The iPhone goes gaming, what's the end game?

With its DS-like touch screen and PSP-like high res wide screen, the iPhone has screamed "games" to me every time I pick it up.

Which is why it's very cool, it not surprising, that today's demo of the new applications possible on the iPhone included several videogames. And not just little casual games like we see on mobile phones. Major titles from big publishers.

EA for instance, is releasing a version of its long-in-development "Spore" for the device. Sega demo's a version of "Super Monkey Ball." While using the touch-screen to design a creature could be fun in "Spore," you obviously could only play a very scaled down version. "Super Monkey Ball," on the other hand, which will take full advantage of the device's tilt sensors, would arguably work as well or better on the iPhone than any other device (memory concerns aside).

EA has already confirmed that it has "other games in early stages of development" for the device. Indie developer Freeverse also said it has numerous casual games like bowling and racing in the works.

For me, however, the iPhone isn't too interesting as a place to play casual games. Sure it's occasionally fun, but I already do that lots of other places. My iPhone, after all, is primarily an extension of my life. It's a way to access my e-mail, surf the web, etc. while I'm on the go. In other words, the same things I do at home, but in a scaled-down, mobile way.

That why I think it would be really cool if the iPhone were an extension of my gaming experiences. Like what if I could design creatures on my iPhone that show up in my PC game of "Spore?" Or finish a level of "Super Monkey Ball" and get credit for it on my Wii? You get the idea. I've heard lots of talk from developers and publishers about extending the gaming experience and it seems to me that the iPhone, easily the most powerful mobile connected device we've seen that's completely open (i.e. not the DS or PSP) could truly make that happen.

Wired also has a good round-up of the iPhone's gaming potential