作者：Chris Buffa

苹果发布了最新版本的iPhone——iPhone 4S。这款新设备含有大量充满吸引力的功能，搭载目前正使用于iPad 2上的A5处理器，使得设备可以更快速地运行游戏并呈现更精美的图像。

事实上，Epic Games也成为苹果的主要话题之一，这个成功的游戏发行商宣布将《无尽之剑2》，该游戏原版本已在全球产生了2000万美元的盈利。

Epic及旗下游戏开发商Chair Entertainment希望游戏能够利用新型技术再次获得发展。

apple_iphone_4s_gaming(from afterdawn.com)

强大的运行性能

Epic总裁Michael Capps认为：“A5芯片将让iPhone 4S变得出众。”

当然，注意到新设备功能的开发商不只有Epic。无数的App Store游戏设计师都迫不及待地想要尽力利用iPhone 4S所含有的新功能。

Screenlife的Trevor Steinthal说道：“A5芯片和双核图像无疑会对iOS游戏提出更高要求，但是更快的下载速度和更丰富的图像最终会使开发商和玩家双方受益。”

当然，视觉效果的提升意味着开发商有可能创造出超越之前的游戏图像。

Remedy Entertainment首席技术官Markus Maki说道：“iPhone 4S让我们可以改善《Death Rally》的图像效果，正如我们在iPad 2上所发布的版本那样，未来还将有更大的改变。”

Namco Bandai手机娱乐执行制作人Jonathan Kromrey有着相同的想法。

Kromrey说道：“我们已经在研究如何在应用中添加只能在A5设备中呈现的特效。iPhone 4S让我们可以更快速地呈现图像，创造出某些更加漂亮的游戏。让玩家感觉就像是在利用掌上设备体验主机游戏。”

Villain首席执行官Dane Baker也为苹果的强大力量而喝彩。

他说道：“新设备的强大之处将使公司主机式在线第一人称射击游戏、原型和新式休闲游戏均受益，让我们可以为iPhone 4S玩家呈现更快的游戏帧率。”

Appy Entertainment创始人兼首席执行官Chris Ulm对这种看法表示认同。

他说道：“如果A5芯片能够提供比原本快两倍的数据下载速度，那么对多人游戏来说是一大飞跃。”

声控和真实感技术

Ulm也认为iPhone 4S的个人声音助理功能Siri可能会使游戏得到改善。

“如果该功能确实能够像展示的那样发挥作用的话，那么将改变游戏的输入方式。”

对Gaijin Games的Mike Roush和Alex Neuse来说，Siri功能为游戏的开发打开了一片新天地。

Wandake Games首席开发者Corey Redlien迫不及待地希望充分发掘iPhone 4S的潜力。

Redlien说道：“A5和双核图像处理器让我们的游戏开发更进一步，使得手机游戏的质量逼近掌上主机甚至家庭主机的游戏质量。”

Spazzmania首席执行官Lin Tam说道：“更新的平台使得我们可以制作出运行更快而且更有深度的游戏。我们预计会有更短的游戏可玩性反应时间和加载时间，还可能有更富有吸引力的图像。”

Booyah的运营开发总监Brian Cho（游戏邦注：负责开发《Early Bird》和《My Town》等游戏）也对苹果的GPS技术表示称赞。

“最为地理定位游戏开发商，双核CPU、800万像素摄像头和改善的数据速度等iPhone 4S硬件升级能够帮助我们创造出更具创新的现实世界游戏机制，这在之前的手持设备或智能手机上是无法实现的。”

Ogmento总裁和联合创始人Brian Selzer明确地对这种说法表示同意。

“我们主要关注的是基于地理位置的真实感游戏，这与处理速度、摄像头和传感有密切的联系。利用实时视频播放并夹杂着高质量3D图像的真实感环境需要精巧的设备方能提供富有吸引力的体验。新摄像头的计算机视觉能力有所提升。摄像头能够察觉和理解人物、地点或现实世界中东西的能力越高，我们就能够创造出越完善的体验。”

这样看来，玩家有可能将在App Store中看到更多的真实感游戏，其中包括Sourcebits的产品。

Sourcebits首席执行官Rohit Singal说道：“我们已经筹划将在未来的项目中融入真实感技术，这款设备发布之后，我们觉得这正是进入这片领域的大好时机。新摄像头将会展现出更多有趣的功能，我们应当能够发掘出如何最有效地利用它的功能。”

iCloud和AirPlay

Gameloft高级营销副总裁Gonzague de Vallois的计划则是利用iCloud和AirPlay。

“新的iCloud功能使得用户可以体验所有存储在由苹果公司服务器上的云数据，因而如果你在早上前去上班的时候用iPhone玩某款游戏，那么可以在下班回家途中使用任何登录相同账户的苹果设备来继续玩游戏。AirPlay将帮助我们开拓手机游戏的全新领域。用户不仅可以在上下班途中玩游戏，新的AirPlay功能将使得玩家在家中时充分享受游戏的乐趣，可以将手机设备无线同步到高清电视上。”

Pocket God创始人Dave Castelnuovo也认为iCloud值得利用。

“现在独立开发者可以开发健全的多人游戏，不同设备上的游戏进度可以共享。这会产生很大的影响，因为它减少了构建相同服务器框架的成本，使得小团队可以专注于游戏的呈现，而不用担心他们的服务器会在圣诞高峰期时崩溃。”

IceFlame Ltd.联合创始人Jonathan Shaw认为iCloud有着巨大的潜力。

Shaw说道：“iOS 5和iCloud使得游戏存档可以自动更新到你所拥有的每个设备上，这应该会鼓励更多的开发商让应用变得更为国际化。”

Shaw的同事及IceFlame联合创始人David Deacon认为iPhone 4S将使得App Store设计师等同于主机游戏开发者。

“它应该会鼓励更多的开发者使用更高端的阴影技术。这些技术已经在《杀戮地带3》和《孤岛危机2》等当代主机游戏中使用。”

也就是说，许多开发者对如何充分利用4S都有着不同的看法。

Alinear Studios的Neil Voss说道：“我更感兴趣的是创造性的新功能。我很希望能够在游戏中融入声控功能。”（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

iPhone 4S: ‘A Console Game in the Palm of Your Hand’

Chris Buffa

Apple finally revealed the next iteration of its popular iPhone, the iPhone 4S. The new device comes loaded with a plethora of attractive features, chief among them the A5 processor currently powering iPad 2, opening the door for speedier video games and even more impressive looking graphics.

In fact, Epic Games was part of Apple’s keynote earlier today, as the successful publisher took to the stage to unveil Infinity Blade 2, the sequel to the award winning iOS title that has earned $20 million worldwide.

With this gorgeous looking adventure, Epic and developer Chair Entertainment hope to take gaming to the next level, thanks in part to superior technology.

Power Boost

As Epic’s president, Michael Capps, told us, “That A5 chip makes iPhone 4S scream.”

Of course, Epic isn’t the only developer singing the phone’s praises. Countless App Store designers can’t wait to take full advantage of what the iPhone 4S has to offer.

“The prospect of an A5 chip and dual core graphics certainly ups the ante for gaming on the iOS platform,” said Screenlife’s (of Scene It? fame) Trevor Steinthal. “Any time you introduce faster download speeds and richer graphics, developers and ultimately gamers benefit.”

Improved visuals, of course, mean developers have the opportunity to create a definitive version that trumps what players will see on the phone’s predecessors, chiefly iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4.

“The iPhone 4S will let us improve Death Rally’s graphics, as we did for the iPad 2, and even more in the future,” said Markus Maki, Remedy Entertainment’s Chief Technology Officer.

Namco Bandai’s Executive Producer of mobile entertainment, Jonathan Kromrey, embraces a similar philosophy.

“We’re already working on special effects in our apps that are only possible with the A5 chip,” said Kromrey. “The iPhone 4S allows us to use the increased power and faster graphics to create some of the most beautiful and intense games available. It’s like having a console game in the palm of your hand.”

Dane Baker, CEO of Villain, also applauded Apple for the power boost.

“The extra power will be great for both our console-style online first person shooter, Archetype, and our new casual games that push the hardware in different ways, allowing us to deliver more eye candy and faster frame rates for iPhone 4S players.”

Chris Ulm, founder and CEO of Appy Entertainment, shares this sentiment.

“If the A5 chip offers two times faster data downloads, that will be huge for multiplayer games going forward.”

Voice Control and Augmented Reality

Ulm also thinks Siri, the iPhone 4S personal assistant driven by voice, has some potential to improve games.

“If it works as shown, it will be a real game changer for natural human input.”

For Gaijin Games’ Mike Roush & Alex Neuse, Siri opens a window into the past.

“Imagine the possibilities with Siri. Seaman anyone?”

Corey Redlien, Wandake Games’ Lead Developer, can’t wait to push iPhone 4S to its limits.

“The A5 and dual core graphics processors,” said Redlien, “let us take our creations to a whole new level, and further bring mobile games up to the same quality you might find on a handheld or even a home console.”

“The updated platform will allow us to take advantage of making faster and more in-depth games,” said Lin Tam, CEO of Spazzmania. “We anticipate quicker gameplay reaction and loading time, plus hopefully more stunning graphics.”

Booyah’s Director of Business Development, Brian Cho (Early Bird, My Town), meanwhile, praised Apple for its GPS technology.

“As a geo-location game developer, the new improved hardware of iPhone 4S, such as the dual core CPU, eight mega pixel camera and improved data speeds, will help us come up with innovative real world game mechanics that weren’t possible in handhelds or older generation smart phones.”

Brian Selzer, President and co-founder of Ogmento, definitely agrees.

“With our core focus on Location-Based, Augmented Reality Gaming, it’s all about the progression of processing speeds, cameras and sensors. An Augmented Reality environment, utilizing a live video feed, mixed with quality 3D graphics, requires significant horsepower for a compelling and seamless experience.”

“The new camera has improvements that will allow advancement in Computer Vision capabilities. The better the camera can see and understand a person, place or thing in the real world, the more robust an experience we can produce.”

With that kind of talk, players should expect to see more Augmented Reality games on the App Store, some of which may also come from Sourcebits.

“We’ve been taking a long look at Augmented Reality for our future projects, and with this announcement, we feel it is definitely time to work toward an augmented future,” said Rohit Singal, Sourcebits’ CEO. “It’s going to be a lot of fun testing the new camera and figuring out how best to implement its capabilities.”

Leveraging iCloud and AirPlay

Gameloft’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, Gonzague de Vallois, on the other hand, plans to take full advantage of iCloud and AirPlay.

“With the new iCloud feature, users will be able to experience all the benefits of cloud saving on servers managed by Apple, so if you start playing your game on your iPhone while on your morning commute, you can now start it up again on your way home using any of the devices registered with the same Apple ID. And with AirPlay, we’re venturing into a completely new territory for mobile gaming. Not only can users play games on the go, but with the new AirPlay feature, players will be able to enjoy our games in the comfort of their own homes, wirelessly synching their mobile devices to their HDTV.”

Pocket God creator Dave Castelnuovo thinks iCloud is a revelation.

“Independent developers can now add robust multiplayer gaming and be able to share save game data between different instances of your game on different devices. This is huge, because it normally costs a fortune to build the same kind of server architecture and it frees up small teams to focus on the game presentation, rather than worrying if their server will crash on Christmas Eve.”

Jonathan Shaw, Co-founder of IceFlame Ltd., thinks iCloud also holds great potential.

“With iOS 5 and iCloud, game saves can automatically be updated to every device you own,” said Shaw. “This should encourage more developers to make their apps universal.”

Shaw’s colleague and IceFlame co-founder, David Deacon, thinks the iPhone 4S helps put App Store designers in the same league as console developers.

“It should encourage more developers to use more advanced shading techniques, such as deferred rendering. This is already seen in current generation console games such as Killzone 3 and Crysis 2.”

That said, some developers have different ideas on how to get the most from 4S.

“Creatively,” said Alinear Studios’ Neil Voss, “I am less compelled by rendering horsepower than novel features. I’m more excited about the possibility of hacking the speech agent for voice control in games.”

On that note, we can’t wait to see what developers do with the iPhone 4S. App Store games continue to impress, proving with each passing week that smart phone titles can compete with the likes of 3DS, PSP and even PlayStation Vita; Infinity Blade 2 is a testament to that. (Source: Industry Gamers)