Is Apple finally getting serious about games?

Could be.

When Apple unveiled its platform for letting outside developers create software for the iPhone and iPod Touch this week, some of the first programs shown were games from Electronic Arts and Sega.

And more game developers seem likely to hop on the Apple cart, since the iPhone and its cousin the iPod Touch are both tremendously popular and fairly powerful mobile computers.

What's really cool is that the games won't be sold on traditional cartridges or discs, but will be available solely as downloadable files.

Even better, you'll be able to purchase and download the titles wirelessly at any Wi-Fi hot spot without connecting your iPhone or Touch to a computer.

While gamers have clamored for years for portable-game makers to embrace the concept of wireless downloads, both Sony and Nintendo have been reluctant to relinquish their grip on physical media.

With downloadable titles, you don't have to worry about losing or scratching your games, you can play any game in your library without having to swap cartridges or discs, and games stored on a hard drive generally load faster than software that has to be accessed from removable media.

At this point, though, I think Apple's foray into games is more of a threat to Sony than to Nintendo.

Sony's slick, powerful and expensive PSP is designed to appeal to the same high-end gadget shopper who's also likely to crave the iPhone. If my iPhone can play top-notch games and make phone calls, what reason is there to own a PSP?

On the other hand, while the Nintendo DS and the iPhone both use touch-screen technology, the DS is far more of a pure entertainment device targeted at younger buyers with less money to burn.

Sure, most 10-year-olds would probably love to have a $400-plus iPhone, but parental indulgence goes only so far.

A $130 DS Lite is simply competing for a different buyer.

Granted, a PSP isn't that much pricier at $170, but there's no denying that the machine is designed to appeal to older gamers, since the PSP is also capable of playing music and movies, hopping onto the Web, and connecting to your home network.

Now, Apple hasn't yet made clear how vigorously it plans to market the iPhone as a game platform. In some ways, though, it doesn't matter.

If enough outside developers flock to the iPhone and iPod Touch as game platforms and start releasing cool, exclusive titles for the devices, gamers will follow.

When the CEO of Electronic Arts gets onstage with Steve Jobs and trumpets the fact that his company is working on an iPhone version of Spore, one of the most anticipated games of all time, well, it's hard not to wonder if the handheld game industry is about to get a lot more interesting.

Victor Godinez covers technology for The Dallas Morning News. Read more of his video-game coverage at punchbutton.beloblog .com.

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