The Future of WoW iPhone Apps
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Juggynaut on Thursday, April 30, 2009 - 25 Comments Tags: app store, apps, auction, c&d, cease and desist, dailies, iphone, iphone app, smart phone, vacation, vollee
Juggynaut on Thursday, April 30, 2009 - 25 Comments Tags: app store, apps, auction, c&d, cease and desist, dailies, iphone, iphone app, smart phone, vacation, vollee Earlier this week this video (thanks Kotaku) showing that someone had created a way to play World of Warcraft on the iPhone started circulating. TechCrunch called it the end of the world, and Gizmodo thought it had some potential. I just want it in my hands!
The technology behind the program is a program called Vollee. Most of the processing is not actually done on the iPhone, but instead uses streaming video of the rendering done on another machine. The functionality was pretty basic, but it includes auction house access and also what would at least be a great way to get some dailies done without having to bring your computer on vacation.
Unfortunately, the future of this and all WoW related iPhone Apps is up in the air. Blizzard just issued a Cease and Desist order to the makers of the popular apps, Armory Browser, Warcraft Characters, and Warcraft Arena Calculator. These apps used information that is freely available on the Armory, so why Blizzard would do such a thing is not quite clear at the moment. Perhaps Blizzard is making its own version of those Apps listed and doesn't want any other products out there to confuse users. Perhaps they're working closely with the creators of the Vollee application to give all of us addicts a way to get some WoW in while we're on the go.
Whatever the reasoning, there is still a lot of potential in the iPhone and other smart phones for all of us. As a user of an iPhone and a couple of the apps that got Cease and Desists, Blizzard's decision to send out those C&Ds is a little frustrating to me. Hopefully Blizzard creates something amazing or gives up some control to the huge number of developers out there. I'd love a way to log in and chat with people while I wait for the bus and using the Auction House on the road would be amazing.
What do you guys think? What kind of phone are you guys using? What World of Warcraft apps are you using on your phone? Would you play WoW on it if you could? What other WoW-related apps would you like to see?
Reader Comments (25)
Will it catch on?
i dont think so.
I seen this on AotS, it seems like it would be aggravating at about 3-4 fps.
When I started playing WoW the machine I had was so primitive Fred Flintstone wouldn't even use it.
It is personally frustrating as hell to have the UI make up half the screen, it's even more maddening when it looks like it's going 0.5 fps.
it looks pretty neat but I personally think WoW should stay on the computer. It's a lot less laggy than I expected.
I feel that if you feel the need to go on to WoW through an iPhone you have no life. As much as I enjoy playing WoW, and gaming in general, there are some boundaries. This crosses over those boundaries.
I was sucked into this article from Twitter based on the title "The Future of WoW iPhone Apps". Boy, am I disappointed. I thought this article would actually talk about real WoW-helping apps...not just one lame-ass iPhone WoW client (which may or may not have simply been faked in the video.)
How about a REAL article about the apps that are out there now, what's good, what's bad, and what needs improvement? Now THAT would be a good article.
It is a shame you have to load up the avatar and walk over to an auctioneer, the framerate is not worth it. I doubt its possible to let you just have an auction house app on ur Iphone, that would be handy for some of the players out there who spend a lot of time on WoW and playing the AH.
I think Blizzard's implementation of the mobile authenticator is better suited to the IPhone.
@Ntieoen aggravating at about 3-4 fps
that sounds faster than my comp =P
I would love a way to chat on WoW via my iphone.
I'm totally running an instance with this.
that would drive me crazy. Maybe for a quick auction check, or guild update, but really... doesn't that seem like maybe you're playing too much WoW?
in 3-5 years i see WoW on a new iPhone type thing like legit
the idea is good but the controls look like they would get frustrating over time though it would definately be a good way to do auctions and selling (or buying) enchants and such while you are out (school ^_^) i can see it now you get a teacher who plays WoW (i have had a few) who confiscates this and ends up using it over the course of the day hehe
For some of these achievements coming up WoW on the crapper is something I might need. I just wish they had shown this thing in the middle of dalaran, that would have been the real test.
I could see using this for chatting with guildies or talking with a friend through WoW but I wouldn't want to actually paly through this interface.
i got a sagem my X3-2. it's so advanced it doesn't even have bluetooth.
i doubt i'd ever play wow on the go like that though. mostly cause i'd likely never have an iphone or something like it, but also cause if i did have one, i'd probably do other stuff on it whilst waiting for buses etc, such as facebook or youtube or some junk. probably cause the novelty of having internets in my hands is still somewhat foreign to me.
If you have IPhone its a must have, but you'll be an idiot buying IPhone only to play WoW on it.
I can't see much potential for this app, it would be impossible to pve very well,much less pvp in arenas.
I think the app itself is pretty neat, i cant imagine the amounts of work and effort they put into it so props to that, on the other hand playing WoW on your iPhone when you cant play on ur computer is a little bit too much i'd say...
I dont understand why its on the iphone its not the best thing to try this with. Why not the DS i mean its easy to look around and move with and your ui would be below the whole screen so you could see better. Anyone wanna try and make wow 4 the ds id play it..
lol this is king for Alts but idk how you can make more actionbars for mains.
This will be successful, i know like 100 people who would get this stuff.
Point is this is innovation for the future... a future in 10 years from now, where games like WoW will be playable virtually (3D - like 3D movies except for no glasses just contact lenses) all from your cell phone. Its getting there!
Erm No not for me. It would be so tedious.Having to go to a separate screen for quest log etc. When in the game u only have to press q for your quest log. f9 f10 etc for your bags. I am gonna stay with WoW on the PC tyvm
But kudos to the people for coming up with the idea. And each player of WoW is different so, some might love it, some might hate it. Have to wait and see what pans out
"I feel that if you feel the need to go on to WoW through an iPhone you have no life. As much as I enjoy playing WoW, and gaming in general, there are some boundaries. This crosses over those boundaries."
Your boundary is "use the Auction House while bored at a bus stop"?
I've seen people play wow on their mini laptops, but this is much cooler! The fact that it's allmost playable rocks, allmost because the low frame rate. It might be handy for checking mail or somthing, or doing auctions.
Greetings, kikker
WTB WOW chat for iPhone!
that Iphone was running WoW faster than this damn laptop can... 4 FPS is im lucky... FML...