Xbox 360, PS3, Wii follow iPhone's digital distribution lead
Home consoles attempting to catch up with Apple handheld
Perhaps it seems a little unreasonable to pit the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii against the iPhone, given that they're aimed at quite different markets, and some still don't entirely accept the iPhone as a gaming platform.
But over at PocketGamer.biz we've been looking at the burgeoning trend for digital distribution of games and software, and it seems these entertainment devices aren't all that disimilar.
A new PC digital distribution service (OnLive) is looking to take on Xbox Live, WiiWare, the PlayStation Network and Valve's Steam network by providing on-demand computer games. Data surrounding the service's big push shows that around 18 per cent of Xbox Live owners subscribe to the Gold service and regularly download content, while only 10 per cent of PlayStation 3 owners are using the PlayStation Network.
Another PG.biz report this morning shows that a whopping 75 per cent of iPhone users are regularly downloading content to their devices. While these figures might appear to concentrate on very different areas of the games industry at first, they're not necessarily so far removed from each other.
All three home console manufacturers are desperately trying to tie their digital distribution services to handheld devices. The Zune HD, PSPgo and DSi are all being brought into play as a direct answer to the threat posed by the iPhone and iPod touch.
Similarly, Gizmodo has drawn up a graph placing the 40 million iPhones and iPod touches alongside the more traditional gaming systems, which shows Apple's platform rapidly catching up on the PSP and DS.
Looking at the data from a software sales perspective, rather than by system type, it's easy to see how the iPhone is blazing trail in terms of digital distribution, and how the other major industry players have (rather astutely) dug their heels in with the hope of catching up.
As gamers are further encouraged away from the shops, we're brought ever closer to the realisation that it's the application stores and digital distribution services that are becoming the 'platforms' of tomorrow, with the hardware simply providing a means of access to your preferred choice of content.
Although we heard nothing about it at WWDC, now seems like the perfect opportunity for Apple to get in on the home console market, considering the iPhone and App Store is having such a massive influence on the living room systems.
