Paul Govan: Motion Plus to rule them all

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2009 sees the arrival of an innocuous add-on to the Wiimote. The Motion Plus block attaches to the bottom of the controller and provides additional information about a player’s movement. Here we finally see delivering on their one-to-one play experience promises of two years ago. What has been until now only a rough sketch will in 2009 become a fleshed out reality.

The gyroscopic add-on is slated to be packed in with Sports 2 – titled Wii Sport Resort, but I predict will within the year be included in the packed-in Wiimotes you buy off the shelves or with a new console.

Already, third-parties like are clamoring to make use of the new peripheral. 2009 will see them (finally) deliver a game on the Wii to challenge those magical first few swings of Wii Sports Tennis. I predict they will be joined by many other developers, and that the more nuanced controls will increasingly be the differential between shovel-ware and quality games.

Richard Nolan: The meteoric return of hit titles from lone 'bedroom' programmers

Back in the day bedroom programmers were the shizzle; where its at. You wanna make a game kid? You just pick up your crayon, draw some pictures, write some stuff, and then learn how to program. Creative geniuses work best alone, Clive Sinclair knew it all along, teams of mathematical nerd programmers and egotistical graphics artists are a giant monkey turd distorting the real man’s creative juices (disclaimer: joke... maybe).

With the massive success of Live and then the gushing praise dished out to the immersive Braid and the innovative World of Goo, these types of inspired budget title are back in the mainstream. The console big-boys are now going to be furiously looking-out for the next labour of genius to sign for their own downloadable services. There is no doubt in my mind that the return of the nutty programmer is just around the corner. There’s got to be thousands of wannabes out there right now... scribbling frantically on the walls of their bedrooms in bodily fluids, the uncontrollable output of frustrated creativity. All they have to do now is figure out how a computers work are they are away...

Jennifer Allen: This is the year the makes it as a gaming platform

Even its harshest critics have to admit that the iPhone was a huge hit in the world of mobile phone technology. Yes of course, it mimicks a few things that other smartphones have been doing for years, but Apple has managed to get the perfect balance of features combined with great marketing and of course the iPod branding that is seemingly irresistible to many, many people. I was one of those people, finally taking my first plunge into the world of Apple by signing up to an 18 month contract entitling me to an 8gb iPhone. Did I need it? Not in the slightest. But the iPhone is not something bought out of necessity; it's bought out of sheer frivolous want. It also introduces the new App Store feature, and this is where gaming on the move suddenly became a lot more interesting.

At first I wasn't overly impressed by the games offered, an awful lot of them are poorly made rip-offs of famous 80s arcade games such as Centipede. But as time progressed, so has the wide range of games on offer. Just looking now there are hundreds, if not thousands of games available through the app store encompassing a wide range of genres and prices. Games such as Moto Chaser (a motorcycle game that relies on the iPhone's accelerometer for its controls) only costs 59 pence, yet is great fun for a while, and certainly passes the time on a commute. As well as numerous independent offerings, there are also a wealth of game developers backing the format, with titles such as Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart, Super Monkey Ball and even Sim City and Origins. Electronic Arts certainly seem particularly keen to back the iPhone format and Sim City is a pretty faithful conversion considering the limited screen space of the iPhone. Even games such as the Brothers in Arms series have been ported across, and a new game has just arrived on the scene.

The future for the iPhone just looks brighter and brighter, and I suspect 2009 could well be its year to be taken seriously of as a rival to the Nintendo and PSP. It might not make you give up your DS or entirely, but it certainly has the potential to be seen equally to them at some point. The only real weakness at the moment are its odd controls due to its reliance on the touch screen mechanics. However developers seem to be approaching this from a different angle and taking advantage of the accelerometer and the fact that it can almost be used like a wiimote. Touch and Rock Tour are on the way, as well as whatever independent developers may yet bring to the table. If nothing else, the format looks like it could be great for the return of the 'bedroom' coder, a breed once popular in the 1980s until it just became too expensive and difficult for one person to make a game by themselves. With the iPhone SDK, all that's needed is 99 USD and an Apple and anyone can have a go in theory. All in all, don't go underestimating the iPhone; I honestly believe it has the potential to surprise many people in the year ahead.

By Luke Guttridge