Can the iPod Touch really compete with PSP and Nintendo DS?

With the Apple event this past Wednesday, it seems like Apple has declared war against Sony and Nintendo in the portable gaming market. Steve Jobs’ presentation repeatedly called out the two gaming giants’ lack of titles and expensive games as a weak point compared to the iPod Touch and the iPhone as a mobile gaming platform. Let’s take a closer look at the platforms though to see just how valid the argument is. Can Apple compete against seasoned veterans Nintendo and Sony on their home turf?

Apple’s Advantages: Apple’s base of customers may be its biggest advantage, it has millions of users world wide who have bought the iPod Touch and the iPhone for the purpose of getting apps. It’s wildly popular app store is actually getting bigger and better with every update and it has a slew of independent developers making apps. The apps are cheaper because Apple does not need to spend any money packaging items as nothing physical is transferred. They can market all the apps on iTunes itself so there is no real need to run a big advertising campaign for games. Apple’s hardware is also very fun and simple to play which has the potential of drawing in more casual gamers who may feel a little daunted by the complicated controls that PSP and Nintendo DS games may take. Perhaps Apple’s biggest advantage lies in the fact that getting games is a lot easier with the iPod Touch and iPhone and doesn’t require the person to even leave the house, all it requires is the desire to fork over a dollar or two for a game.

Sony/Nintendo advantages: It may be a little weird to put both these companies together but in competition against Apple, these two old rivals actually have much more in common. While Apple claims to have over 20,000 games in the app store, most of these games were made by a single person and if you’ve been through the app store, you’ll notice that quantity says nothing of quality. Nintendo and Sony are backed by experienced developers who have been in the field for years and many of the games they’ve developed already have followings. For example, you just can’t compare a game like Patapon on the PSP to Shanghai Mahjong on the iPod Touch. While Sony and Nintendo have fewer titles, they definitely have quality titles. The iPhone’s lack of buttons in favor of a capacitive touch screen seems like a novel choice for everyday functions but when it comes to gaming, the touch screen sometimes just won’t do it. Aside from the fact that playing a game using just a touch and accelerometer can be very limiting, putting multiple controls on the game screen can also reduce the actual size of the game itself to uncomfortably small proportions. Sony and Nintendo’s use of both buttons and touch screens seems more tailored towards a gaming experience that can be both engaging and novel at the same time.

Ambitious titles like Gangstar: West Coast Hustle have made their way to the iPod Touch and iPhone but they’ve been plagued by graphical and playability issues.

Conclusion: It’s a tough call to make as Apple and Nintendo/Sony both have their advantages and disadvantages. Some claim that it is the difference between casual gaming and hardcore gaming but with many high profile game studios like Ubisoft and EA making its way into the app store, that distinction is becoming blurred. Pricing wise, the PSP and Nintendo DS would also be more expensive than the iPod Touch but not the iPhone. Our opinion? The iPod Touch is still an MP3 player and PDA first and foremost, it takes on gaming in an admirable fashion but its lack of interface will make it more of a casual gaming option instead. In that respect, it would definitely have the Nintendo DS and PSP beat.  Still, the market is definitely big enough for one more player and three companies just has a better ring to it than two. It may also make competition more fierce and whenever that happens its always a good thing for us consumers! Now that you have our take on it, we’d like to get yours! Let’s try to get a discussion going but please no fanboy trolls!