Did you know that Apple once developed its own in-houseTetrisclone,Stacker, during the development of the third-generation iPod? Stacker never saw a mainstream release, but three years following the 3rd Gen iPod’s May 2003 release date, an officially licensediPod Tetriswas released across most existing iPods in 2006, developed byElectronic Arts. And of course, these days pretty much any smart device can playTetriswithout issue — but back in ‘03, the most mainstream pocketTetrishandheld was more likely to be aGame Boy(Advance) than a media player or a phone.
The existence of this iPodTetrisclone,Stacker, was brought to our attention by YouTuber Apple Demo, revealing gameplay of the long-lost software on a prototype 3rd Gen iPod.
So, let’s talk a little more about this prototype iPod and howStackerplays on it. In order to get the prototype functioning, Apple Demo had to acquire an existing iPod 3rd Gen ribbon cable and get the device to boot from its original drive. Analysis of the device’s labeling reveals it to have been a Design, Validation, and Testing (DVT) model made on week 14 of 2003, just a few months before the full release.
According to ex-Apple engineer Tony Fadell speaking to Apple Demo,Stackerand the other games available on the prototype iPod unit were never released “Because we added games with later software releases” — which would particularly apply toStacker, since an officialTetrisport gives a much more premium feel than an obvious knock-off.
The final gameplay ofStackerrequires rotating the touchpad clockwise or counter-clockwise to push the pieces right or left, respectively. The center button lets you flip pieces on tap, and it seems to also function as the accelerated fall button when held. Overall, the game is a fairly functional if barebonesTetrisclone, and Apple Demo plays it for a few minutes in his video coverage, to show off how it actually looks in motion.
Three other games on the prototype unit not demoed in the original video includeBlock0, Chopper,andKlondike.At the time of writing, we have no details on these, but Apple Demo will likely cover them eventually.
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Christopher Harper has been a successful freelance tech writer specializing in PC hardware and gaming since 2015, and ghostwrote for various B2B clients in High School before that. Outside of work, Christopher is best known to friends and rivals as an active competitive player in various eSports (particularly fighting games and arena shooters) and a purveyor of music ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Killer Mike to the Sonic Adventure 2 soundtrack.
