Appletell

Line Rider is undoubtebly one of the most addictive flash games on the web. The popular game is set to come to the iPhone and iPod touch for the low price of $3—although some may argue that it should be free, seeing as it is free-to-play on the internet. The iPhone version of Line Rider will bring the ability of uploading and downlodaing tracks via the official Line Rider site. It will also benefit from the multi-touch interface for track creation and play; your tracks can be played out in a movie mode.

Details after the break.

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I’m a big fan of the Call of Duty series, and I was excited when I heard it was coming to the Mac. However, it looks like COD4 fans will have to wait a little longer. It’s been delayed.

On Tuesday, June 2, 2008 Aspyr announced that Call of Duty 4 will be delayed. It was originally supposed to be released in May. The fact that May passed without us getting this title was a great indication that the deadline wasn’t going to be met, right?

“Aspyr Studios has chosen to continue to spend more time in development with the title in order to ensure a high-quality gaming experience for Mac gamers,” reads a statement offered by Aspyr.

Call of Duty 4 is a first person shooter developed by Infinity Ward. It’s the fourth game in this extremely popular series. Currently, you can purchase it for PlayStation 3, PC, and Xbox 360 (I have the Xbox version). Unlike the previous games which were set during World War II, Call of Duty 4 is set in modern times, and you are visiting various hotspots around the globe. There are lots of weapons from which you can choose for the game, and playing in multi-player mode allows you to unlock additional weapons, weapon attachments, and camouflage schemes as you progress.

Although I’m disappointed by this temporary setback, I’ll happily purchase it for my MacBook Pro once it is available.

As I have posted before, the iPhone has the potential to take over handheld gaming. It’s already a popular device for multimedia and communication, adding third-party games (providing the iPhone is capable enough of playing them) would make it a great handheld console. After seeing some of the game demos at the iPhone SDK event, many people have been awaiting some serious gaming on their iPhones. Obviously there are two main inputs the iPhone can have: Touch screen and motion sensors; most games consoles today have physical buttons as controls, rather than a touchscreen with no tactile feedback.

However, there is now a new gaming accessory for your iPhone: iControlPad. It adds physical buttons and a joypad to your iPhone. It slips onto your iPhone like a skin or case that you may already have, which gives some extra protection. The buttons are positioned similarly to Sony’s popular PSP handheld console. The buttons are connected to your iPhone through the dock connector on the bottom. It can already support some current games on Jailbroken iPhones, and are planning support for official SDK games when they are launched next month.

The iControlPad isn’t available yet, but development kits are available for iPhone developers who plan to make games through the SDK.

Via [TUAW]

Apple’s update of the iMac line on Tuesday is really beginning to show the direction that Apple is taking in its computers. Most significantly, Apple seems to be showing signs of preparing its Macs for the world of gaming.

Some evidence of this is the new 3.06GHz processor option for the 24-inch iMac, which is suspicious only because Apple is working the current technology to get 3.06GHz out of something designed to only give 2.8GHz. Another piece of evidence is the GPU, which seems to be a stock nVIDIA 8800M GTS (even though Apple calls it an 8800 GS, but Apple also called Mobility HD 2600 XT parts HD 2600 Pro). This is a very high-end GPU and offers much more power than most Mac users currently need from the iMac.

Implementing the overclocked processor and a high-end nVIDIA GPU in an iMac is a suspicious move for Apple to make. Whether Apple is starting to optimize Macs for gaming using Boot Camp with Windows, or even preparing Mac OS X-based gaming, no one can be sure. Either way, it appears that Apple is taking a step forward towards a future of gaming in its Macs.

Computers.  Displays.  Cell phones.  Music players.  Online music.  Storage.  Networking.  Apple is already in a ton of markets, many of which, unfortunately, are tightly tied together.  However, Apple is still a relatively young company and can branch out so much more.  The questions is, if at all, where?  Will they enter the digital camera market?  The gaming market?  The GPS and auto market?  Or maybe even video cameras?  It could be any of the above, especially given the fact that Apple has applied for so many patents lately.  It will be interesting to find out, but heres my thoughts:

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Roughly Drafted has posted a long, in-depth analysis of the iPhone as a gaming device - they bring up a lot of great reasons for the iPhone to become a great gaming device. The iPhone has an amazing amount of processing and graphics power for a mobile phone, comparable to any of Nokia’s gaming phones, but not quite up-to-scratch with dedicating gaming device, Sony PSP. Apple’s recently announced SDK also looks promising to game developers that want to turn their game ideas into reality on an iPhone or iPod Touch.

The iPhone would also have a great distribution platform: The iTunes App store. Unlike traditional portable gaming devices, e.g. the Sony PSP, the iPhone wouldn’t require external media like UMD discs. Instead, the iPhone could download games wirelessly, either over Wi-Fi or EDGE connections. I believe the iPhone could make it as a gaming device. It eliminates the need for three things: Your iPod, your phone and your portable games console. Its only limitations are battery life and storage; a lot of your 16GB flash drive will be taken by music and video already.

Via [TUAW], [Inside Mac Games]

Apple, we know you want this gaming market. You showed us numerous iPhone game demos and now have over 20 games for the iPod, but what about the MacBook and computer?

Apple has sold about 5.7 million laptops since the beginning of 2007. MacWorld predicts that a large percentage of the total are MacBooks. More games are appearing on the Mac and when games come to the iPhone with the SDK in June, do you want the halo effect? If the games on the iPhone and iPod Touch are really as good and better when iPhone 2.0 comes out it will be a huge hit in the gaming market. Users may then buy Macs, and will be disappointed, especially with the MacBook. The Mac Mini, MacBook and Macbook Air’s GPU, Graphic Processing Unit, memory is shared with the rest of the system. Integrated graphics on these computers keep them thinner, the weight and price lower - but also the performance. An upgrade to the hardware would definitely help and keep developers happy. Peter Cohen writes that “they’ve moaned and groaned about the system’s inability to run the games they’ve developed or have in the works.”

Will Apple be mainly focusing on iPhone and iPod Touch for gaming?

Via [MacWorld]

When Apple announced the iPhone Software Development Kit on March 6th, the iPhone version of Spore, introduced by Electronic Arts, stood out as one of the many amazing things coming with the iPhone SDK when it is released in June. More details on the iPhone version of Spore were announced today by Travis Boatman, VP of Worldwide Studios for EA Mobile.

The first thing that was reported is that the iPhone version of Spore has been reconfirmed to be the mobile version of the game, though the specifics of what that means for the game are still being withheld. The iPhone version of Spore may see a large visual difference from the other mobile version(s), as he stated that EA “[builds] our titles specific to the platform and the device and maximize features.” Also stated was that the unique use of the iPhone’s accelerometer and Multi-Touch functionality will be implemented for the user interface and “evolution modification” of the game.

The cost and distribution methods of the game are currently uncertain, probably pending communication with Apple about the new initiative. The iPhone version of Spore is aiming to launch alongside the September launches of the various other versions of the game. Boatman also hints that there “will be other” titles in development for the iPhone platform, meaning that the iPhone is likely to become a unique gaming platform in the near future.

The iPhone, iPod and the Mac are becoming better gaming platform every day with more games. The latest game, SpacePig is now available for Macs. SpacePig is a cartoon style in 3D. You control an animated Pig who travels around while you attempt to pick up as many gold coins and diamonds as possible. You’ll also be faced with flying meteorites and spikes, which can turn around your gameplay. Once you’ve completed a level you may post your score online and compare it to others around the world. The aspect of submitting your score online is a very nice features and lets gamers have some competition. SpacePig runs on Mac OS X Tiger or higher, and is priced for $19.95

Via [Inside Mac Games

Several years ago Apple entered the Music market with the iPod and iTunes. Last year, Apple entered the Phone market with the iPhone. Ars Technica is reporting that Apple has applied for a trademark extension relating to gaming. Apple has attempted to enter this market with the Pippin and failed miserably. Many rumors have been floating around the web and here at Appletell of Apple to announce new products. Though previously failed, the same happened with the Newton, then came the iPhone and the computer, then when Steve Jobs returned to Apple, the Macintosh returned. Apple has also recently developed games for the iPods which can be bought from the iTunes Store.

The trademark filling seeks to extend the “APPLE”, trade to cover “Toys, games and playthings, namely, hand-held units for playing electronic games; hand-held units for playing video games; stand alone video game machines; electronic games other than those adapted for use with television receivers only; LCD game machines; electronic educational game machines; toys, namely battery-powered computer games.” With the Apple TV and the iTouch as a remote, Apple could create an amazing gaming machine/platform. Have they already and will we see it later this month? Or is this just another rumor?

Via [ArsTechnica]