Wow.
Great read man.
I was surprised how easy it was to understand.
A+

So what do you think if they overclock it for gaming. Equivalent to psp or above. I think at least equivalent if not above. The extra ram is better for environments and distances. While the psp has the higher polygon count. Polygons don't seem too important after the 5th gen. So I would say better textures and environments make it better. Also do you have any idea how fast it's ram is?

Exactly. I can't imagine the stylus actually costing much. The problem, however, is that the intended way of distributing iPhone games is through iTunes, hence no physical package and it's damn hard to download a stylus without a Star Trek replicator at hand  So in the end, you have to buy it separately, but seeing as there is an endless supply of 3rd party accessories for iPods, this shouldn't be such a big problem. I wonder if anybody actually is making them already?

Edit: Well, whaddya know, there are already choices available, though the prices seem a bit steep: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/iphone/pogo-stylus-tickles-your-iphone-with-more-precision-328847.php and http://tapright.igiki.com/iPhone_Stylus_TapRight.html (if that link doesn't work, with for me it doesn, there's info at http://www.iphoneworld.ca/news/2007/08/28/tapright-iphone-stylus-shipping-today/ ).

Wow, hardcore douchebag comment; I thought I'd point that out first off. I don't see one intelligent argument made in that post.

Labrats5,

I found your readings to be quite solid and knowledgeable of processor architecture and GPUs. The iPhone actually runs 412MHz CPU and a floating-point coprocessor for 3D graphics. As you stated, the DS runs a significantly lower pair of processors [ 67 MHz ARM 946E-S (N-Gage processor) + 33 MHz ARM7TDMI (same processor as the original iPods) ]. There isn't much to question that the iPhone has substantially greater graphics capabilities over Nintendo's handheld.

However the debate arises when we start discussing the PSP. The psp contains a 333 MHz MIPS R4000 CPU + GPU with 2 MB onboard VRAM running at 166 MHz & 32 MB main RAM (new models expanded to 64MB). While the main CPU is infact, slower than the iPhone CPU (Not to mention the iPhone has twice as much RAM as the newest PSP model), the iPhone GPU runs at a slower clock speed and is integrated lacking its own VRAM. The result is that the iPhone cannot push nearly as many polygons as the PSP (as you had stated). However, since the main processor on the iPhone is faster than the PSP, paired with 128 MB of RAM, the iPhone is better suited for PC applications such as the internet (Safari on the iPhone runs circles around the PSP's HTML Interface). Also, another thing to remember is that the scaled down MacOSX infrastructure implemented into the phone is much more computer-intensive than the OS's supported by the DS and PSP; since they are gaming handhelds first, they lack the complex operating system the iPhone is capable of (freeing more power for the games).

Now we get into the input debate. There is no doubt that the lack of buttons on the iPhone significantly handicaps it next to its gaming counterparts. Buttons provide tangible feedback that no touch screen can really replace. Haptics support could help remediate some of this problem (Vibration feedback) but it still cannot fully replace the feel of physical buttons. The same thing goes for comparing the accelerometer to an analog joystick. The unfamiliar free range motion and comprimization of visibility cannot fill the shoes of a tried-and-true analog stick. However, I have full faith that developers should be able to utilize these inputs in a creative and comfortable way that can be suitable for ALL genres of games. Touching the screen does not need to be confined to "virtual buttons", and gestures and types of touch strokes could be differentiated as different actions. I have full faith that FPSs, RPGs and Sports Games alike are capable on the iPhone.

I pity fan boys that don't recognize beauty when they see it. The iPhone is a great device especially with the new 3G and GPS support (Which is waited in line for ;]  ). It's more computer based than iPod/phone/gaming device based; they did a good job designing it. I personally I am a big fan of Sony. The sheer technology in the PS3 is quite admirable and it took some balls to take a (expensive) technological leap forward. I hate Microsoft. But let me admit, XP is still THE best operating system out there as far as versatility goes, and the XBOX 360 does have the largest array of exclusive, solid, titles to choose from.  The Wii (what I have) is also a solid device, the graphics capabilities are certainly some within question but the first party titles from Nintendo are simply awesome, they do their thing, and they do it well. So to any disgruntled fan boys, I ask you to be honest with yourself, and especially to be respectful of others when in a forum. Don't say something unless you have details to back it up :)

As an update to this post, Sega says that the iPhone is just as powerful as their own previous system, the Sega Dreamcast.   http://gizmodo.com/5026065/sega-says-the-iphone-is-as-powerful-as-the-dreamcast