The iPhone has virtually no buttons but it has already emerged as a significant threat to Nintendo and Sony in the portable games market.

Major game developers including Electronic Arts and Sega have jumped onboard to create elaborate titles that rival the Sony PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS in terms of graphics and gameplay.

On the iPhone App Store, where users can access a range of free and paid-for third-party applications, games have fast emerged as the most popular offerings, with more than 1500 titles to choose from.

This is significantly more than the total selection of games offered for the DS and PSP combined.

The App Store, which was launched only in June, is the secret to Apple's successful video game debut. It allows anyone to create games and sell them directly to users for a low price, with little overheads and without going through publishers or traditional retailers.

Unlike traditional gaming experiences that revolve around button mashing and joypads, gameplay on the iPhone centres on the large touchscreen and built-in accelerometer, which allows players to control the action by tilting the phone.

Despite the absence of buttons, the iPhone appeals to gamers because it allows them to have a single device capable of functioning as their phone, music player, video player, portable computer and game machine.

"In terms of the games we're working on now, I'd say the iPhone is comparable to the PSP or DS," Gonzague de Vallois, executive at iPhone game developer Gameloft, told The Guardian.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has said he expected the iPhone (and iPod Touch, which can also access the App Store) to emerge as a viable gaming device this holiday season. More than 50 million iPhone games have been downloaded so far.

Another Apple executive, Greg Joswiak, said in a recent interview with Stuff.tv: "The graphics capability is greater than the DS. We have multitouch, the screen is larger and there's an accelerometer. And we have the App Store. I think it's the future of gaming."

Already, developers are pushing the boundaries and transforming the iPhone into a motion-sensitive controller for PC games. One new app, iFun, turns the iPhone into a motion-sensitive Wii remote, allowing users to play sports games such as golf against each other over the internet on their PCs.

One of the world's largest game publishers, Electronic Arts, responsible for best-selling franchises such as The Sims, has published seven games for the iPhone including Scrabble, Tetris and Spore: Origins.

Well I won't be buying this crap, or maybe I should say this f-ing expensive thing, I like buttons thank you. :)

I hate touchscreen, they break so easy >_>.

Gimme a good ole fashion brick with buttons any day.

>_< this was posted just when I woke up... http://www.vgchartz.com/forum/thread.php?id=50256
and paste the whole article not just the first page... or link it!

50m games downloaded - with an average price of around $2. Remember that more than half the games on the service are FREE. So that might be $100m-150m of revenue - with Apple taking 30% ($30m-$45m).

On the other hand, Nintendogs has shipped more than 20m copies - with Nintendo raking in $10-$20 per unit. So make that $200m-$400m of revenue, for Nintendo (alone) from one title - released 4 years ago. I'm sure they are quivering in their boots.

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The lack of buttons is a killer for me. Any game that really requires heavy button use just doesn't work very well - the lack of tactile response is horrible.

The iPhone/iTouch is excellent for *some* types of games, specifically "unique" games that use the accelerometer. Then again, one of my (gaming) friends tried MonkeyBall on the iPhone, and absolutely hated it (with a passion). But that might have just been the game.

...

If anything, the iPhone will hurt the "casual, mobile" market - rather than the hardcore (handheld) gaming market.

Its the business model that is attractive - and that is why digital dist games are coming to both the PSP and DSi...

I will have to say that as for gaming, the iPhone has taken some time away from my DS. The real reason is that there are some great pick up and play a few minutes here and there games with the iPhone and they are cheap. I do not think that it can take the place of adventure or rpg gaming, but for casual pick up and play titles, it is hard to beat. Not to mention that I can switch between multiple game in less than 10 seconds.

I could care less, I can't stand touch screen thingys anyway. I think Samsung's Instinct is better anyway. They know how to use the 3G network as advertised on Xbox Live.lol

 Very well written. I wrote something like this in the other thread, but it lost the point. I agree completely.

I dunno, I tried a few - I can't see anyone replacing their their DS/PSPs for it or it even affecting 'em at all.

They seem, to me, like games you play as an afterthought. If you have one and you're on a bus or in a waiting room for anything, you'll play a quick game on it instead of say... flipping thru a magazine.

So I guess I'm saying that the ones who should feel threatened are magazines and newspapers.

I've tried iPhone games and they are simplistic beyond compare. Many are free for a reason--there's nothing to them. Some are intriguing ideas, some are really nothing new or interesting.

Frankly, it still costs a fortune compared to a DS or PSP, the games are download-only (so write off support from places like GameStop), and the games are extraordinarily shallow. Don't expect First Person Shooters, shmups, fighting games, GTA-style games, RPG's, or for that matter, much aside from a large selection of shallow casual titles.

Apple. Spin doctors.