Gamertell

System: iPod Touch
Price: $229 (8GB), $299 (16GB) and $399 (32GB)
Release Date: September 2008 (2nd generation)
Publisher (Developer): Apple
Pros: Incredible audio support and very accurate touchscreen and accelerometer (motion) controls. Lots of games to choose from including standard casual, card and puzzle games, as well as several system-only and online games. External speakers.
Cons: No manual game buttons and a naked iPod is a bit slippery to hold. Home button slip exits the game without pause. No external media slot.
Overall Score: One thumb up, one thumb sideways; 88; B+; * * * 1/2 out of five.

Apple has been promoting the crud out of the iPod Touch as being “the funnest iPod ever” with commercials that show a bunch of motion-controlled games.

While certainly not a Nintendo DS killer, the iPod Touch does offer some rather decent motion and touchscreen controls as well as all the iPhone’s main features sans the phone and microphone. There are a few small concerns for touch-only games but, otherwise, it performs well above most phones as a gaming device.

The Skinny on the Skinny System

The iPod Touch is dern thin, measuring slightly more than 1/4 in. thick, 4 3/8 in. tall and 2 7/16 in. wide. It weights 3.88 oz (110 grams). The full-color (320 by 480 pixels at 163 ppi) LCD touchscreen has a viewable and touchable area just shy of 2 in. wide and 2 15/16 in. tall (making it 3 1/2 in. diagonal).

The front around the screen is shiny black and the edges and back of the device are slick, high shine silver. Under the screen, when holding it in the tall position, is a recessed button with a rounded square icon (the Home button). On the top edge of the iPod is a small black, slightly raised plastic button (On/Off/Sleep/Wake) On the left edge is a volume up/down plastic button. On the bottom edge of the device is the input port and a standard 1/8 in. headphone port.

The device ships with a 3 1/2 ft. long white USB cable, small adapter, cleaning cloth, headphones and quick start manual. And two Apple stickers for your car, of course. The internal battery is charged through the USB 2.0 cable.

Games can be played using the system’s accelerometer, which means you can move it in any direction and control on-screen actions and/or avatars. When the touchscreen is utilized, it is often in the form on-screen buttons or action areas that are activated by touch. Some games us a combination of the two control schemes.

Game Selection

The device has internal Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) for connecting to the Apple App Store and directly downloading games (and applications) to the iPod Touch. Games range in price from free (for demos and full games) to $20 each, with most costing $1, $2, $3 and $5 (minus a penny, plus tax). Otherwise you’ll need a compatible Mac or Windows computer with USB port to sync with iTunes to download games. The speedy built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) also means that game scores can be uploaded and some games can be played online.

Like most mobile game offerings, a majority of the games in the Apple App Store are puzzles, casual and card games. There are several action games but they are usually pretty short and sometimes have to contend with the screen site. The few action games I’ve played looked and played pretty well on the iPod Touch, with little lag, no staggering and decent graphics. Likewise, many puzzle games offer more texture and depth than on most mobile devices.

There are more than a thousand games to choose from ranging from garbage to slick productions, both by indie and pro game companies. The iPod lists games according to Top Paid and Top Free and Release Date (in the Categories tab) as well as mixing them in with other apps in the Featured tab under both New and What’s Hot. Since there are so many, it’s easiest to browse using iTunes rather than the 25-at-a-time iPod.

Games range in size from less than a MB to tens of MBs and iTunes is the best way to monitor available internal Flash drive space. The battery lasts in the broad range of 2 to 6 hours for active gaming depending on your brightness and audio setting (using the built-in speaker uses significantly more power than a headphone).

Once downloaded and installed, each game appears as an individual icon in the system’s menu and is launched by touch. Games are also often updated (or patched), which can also be performed through the iPod’s App Store icon.

Sounds Like an iPod, Plays Like…

The nice thing about this (second) generation of iPod is that it has an internal speaker, so you don’t necessarily have to use annoying ear buds or some type of dern speaker dock to hear sounds (although you still can if you want)

The touchscreen is surprisingly precise, just under the the DS for precision although you still need to use a finger - and not a tiny tipped stylus - to use the screen. Games that incorporate larger on-screen areas are easier to play. It’s certainly not a single pixel precise touch instrument but it is far more accurate and easier to activate than other touchscreen phones. Unlike T-Mobile’s G1 phone, most applications (especially those with on-screen typing) includes pop-above keys so you can make sure you are hitting the correct character.

There was minimal, unnoticeable delay with touchscreen controls which is important for many games. Double tapping was an issue for only a few games but did not happen often. My DS-plyin’ two-year-old, who had troubles getting his tiny finger to activate the T-Mobile G1’s touchscreen, does quite well (perhaps too well) with the iPod Touch’s screen.

As for motion controls, the iPod Touch also performed very well with hardly noticeable delay and fairly good precision. Games that require shaking don’t need much motion, though when a touch-screen equivalent was offered in lieu of the accelerometer, I often preferred the touchscreen.

Some games do require that you flip the phone sideways so it has a widescreen orientation, which is nice. This also puts the system into your hands much like an older game controller. It’s quite comfortable except for the system’s slick design which can make it a bit slippery for larger hands to hold. I recommend some type of sleeve or cover that will add some texture, even if very small and only on the sides.

That orientation also meant that the thumb on the Home button side will periodically slip and hit the sensitive Home button, which will immediately quit the game. While convenient for most applications, it’s definitely not helpful for games that don’t autopause or offer quicksave points.

The iPod Touch’s main limitation for traditional gamers will be the complete lack of manual buttons. Since nearly all of the games for the iPhone and iPod Touch avoid the manual button scheme altogether (or simply replace it with motion control), only a few long-time gamers will even care that they are missing.

Having to tap the screen means that you are also covering part of the game with your thumbs (or whatever fingers you use to play), even if only for a few moments. For most puzzle games that’s certainly not a big deal nor does that matter for a game that only uses the accelerometer. An action game like Kroll that uses on-screen buttons, however, that can make the difference between an enjoyable and frustrating experience (especially if you slip and knock the Home button a lot).

iGame, uGame

The iPod Touch (and iPhone) is certainly not DS killer since the touchscreen, although it works very well, still does not have the to-the-pixel precision as the DS’s and the DS has manual buttons to fall back on.

The accelerometer definitely has a faster response time and accuracy than other mobile devices and is a rather attractive gaming attribute.

Although I wouldn’t recommend you buy an iPod Touch to be solely a game system - it is intended to me a music and video device and has a few other nice features - gaming on it was certainly enjoyable. If you get one for Christmas, start downloading free games and get used to touch- and motion-controlled gaming. We’re going to see some exciting stuff come through the Apple App Store, I’m sure.

Product Page [Apple iPod Touch] Read [Gamertell] Also Read [Appletell]

Check out the gallery: iPod Touch - Installing a game from the Apple App Store