Oct062010

Savin’ money on Apple gear

I’ve been toiling away for the past four months on my faithful 3 year-old Gateway NX100X, but it’s soooo slooooow and really wasn’t fast even when it was new. Trying to run two web servers, multiple browsers, edit a PSD and listen to music all at the same time basically kill the machine. Umm, so I’m probably going to bite the bullet and snag a new MacBook Pro. Now, I realize that it’s almost an oxymoron to be a cost-conscious Apple devotee, but that’s the sad state I find myself in. Usually my first thought is to run to the “refurb” section of the Apple Store, where you can get pretty good hardware for anywhere from 10%-20% off. However, after my recent Mac Mini purchase, I recommend that you buy your Apple gear new from Amazon instead of getting it used from Apple.

Here’s the breakdown:
Apple Store (refurb): $1019 + $68.78 (6.75% sales tax) = $1087.78
Amazon (new): $1149.99
Difference: $62.21

The difference is that Apple will charge you sales tax, while Amazon doesn’t. After factoring that in, the discount you get for refurb hardware just isn’t compelling. I’d rather pay an extra $62.21 for a brand new machine, where I know that the screen (and especially the battery) have come directly from the factory, unused.

My advice is to make a mental note of this next time you’re in the market for some Apple kit.

No comments · Written by Nathan at 4:30 pm · Tags ,

Aug272010

Nonogram Madness is on the App Store

A few months ago I decided to try my hand at iPhone development, and the result is finally with us. Presenting Nonogram Madness for iPhone and iPod Touch!

For those of you who’ve been following along at home, late last year I made the first version of Nonogram Madness in Flash using the Flixel framework. Since I knew I would have to learn both a new language and a new programming framework to create anything on iOS, I decided to re-work a previous creation. I thought since the core logic had already been programmed, porting would be relatively straightforward.

Obviously, in the end it was a bit more complicated than that. There were lots of unexpected challenges, such as dealing with touch-based controls, as well as creating all-new puzzles. It’s been the most ambitious project I’ve done in my spare time to date, and I’m actually pretty proud of it.

In fact, I enjoyed the process so much that I created an LLC to publish the game under. The company is called Ganbaru Games, and while right now it’s not profitable at all, I’m hoping that perhaps if I get enough decent games out there, I can take advantage of the “long tail.” The word “ganbaru” means “to try ones’ best” or “to work hard” in Japanese, and that’s the philosophy I’d like to bring with me in game creation.

If you’d like to show your support for my game-making efforts, why not follow @ganbarugames on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook?

No comments · Written by Nathan at 7:13 pm · Tags , ,

Apr092010

Developing: iPhone vs. Nintendo DSi

Reggie Fils-Aime sez that the iPhone platform isn’t a serious competitor to Nintendo’s handhelds. As far as depth of games goes, I’d be inclined to agree with him. Nintendo does have 20 years of handheld console experience, and even the most basic Game Boy game usually has a lot more depth than the average iPhone OS title.

However, I think there’s a reason why gaming has exploded on iPhone: it allows casual game makers to easily develop and publish games on a handheld pseudo-console. Nintendo has DSiWare, which is a digital content distribution system similar to the App Store, but the speed bumps to publishing on each platform are remarkably different.

To develop for the DSi, you have to fill out an application which states why your company has the experience necessary to develop DS titles (a side note: your company has to have actual offices… can’t be a home office). Once you get approved, you can purchase your DS development kit (no idea how much it costs, but probably a substantial amount). Then you can actually make your game. After that, you have to get your game approved to be distributed as DSiWare.

To develop for iPhone OS, all you need is a Macintosh computer and an iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad. All the programming tools are free. To test your game on your actual hardware and distribute via the App Store, you pay $100/year to be an official developer.

The difference is astounding. I will probably never make a game on a Nintendo platform (although I’d love to some day), but publishing for iPhone OS is easily within my reach. All I’m saying, Nintendo, is that you might want to take a page from Apple’s playbook here.

No comments · Written by Nathan at 8:33 am · Tags , , ,