Newly-announced iPad 3 may be more powerful than PS3 and 360, but will it REALLY matter to gaming?

Whatever the hype tells you, iDevices will not take over gaming

Words: David Houghton on March 8, 2012

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chrisbarker1980 - March 8, 2012 7:49 a.m.

Dunno about anyone else. But I certainly wont be replacing my 7 year old Xbox with a iPad as main main gaming platform any time soon.
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Jasman - March 8, 2012 7:37 a.m.

I have to agree. People consistently make the mistake of directly equating technical grunt to sales success. Does Joe Bloke know or care that his new ipad 3 is as powerful as his Xbox? Do people suddenly expect him to abandon the dozens of hours he's ploughed into Call of Duty on console to start playing a watered down, fiddly controlled version on tablet? And even then - like you said - he'll have to play hunched over a small 9 inch screen, without a controller (and rumble), using crappy speakers, and most likely away from his Xbox Live friends. The ipad will sell as much on its style as it will its function, but gamers are still savvy enough to know that the true console experience goes way beyond a dazzling screen and raw horsepower.
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larkan - March 8, 2012 7:29 a.m.

I guess if you want to brag that your new device coming out in 2012 has technology that is almost up to par with 7 year old consoles, you can do that. It really makes you look stupid though Apple, because you're still charging top dollar for technology you claim is top of the line, yet can be bested by laptops and desktops at the same prices point. Oh well, good thing you have a fanbase populated by idiots that keep stuffing your wallets, but remember, it won't last forever :D
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DannyMB - March 8, 2012 7:27 a.m.

Somebody needs to port these games to the iPad: Fallout 1 + 2 XCOM UFO Defense Theme Park Theme Hospital Age of Empires 1 SimCity (the proper version) Grim Fandango Diablo 1 + 2 Civilization Oddworld: Abes Oddysey Heres the dream list: Pokemon All the 2D Zelda games
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rainn'sgaydar - March 8, 2012 7:21 a.m.

iPads sell like they do because they appeal to the casual market. 3DS/Vita aren't threatened by iPad because they have a different market in mind. On point, Dave.
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JADENkOTOR - March 8, 2012 7:07 a.m.

Great stuff. I agree 100%. Why doesn't apple develope console? They are a powerhouse now and have the means to do it. I would like to see what they would come up with even if turned out to be a bit crap.
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ncurry2 - March 8, 2012 6:48 a.m.

Definitely still the best editor on the interwebz. Also, according to the guy that replaced Steve Jobs, iProducts are at the point where they are making PCs obsolete. He obviously has no idea what the hell he is talking about.
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Thedigitalg - March 8, 2012 1:14 p.m.

What do you expect him to say? "Actually guys, our shit is really just a low-grade system in a pretty case for three times the price"?
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HereComesTheHypeTrainCHOOCHOO - March 8, 2012 6:23 a.m.

Great read Mr. Houghton. Someone give this guy a raise. I own an iPad2. The device is great. It can access the internet from anywhere in my apartment, I can read comics off of it on a bright screen, and I can play some interesting but shallow games on it. Basically it is a jack of all trades, master of none and it fits that role perfectly. It does not handle complicated games as well as a controller or keyboard/mouse setup. It never will no matter how often those jackass IGN editors claim that it will take over gaming. Just like with Kinect, the iOS devices can offer up some fun experiences from time to time but they will never replace fully featured games because they lack the degree of consistent precision buttons provide. I'm looking forward to getting an iPad3 when it releases but it won't be my primary gaming device, nor should people who work for gaming sites champion it as such. Sure, I can surf the web on my PS3 but that doesn't mean I will go around claiming that it will "kill" the iPad just like people shouldn't go around claiming the death of dedicated gaming machines just because tablets can play games as one of their swiss army knife features.
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azureguy - March 8, 2012 6:21 a.m.

If the Ipad or other iDeviced had a way to plug in a controller (or connect it via Wi-Fi) and allow to display their video output on TVs or monitors (heck, at least on Apple TVs!), THEN we can talk about taking over consoles and handhelds. But this is not happening, so the others still have better confort. Heck, the Steam Box is a better hybrid device than the iPad 3, and that thing still exists in theory only!
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MasterBhater - March 8, 2012 6:10 a.m.

The new iPad is 500 dollars. The Wi-Fi/3G PS Vita is 300. Yet people are still going to buy the iPad and say the Vita is too expensive. Good job consumers!
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shawksta - March 8, 2012 6:58 a.m.

Exactly, but point in mind, NOBODY buys an iPad to play games, its just there, which is why it will sell millions because of how useful an iPad can be.
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shawksta - March 8, 2012 5:56 a.m.

This. This is pretty much it in a nutshell. People overexagerate over the idevices in the most idiotic way. Yes, they are awesome, but they wont be better devices for gaming simple as that. I have been irked so many times over all the articles that overexaggerate that ”Sony and Nintendo will leave the market” and all that crap when its all utter crap.
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Manguy17 - March 8, 2012 5:13 a.m.

YEah that!! for i art intellect to not be that which i wish
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sboy9999 - March 8, 2012 5:10 a.m.

What if a controller is made for the bottom slot? They already have keyboards that work in the same way, why not controllers?
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GamesRadarDavidHoughton - March 8, 2012 5:20 a.m.

They could. But you'd still be playing hunched over a small screen, trying to balance it propped up on some kind of stand, with mandatory headphones if you didn't want crap sound. Basically, not how I want to play a 15-hour cinematic epic. Like I said, it's not just the interface that the iPad fails to emulate. It's the overall experience. Yes, you could use a TV-out connection too, but really, at that point you might as well just use a PS3 at half the price and save yourself all the faff. And that's before you even get into the issue that splitting developers with non-standard peripherals for your system always leads to a dearth of support for said peripheral. An add-on controller just would not take off as a system standard.
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Zaphod Beeblebrox - March 8, 2012 6:17 a.m.

Then its not exactly a potable tablet if u have a controller and keyboard attached.Why not buy a PC with higher end graphics, better games catalogue for the same price?
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komadose - March 8, 2012 7:38 a.m.

"An add-on controller just would not take off as a system standard." This, sadly. Devices like iControlPad are only good for some emu... *ahem* legacy gaming. No-one makes new games for them. I don't know if it would help if a company like Apple would make their own official, sleek and high-quality add-on pad (with a mount) for the phone from the get-go, and would try to push devs more to support it. It just MIGHT get enough attention then.
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komadose - March 8, 2012 7:53 a.m.

replying to myself since i can't edit... Apple could have a title like Shadow Complex 2 by Chair as an exclusive. how's that for a kickstarter? i'd SO buy it... just dreaming here.
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Peguin - March 8, 2012 5:07 a.m.

Great article dave I completely agree, the audience of ipads and consoles are different. Ipads will never replace consoles and im very happy about that.
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