Comments on: Apple Hiring Gaming Engineer for iPhone Team

By: Harbmaster

Harbmaster — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:00:52 +0000

It does make sense that This person will not be designing games but making api for the games. In order to make games that can compete with what is already in the app store such as doom and cod you would need a team of engineers and even experience. Apple doesnt have intentions on making a game, just making games on the iphone that much easier, This also leads to one more thing thought. Apple has plans to make their other products better at gaming, they wouldnt just do it on the iphone and nothing else.

By: dev

dev — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:58:18 +0000

I hope icebike is right. A single public engineer from a public job posting on the iPod/iPhone team is not going to help them pump out quality first party game titles.

A dedicated engineer inside Apple working with game developers to improve game-related APIs and platform issues -- now THAT could give the iPhone the sort of credibility and developer relations the Mac lacked and which banished the Mac to 15 years in a gaming wasteland.

Unfortunately, the job description does not read that way

By: zeagus

zeagus — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:47:48 +0000

@CJ - are they gaming accountants for the smartphone platform with most mindshare of any device on the market right now? If not, -1 point .

By: Nikolay Andreev

Nikolay Andreev — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:29:20 +0000

I agree with Icebike. Can a one man job be just for developing games or is it to help developers develop games.

We will probably see the result of his work in March when the 4.0 beta is revealed. Deffinately new game APIs are comming. Maybe some that will allow for a addon gamepad controler to work across all game apps

By: CJ

CJ — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:36:09 +0000

And why would I need to know that. The Corp I work in is hiring two accountants. What do u guys think about that? At least 5 years of experience required.

By: zeagus

zeagus — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:29:37 +0000

"Um…the thing is…you don’t need it to “transform” and such because the actual controller can be made to do anything you want."

Right, as long as "what you want" == havethe physical buttons that it already has. Look, I'm no saying it's going to replae consoles - I love my console and even more I love my PC gaming. I'm also - and I'm repeating myself here - not saying thatbits ideal or every situation. But... as with mp3, the FLIP Mino and a million other things "good enough" can outsell ideal for a lot of uses and situaions. There was a recent WIRED article that wbt into great depth pnthe subject. I agree with Icebike, also - Apple met with Carmack a while back and realized they didn't have anyone who could, as JC did, walk in and say immediately - "Well, this this and this are where we are going wrong.".

By: icebike

icebike — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:36:53 +0000

Maybe they aren't going to launch their own gaming titles.

Maybe they just realized they have nobody on staff who can even speak the same language as Carmack and the other big-name gamers, and wouldn't know a triangle mesh if it bit them in buss.

If you read the blogs, those guys have been begging for Apple to beef up it's API set so that really good games need not be so limited, or so slow and fugly.

By: iDavey

iDavey — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:05:05 +0000

Um...the thing is...you don't need it to "transform" and such because the actual controller can be made to do anything you want.

Who picks up a controller for a Wii/PS3/360 and go, "Dang, I can't use analog if I wanted or digital" =|

And Wii even one ups it by having the option of full motion with most games. With PS3 and 360 of course trailing behind.

There's nothing innovative that Apple can do in the game market. They set it afire with making the iPHone/iPod a good gaming device. But it won't penetrate past that.

By: Nick

Nick — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:46:58 +0000

"Just what could Apple be BREWING now?" BEER GAMES!!!

By: Nick

Nick — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:45:09 +0000

Now that would be intersting!!! I hope they make a few beer games that come with 3.3

By: Martin

Martin — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:12:35 +0000

Thats intresting. Maybe nice Games come out for the iPhone.

By: zeagus

zeagus — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:02:51 +0000

If it's just acting as a controller for something being output to AppleTV then you can usetge entirety of the screen and the compass/accelerometer and not care- that's the comment above that I was addressing. Do you have hardware controls that can turn into dfferent hardware controls as needed? No? Then by definition the device that can mimic any control setup is probably more versatile. As fun to use? Not in all cases, but definitely more versatile. Arnold Terminator vs. Liquid Metal T-1000.

By: Killer

Killer — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:15:06 +0000

Hopefully some good fa-rt apps pre-installed for 4.0!!!

By: iDavey

iDavey — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:56:27 +0000

I don't get it...versatile in many ways dedicated consoles arent?

Analog...check D-Pad...check Buttons...check

how are dedicated hardware controls less versatile than on screen controls that take up half the screen?

By: zeagus

zeagus — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:36:06 +0000

Maybe Carmack wants to take a year's sabbatical to fix the platform . I mean he could do it in probably three weeks, but he could probably use some leisurely research time after shipping Rage/idTech5.

By: zeagus

zeagus — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:34:21 +0000

Yes, totally limited by it's display being able to mimic any control config you can imagine. Sucks... . I am not 100% kidding, but mostly. It'll never be as useful as a dedicated controller, but it's definitely versatile in ways dedicated hardware controls aren't.

By: Jon

Jon — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:41:25 +0000

Sync the iPhone with Apple TV and do something like WiiMotion. Strap the iPhone or Touch to your hand, control with motion and touchscreen. I don't know how far you can go with it though. The iPhone only has one button on the front and a touchscreen so it's limited.

By: iDavey

iDavey — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:57:37 +0000

I wouldn't even want to begin to think what a first party franchise from Apple would bring...

It'd probably just get itself rejected from the app store.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:17:43 +0000

LBP and Halo for iPhone would be sick