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

Adventures To Go got up and went

Natsume announced today that its all-new strategy RPG Adventures To Go for the PlayStation Portable is now available exclusively at GameStop. It retails for an MSRP of $29.99 and is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB. In this new RPG, players take control of Finn Courtland and his band of misfits in their quest for fame and riches. Along the way, they just might have to save the world from the evil Arbitus and his band of demons.

The game uses a grid-based combat system, offers unique skills and abilities the ability to shape the game’s dungeons and challenges your liking and scads of humor and light-hearted fun. Would we expect anything but that from Natsume, whose bread and butter is Harvest Moon? I think not.

Armored Core 3 Portable lands on PlayStation Network

FromSoftware’s Armored Core 3 Portable, the latest in its mecha action game series, is available for download in North American on PlayStation Network. In Armored Core 3 Portable, players battle as members of the mercenary organization known as Raven piloting customizable mecha Armored Core (AC) units. The ACs are customizable with different weapons and machine parts that can be reconfigured as necessary to complete a variety of missions.

AC3 Portable promises over 50 missions, an enhanced menu interface and better in-game visibility, a highly customizable AC unit at your command (like other AC games you can configure weapons, parts, armor color and emblems), over 200 parts to choose from (including parts from the previous games in the series) PSP Ad Hoc Network support for multiplayer with up to four friends using a wireless connection, support for Ad Hoc Party on PlayStation 3, a brand new opponent from the Japanese Armored Core novel, and the promise that your data and saves will be transferrable to future AC titles on the PSP.

Find out more by visiting http://www.fromsoftware.jp/en/ or check out the screens after the break.

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Mahjongg Artifacts: Chapter 2 now available for PSP

G5 Entertainment announced today that Mahjongg Artifacts: Chapter 2 is now available in North America for PlayStation Portable - and of course, for the PSP go as a digital download. Mahjongg Artifacts: Chapter 2 features a Quest Mode, where players embark on an adventure to find artifacts along the way. Classic Mode offers basic mahjongg gameplay in a wide selection of layouts, and Endless Mode challenges players with an ever-rising tower of game pieces. Quest mode offers 25 levels, while Classic mode offers 99 levels in total. Endless mode is apparently.. endless.

Mahjongg Artifacts: Chapter 2 can be found in the PSP Minis section of the PlayStation Network Store, and downloaded with the PlayStation 3, PSP or PSP go. The game can also be downloaded to PC with Media Go software and installed to the PSP. Find out more at www.g5e.com.

Video game hardware, software sales mostly flat in Sept.

While some might applaud the new batch of sales numbers for the month of Sept., they show that the sector, like many others in the world during this still shaky financial times, is feeling the bite just like everyone else. It is hard to imagine what hardware numbers might look like if Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft hadn’t slashed the prices on their respective home console systems. Even with those price cuts, NPD data for the month showed a meager 1 percent gain over the same period a year ago, with total videogame related sales in the U.S. of around $1.28. Again, if not for cuts, it would have been more downward trending for the sector. Still it’s hard to ignore that compared to August, sales were up considerably in Sept.

On the hardware front, the one relevant console that did not get a price cut, the DS (which includes the DSi and DS Lite), was at the top of the heap moving over half a million units in the month. The good news for Sony - if there really is any in a month that was mostly flat - is that it managed to beat out the Wii and Xbox 360 in the month with 491,000 units. The Wii was close by with almost 463,000 units and the Xbox 360 managed to move nearly 353,000 units. The PSP moved right around 190,000 units in Sept., - which we assume includes both the old model and the new PSP go. Finally, the PS2 managed to move 146,000 units.

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Take a Half Minute to save the world

XSEED Games has released Half-Minute Hero for PSP in North America - the game will also be available shortly for digital download on the PlayStation Network Store for those of you that hate UMDs or own a PSP go. Half-Minute Hero is a unique is a fast and loose game that combines role-playing, shooter action and even a little RTS in a story where you literally have right around 30 seconds to save the world from utter destruction. Ain’t that a bitch?

Players choose between four modes of accelerated game-play totaling over 100 unique stages. Among the modes are the quick level-grinding RPG flavor of Hero Mode, the rapid-fire shooting of Princess Mode, Evil Lord mode where you control units to save the day and Knight mode where you serve as protector. No matter what you choose you’ll have 30 seconds to save the world with a story filled with scads of Western pop culture referenced humor and an 8-bit graphical style.

Half Minute Hero is available at retail now and the PlayStation Network Store will be available for download starting October 22nd. Both the UMD and digital download version have a suggested retail price of $29.99. For More information, visit halfminutehero.com.

Hardware sales for August 2009

While the PS3 and Xbox 360 are saw an uptick in hardware for the month of August in North America, Nintendo’s platforms continued to be at the top of the pack. The Nintendo Ds (DSi included) moved over half a million units in August, followed by its more expensive sibling moving a little over half of that in the month. The Xbox 360 beat out the PS3 in August but not by much (215K compared to 210K, respectively) and sales for Sony’s platform were up a staggering 300 percent according to NPD.

What will be interesting is the numbers for September. Will sales of the PS3 continue to climb? Will the Wii ever get knocked down below second place? Will Microsoft’s price cut strategy employed in August be enough to stop any momentum Sony has with the PS3? We’ll have to wait and see but these price cuts have certainly changed the dynamic for Sony. It’s hard to understand why it didn’t cut prices sooner.

August 2009 Hardware Sales:

Nintendo DS - 552.9K units

Wii - 277.4K units

Xbox 360 - 215.4K units

PlayStation 3 - 210.0K units

PSP - 140.3K units

PlayStation 2 - 105.9K units