Apple: iTunes App Store Hosts More than 21,000 Games

At today's "It's only rock and roll, but we like it," event in San Francisco, Apple revealed that 21,178 titles are currently available for download from the iTunes App Store. During a press conference covered by consumer blog Mac|Life, Apple compared the figure favorably to the number of software titles available on competing portable platforms. The Nintendo DS currently hosts a library of 3,680 games worldwide, while Sony's PlayStation Portable claims a lineup of 607 titles. All game titles available in the iTunes App Store are compatible with Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch devices. Typical game prices range from $0.99 to $9.99. The iPhone and iPod Touch software lineup will expand in the coming months with a number of releases from prominent publishers. Today, EA Sports announced the release of the iPhone and iPod Touch version of Madden NFL 10, which boasts a platform-specific control scheme and a full roster of NFL teams and players. Other App Store titles scheduled for release this year include Gameloft's sci-fi first-person shooter N.O.V.A., the music-based action game Riddim Ribbon, and an adaptation of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed II, which will debut simultaneously with the console and PC versions of the title. Apple also announced the availability of an upgrade to the iPod Touch hardware, which effectively brings the device up to speed with the improvements seen in the iPhone 3GS, released in June. The new iPod Touch devices include a faster processor, which speeds game loading and performance by up to 50 percent. The new hardware additionally features support for the OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics API, which allows developers to create games with richer visuals and faster framerates.