Chapter 24
Games and Fun
Your iPhone excels at many things. It is a multimedia workhorse, and it can keep track of your busy life. Your iPhone particularly excels in two areas: as a gaming device and for displaying apps that take advantage of its beautiful, high-resolution touch screen and powerful graphical processor. You can even find versions of popular games for the device that you might expect to find only on dedicated gaming consoles.
The iPhone brings many advantages to portable gaming: the high definition (HD) screen delivers realistic visuals; the high quality audio provides great sound effects; and the gyroscope and the accelerometer allow you to interact with your games in a way that many PCs and dedicated gaming consoles (outside of the Wii) don't. For example, in racing games, the last feature lets you steer your car by turning the iPhone as you hold it.
With AirPlay Mirroring, you can even beam your game to an Apple TV on the same Wi-Fi network and play on your big screen television.
The iPhone is also great for lots of other fun stuff such as following your local baseball team and even using the iPhone as a musical instrument with great apps like Ocarina (which we will show you later in the chapter).
Using the iPhone As a Gaming Device
The iPhone includes a built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, which is essentially a device that detects movement (acceleration) and tilt.
Combine the accelerometer with a fantastic screen, lots of memory, and a fast processor, and you have the makings of a great gaming platform. With literally thousands of gaming titles to choose from, you can play virtually any type of game you wish on your iPhone.
With multitasking, you can even take a phone call and come back to the exact place you left off.
NOTE: Some games require that you have an active network connection, either Wi-Fi or 3G, to engage in multiplayer games.
With the iPhone, you can play a driving game and use the iPhone itself to steer. You do this simply by turning the device. You can touch the iPhone to brake or tilt it forward to accelerate.
This game is so realistic that it might make you car sick!
Real Racing also has a nice Party Play feature, where you can race against your friends - give it a try!
Or, you can try a fishing game, where you case and reel in fish from the perspective of being on a boat!
If music/rhythm games are your thing, then you will find many such programs in the App Store such as Rock Band. There are also fantastic fighting games like Infinity Blade, which is powered by the Epic Unreal 3 Engine; first-person shooters (FPS) like Call of Duty: Zombies; and some of the most popular casual games on the planet, such as Angry Birds.
The iPhone also has a very fast processor and a sophisticated graphics chip. Bundling these together with the accelerometer gives you a very capable gaming device.
Acquiring Games and Other Fun Apps
As is the case for all iPhone apps, games can be found at the App Store (see Figure 24–1). You can get them either through the iTunes app on your computer or through the device's App Store app.
Figure 24–1. The layout of the App Store's Games section
To get a game, fire up the App Store app, as you did in the previous chapter. Next, use the Categories icon to go to the Games tab. You will also find many games in the Featured section of the App store, as well as in the New and Notable section. Figure 24–2 shows the app purchase page for a game available for the iPhone.
Figure 24–2. The layout of the App Purchase page
Reading Reviews Before You Buy
Many of the games have user reviews that are worth perusing. Sometimes, you can get a good sense of the game before you buy it. If you find a game that looks interesting, don't be afraid to do a simple Google search to see whether any mainstream media outlets have performed a full review.
Looking for Free Trials or Lite Versions
Increasingly, game developers are giving users free trials of their games to see if they like them before they buy. You will find many games have both a Lite version and a Full version in the App Store.
Some “free” games are supported by the inclusion of ads within the game. Other games are free to start, but require in-app purchases for continued play or additional features.
Being Careful When You Play
You might use the iPhone to cast your line in a fishing game, as you would in real life. You can also move around a bit in driving and first-person shooter games. The point: Be mindful of your surroundings as you play! For example, make sure you have a good grip on your device, so it doesn't slip out of your hand; we recommend a good silicone case to help with this.
CAUTION: Games such as Real Racing can be quite addictive!
Two-Player Games
The iPhone really opens up the possibility for two-player gaming. In this example, we are playing checkers against one another, using the iPhone as a game board.
You can find similar two-person gaming apps for other board games, such as chess, Monopoly, and Uno..
Online and Wireless Games
The iPhone also allows online and wireless, peer-to-peer gaming (if the game supports it). Many new games are incorporating this technology. In Scrabble, for example, you can play against multiple players on their own devices. You can even use the iPhone as your game board and up to four individual iPhones as wireless “racks” to hold the letters of all the players. Just flick the letters off the rack, and they go onto the board–very cool!
In this example, I selected Online from the Real Racing menu. I now have the option to either play against another opponent through Wi-Fi or to join an online league race.
NOTE: If you just want to play against a friend who is nearby, select Wi-Fi mode for multiplayer games. If you just want to play against new people, try going online for a league race or game.
Other Fun Stuff: Baseball
There are many great apps that can provide you with endless hours of entertainment on the iPhone. Since the iPhone was released on opening day of the Major League Baseball season, it is appropriate to highlight an app that was honored as the first “App of the Week” in the iPhone App Store.
At Bat 2010 for iPhone is a US $14.99 application that is well worth the entry fee for any baseball fan. It also highlights the iPhone's capabilities.
The main view of the app changes, based on whether there are baseball games currently being played. When you first register the app, you pick your favorite team. The favorite team on the iPhone in this example is set to the Red Sox. So, if this team is playing, then the view automatically goes to that team's game first. If the team is not playing, then it displays a recap of the team's previous game. Alternatively, it might list the details of the team's next game.
The main view during game time shows a batter at the plate. This batter represents the real batter. Batters will switch sides of the plate, depending on whether the batter currently up hits from the left or right side of the plate. The current pitch count is shown above the plate, and the score is displayed at the top of the screen.
When you see a player at the plate or on base, you can touch the player's image to bring up his baseball card and view his stats.
TIP: You can even allow notifications to be sent when something newsworthy occurs related to your favorite team. To do this, touch the Information icon and set Notifications to ON.
AirPlay Mirroring
The latest iPhone comes with the ability to not only stream video or music from your iPhone to an Apple TV, but also to share the screen of any app, including games. This lets you and your entire family watch and enjoy the game on the big screen while using your iPhone as the controller. It can be especially effective with board games and multiplayer games where the whole family or group can sit around and play together.
Follow these steps to use the AirPlay Mirroring feature:
- Tap the app you want to mirror. For this example, we're using Infinity Blade.
- Once the app has launched, double-click the Home button to bring up the Fast App Switcher.
- Swipe from left to right to get to the audio/video controls. (They're all the way at the end, so keep swiping until you can't swipe any more.)
- Tap the AirPlay icon to bring up the list of AirPlay–enabled devices on your Wi-Fi network.
- Select Apple TV.
- Click the Home button again to return to your app.
- You should now see Infinity Blade on the big screen. Let 'em have it!
To stop AirPlay Mirroring, repeat the same procedure and choose iPhone from the devicelist.
NOTE: Some games allow you to do multiplayer AirPlay Mirroring, like Real Racing 2's Party Play feature where up to 4 people can use their iPhones or iPads to race against each other on the same big screen TV.