John Carmack, lead programmer of video game classics Commander Keen, Doom, and Quake, suggests Apple’s immensely popular iPhone is to become a force to be reckoned with in the handheld gaming market.

Speaking at QuakeCon 2008, Carmack announced that his firm, id Software was working on two titles for the iPhone. Interestingly, Carmack also speculated that the iPhone is more powerful than a Nintendo DS and Sony PSP combined. Carmak went on to say that the iPhone’s hardware is equivalent to that of the short-lived Sega Dreamcast console, and almost on par with the PS2 and XBOX.

Sega has already released an iPhone version of their popular platformer Super Monkey Ball, which takes advantage of the iPhone’s accelerometer. Hundreds of other game are available through Apple’s App Store, a one-stop shop for additional iPhone software. This new form of distribution does away with the traditional purchases of software from brick and mortar stores, a model Apple essentially pioneered with the iTunes music store. If this application distribution method catches on and more developers like id follow suit, the iPhone is destined to become the next portable gaming powerhouse.






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