Virtual Vox Pop is a weekly open mic in which we ask you, the reader, to sound off on a particular topic. This week, it’s the iPhone and iPod touch as a gaming platform.

Earlier this week, DotEmu announced that the original R-Type, the IREM shooter that simultaneously caused gamers as much glee as it did frustration, would be ported to the iPhone and iPod touch in coming months. Upon first reading the new I was, naturally, filled with glee and frustration, but for a totally different reason other than the title’s exhilarating yet tough-as-concrete gameplay.

In my reviews of Alive 4 Ever and Magical Drop Touch, I noted that both titles, although radically different, suffered from a common failing: the touch controls weren’t as intuitive as a physical d-pad/buttons combo. In the former, action would sometimes spill under my thumb as the virtual d-pad is part of the display; in the latter, slightly sluggish reactions to my swiping motions cost me a few matches.

Certainly, that’s my main, but not only gripe. I’ve also yet to find a totally engrossing game on the handhelds that keep drawing me back to complete it. A game with depth, a game with heart.  The chances of that happening, I reckon, are slim. iPhone/iPod touch developers typically have limited resources, which results in shorter development times, and shallower games.  We’ll probably never see the next Chrono Trigger on the devices, but judging by the controls I’ve encountered so far, I’m not sure if I would want that experience.

But what say you? Do you see the iPhone and iPod touch as legitimate gaming platforms?