As an avid gamer, I must ponder whether the iPad will be up to snuff
for more intense gaming experiences. The answer to that question
depends on how developers react and continue to perfect those same
experiences on the iPhone and iPod touch.
Consider the fact that the iPad uses the same graphics chip as
the iPod touch and iPhone. (For a bit more on that subject, see
Apple Confirms: iPad Uses PowerVR SGX Graphics Hardware on Mac
Rumors.) Some have taken this as a negative and have dismissed the iPad
as an oversized iPhone/iPod touch.
To a gamer who has been around the block a few times (let's just say
that I started out on an Atari 2600 in the early
80s), I can tell you with great confidence that when the hardware
schematics stay relatively similar from one software generation to the
next, the developers have more time to optimize and perfect the code
for that particular hardware.
Look at titles like God of War/God of War 2, Resident Evil 4, and
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Compare those titles to launch titles
and other early PS2 titles. You typically can't compare early software
titles to those that come later in any gaming console's lifespan. These
particular titles mentioned came towards the end of the PS2's product
cycle, although the platform is still receiving much support far beyond
a typical game console's product life cycle due partially to the fact
that the PS3 didn't garner the early support it needed (but that's
another story).
The PS2 brought its best experiences
to gamers before release of the PS3.
The point is that software titles typically get better as hardware
ages, as long as the capabilities of the hardware can match those
required by the software.
Now that the iPhone and iPod touch platform has existed for nearly
three years and the app store for nearly two, you can expect better and
better software development for that hardware. These same apps will
work on the iPad, which means that the iPad will have launch titles and
other applications that are superior in many ways to what may have been
expected from a new product line.
The X factor is Apple's own 1 GHz A4 chip in the iPad and whatever
its true capabilities are. If the A4 allows developers to create
iPad-specific games that can use the extra muscle of its processor -
roughly 50% more powerful than the current iPhone and iPod touch - you
can expect some great gaming.
Could games like World of Warcraft and Doom 3 work on an iPad?
Perhaps. Only time and development will tell.
Dan Bashur lives in central Ohio with his wife and children. He uses various PowerPC G3 and G4 Macs running Tiger and Leopard. Besides finding new uses for Macs and other tech, Dan enjoys writing (fantasy novel series in the works), is an avid gamer, and a member of Sony's Gamer Advisor Panel. You can read more of Dan Bashur's work on ProjectGamers.com, where he contributes regular articles about the PSP, classic gaming, and ways you can use Sony gaming hardware with your Mac.
