With the new iPhone 3G recently unveiled, the question of gaming on it is inevitable.  While Apple hasn't officially discussed the iPhone as a video game platform, the App Store, a virtual online store where you can download software by Apple and other iPhone developers onto your iPhone or iPod Touch, will make it almost too easy.  Also, games like Super Monkey Ball and Cro-Mag Rally were demoed at WWDC.  It almost feels inevitable that the iPhone will be jumping right in to the portable gaming arena.

In the same way that Wii has blurred the lines of gaming, the iPhone could soon blur the distinction between "mobile gaming" and "handheld gaming."  Should we just make a "Portable gaming" category on this blog to be safe?

The iPhone already has several favorable things in place if it wants to become a gaming machine. 

With gaming-related functions in touch screen and motion sensing technology, the iPhone easily rivals both the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP.  More and more developers become interested in the iPhone by the day, and having the ability to do what pure gaming systems do simply leaves the door open for third parties to get excited about the possibilities.

And there are oh so many possibilities.  No doubt one of the most exciting things about the iPhone 3G:  it's GPS capable.  Can you think of games that could take advantage of the GPS?  Tag?  Sardines?  Geography games?  Find your Facebook friend in the mall?  Get lost and try to find your way back as soon as you can?  I'm sure the developers will be more creative than me, but the GPS is a total X factor.  (in fairness, it should be noted you can give GPS to your PSP with some diligence)

If it wants to get into gaming, the iPhone also has history and circumstance on its side.  In 1995 the Sony Playstation gained a solid foothold in the console market because users were looking for a cheap DVD player (it also played CDs in the days before Napster, kids).  To many of these early PSX owners, the video game option was a plus.  The dual functionality of the Playstation as a gaming system and a reasonably priced DVD player made it a no-brainer purchase for many.  This supplemented the system's installed userbase; coupled with gamers buying the Playstation for gaming, each household that didn't have a DVD player (which was most households) could pick up a PSX for DVDs.  The iPhone can obviously mirror this strategy since it's a phone before a gaming platform.  In fact, the iPhone is poised to take this strategy to a whole new level since each individual person could use an iPhone (for cell phone purposes), whereas households only needed one Playstation (as a DVD player).  Convenience sells...just ask Wal-mart.  Set to sell at no more than $199 - twice more affordable than its high end 8GB predecessor - the iPhone looks to have plenty of users ripe for gaming.

But with all these great advantages already in place, there are still a couple issues the iPhone will face as it ponders its status as a gaming machine. 

First, Steve Jobs hasn't even spoken openly about getting into the mobile gaming industry, but the App Store (cute pun) is a clear path to getting games on the iPhone.  Technically, though, Jobs doesn't have to actively campaign for the iPhone as a gaming device - the developers will be the ones who determine that.  Third party developers can make games specifically for the iPhone and distribute them digitally.  Does anyone else think this sounds like the Wii Virtual Console with more incentive for developers (since they can set their own prices and take most of the cut)?  Maybe it's just me.  I don't expect Apple to start making first party games any time soon, so the iPhone's games will have to be all third party - and it's entirely up to the third party developers as to the quality and quantity of software available.  It would be interesting to see if companies like Nintendo, which has many exclusive franchises and their own gaming platforms, would develop for a mobile device.

It should be noted that games haven't historically taken off on other Apple devices.  The iPod games lacked practicality and charisma (though Bomberman wasn't bad), and I haven't played a good game on a Mac since Oregon Trail.

Furthermore, battery life may be one of the most limiting factors.  I know some people who have to charge their iPhones every 3 hours because they do power-intensive things like surf the internet and stream videos.  But of course, that's what the iPhone is for, and if you're not using its functionality, you're not maximizing your purchase.  Hopefully gaming on the iPhone won't suck power like a GameGear and ruin the fun.  At WWDC 2008, Jobs said of the 3G's battery life, "Browsing, 5-6 hours of high speed browsing. Video - 7 hours, audio - 24 hours."  No mention of "gaming," but it sounds more promising than the first iPhone.

As with any integrated tech device which overlaps several electronics industries, the iPhone would have competitors other than Nintendo's DS and Sony's PSP.  In addition to the standard phone manufacturers, Microsoft is ever present in the phone industry and Google figures to enter the integrated phone niche as well.  Competition will directly affect decisions made by Apple and hence the viability of the iPhone as a gaming device.  And while Apple seems to have done more than a few things right with its iPhone, sharing playgrounds with bullies like Microsoft and Google (with Nintendo and Sony waiting on the four-square court) doesn't guarantee a fun recess. 

Regardless, it looks like the iPhone has all the resources it could possibly need to become the first legitimate mobile gaming device ever, and with a C.E.O. as whimsically genius as Steve Jobs, anything is possible.  It will need good third party support if it is to go head to head with the DS and the PSP, but some have already hinted at success as a gaming device.  While some things need to fall into place for this to happen, the video game industry is an ever-changing landscape, and oftentimes, change just feels inevitable.

The Fire Emblem series is slated to return to handhelds, and although there isn't much information on this soon-to-be Nintendo DS title, I couldn't help but make a list of what fans of this awesome series deserve to see.  The last two Fire Emblem games have come out for the GameCube and Wii respectively, but the game is always best on handhelds.  Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn didn't even live up to the graphical expectations with technical upgrades to console gaming, and if Intelligent Systems won't bother to maximize their resources, they may as well keep the series on handheld systems from now on, where pause-and-play works perfectly with tactical style RPGs (see Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis).  While the GBA Fire Emblem games were excellent, the Nintendo DS has even more bells and whistles to work with.  In gaming circles, the Fire Emblem franchise is appreciated by the most hardcore of fans - and in my experience, it's the more hardcore, the harder to please...

First deserved by the Fire Emblem faithful are improved aesthetics - the franchise needs a facelift.  Although the Fire Emblem franchise has always emphasized gameplay over glitz and glam, a few visual and audio upgrades can go a long way.  The Nintendo DS is much more capable of handling a few extra sprites per character (than the GBA), so it's only natural we should see more battle frames, more idle unit frames, and a little more pizazz.  Past musical scores have always been decent, save for a few annoyingly repetitive tunes (the desert level in Sacred Stones comes to mind).  And on the Nintendo DS, a system renown for its awesome stereo speakers and surround sound (use headphones), there is no excuse for anything less than a spectacular soundtrack.  I'm thinking along the lines of epic compositions like the re-vamped Fire Emblem theme in Super Smash Bros. Brawl with the lyrical Latin vocals laced over that familiar melody.   Whether or not Nintendo composer Yuka Tsujiyoko is on this project, the music better be Grammy-worthy.  No MIDIs circa 1991, please.  Since Fire Emblem is a game with extremely high replay value with a strong hardcore following of perfectionist gamers, you can expect a lot of time to be spent (especially if you're re-setting to save a character), and a few graphical and audio improvements will make the experience much more enjoyable.  

And enjoying the Fire Emblem experience is what it's all about.  In achieving this, the single most important thing Nintendo and Intelligent Systems can give us is a great multiplayer and online experience.  

Imagine battling armies against each other - you assemble your army with a handpicked assortment of units, explore the map, fighting the fog of war and gaining terrain advantages to outwit and rapier your online/WiFi foes.  Rounds can be timed so that laggerts won't ruin the game.  Fire Emblem veterans have long been salivating over the prospect of battling live opponents, and the Nintendo DS is the platform that will make it a reality.

Nintendo also needs to address friend code issue.  Sometimes having to use friend codes gets in the way of the action.  I understand that having friend codes helps keep child molesters out of your Animal Crossing town, but I simply want to connect to someone else and play.  It may take a centralized server to arrange, but the prospect of playing multiplayer free-for-alls or 2on2s online is too juicy to deny.  Nintendo could even give the game a ladder ranking system, which could increase interest in the game (and the tactical role-playing genre in general). 

Really, this game can't come any sooner.  It's set for an August 7th release in Japan.  Hopefully Nintendo/Intelligent Systems come through with what its loyal fans have been waiting for.  Improved aesthetics isn't much to ask, and online play is a natural evolution on a platform as capable as the DS.  Marth and friends won't be the only ones obliged! 

** Update

This game will be called Fire Emblem: New Dark Dragon and the Sword of Light.

They say that good things come to those who wait, and that couldn't be more true for those of us who have waited for the next Pokemon game.  Finally, that time is upon us and millions of restless trainers will soon find themselves in the all new wild world of Pokemon Clear!  Thinking of all the new Pokemon to catch and train makes me giddier than a Hentai schoolgirl in an adult flash game.  How quick can I get all the badges?  Which Pokemon will I choose first when I battle my rival?  Which ones can I selectively breed to satisfy my fetishes?  I'm stoked to get Poke'd. 

If you have a jailbroken iPhone , you may have come across this neat little SHMUP called rRootage.  It is a port of a game created by the legendary Kenta Cho and boy is it a doozy.  Taking full advantage of the iPhones touch capabilities and high res display, dodging millions of pixel missiles has never been so intuitive and satisfying. If this is a sign of things to come, I think we are in for a treat once firmware 2.0 is released along with SDK backed 3rd party developers. Well, words can only describe so much, so see for yourself...