Apple iPad and gaming – the next big thing, or the lost platform?

Craig Grannell ()

When I was a kid, there were lots of gaming platforms, but several failed due to existing IP. A prime example is the Commodore 128. Commodore touted the computer’s C64 compatibility as a major plus, but it meant no-one created C128 games, because loads of C64 ones already existed. The same, to some extent, went for the Amstrad CPC, which got loads of duff ports from the ZX Spectrum, due to some shared architecture. I wonder how iPad will fare. Apple’s device not only resembles a giant iPod touch—it also runs almost all existing App Store content. You get apps sitting centrally in the screen or ‘pixel doubled’.

With nearly 30 million iPhones and millions of iPod touches in the wild, and many thousands of games available, I wonder how many devs will target iPad, and how many will just continue developing for Apple’s already popular handhelds. If the former happens—and developers take a punt, hoping Apple’s new device will become as successful as iPhone and iPod touch—you end up with another top-quality gaming platform from out of nowhere. If not—which could so easily be the case—iPad will be a pretty device playing games that look OK, but were ultimately designed for another system. Here’s hoping the former’s the case.

This article originally appeared on Revert to Saved.

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About the author

Craig Grannell

Craig Grannell is Cult of Mac's designer and an occasional contributor. He also runs iPhoneTiny.com, a Twitter-driven reviews site for iPhone apps and games. Follow Craig on Twitter @CraigGrannell and visit his website, Snub Communications.

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Posted in Apple Tablet, Gaming, Opinions |

  • http://www.conscienciacritica.com WetLight

    I really don’t think i will be paying twice for the same game, once for the iPhone and another for the iPad. Unless of course, the devs make a combo price discount kinda deal!

  • Vincent

    I think app development will be similar to other media development on the mac. Developers write their code and tick a checkbox to export to iPhone and/or ipad.

  • http://ihbs.co.uk bennyappleboy

    I have to disagree with the iphone and ipod touch and now ipad, as the next gaming device. people who would put down decent money for a gaming device, would just get an xbox or ps3. iphones, ipods and ipads are not going to go anywhere in terms of high quality gaming if you ask me!

  • http://www.snubcommunications.com Craig Grannell

    @bennyappleboy: Pretty much every major publisher would disagree. Also, millions of games sales would suggest iPhone/iPod touch is already a major gaming platform—it’s whether iPad will follow that’s the question.

  • spencer

    The problem is there not full games really and they only cost about a dollar. Nothing is wrong with fifteen minute gaming but that is only a snack the real games don’t come from handheld devices.

  • Craig Grannell

    @spencer: All I can say to you about that is either you’ve not played (m)any iPhone games, or you’ve been playing the wrong ones. There are plenty of iPhone games that have as much longevity as the best and most engrossing games on any other handheld—or any other platform, for that matter.

  • http://ihbs.co.uk Ben

    @spencer worded what i was trying to say better. Iphone/ipod touch games are fantastic, when compared to java games on old phones, like snake etc. Dont get me wrong the games are good, and fairly entertaining. I have about 30 on mine that are good for playing on the train. But if im sat at home and i want to play a game, my hand will reach for the xbox controller before i even think about gaming on the iphone.

    numverous games on the xbox have around 50+ hours of gameplay that isnt repeated, which cannot be said for 90% of the games on the app store. Some games even have hundreds of hours of gameplay. Mass effect took me 200 hours, and i still havent finished everything. Lost odyssey took 99 and i still have some achievements to get.

    thats a billion lightyears ahead of the iphone. Maybe one day it will catch up, but by then everyone else will have moved on to the next big thing… Natal?

  • Craig Grannell

    I guess it depends what you want out of games. If you want a linear ‘play through’ experience, TV consoles are always going to ‘win’. However, I’ve put so many hours into Drop7, Orbital and Flight Control that I don’t want to think about it, and they cost under 10 bucks overall. In terms of value, that far beats any game I’ve ever bought for any other system, back to the 1980s, when I first started buying my own videogames. And while I prefer smaller titles with lots of replay value, there are still plenty of games that offer many hours of play on the device.

  • http://www.yg.com aion database

    @Craig
    I totally agree with you that it still depends on what you want out of games. iPad may lack the camera, the ability to multi-task and does not support Flash, however, you don’t need all of these for a perfect gaming experience, so iPad’s already good enough for you.

  • http://www.gaminggalaxy.com Gaming Galaxy

    I think it is going to hit the game markets within few months. I bought one and really a nice gaming experience.

  • james braselton

    hi there yes ipad gaming wil take off then the 22 inch touch screen imac with 128 256 and 512 gb ssd

  • http://www.moneybusinesstalk.com Billy Lloyd

    jave games are so cool eventhough they do not have fancy graphics.’-;

  • http://www.npntransistor.org Ellis Gibson

    java games are cool because they need very little resources and the graphics are good too.;’,