Topic: Will the next round of handhelds support homebrew officially?

[idolminds]

I was looking at the IGF Mobile finalists and noticed that out of 13 games, only 3 were not for iPhone/iPod Touch. They even have a category just for iPhone games. Only one game is for DS, and no PSP games.

The iPhone/iPod Touch seems to be the "new hotness" for making portable games. I'm sure there is some good stuff, it just seems the complete lack of buttons would be an issue. The DS showed touch screen gaming can work but I still like using buttons. I don't want every game to be touch only, you know?

Anyway...do you think Nintendo and Sony will look at this and get the hint? Open the platform a little! Get a real SDK out so anyone can make games, offer a way for people to sell them for a few bucks. It just seems like the next logical step. The PSP has the PSN store built in where you can download games directly to your memory stick. The DSi will have its DSiWare channel to do the same. So why not open it up to those amateur (and not so amateur) devs?

I don't see them doing that now. Hopefully their next round of handheld machines will allow for it.

[Xessive]

I sure hope Sony and Nintendo get the hint. It's ignorant to limit the systems this way. With Sony it's as if they don't acknowledge how much more versatile the PSP is when it's unrestricted.

I'm still waiting for the PSP3000 to get hacked.

[Quemaqua]

It wouldn't surprise me at all to see them go that route.  If the iPhone keeps doing as well as it seems to be in that regard, they're going to have to, or they'll simply lose the handheld market completely.  Me personally, I'll never buy an iPhone.  I hate cellphones, I hate Apple, and I fucking hate people groping their devices and smearing people grease all over them, then shoving them in my face trying to show me how cool it all is.  Back up and take a shower, filthpig.  But most people with iPhones seem to be enjoying the games, and more and more buzz is heading in that direction, along with some developers.  That's not to be ignored.

Nintendo might not have to worry as much as Sony, but Sony is going to be asking for it if they don't change their tactics soon.

[gpw11]

Well, the iphone doesn't support it officially, does it (or at least any more so than the DSi)?  I mean, you can develop programs and if you get them approved you can sell them, but to me the whole approval process just seems contrary to what i consider homebrew.  Are most of those games available at the app store, or do you have to jail break your phone?

I've bought one ipod game in my life.  I figured it'd be a fun way to kill time while i waited for the bus over a week when my car was fucked a year or so ago.  When i synced my ipod a few months ago it told me i didn't have the rights to play that game and it erased it.  Seriously? Fuck you.

As for the DS, I bought a CycloDS recently.  It may have been a mistake - I can't find much worthwhile homebrew out there.

[Quemaqua]

If you can't find worthwhile homebrew, you aren't really looking.

[idolminds]

True, dev on the iPhone/iPod isn't as open as true homebrew. Though offering a real SDK to anyone that wants it is a hell of a lot better than what Sony and Nintendo do. Unless you have an actual game studio, plan to publish, and give a good pitch on the game, they won't sell it to you even if you have the insane amount of money dev kits cost. Apple will charge you $99/yr to publish your stuff on the app store. Even if you're making free stuff for the fun of it thats not a terrible cost to be legitimate.

I don't know all the details about the approval process but it seems like most stuff gets through. I also don't know how many programs are not on the store and require jailbreaking to use. Jailbreaking is similar to the CFW of the PSP, but with the added bonus of a real SDK to develop with so even then its still better overall.

DS homebrew seems to have slowed down. Theres a lot of uncertainty with the DSi, so that might have something to do with it. I still like playing with Colors!, though. Oddly enough the guy made a version of Colors! for the iPhone and sells it.

[gpw11]

If you can't find worthwhile homebrew, you aren't really looking.

BUSTED.  I looked once, for like 20 min.  I kind of phrased that wrong.  There seemed to be quite a bit of cool shit there, like Quake and ScummVM, but not a whole lot of really interesting new creations.  Maybe i was looking in the wrong place?

[Quemaqua]

I stand by my point.  20 minutes of glancing about the internet isn't really looking, but I'm shocked you didn't find anything cool even in that short time.  Idol knows more about where to find stuff than I do, but there's a ton of cool stuff.