What Impact Have they Had on the Handheld Market?
Remember when the Gameboy was the only handheld device on the market for playing video games, with its little multi-pixel screen and awkward buttons? Well, the world of portable video games has come a long way since then. Now gamers can enjoy high quality and even HD games on their cell phone, PSP, and of course, a wide range of iProducts from Apple. And the iPad, while marketed primarily as an eReader, is only the latest in a long line of portable devices that support the ever-expanding gaming market. But what is the overall effect on the gaming industry?
To begin with, many mobile developers have leapt at the chance to provide a diverse roster of game titles for the tablet, from sports games like Madden NFL 11 to FPS titles like Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies to action/adventure jaunts like Broken Sword, Mirror’s Edge, and Command and Conquer Red Alert. There are a few silly entries that will suck you in, like Plants vs. Zombies, or you can opt for classic standbys like Tetris and updated versions of old-timey board games like Scrabble and Boggle. In short, game developers have anticipated a growing market for games and filled in admirably.
There’s only one problem. The iPad doesn’t really lend itself to game play in the traditional sense. Although it is hard to fathom how anyone could have had trouble playing early console games, which by modern standards seem almost childlike in their simplicity, plenty of us can recall spending weeks learning to play Super Mario Bros. before we could reach the end of the game. Then handheld devices came on the scene, and soon there were games for cell phones. Each new device took some time to get used to. So perhaps the same is true of the iPad.
And yet, Apple’s latest offering does not seem well suited to gaming, despite the obvious desirability of a larger screen. For starters, controls are all done by touch, leaving something to be desired for those of us who are used to having a controller in-hand. Further, smaller gadgets offer easy grip and maneuverability of digits, while you may have to rest the iPad on your lap or in a docking station to let your fingers dance freely across the surface (holding it and letting your thumbs navigate simply won’t work).
So there are pluses and minuses to the system, and maybe a few kinks need to be worked out. Despite the ergonomic difficulties, the graphics for many of the iPad games are stunningly rendered in HD, which is certainly an improvement for those of us who curse the tiny screens on our cell phones as we attempt to kill some time on long flights or while waiting at the doctor’s office. The speed of download is also a draw, as is a notable reduction in the price of games, in many cases. And one thing is certain; developers intend to support the platform. Which sort of begs the question: do they know something we don’t?
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