Palm Gives Developers Advanced Tools for Creating webOS Games

Palm, Inc. has released a beta version of the webOS Plug-in Development Kit (PDK). This gives game makers the tools they need to create high-end titles for this platform.

Palm's webOS was created with a focus on the Web, and apps were written in simple Web-oriented languages like JavaScript. But this didn't allow for the high-end games users were asking for. Palm responded by modifying its operating system to allow developers to create plug-ins for their applications in more advanced languages like C++.

A public beta of the webOS Plug-in Development Kit is being introduced today at Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco. Before now it was in a closed beta program.

"It's quite difficult to make a great phone that's also an outstanding gaming platform; Palm has been successful delivering both," said Baudouin Corman, vice president of publishing, Americas, Gameloft.  "The Palm webOS PDK is extremely powerful and far-reaching, as evidenced by the number of titles we've been able to bring to the webOS platform in a very short time."

A Collection of New Titles
Most of Palm's top competitors have a wide variety of games available for them, especially Apple's iPhone. The paucity of games for the Palm Pre and Pixi is surely hurting these devices in the market. The webOS PDK will help level the playing field.

Companies with early access to this PDK have already released a range of 3D games, some of which include:

• Apollo (Laminar Research)
• Assassin's Creed - Altair's Chronicles (Gameloft)
• Brothers In Arms: Hour of Heroes" (Gameloft)
• Castle of Magic (Gameloft)
• Deer Hunter 3D (Glu Mobile)
• Dungeon Hunter (Gameloft)
• Earthworm Jim (Gameloft)
• Giant Fighting Robots (Laminar Research)
• Guitar Hero 5 Mobile (Glu Mobile)
• Hero of Sparta (Gameloft)
• Need for Speed Undercover (EA Mobile)
• The Sims 3 (EA Mobile)
• X-Plane (Laminar Research)

More information about the beta PDK is available at the Palm Developer Center.

Source: Palm