Carmack: iPhone a serious threat to other hand-helds

In an interview with Chris Morris for CNBC, id Software founder and chief programmer John Carmack said that Apple’s iPhone may be a serious threat to the hand-held gaming market - specifically Nintendo’s DS and DSi.

It’s a pretty interesting comment if you consider that earlier this week a prominent analyst (who I won’t name here) said that the iPhone - in the long term - will not be a viable game platform. Carmack sees it another way - and he should know, he’s been working on the platform and selling his games via Apple’s app store for quite some time.

Earlier this week it was announced that there are now 100,000 apps available on the iPhone, and while not all of those are games, a good portion of them are and many of them sell for anywhere from 99 cents to $9.99 USD.

“I think mid- to long-term it’s a significant threat,” he says. “I don’t carry a DS or a PSP around, but I’ve got my iPhone everywhere. So if it plays good games, I’m less likely to pick one of the others up. … I think the stars could align and it could start to eclipse those other systems in terms of unit sales.”

While Carmack is a PC guy through and through, he has fallen in love with developing games for the iPhone. He describes his time developing games on the system “fun.”

“I wouldn’t be shocked if someone has one in development right now, though they probably don’t realize it will run that high yet,” he told CNBC. “If a title could do well at $9.99, you could put [Nintendo] DS level development expenses into it.”

id Software has made it their goal to release one iPhone game every quarter over the next year. Most recently the company released an iPhone remake of the classic DOOM game called “Doom Classic.” iPhone versions of one of my favorite id Software titles - Quake - and a follow-up to the popular Doom RPG are also in the works. id Software is also planning on having its latest game, RAGE, ready to go for the iPhone when it is released in 2010.

Source: CNBC

Carmack Wins Level One Lunar Lander Challenge

id Software founder John Carmack and his team Armadillo Aerospace, has won $350,000 in this year’s Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge. Carmack can make more than just genre defining franchises and fabulous game technology - he’s also very good at creating things that can fly. The Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge is an annual $2 million contest that sees teams try to build and sucessfully deploy a lunar vehicle and then simulate a 90 to 180-second moon flight and landing. The event is hosted by the X Prize Foundation and sponsored by NASA.

As usual, the event was held at the Las Cruces International Airport in New Mexico over the weekend. Armadillo Aerospace managed to win Level One of the challenge, which required the team to launch its contraption to an altitude of 150 feet, hover for 90 seconds, and then touch down safely at a landing pad 150 feet away. The team was also required to repeat the flight in reverse within two and a half hours.

You can check out some great footage from the events below - available from our fabulous Community Site:

- Day One Footage

- Day Two footage

Source: C|Net

Wolfenstein RPG Details

Here’s some light details on id Software’s new mobile roleplaying game, Wolfenstein RPG, that you probably didn’t know. I wish that John Carmack would bring Doom RPG and this new title to the DS.. but I digress.

Wolfenstein RPG puts you in the worn leather of B.J. Blazkowicz, leader of an elite unit deployed by the U.S. to infiltrate Castle Wolfenstein (man when is this guy coming home?). The end goal is to stop the Axis forces and save the world, of course. B.J will escape prison and navigate towns, infiltrate Castle Wolfenstein to stop the Axis’ evil Paranormal Division through a combination of cunning and good old fashioned gunplay.

The game will feature 9 levels, 32 familiar and new enemies, use your fists or 17 conventional and paranormal weapons (including TNT), exploration for treasures and secrets in the castle, books that enhance abilities, and two mini-games called “War” and “Kick the Chicken.”
Wolfenstein RPG will be released later this year.

EA Signs id’s RAGE

One of the biggest announcements to come out of E3 press conference today was word that the company has secured the publishing rights to id Software’s next game RAGE.

The game, which is being built using id Software’s newest game engine, id Tech5, promises an “an all-new take on the first person shooter.” No doubt the technology that founder John Carmack is building will be impressive, but we know a lot of details until QuakeCon 2008 when id Software unveils the title to a mass audience of id Software stalwarts and fans. QuakeCon will take place in Dallas, Texas from July 31 to August 2nd.

RAGE is being developed for the PS3, Xbox 360, Mac and PC.