Android, Iphone, cell market

[hallsofvallhalla]

I know we have had lots of discussion around this but I am curious if anyone has developed a game and placed it on any cell phone market, Android, Iphone, ect..

I have an offer to gain a Android/iphone based game creator ($3000 value) but I have to start developing apps. Just curious on the success rate and such.

[ConceptDestiny]

Iphone app building is still pretty much an emerging industry, with gaining popularity. Two companies have been founded in my area who specialise in building web apps, including "mini"-games. I'd definately recommend going ahead.

[Jackolantern]

I would suggest against going IPhone though. I just got an IPod Touch the other day, and while it is a brilliant little device, the App Store is not slanted for the little guys. You have to flip page-by-page to see all the games, and it is hundreds or thousands of pages long. Basically, if you don't have a name for yourself, you are going to be lost in the App Store. Great for consumers, not that great for developers.

I have a lot of interest in Android and Windows Phone 7, particularly Android. Android is gaining massive ground versus the IPhone. In my opinion, it is almost starting to mirror the Windows vs. Macintosh wars of the early 90's. Apple stayed proprietary and wanted to stay a computer/electronics manufacturer. Microsoft was simply licensing an OS, and capitalized on the rise of low-cost "IBM-compatible" computers. Android is doing the same thing. It isn't tied to any hardware, and instead it is being added to almost every new cell phone coming out, from free cellphones made in China, to high-end tablets, while the name-brand IPhone still costs more than many people want to spend on a mobile device. I see the same thing that played out on desktops happening all over again. The costly, proprietary machine will lose to the ubiquitous OS.

Right now those Android users are picking up their new phones and tablets and they want the same experience as the IPhone, but it only has a fraction of the games and apps that IPhone currently has. Right now, you can get a smaller game noticed on Android, but it may not be like that a year or two from now. However, there are down sides. Just like with Windows, a plethora of hardware means sometimes difficult to pin-down system requirements. All Android phones are not made equal, which has been a big boon to IPhone game development.

EDIT: And Android development is still being weighed down by C. Not anywhere near the most elegant language for game creation, but it can be done. And some people are finding a bonus in using the strong heritage of C to port older games to the platform.

[SpiritWebb]

I myself haven't. But looking into the Blackberry version of app creating. I myself own a blackberry, hence why I am looking into that.

[Last Known Hero]

I would start up with Android, the app market (from what I've seen) is a lot smaller than the iTunes market. There are so many things for the iphone it would be hard to get anything out there that would be super successful, unless it was a pretty impressive game.. then you have to worry about people who have jailbroken their phones or touches..

**EDIT** Sorry I should also add in. The android is a better choice IMO. The Android OS is freeware, allowing so much room for expansion.. I actually kind of wanted to create a touch screen iPad knock-off that would run on Wifi and the Android OS with a 12 inch touch screen that would be 1024 x 768, but after checking into the hardware, it would cost me about $200-300.. which i don't have.

TL;DR - Android

[hallsofvallhalla]

thanks for the comments. I guess my biggest hold off is i am not in game creation for the money...obviously.. and making a game for a phone does not appeal to me. It would be nice to get the pro version of unity though

[Jackolantern]

While I understand you aren't in game development for the money, I still wanted to make another comment to those who are interested in releasing mobile apps. Android and Windows Phone 7 does put devs in a unique position with their lack of apps: All you really have to do is go into the Apple App Store, see what is popular, and chuck out your own version of the same functionality on competing platforms. If it was popular on one platform, it will likely be popular on others.

I actually kind of wanted to create a touch screen iPad knock-off that would run on Wifi and the Android OS with a 12 inch touch screen that would be 1024 x 768, but after checking into the hardware, it would cost me about $200-300.. which i don't have.

You should check out Deal Extreme. They specialize in Chinese-made electronics, some of them obvious knock-offs of much-high priced US/Euro/Japanese electronics. They have several iPad-knock-offs that run on Android. I know they have a couple that ranged around $80 - $90. I can't vouch for the quality you will get but the underground-hit portable console, the Dingoo, was mostly sold through their site. You also have to read user comments to make sure they have what you want in stock, because there are a few horror stories about them being out of a product and not giving the money back or exchanging the purchase for something else. But even with all of their problems, you can't get a lot of the things they sell from anywhere else.

[Noctrine]

Making a game for a phone should suit you. Your browser based games are very suited to be apps.

This is how it is.
Android market is full of crap (in general) and its apparently ridiculously easy for apps to be pirated through it. iPhone market is over-saturated, without some sort of external marketing you will likely not get noticed on it.

I had someone try and present the virtue of windows phone 7 development, but I didn't believe him and I am reluctant in believing in the platform. It seemed nice when one of the M$ evangelists came to this event I help organize speak about it, but the initial sells seem less than spectacular.

There is some other stuff I'd put in, but what you are talking about is just Unity Pro with iPhone or Android Pro its not going to be relevant to you.

Lets see, I'd say most of what Jack has said is relevant. In response to what SpiritWebb said I say, I wish you luck Blackberry development is by far the largest pita I've ever experienced.

But yeah, if you aren't in it for the money go Android. iPhone has a cyclical developer licensing fee to be able to put it on the phone. You can still distribute your Android apps for free.




EDIT: I disagree with the thing Jack posted as I typed this. I don't believe that WP7 is a good market for game developers at the moment mostly due to poor sales. Though they are pretty keen on getting people on the platform at the moment, if you can prove your experience with the relevant technologies you could probably get put on a B-line to getting your work approved. But as WP7 games are XNA, Unity doesn't work for it so its outside of what is available to halls.

[Jackolantern]

True, you are going to be coding it yourself or using an XNA engine, not Unity so that doesn't apply. And very true that Phone 7 sales will have to pick up, but there is a staggeringly low amount of apps on it, even compared to Android. That means your apps have realistic chance to be checked out by a large portion of the ownership. It is a risk, but risks can sometimes strike oil

[Noctrine]

Oh, forgot to mention the potential PSP spec Android phone.