Yes, the iPhone iPod Touch will overthrow Nintendo’s DS and Sony’s PSP by 2014 in the worldwide market for portable and mobile games, according to a new report published by DFC Intelligence. The report states that the market will rise to $11.7 billion in the next 5 years, and Apple’s sleek gadgets, the iPhone and iPod Touch will be the primary driver of this growth, grabbing a 24% pie of the lucrative portable game software market.
The analysts behind the report expect leaders of Japanese portable game systems like Nintendo and Sony to lead the market, but apparently, they believe ‘growth for these devices has peaked’. “The dedicated portable game systems from companies like Nintendo and Sony are still expected to lead the market, but it appears growth for these devices has peaked. The platforms from Apple are expected to be responsible for the bulk of market growth over the next few years,” says DFC analyst David Cole.
And, in a valuable pointer for iPhone developers, the report also says that games for the platform will soon account for almost a quarter of all app sales.
“Of course, the iPhone is about more than just games. “Games are expected to account for only about 23% of application sales on the iPhone,” says Michel Kripalani, President of Oceanhouse Media. “There are many fantastic opportunities for non-game related content on both the iPhone and iPod Touch. These devices, when combined with Apple’s business model, are a much needed revolution for the mobile market.”
Most of us purchase the iPhones and iPod Touch not for gaming purposes, but usually because of its impressive touch-screen feature, really cool apps, and the ability to surf the web via Wifi or 3G. On the other hand, game addicts would prefer the DS or PSP as both portable consoles have proper controller support, which are meant for serious gaming. However, there have been speculation that Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch have quietly morphed from the new ‘it’ gadget into a gaming powerhouse.
I believe the folks at Apple never paid much attention to gaming, and it’s somehow an ‘accident’ that both the iPhone and iPod Touch have been touted as the next leader of portable gaming. This is likely owing to the combination of a large touch screen, integrated tilt sensors and wireless connectivity used to download thousands of games from the App Store or to link players for head-to-head matches.