AppleInsider Staff
Third-party app developer NimbleBit, known for 8-bit style real-time simulation games, announced on Wednesday that its upcoming project will be one of the first game titles to hit Apple Watch's diminutive screen.
NimbleBit first announced iOS word game Letterpad two weeks ago in a call for beta testers, and today revealed plans to offer support for the as-yet-unreleased Apple Watch, reports Touch Arcade.
Along with the news, the developer also released renderings showing what players can expect from the game as played on Apple's wearable, which will come in 38-millimeter and 42-millimeter sizes. As noted in Apple's WatchKit SDK, apps are constrained to 340-pixel-by-272-pixel and 390-pixel-by-312-pixel resolutions, a tight squeeze for any sort of gaming experience.
As Apple Watch is not necessarily designed to be a gaming platform, it remains to be seen if the device — or its users — will be able to handle extended play time, especially given the form factor's Lilliputian dimensions and questionable battery life. Apple has not yet disclosed how long Apple Watch will last on a single charge, though CEO Tim Cook estimated in October that owners will "wind up charging it daily."
Letterpad could be a good fit for a first-generation Apple Watch, however, as gameplay does not appear to be especially processor intensive. The object of the game is to create words relating to a specific topic using only a grid of nine letters. In general, word games can be formatted into bite-sized segments, with players perhaps breaking a single puzzle into multiple sessions to be completed during train commutes or random downtime.
NimbleBit is reportedly close to finishing the iOS version of Letterpad, though a firm release date has yet to be announced. The company offered no delivery estimates on an Apple Watch iteration.
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15 Comments
Cant wait to see people ticking incessantly at their wrists on subways and streets if the Apple Watch is a success..
Can't remember Apple discussing anything about games on the ?WATCH during the keynote. Will be interesting to see if this app actually makes it to the ?WATCH or not. Could end up being like that advertising company saying they would be the first to push advertising to ?WATCH users and then turning around and admiting Apple probably wouldn't allow them to do it. I'm not sure the ?WATCH is suited to gaming although this App looks like it might be at least usable. Don't really see the point if playing a game like that on a watch instead of a phone/tablet.
[quote name="Lolliver" url="/t/184425/developer-nimblebit-announces-apple-watch-support-for-upcoming-letter-puzzle-game#post_2664661"]Can't remember Apple discussing anything about games on the ?WATCH during the keynote. Will be interesting to see if this app actually makes it to the ?WATCH or not. Could end up being like that advertising company saying they would be the first to push advertising to ?WATCH users and then turning around and admiting Apple probably wouldn't allow them to do it. I'm not sure the ?WATCH is suited to gaming although this App looks like it might be at least usable. Don't really see the point if playing a game like that on a watch instead of a phone/tablet.[/quote]What about Apple Watch as a motion controler for fitness games on Apple TV just like Wii remote?
[quote name="fallenjt" url="/t/184425/developer-nimblebit-announces-apple-watch-support-for-upcoming-letter-puzzle-game#post_2664714"] What about Apple Watch as a motion controler for fitness games on Apple TV just like Wii remote?[/quote] That could be cool. I'm sure the guys that made that motion tennis game could adapt it to use the ?WATCH as a controller. Would still need an iPhone/iPad to run the game though unless the ?TV is updated with an App Store that allows games. I think you're right - there is definitely possibilities for fitness based games using the ?WATCH.
Someone didn't read Apple's usability guidelines:
Apple told developers to measure user interaction in seconds.
It's not because you can, that you should. Playing games on your wrist is defeating the purpose of the ? watch: notifications and short simple interactions.