Poll: The iPad...is it good for the games industry?

[WelshDanny]

A review of the upcoming iPad 2 claims it has been designed with gaming in mind and is twice as powerful for the original. http://tinyurl.com/65lhgte

Personally I don't, and probably never will, own an iPad as I just don't see why I'd need one. But there are a lot of people out there who own them, and they are playing games, mainly indie games that may not be able to be published anywhere else.

So my question is as follows: Is the iPad good for the games industry? Do you think it's a bastion of indie developers in this time of Triple AAA publishers churning out the same old things? Or are the simple games being developed for mobile devices also taking creativity out of the games industry?

And as a point of interest, do you think Apple can become a serious contender in the games market?

 

[GeorgW]

The iPad is not good for anything. Ever.

 

[thenumberthirteen]

It's a new and popular platform. That can only be good for gaming. Compared to Consoles the barriers to entry for developers are lower and so more start up companies can make interesting games without mountains of financial backing.

 

[New Troll]

The iPad is not good for gaming. Mainly subpar gimmicky games taking said developers away from real progressive work. Only good thing is it does give developers yet another platform to try and make a buck from.

Gaming is good for the iPad. Gives people a reason to feel they didn't completely waste thier money. Only people who should be buying these are bussiness-types and possibly students with more money than sense. Most people I sell these to though are computer illiterates who are just jumping on a bandwagon for bragging rights. Wasting away thier tax return instead of investing it in thier future, or child's future, or even a PS3 or new big screen TV would be better. So sad.

 

[thespis721]

The iPad is great for gaming. I see no reason why it wouldn't be. It's a new medium, branching gaming out to a brand new audience, and it has new mechanics. On top of that, it's a relatively inexpensive medium to create games on for indie developers to get their stuff out to a broad market. I mean, when you look at the popular games that are out there, most of them are not made by AAA developers, which is a great thing for the industry!

Sure there is a lot of crappy wares on there, but I don't think there are any systems that didn't have their share of crapware. And the more popular the system, the more crapware. Look at the Wii. Look at all the crapware PS2 games that existed. Those games don't affect the industry nearly as much as being able to have an exciting new platform that allows developers to play.

If I were to make one major change, I'd allow bluetooth controllers to be able to play on the iPad at a consumer ease. I really don't see any realistic logistical reason why the iPad is BAD for games.

 

[Cavan]

The iPad is not good for anything. Ever.

This.

It's an expensive smartphone with all of the size of a laptop and none of the potential power or utility.

 

[thethingthatlurks]

No, it's not. Frankly, the only uses I can imagine a touchscreen based minicomputer to have would be for waiters, and inventory takers. I mean this is literally a device without use for most people who have bought it, why add awkwardly controlled games to it? Yes, there may be some (really good) exceptions, but the general point stands.

 

[vxicepickxv]

The iPad is not good for anything. Ever.

This.

It's an expensive smartphone with all of the size of a laptop and none of the potential power or utility.

I disagree. I can replace 2000 dollars worth of hardware with an iPad and a 15 dollar app? Not only has it already saved me over 1000 dollars, but I can turn around use the app and iPad to make money back on investment.

OT:The iPad is already drowning in shovelware, and it's going to get worse.

 

[Bags159]

The iPad is not good for anything. Ever.

This.

It's an expensive smartphone with all of the size of a laptop and none of the potential power or utility.

I disagree. I can replace 2000 dollars worth of hardware with an iPad and a 15 dollar app? Not only has it already saved me over 1000 dollars, but I can turn around use the app and iPad to make money back on investment.

OT:The iPad is already drowning in shovelware, and it's going to get worse.

Why were you using a $2,000 computer to play Farmville?

 

[Teixas]

It's a new and popular platform. That can only be good for gaming. Compared to Consoles the barriers to entry for developers are lower and so more start up companies can make interesting games without mountains of financial backing.

wait how is the barrier lower if the IPad like most apple products is so expensive :\?

 

[Hiphophippo]

The iPad is not good for anything. Ever.

This.

It's an expensive smartphone with all of the size of a laptop and none of the potential power or utility.

I disagree. I can replace 2000 dollars worth of hardware with an iPad and a 15 dollar app? Not only has it already saved me over 1000 dollars, but I can turn around use the app and iPad to make money back on investment.

OT:The iPad is already drowning in shovelware, and it's going to get worse.

Why were you using a $2,000 computer to play Farmville?

Trolling can and will get you moderated on these forums. Heads up.

OT: I don't want n iPad but I see no reason why it shouldn't be good for games. It's a new platform with a reasonably new mechanic. Let developers go wild. Games don't have to be triple A HD games to be good. In fact, most don't. www.tigsource.com has some of the best, most innovative games on the internet. Real innovation happens when developers don't have all the money in the world.

Worrying about graphics and HD gaming is a crutch.

 

[Arafiro]

It's a new and popular platform. That can only be good for gaming. Compared to Consoles the barriers to entry for developers are lower and so more start up companies can make interesting games without mountains of financial backing.

This.
I would never in my life purchase an iPad for the reasons given by Apple, but as a games development student myself I can clearly recognise the benefit of the iPod Touch/iPhone/iPad to new studios.

That said, it is still not a gaming device.