Think about it. The iphone/ipod touch works very well as a handheld gaming console. The touchscreen controls ‘fit’ nicely in your hands. Sure they might sometimes seem a little fiddly but that’s more down to the game developers art than the device’s physical size. And the motion control sets it apart from all the other handhelds. Yes I’m talking to you Nintendo and Sony. So now it’s grown up into the iPad. With a near 10 inch screen, will the same mechanics work as well?
Personally, at the moment, I’m not sure. To demonstrate I suppose, you need to try holding your present laptop/netbook/macbook at the sides while pretending to use ‘imaginary’ touchscreen thumbsticks for half an hour to find out. Sure the iPad will weigh considerably less, but you get the idea. It’s going to be a little more cumbersome to play than it’s smaller cousins. It’s size making it more difficult to use those screen-corner thumbsticks over long periods of time. The opposite to how the bricky PSP became a little less comfortable to play on when it ‘shrank’ to the PSPGo. So will you play the iPad on a desk? Not with the present method of controls that most game apps use, especially the FPS variety. On your knees (I mean like you do with a laptop)? Possibly.
It will be interesting to see how games develop on it and if the control methods change to suit it’s larger size. Hey, maybe we’ll eventually get an iPlay controller that connects via Bluetooth for it? Or will you be able use the iPod touch/iPhone as a controller like Sony has tried to (and failed so far) with the PSP and your PS3? Hold on….Err….can someone get Mr Jobs on the line, I may have an idea…
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Michael Leung Said:
on 01/28/2010 at 6:55 am
That is an interesting point.
iPad => to be a joy pad. That sounds great!
wes Said:
on 02/02/2010 at 2:28 pm
I wonder… Is it possible with the current SDK for iPhone and iPad to build an app that utilizes both devices simultaneously. Big screen, little screen, controls on the iPhone that send commands via bluetooth to the iPad. I’m not sure what’s possible right now, but given that the iPad doesn’t have the capacity to replace my iPhone and I’m forced to iCarry them both, I’d really like to see them work together. Like a wireless and much more capable Nintendo DS maybe.