Apple pitches iPod as DS competitor

Apple has revealed its intentions to capture a slice of the games market by establishing its iPod Touch as a gaming platform.

The company plans to pit its handheld device against Sony's PlayStation Portable and Nintendo's bestselling DS.

Greg Joswiak, head of iPod and iPhone marketing, told MCV: "It's not just the screens that are superior to DS - it’s the graphics capability, the computing power and the App Store distribution model.

"I had an analyst tell me in September - and he was right - that the DS is the past of gaming devices, and iPod Touch is the future of gaming devices. It certainly has our competitors scrambling in what they're going to do in reaction to this. This product is capable of so much more, and there’s a tremendous synergy we have with the iPod Touch and game developers.”

There are already over 1,500 iPod Touch games available for download via Apple's App Store, and the company is hoping to get third-party developers on board to add to this number significantly next year.