Id Software held an eye-opening demonstration of the company's latest project, Rage, at this week's QuakeCon 2010. However, instead of demoing the first-person shooter on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or the PC, CTO John Carmack actually showed Rage on an iPhone 4. CNET sister site Gamespot was there covering the action.
Sure enough, the game is able to run at a staggering 60 frames per second (see video below) with all of the lighting effects and textures we've come to expect from a standard console title. Carmack went on to say that lack of buttons on an iPhone presents an interesting hurdle, but nevertheless the platform will see two types of Rage: a mini version due out later this year, and a larger title in 2011 to coincide with the major release on gaming consoles.
Android owners shouldn't feel entirely left out, though; Carmack explained that Google's mobile operating system is at the point where Id Software is considering developing software for it.
There's no denying the impressive performance of Rage on the iPhone, but of course this story resurfaces the challenge of playing games like first-person shooters on devices with no tactile feedback. The iPhone platform has nothing to prove in terms of casual "waiting-room" games thanks to titles like Angry Birds and Fragger, but we're still not sure there's a true core gaming experience to be had on the iPhone without some sort of add-on device. If titles like Rage coming to the platform isn't a big enough hint to Apple about the need for such accessories, we're not sure it'll ever get the point.