Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by tptacek 5424 days ago
You make a good point, but PS1, PS2, and PS3 had different developer and third party ecosystems, and iPhone 2/3/4 do not, to the same extent. There's a confounding happening here to be sure, but it would not be accurate to square iPhone 4 off against PS3, iPhone 3G/3GS against PS2, etc.
2 comments
thezilch 5424 days ago
While true on the Playstation platforms, the view of the iPhone ecosystem is extremely inflated. Either all iPhones offer a similar experience across the entire platform or not.

Most of my friends, with iPhones, have upgraded with each iteration of the iPhone. They would each be counted three times, were we to consider each iPhone iteration a separate platform. However, if we're being honest about the experience being compatible across the iterations, is the triple dipping really fair? Frankly, most of the same friends upgraded because they could (afford to) and need shiny objects and that phone-dropped blemish gone -- "The Apple Way."

I think you were going there, but I had to spell it out.

link
prewett 5424 days ago
What happened to their old iPhone? If they sold it to someone who did not have an iPhone already, it seems fair to still count it.
link
thezilch 5424 days ago
That's fair, but I don't have a tone on that pulse -- guesstimate is they upgraded their wive's iPhones or have no interest/knowledge/time to make a few bucks on eBay. However, the premise of the argument is that there is too much grey area. It is disingenuous to rank all iPhone sales against a gaming platform; anecdotal results would lead me to believe a majority of smartphones are not used as gaming devices.
link
seabee 5424 days ago
It wouldn't be too far off - for example the PS2 can play PS1 games, and PS3 could play PS2 games (for a short while). But the first iPhone came out after the PS3 was released, and there have been no new standalone console generations since. (There were several Nintendos however, so those comparisons hold.)

Comparing portables to standalone consoles is problematic anyway, for various reasons. Not least, more than one person can play on a standalone at once...

link