iPod Touch Models for game development

[WILL]

Hey guys whoever develops apps for iOS these days, what models of iPod Touch are still viable for game development? I might be able to get a 2nd or 3rd generation model for a really really good price, but I want to check to see if it would still be a good buy for doing game development.

I've read so far that the 3rd Generation can install iOS 4, which is the latest software for it, but I'm not 100% sure if the device is 2nd or 3rd, I'm going to ask later today about it.

What are your thoughts on this? Is it still worth it for me to get this older one just to start in on game dev on the iPod or should I hold out for a later model?

[Stoney]

I have an iPod Touch 2nd generation with iOS 4.0 and this model is still quite good supported. Something like Epic's Citadel graphic demo will not work and some 3D games that are opted for newer models won't look as good as on newer devices of course.

If you want to develop commercial games for iPhone/iPod Touch, you should still support 2nd generation iPhone and iPod Touch devices.

[WILL]

Well in this case I can have it as a development platform. What is the difference in hardware between 2nd Gen and 4th? Besides obviously the forward facing camera. lol

When I get this, of course I'll have to kick the old Lazarus installation, removed it and reinstall something that will work. Different version of Laz, etc. I have the last stable version of Laz and 2 different versions of FPC installed on my Mac. None of it is doing what it's supposed to which is sad because it's the first step towards iOS development which I so much want to get into. Alternatives to that will be Delphi Prism using Managed code in a Mono runtime engine or *cough-hack*Objective-C*cough* which I'd rather not unless I really have to.

Anyone interested in Garland's Quest or Treasure Hunters: The Dark Labyrinth for iPod/iPad?

[Luuk van Venrooij]

When it comes to hardware the 3g and the 4g have superior graphics capabilities over the 2g. If you want to do any 3d development you should get a 3g at least. Other then that all devices from 2g have pretty much the same capabilities when it comes to gaming power. I personally work with a 4g since I`m doing graphics only

[WILL]

Well it seems that I got the iPod anyhow. It was a good deal, $75 CAD for a 2 year old used 2nd Generation iPod Touch. (8 GB) A little bit old, but a great deal considering that you can't get anything on ebay like this for a little as I got it for. So I'm pleased with it. It's fun to play with, but most importantly I can use it to test the PGD and Pascal Gamer sites, test the download version of my magazine production and most importantly, start developing apps for iOS 4.x.

I'm looking into getting my Mac OS X development started first as I'll need working tools on my Mac before I start in on the mobile Apple platforms anyways.