Apple Confirm Premium Games Set for App Store Apple Targets Larger Publishers

Apple have acted to confirm that it is, as rumoured, set to offer a new,
premium range of iPhone and iPod Touch games via its App Store in a bid,
it would appear, to offer an incentive to larger games publishers to
begin developing games for its devices in earnest - rather than just
offering sporadic releases invariably serving as tie-ins to accompany
prime releases on dedicated gaming platforms.

According to reports, Apple is particularly keen to push its iPhone and
iPod touch as alternative handheld gaming platforms - setting them
against the likes of Nintendo’s DS and Sony’s PSP - and its
planned premium range is undoubtedly a bid by Apple to get premium games
publishers to take the iPhone and Touch somewhat more seriously in this
respect. The sweetener? The premium range of games are envisaged as
retailing for just shy of $20 a pop though Greg Joswiak, Apple’s
vice president of iPhone and iPod product marketing, is on record as
stating that he believes the $7 - $14 price range is the ’sweet
spot’ in terms of premium games pricing for its platforms.

Quite whether premium games titles will serve to cement the iPhone and
iPod Touch as true competitors to dedicated gaming consoles such as the
DS and PSP is, however, wholly open to speculation. Personally our take
on it is that neither will offer a serious threat to the DS and
(especially) the PSP regardless of premium titles but will, rather, just
be seen as additional platforms offering further choice. Still,
it’s interesting to note that Apple are believed to be developing
a new Touch with a larger screen and we cannot help but wonder whether
this could mark the beginning of Apple pushing towards offering a device
that can truly take on the likes of the PSP in terms of gaming
capabilities (particularly graphics) - perhaps something along the same
lines as this (as featured above)?

Time will tell, but we wouldn’t bet against it (the gaming market
is simply far too lucrative to continue to treat in a somewhat ancillary
fashion) and, besides, if there’s ever a company that has its head
well and truly screwed on, especially in terms of produce development,
it's Apple.