iPod gets $5 game downloads via iTunes

by Christopher Grant { Sep 12th 2006 at 2:10PM }

Another Stevenote is going on right next door at Engadget, and while the Apple faithful furiously click their F5 keys, we're busy soaking up the news that Apple is introducing game downloads for their ubiquitous iPod. What kind of games? We imagine a smattering of spin the top games, roulette games, merry-go-round simulators, and churn the butter historical-themed educational games, all taking maximum advantage of the iPods unique input mechanics. Turns out, none of those games are coming to the iPod (but if you want to brainstorm ideas, Steve, give us a call); instead, we'll see casual classics like Bejeweled, Cubis 2, Mahjong, Mini-Golf, Pac-Man, Tetris, Texas Hold 'Em, Vortex, and Zuma.

You may recognize some of those names from Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade service, which also has Bejeweled, Pac-Man, Texas Hold 'Em, and Zuma. It looks like Apple isn't taking the Zune's potential Xbox Live Anywhere functionality sitting down. Will these games also be playable on your Mac or PC through iTunes? How often will games be released? Are there any original iPod games in the works? We've got a million and one questions.

[Update 1: Added in links to Apple's iPod games site which states, "iPod games work with fifth-generation iPod only." So no Mac or PC playback ... yet.]

Tags: Apple, iPod, iTunes, Zune

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

crono141 @ Sep 12th 2006 2:13PM

Just add cell phone functionality, and it'll be the perfect all in one device.

Dracula Jones @ Sep 12th 2006 2:17PM

Zuma would play particularly well on an iPod.

tim @ Sep 12th 2006 2:19PM

So how much space will be taken up by one of these games?
Thats really all that matters to me.

Geoffrey @ Sep 12th 2006 2:19PM

F5? You mean Command-R? ;)

Exo @ Sep 12th 2006 2:21PM

they just need to make an ipod exclusive game that interacts with the music you have.

cringer8 @ Sep 12th 2006 2:22PM

Christopher, you are hilarious. Those game suggestions are priceless. I hope they're reading this, 'cause I need a butter churning simulator immediately.

Might I suggest "Spin Your Toddler 'Til He Pukes"?

C. Grant @ Sep 12th 2006 2:24PM

Geoffrey: THEY were hitting F5 ... I was hitting Cmd-R of course. :)

Daniel D @ Sep 12th 2006 2:25PM

wow way to fail faggots more like "Apple Key + R"

jusmailuck @ Sep 12th 2006 5:59PM

I'm not so sure doing anything other than listening to music is such a great idea considering how fickle the battery life can be on an iPod.

I know with my 30 gig Video, watching a movie can put some serious strain on the battery life as it is.

Sam @ Sep 12th 2006 3:02PM

I can now have Tetris on everything i own. Seriously is there anything that doesn't have Tetris on it now?

Jay @ Sep 12th 2006 2:35PM

Previously I had no reason to update my iPod Mini. Still getting huge battery times, though struggling with the 6gb drive space.
Might have to buy myself an iPod video now. 80gb too. Jesus. 80.

cringer8 @ Sep 12th 2006 2:37PM

@ Daniel (#8)

Why would you call someone a bundle of sticks? I don't get it.

rjg @ Sep 12th 2006 2:37PM

wow, can you believe Apple is going to sell that iTV thing for 299? That's crazy.

I am beting MS has been holding back on all this stuff waiting for Apple to drop the 'other shoe' before they commit. If MS or someone else (a partner with amazon perhaps?) allowed me to download HD movies to my PC and then play them on my xbox360, that would rock. And yes I'm aware of the bandwidth issue (I am on a 10mbit connection, which helps for sure).

Sure it won't be instant, but it's still better than waiting a day and a half for netflix to arrive... with a little planning, it's could be pretty killer, plus it's HD and not bluray or hd-dvd. Screw the format wars!

Miharu @ Sep 12th 2006 2:42PM

Umm, yeah having new games on iPod is great but at 5 dollars a piece, I don't know... Then again, kids seem to buy a lot of those über crappy cell phone games that are even more expensive.

PS. I also call it Apple (or penny since it has the logo of an old Finnish penny) key since it doesn't say command anywhere on the keyboard. Just like it's alt instead of option.

Daniel D @ Sep 12th 2006 2:47PM

Where I come from bundles of sticks are not very highly well thought off in fact we burn them out of our hatred for them. This is why.

ill trooper @ Sep 12th 2006 2:50PM

Yeah it's technically the 'Command' key, but some people need to explain it to their moms over the phone by calling it the 'apple' key...

Pretty good day for the iPod, very full line-up of games for a severly limited 'gaming' interface. Reasonable prices as well. That new shuffle is pretty cool looking and the nano will continue to kill anything it's put against, pitbull or Pride-fighter style.

That Zune better have a good battery life, because it's officially more 'x'pensive than a comperable-capacity iPod now.

I want to know more about that iTV device.

ill trooper @ Sep 12th 2006 2:57PM

"Where I come from bundles of sticks are not very highly well thought off in fact we burn them out of our hatred for them. This is why. - Daniel D."

Dude, you sound like a closeted gay man, especially calling it the 'apple-key.' Where you come from? Please go back. No need to bring your hatred to the Joystiq site. Maybe you thought this was a nazi site or something?

Odds Bodkins @ Sep 12th 2006 2:59PM

About damn time they started selling games for the iPod. Taken lessons learned from the Mobile games space and making the price decent, this could be pretty big for Apple. It's all going to be about quality control for the games and only selling things that play well on such a device.

That iTV box reminds me of the 360 set up, between all the video downloads on the xbox and MS's upcoming Zune. It's nice to see that Apple's aggressively going after more markets.

LunarDuality @ Sep 12th 2006 2:59PM

I am very interested to see how the "casual games on a non-gaming device" market evolves. Yes, it seems a bizarre niche to work with, but if the interface issues are resolved it could be a neat little feature add.

I personally hate the iPod (Zen Vision:M for me) but hopefully this will spur MS and their possible plans to create a portable gaming platform to go hand and hand with XBLA.

Daniel D @ Sep 12th 2006 3:05PM

"ill trooper"- Dude you are like sooo rad using all these hip and jive assed terms but please step of biatch. Also well done I thought joystiq was a nazi site that was very clever of you please keep up the good work... dude.

Do not step to me I have a minus star do you know how much of a badass that makes me? Obviously not otherwise you wouldn't be messing with my good nature like this.

Thank you. Next.

Tush @ Sep 12th 2006 3:08PM

I'll stick to my DS lite :)

Evan @ Sep 12th 2006 3:17PM

The iPod needs music-rhythm games like Amplitude and Guitar Hereo. The iPod is primarily a music player, after all!

jc @ Sep 12th 2006 3:19PM

Daniel D, troll somewheres else...

TJTillman @ Sep 12th 2006 3:19PM

Second that on games like Amplitude!

WiiScared @ Sep 12th 2006 3:28PM

You know what's scary?

I remember an article saying that Nintendo's pricing scheme for virtual console games would be similar to Apple's. If this is true, and Apple is charging $5.00 for games ..... uncool. I'd only buy a few virtual console games before the expense outweighs the nostalgia. It might actually be better if they charge a monthly fee for limitless Virtual console game playing. You can only play one game at a time anyway, so the 512 flash would be fine.

Sorry about the off-topic topic. Just making a point.

ill trooper @ Sep 12th 2006 3:27PM

Danny Deez:

Are you using some new internet where you can talk all crazy and then step through my monitor and physically attack me?

We can feel the anger from your office hutch - go masturbate or something!

Are you eleven?

But, yeah, you're right, I do get pretty 'rad, hip, jive-assed.' Don't hate, bro, you can get down too: Check out some MTV, some Pitchfork.com, some lastnightsparty.com... I must warn you, however, there is a slight risk you might 'catch the gay' since those sites are a little more open-minded than you present yourself.

But maybe you can move out of your home town, and live the life you want to live.

Snap @ Sep 12th 2006 3:31PM

Apple hit a HOME RUN today and not because of gaming on iPods. OMG, "iTV" is going to sell like HOT CAKES!

Daniel D @ Sep 12th 2006 3:34PM

"ill trooper"- please die in a fire. Otherwise please keep implying I am a homosexual because out of every insult people can throw at me... this hurts the most.

KK guys im going to pspfanboy, I might say something about the picture of the faggot though before I go.

dvdguy @ Sep 12th 2006 3:44PM

I just downloaded Texas Hold Em for my iPod. Looks good. I'd go $5 for some of these other titles.

get over it @ Sep 12th 2006 3:53PM

F5 works just fine on my powerbook and G5

ill trooper @ Sep 12th 2006 4:02PM

It's cool, buddy

ill trooper @ Sep 12th 2006 4:03PM

OH MY GOD! FIRE! HELP

George @ Nov 7th 2006 5:42PM

I think Itunes games has the potential to be one of those things that becomes huge in a short amount of time. I wouldn't be surprised. On the opposite, It would be cool if Wii or the Playstation 3 had movie downloads. It's going to be a challenge to see who has the breakthrough way of getting downloaded movies on a regular TV.

G

Manu @ Sep 12th 2006 5:06PM

Me playing Zuma on iPod:
http://www.peliplaneetta.net/tiedostot/pelikonsolivideot/alypelit-muut/5591/

(Click where it says 'Imuroi tiedosto')

Jay @ Sep 12th 2006 5:26PM

Manu, what on earth was that? No embedded video or any obvious signs. Silly.

Manu @ Sep 12th 2006 5:36PM

Um... did you read the line under the URL?
Here's the direct link then:

http://www.peliplaneetta.net/download/?id=5591&url=/pelikonsolivideot/alypelit-muut/peliplaneetta_ipod_zuma.mov

Will @ Sep 12th 2006 9:04PM

jusmailuck: The new 80 Gig iPod from Apple has 6.5 hours of video battery life, so they tremendously improved in that area.

Alvin @ Sep 12th 2006 9:59PM

Steve did design games at Atari so there'll be more sophisticated games from Apple, probably making use of the patented Click Wheel (which what made it sell even though the iPod was a very latecomer) and the hardrive's accelerometer (if it had one). It will be a smaller version of the Wii or the Gameboy Advance/DS. I think Atari's Breakout! will be downloadable soon for nostalgia.

Alvin @ Sep 12th 2006 9:59PM

I think they'll launch the Apple cellphone before Christmas targeted mainly for the japanese market. I can't wait for their cellphone, movie music player, pda combo.

mr sauce @ Sep 12th 2006 9:46PM

call me crazy but when you look at the new i-tunes website doesn't the i-tunes logo on your tool bar have a nice wii blue to it???

Jonn @ Sep 12th 2006 10:50PM

You know, if they merged with Google, they'd pretty much rule the world.

I, for one, welcome our new minimalist hipster overlords.

free games @ Sep 13th 2006 6:36PM

I do agree that at first $5 seems steep for a game on an iPod, but if it's a good game, and done well, you can get hours of entertainment from it. $5 doesn't seem so much then in hindsight. Demos would be good to try out the games, for sure.

Iced_Eagle @ Sep 13th 2006 12:08AM

Ugh, I don't like the price of the games at all...

They work for the Xbox360 because you get to play them on whatever sized screen you're got, include multiplayer, leaderboard, achievements, among other functionality...

I don't want to pay the same price to play it on my 2.5" screen and I can't even play it on my PC.

I say make them like $2.50 or something and then I'd consider buying them. Right now, it's just not worth the purchase.

Also, instead of videos for the games, they should included time-limited demos or level-limited... I want to see how these games look on my iPod without plopping down $5.

Yes, I am a cheap bastard.

Trunks @ Sep 13th 2006 12:47AM

Well, I just picked up Pac-Man.

Two words:

Absolutely Perfect.

It's a pixel-perfect recreation of the original Pac-Man awesomeness, same old sounds, and a bunch of goodies. The controls are difficult at first, but they really start to grow on you. I nearly beat my old high score (which isn't all that high). The game eats the battery a little, but only as much as the videos usually do.

The game has something really awesome about it though: Save functionality. If you have to get off the bus, hit the menu button, go to save and quit, and come back later. It backs up your game to the hard drive and all.

On top of all that, you can listen to whatever music you want in the background, just start playing the music before you open the app. The only problem is well, it lags when you hit the next button. That can mean the difference of being in the clear and being in a ghost. Poo.

Anyways, if you've got five bucks and gamers' blood, treat your iPod with this.

I'd pick up Tetris and give it a full review, but I'm not so certain about spending another five bucks. I don't have the money to be throwing at games. Too many more of these and I won't be able to afford a Wii, to download pacman and tetris on THAT virtual console. :X