Apple Brings Games to iPods
All of a sudden, the music player is one the most common portable platforms around.
As the next step in its plan to take over all aspects of your digital entertainment, Apple announced on Tuesday that you will now be able to buy games through its online store to play on your iPod.
Later models of the iPod have included basic games, such as Breakout, but this new move pushes Apple firmly into the casual games market. Nine games have already been released, each selling for around £4 through the newly renamed iTunes Store.
The list of games - Vortex, Tetris, Pac-Man, Cubis 2, Zuma, Texas Hold 'Em, Mini Golf, Mahjong and Bejewelled - should be instantly familiar to casual gamers. All of them are already hits at online sites, and most of them have even shown up on Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade over the last year.
Of course, the biggest difference between Microsoft and Apple's services is that with the iPod games, you're stuck playing them only on fifth generation video-enabled iPods. The games will not be playable on your PC or Mac.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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