By now, we are pretty much all aware that the heavily hyped iPad is nothing more than a super-sized iPod Touch. Whether you’re disappointed, overjoyed, or couldn’t care less, the fact remains that with the veil removed, people are at last talking in tangible terms about the device’s potential.
the future of computing?
Blake Paterson writes on his blog Byte Cellar that he “guarantees” that the iPad “is the future of computing.”
I will go out on a limb right now — and I don’t think I’m going all that far out there on this one — and say that in five years, the “computer user” who calls Apple their brand of choice will be using an evolution of the iPad and not a Macintosh.
While I’m not as starry-eyed as Paterson, I think he raises a few goods points, and he may even be right. The iPad will have the benefit of running all existing iPhone/iPod Touch apps at their native sizes or in an enhanced “double pixel” view, which, according to Kotaku, looks “surprisingly sharp”.
iPhone Developers ranging from Pocket God‘s (which just became the first app to surpass 2 million downloads) creator Dave Castelnuovo to Andrew Stein, the director of mobile business development at Popcap (a studio that already develops games for a variety of platforms) told Joystiq what they thought about the possibilities for pad gaming.
Dave Castelnuovo says iPad "Pocket God" will need "more characters on the screen and bigger environments"
Some developers are planning to build versions of their games specially tailored to the iPad’s larger screen, increased resolution and revved up processing power. Others are remaining cautious, waiting to see whether the device becomes a must have, a niche gadget or an all-out flop.
Jason Franzen, creator of iPhone game Kern, speculated to Joystiq that the iPad will be used in different places and at different times than the iPhone, and therefore will provide a different gaming experience.
It is important to distinguish the use paradigm of each. When traveling, I will still carry an iPhone AND the iPad – to read and access the web. I may have an iPad at home, but not at work. I will be able to reach my iPhone while driving, but not my iPad. These dynamics paint very clear use distinctions that developers should cater to. For us, the plan will be to build experiences specifically tailored to each device. Beyond the obvious differences in screen sizes, the depth of engagement is also quite unique between the situations that the iPhone is appropriate for (say, a quick taxi ride or on-the-go breakfast) and the iPad will be. Sitting at home on the couch or waiting at the airport lounge, a user can be more immersed and the gaming experience should be tailored as such.
"I Dig It:" check out that control stick
So maybe developers will finally be able to make a virtual joystick that doesn’t feel like it’s caked in drying peanut butter. The best iPhone games yet, in my opinion, have been the ones that favor simpler controls while featuring strong artistic elements like stylistic graphics and unique premises.
I Dig It (and, to a lesser extent, its sequel) scratch my itch for exploration, item collecting and goal achieving, while relegating all the controls to a single finely tuned virtual joystick (a notable exception to the rule that says these suck). Beat It! is a drum beat mimicry game set over a busy and colorful backdrop, making it a rhythm game unlike any other. Hook Champ‘s retro inspired graphics, addictive gameplay, constant updates, and easy to use, but difficult to master single-tap controls have made it my favorite iPhone game yet.
In other words, I’m not interested in the latest game that’s pushing the poor device to its limits with cutting edge high resolution textures or dozens of enemies on screen at once. If I wanted those, I would whip out my PSP or even my DS. Yes, I’m a gamer, and not a casual one. As such, I’ve pretty much seen ‘em all, and what I’m looking for on a unique platform like the iPhone/iPad is creativity and ingenuity. Would any of the games I mentioned be better on a larger screen, or with more detailed graphics? Maybe. But I probably wouldn’t play them as often; if I’m sitting on my couch anyway why wouldn’t I just play a console game?
"Beat It" is a unique rhythm game
That said, entire genres that are passable at best and complete crap most of the time on iPhone and iPod touch, like first person shooters, action, and adventure games, might actually work a lot better on a platform on which the virtual d-pad doesn’t have to take up a quarter of the screen just to be usable. But this also means that many developers will be forced to backpedal from whatever they might be working on and tweak existing games’ UIs for the larger screen. Take Gameloft’s well received iPhone shooter N.O.V.A. Kotaku got a chance to play it, along with several other existing iPhone games, on the iPad at the unveiling event last Wednesday.
N.O.V.A. in particular, did not make the transition in the control department very well. Gameloft was one of the iPad developers on stage that promised a version of its Halo-esque first-person shooter tailored for a larger screen. It was easy to see why. Trying to hold the iPad, tap its screen, control the software d-pad with one’s thumb, and pan across it with one’s fingers just didn’t work very well. It was uncomfortable and awkward, a problem made more apparent by the weight of the iPad versus that of an iPhone.
Will the updates that many games will require take the form of free add-ons, paid DLC, or completely separate apps that will require even those who already own the game for a smaller platform to re-purchase for use on the iPad? It’ll be interesting to see what route developers will take and what’ll eventually become the standard model.
"Hook Champ:" simple, elegant, pure fun
James Brown, creator of popular casual game Ancient Frog, told the iPhone gaming bloggers at Touch Arcade that he plans to release small, incremental upgrades to the game in the short term, improving certain textures and tweaking the screen dimensions to enhance the experience on the iPad. He also plans to release a separate, iPad-only version in the future, one that will presumably take fuller advantage of the system’s strengths.
Kotaku, like the majority of gaming sites, has some serious doubts about the iPad’s potential to overcome the massive wave of apprehension that seems to have washed over the gaming community since its revelation.
Does anyone besides this guy actually want this?
If your consumers still need a computer and a phone, needs which you already can fill, what room in their wallet, their bag and their life is there for a semi-portable, semi-desk-ready tablet computer? For gaming or otherwise?
At this point I have to agree with them, although I’m still hopeful that developers will step up to the plate and deliver something I haven’t thought of yet: a unique, creative experience that can only be possible on the iPad. I don’t know what that is yet, but if I did, I would be a game developer instead of a writer. Judging from the amazing games that have somehow managed to float to the surface of Apple’s bloated, garbage-filled ocean of an app store, someone out there probably already has an idea that will have me sold on this thing in no time.
