod Touch outsells iPhone in the US for obvious reasons (no contract, for starters).

      iPad is doing quite well too, but nowhere near iPhone or iPod Touch sales. Maybe a quarter of iPhone sales.

      Which makes the whole "iPhone marketshare" thing kinda silly. Yes, Android phones are outselling iPhones f

    • by Karlt1 ( 231423 )

      Even if we ignore the fact that some if not a majority of VZ iPhone users will simply be former AT&T iPhone users

      http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9176349/Verizon_customers_lust_for_iPhone_says_survey [computerworld.com]

      "Of those polled who are currently Verizon subscribers, 19% said they were "very likely" to buy an iPhone if it became available to the carrier, with another 34% answering that they were "somewhat likely" to buy. Both numbers were higher than those for either Sprint or T-Mobile subscribers."

      Apple moved

      • all that and you ignored the basic premise that adding 13 to 100 doesn't double your total?

        • by Karlt1 ( 231423 )

          all that and you ignored the basic premise that adding 13 to 100 doesn't double your total?

          I didn't comment on the basic premise -- I commented on the fact that everything that was said in the original post was demonstrably shown as incorrect.

          It doesn't matter how many Android users there are to third party developers, but how many are actually willing to buy stuff. As much as Slashdotter's hate to believe that Android's "fragmentation" is not a problem and makes it a less attractive platform. The truth i

    • by node 3 ( 115640 )

      The installed base is pushing 100 million devices.

      Four months ago.

      I guess we are also supposed to forget about the even larger number of Android devices out there, and the even larger number of new Android devices being sold each quarter when we think about the mobile gaming market..

      There are more iOS devices than Android devices. Android has been growing faster over the past year, but iOS market share has been growing too, and with more carrier choices, iOS is going to grow even faster than before.

      On to the specific topic at hand, the iOS apps business dwarfs the Android apps business. An increase in iOS devices will drive the "mobile games biz" far more than an equivalent Android device increase would.

      • Ok.. so there is even more than 100 million.
        Stil no answer to the question: how does adding 13 to (more than 100 million) = double your market??

  • The iPhone has been available across numerous phone service providers for years now. Android is still doing very, very well...

  • Recall when the iPhone was first released. A lot of people switched over to AT&T for that phone. But the iPhone isn't new any longer and many people found a more than adequate replacement in Android.

    Frankly, this new iPhone vendor is just too late to the game for it to make a huge difference.

    Will there be some increase? I'm sure of it. But nothing that would approach "double." Double would be wild speculation even if there were only two carriers!

  • iphone 4 on release next month. VZ is rolling out LTE this year, and the iphone 4 is not compatiable. VZ just eliminated its early upgrade program, so anyone who signs up now will have to wait at least 20 months before getting a new phone. Considering the iphone's are normally refreshed in June/July, why not wait a few months to at least see what the next version of the iphone will bring. Its possible only the GSM iphone will be refreshed this summer and the CDMA one will be refreshed later, but isn'
    • You would think that is logical but a lot of people don't care; they just want an iPhone now on Verizon/Sprint/T-mobile. I've been reading that online for the past 3 years. Most people do not think about or not aware of upgrade cycles and the rest. Most don't care about LTE either.
    • I think the key words that answer your question are "VZ is rolling out LTE this year". Since LTE is still pretty much scarce in the US, why would Apple spend extra money reegineering the phone for a (mostly) non existent phone network?

      • by Scyber ( 539694 )
        My question was why would anyone buy it, not why would Apple make it.

        In all likelyhood, Apple is taking the same approach they took with 3G, let the network built out first. And wait for the 2nd/3rd generation radios that use less power and cost less to buy.
  • This may have already been noted before but I couldn't find it - Verizon users that may have wanted an iPhone may already have an Android phone, so it will be some time before they have the option to switch to an iPhone. I would be surprised if there were 13 million Verizon subscribers eager to have a smart phone who have waited several years without getting an Android phone instead.

Technology is dominated by those who manage what they do not understand.

Working...