The newest model of the iPhone has a faster processor and suped-up graphics chip, which might suggest that it’ll be getting some exclusive games. One of the most prominent publishers of iPhone games, however, has no plans to leave non-3GS owners behind.
Earlier this week Apple announced, among a whole bunch of other things, a new model of its massively popular iPhone. Dubbed the iPhone 3GS (the “s” stands for speed), the phone boasts a new camera, faster processor and, last but not least, a better graphics chip than the current models.
This sent people who’ll buy anything that Apple churns out into ecstasy, but left others in a tough position, some of whom didn’t like the implied idea that better hardware would inevitably lead to games that would be exclusive to the new, more powerful model. To be sure, some iPhone developers will probably make 3GS-exclusive games, but one of the biggest publishers of iPhone games, ngmoco, won’t be among them.
“I think we’ll continue to build games for the 3 classes of devices that are out there: The classic iPhone and the iPhone 3G in one category (from a performance standpoint), the iPod Touch in another category, and the 3GS in another category,” said ngmoco co-founder Neil Young to MTV. “Obviously they all share the same operating system and have some slight differences in hardware, but we’ll build our software to span across those three [categories].”
Ngmoco’s games, which thus far have included titles like Star Defense, Rolando and WordFu, will support the more powerful 3GS hardware in another way. “We’re scaling the imagery based on the performance of the device, so if you’ve got a 3GS, the game’s going to look better and run at a great framerate,” Young said about upcoming ngmoco FPS LiveFire. On the other models, the visuals won’t be as shiny, but it’ll still run just as well.
I’m guessing most iPhone developers will follow ngmoco’s model to reach the widest possible pool of consumers. There’ll probably be some premium experiences on the 3GS, but unless someone really produces a killer app, I doubt iPhone gamers will really feel the need to upgrade, at least just based on the games.
