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iPhone Is Now More Popular than DS and PSP Among Game Developers

Game Developer Research says that Apple is winning the race among handheld game developers: 19 percent write now for the iPhone and iPod touch. That's more than double the amount of Nintendo DS and Sony PSP developers. Other interesting figures:

• Handheld games are now 25 percent of the whole gaming market, up from 12 percent before the iPhone/iPod touch phenomenon.
• During the last three quarters, all handheld game developers are writing for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch.

No wonder why Nintendo's President not a fan of the iPad. [Electronista]

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  • Usually reading the patent tea leaves is an inaccurate science at best, without knowing how exactly a proposed technology will fit into a company's product plans. Other times, there's an actual drawing of an iPod Touch with a video camera.

    The patent was filed in the summer of 2009, but only just published today by the US Patent Office. It's maybe not the most surprising news in the world, given that the iPhone 3GS is already equipped with the technology. There really hasn't been a good reason for the Touch not to have a camera, other than Steve Jobs dithering about how people just don't want one. That's always seemed like poppycock, and I'm glad it looks like Apple's started to agree.

    Separately, Apple also filed a patent for LED backlighting, which makes sense given that the iPad will come with exactly that. Whether we'll also be seeing it implemented on the next generation of iPhones and iPod Touches is anyone's guess. [Patently Apple]

  • Nintendo has traditionally ignored the iPhone as a competitor, claiming that the DS and iPhone were chasing different markets. Now Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has given in the reality of commerce and started the smack talk.

    I do not imagine that iPhone will dominate the Nintendo DS market at once. My impression as the person who has used iPhone is, it is very attractive but, frankly, I did not feel that it was designed to be appreciated by a wide variety of people like how Nintendo has been designing its products.

    The DS had an incredible run, and the DSi has shown some impressive initial sales. But with the rise of the smartphone (which obviously includes the iPhone), Nintendo will need to move beyond corporate trash talk and figure out how they'll survive in the mobile gaming marketplace when consumers refuse to carry two devices. You know, a plan that doesn't include going the way of Sega on mobiles.

    The company will never have more momentum than they have now. So if anyone could launch a crazy new product and find mass acceptance right now, it's Nintendo. But unfortunately for Nintendo, Apple meets that criteria, too. [Nintendo via Kotaku and image]

  • The iPod touch is growing faster than the iPhone now—making up 40 percent of 58 million iPhone OS devices—and what that means, says Flurry analytics, is that it's building the "next generation" of iPhone users. Oh boy. [AppleInsider]

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