View Full Version : Game Related Features in iPhone OS 3
GWhite
03-17-2009, 02:57 PM
Today Apple demoed their new OS for the iPhone and iPod touch. Several of the revealed features will probably start showing up in games once the OS is released this summer.
Ars Technica Roundup (http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/03/apple-highlights-slew-of-new-features-coming-in-iphone-os-30.ars)
Access to bluetooth and the dock connector for application devs.
Third party thumb-sticks should now be possible
Ad hoc network creation
Local multiplayer games without need for an internet connection
Purchasing additional content from within an app
Map packs and the like
BlueBomber
03-17-2009, 04:11 PM
Did you see that video. "Would you like to pay $0.99 to use the rocket launcher?"
I fucking hate microtransactions, and Apple just opened the flood gates.
walkstheplanes
03-17-2009, 04:22 PM
I like the ad hoc multiplayer!
edit: Copy and Paste is coming too!
BloodPack
03-17-2009, 05:33 PM
Crap the iphone was starting to get really cool, you could buy a .99 game and the developer will start improving and fixing the game in the following weeks for free. Now I am gonna have to pay for every little improvment, that sucks.
LilBunnyFuFu
03-17-2009, 05:36 PM
Crap the iphone was starting to get really cool, you could buy a .99 game and the developer will start improving and fixing the game in the following weeks for free. Now I am gonna have to pay for every little improvment, that sucks.
QFT. Ad hoc multiplayer will be nice though, and hopefully this will keep a steady stream of updates coming, so developers will want to support games (space deadbeef, i'm looking at you). One thing I don't want to see is monthly subscriptions to games, and this could cause just that...
Rirath
03-17-2009, 07:18 PM
QFT. Ad hoc multiplayer will be nice though, and hopefully this will keep a steady stream of updates coming, so developers will want to support games (space deadbeef, i'm looking at you). One thing I don't want to see is monthly subscriptions to games, and this could cause just that...
They've already said "subscription" apps are in. :(
http://i.gizmodo.com/5171796/iphone-30-os-guide-everything-you-need-to-know
NEW FEATURES IN THE APP STORE
The new OS will also offer an enhanced App Store, opening new possibilities for developers and consumers.
• Subcriptions to apps.
• Purchase additional content for apps, like new cities for a city guide application.
• Purchase additional levels for games.
Ad-hoc wi-fi is great news, but subscriptions and DLC are just going to make things worse. Also, it appears it's not actually wi-fi but bluetooth... that guide has wi-fi crossed out. Who knows if this will be suitable for gaming? I don't remember bluetooth file transfer being terribly fast.
Roc Ingersol
03-18-2009, 05:18 AM
If you guys hadn't noticed, pricing on the app store is ridiculously competitive.
Only a handful of games/studios could get away with implementing any of this.
Most won't dare toss that crap around. They'll get destroyed.
As to whether bluetooth is fast enough for gaming:
Bluetooth is the core technology in both the 360 and PS3 wireless controllers. It's good enough for twitch response and it's definitely fast enough for multiplayer gaming. (IME handset bluetooth latency is ~20-50ms.)
Bluetooth also draws an order of magnitude less power while active (~60mW vs ~500mW) and doesn't require switching the wifi chip into a peering mode (and thus preventing a wifi data connection to the internet). For local wireless gaming, bluetooth is far superior.
BlueBomber
03-18-2009, 08:53 AM
As to whether bluetooth is fast enough for gaming:
Bluetooth is the core technology in both the 360 and PS3 wireless controllers. It's good enough for twitch response and it's definitely fast enough for multiplayer gaming. (IME handset bluetooth latency is ~20-50ms.)
Bluetooth also draws an order of magnitude less power while active (~60mW vs ~500mW) and doesn't require switching the wifi chip into a peering mode (and thus preventing a wifi data connection to the internet). For local wireless gaming, bluetooth is far superior.
I thought the 360 used IR? Did you mean the PS3 and the Wii (which I believe uses a combination of Bluetooth and IR...)?
360 is definitely not IR... IR is limited to line of sight. 360 is not standard bluetooth either, but some custom implementation I think.
Rirath
03-18-2009, 09:11 AM
360 is definitely not IR... IR is limited to line of sight. 360 is not standard bluetooth either, but some custom implementation I think.
I'm not sure and don't claim to know, but I've heard a few people in forums mention the 360 controllers are actually 2.4 GHZ RF, which makes the most sense to me. They won't work with a standard bluetooth adapter on the PC, at any rate.
http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/gaming/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=090
"Integrated 2.4 GHz high-performance wireless technology"
http://www.xbox.com/en-AU/support/xbox360/accessories/wirelessadapter.htm
"Radio collaboration with Xbox 360 Wireless Controllers for hassle-free system integration."
Bluetooth is also 2.4 GHz RF, hence my comment suggesting they aren't hugely different.
Anyway, 1.0 bluetooth is 1 Mbps, which is plenty fast for iPhone multiplayer gaming.
360 is definitely not IR... IR is limited to line of sight. 360 is not standard bluetooth either, but some custom implementation I think.
360 is a proprietary spread-spectrum protocol over the standard 2.4ghz range. (So it won't interfere with wifi, etc)
This is also why you don't see many 3rd party wireless devices for the 360, as it is expensive to license/develop the hardware.
vBulletin® v3.8.4, Copyright ©2000-2012, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.