Nexus One: Nice phone, but what about the games?

(AFP/ROBERT GALBRAITH)

This week at the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas, Google showed off its official mobile handset, the Nexus One, for the first time.

As hardware geeks get hot under the collar about the gadget's specs (touchscreen, accelerometer, sleek design, you get the picture), it's worth pondering the gaming possibilities of the phone. Debate is already raging online as to whether the Nexus One will be a serious competitor to the iPhone when it comes to being a portable gaming device. The case for: Google's bundle of fun has a higher resolution screen than the iPhone and boasts a fast processor. The case against focuses on the roaring success of Apple's app store and the fact that games developers apparently prefer making titles for the iPhone because they are more likely to get a good return. Also, the Nexus One, despite having a cool, 'Blade Runner'-inspired name, has less impressive touch-screen sensitivity. An iPhone killer? We'll have to wait and see.