iGame Radio

 

What’s inside this episode:

• Host Omaha Sternberg and co-host Peter Cohen of The Loop talk about the two big events for Macheads and gamers the past week: E3 and WWDC.
• E3: Omaha and Peter talk about the Wii U, and how Real Racing 2 HD will mimic this Nintendo product when iOS 5 comes out; also Onlive will be coming out with an iPad client. An Assassin’s Creed Revelations trailer was released, and we’re sure to see this game on the Mac someday soon. And what’s this PS Vita thing? A vitamin supplement?
• WWDC: Major Game Center updates were revealed in the WWDC keynote. Steve Jobs also mentioned that the Mac App Store is now the #1 channel for PC software purchases…what does that really mean? Also, the expected announcement of iCloud. What does that mean for gamers and their games? Plus, the announced Apple Design Awards…a significant number go to games.
• Omaha and Peter talk about games that they’ve played in the past week.

Music Notes:

• Digital Droo produced our theme music here at iGame Radio.
• Rich Carlson featured music from Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space.
• Digital Droo featured music from Neon Tango.

Among the news items from today’s WWDC keynote address, Phil Schiller gave some interesting details regarding the Mac App Store. He announced that since the Mac App Store’s launch six months ago, it has become the number one channel for purchasing PC software, beating out Best Buy, Walmart, and Office Depot.

Schiller didn’t go into details regarding what statistics were used to determine that #1 category…revenue, units sold, etc…so we’re still waiting to hear back. But he did mention several different publishers that had great stories to tell, including Feral Interactive who saw a doubling of overall revenue since bringing their games over to the Mac App Store. Read more

Apple launched their WWDC event today, starting with the popular keynote by the venerable Steve Jobs. This keynote highlighted much more of what 10.7, Lion, will do, as well as features for iOS 5 and the much rumored iCloud.

Apple didn’t leave gamers out in the cold, either, introducing new features for Game Center. Read more

ETA: Oh, and if you thought you might attend? Forget it. APPLE SOLD OUT IN LESS THAN A DAY!

Apple has unveiled the date of this year’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) as June 6 through June 10 at San Francisco’s Moscone West. This event will cover both iOS and Mac OSX development, and there is much speculation regarding what might and might not be revealed during the five day conference.

Apple’s press release claims that they will “unveil the future of iOS and Mac OS” at the WWDC 2011. Specifically mentioned is Mac OS Lion, but though no mention is made of iOS 5 we’ve no doubt that this is the conference that the new iOS version will be revealed. What is under speculation, though, is what will iOS 5 bring to the table.

A TechCrunch article has attempted to fill that speculation void, stating that their information is based on solid sources. TechCrunch’s Siegler says that iOS 5 will be a complete revamp of the OS “heavily built around the cloud…we could see several new services launch from Apple that take advantage of this.” These services apparently include a ‘music locker’ service that would allow users to store their music in a lockable storage space in a cloud server, and a friend/family location service.

You won’t see iOS 5 released at this conference though. TechCrunch pegs that date in the fall, and even the WWDC 2011 slogan bears that out: “Join us for a preview of the future of iOS and Mac OS X”.

Unfortunately for those looking for the latest hardware (iPhone 5, anyone?) this event seems to be software only. So you’ll have to wait for that hoped for hardware update for later.

Apple announced the winners of the Apple Design Awards, and nearly half of them are games. Flight Control HD, Pinball HD, Doodle Jump, and Real Racing were among the winners of the awards that Apple gives annually at every Worldwide Developers Conference.

Steve Jobs had announced earlier that this year’s Design Awards would be focused on iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad applications. Most of the awards were given to applications that worked well on all three platforms.

Flight Control HD by Firemint Software lets you set the flight path of dozens of aircraft, getting them to their designated landing areas without crashing. The difference between playing the game on the iPhone versus the iPad is not just a difference in size, but a difference in experience, and Firemint did a great job of tackling those differences to provide the best play.

Gameprom developed Pinball HD, a realistic pinball simulator on the iPad. The iPad is perfect for tabletop and board style games, and pinball games are no different. Gameprom did a great job of pulling off this simulator, renewing interest in a gamestyle that gamers loved for years.

Doodle Jump by Lima Sky has become so popular and addictive that it has already been copied over and over again. One of the keys to the success of Doodle Jump is the regular updates of new content that the developer provides.

Real Racing, also developed by Firemint Software, provides some of the best racing on your iPhone and iPad. Incredible graphics, good integration with the accelerometer for quality tilt control, and a good enough framerate to make this an almost console-like experience shows what you can actually achieve on the iPhone and iPad if you put your mind to it.

Congratulations to Firemint, Gameprom, and Lima Sky, and congrats to all of the winners in the Apple Design Awards!

We are well aware of the lack of love that sometimes surges from Apple when it comes to gaming. But fear not, for there was much in the way of gaming goodness to see and hear at the WWDC keynote this morning.

With 5200 attendees from 57 countries attending over 120 sessions and sold out in 8 days, the World Wide Developers Conference began with a flourish today with the annual keynote, given by Steve Jobs. There were tons of rumors and speculation as to what would be announced and, thanks to Gizmodo, we were certain that one of those announcements would be in the form of a new iPhone.

But what about us Mac gamers? We weren’t left out, as many announcements at the keynote were filled with gaming goodness.
Read more

After announcing the Worldwide Developers Conference less than six weeks hence, Apple also revealed the details regarding the Apple Design Awards this year. Apple has chosen to only award the ADA this year to applications on the App Store.

From the Apple Design Award website:

The Apple Design Awards 2010 recognize iPhone OS applications that demonstrate technical excellence, innovation, technology adoption, and quality.

All applications must currently be on the App Store to be eligible for an award. Nominations will be accepted until Friday, May 14 at 5 PM PDT, and you must be an iPhone Developer Program member to nominate apps. However, one does not need to be nominated to have a chance at winning.

There are no details regarding why Apple has chosen, after more than 10 years, to make the ADA exclusive to the iPhone App Store, and exclude Mac OS X applications as well as student applications.

Apple announced the dates of the Worldwide Developers Conference in a press release today. The 2010 WWDC is slated for June 7 – June 11 at San Francisco’s Moscone West. The conference will include five technology tracks to choose from: Application Frameworks, Internet & Web, Graphics & Media, Developer Tools, and Core OS.

This year’s conference will include labs in iPad development as well as Mac OSX and iPhone/iPod Touch development. The Internet & Web track promises to include help with HTML5, which will become a big part of animation for the iPhone and iPad.

The WWDC will also include the Apple Developer Awards, an annual event since 1997, as well as evening events such as Stump The Experts and the WWDC Bash.

Tickets to the WWDC conference are already available for $1,599. You can sign up for the event at the WWDC website.