Recently I was told about a really interesting article in the magazine ‘Games Tm’, which discussed the potential of the iPad in the gaming Market. As a device for developers to create something for low budget, the App store has become a clear revolution, at least in early stages.
Opening in July 2008, the App store has since flourished – today offering over 300 thousand third party apps and over 7 billion downloads. This of course has led to many other companies imitating Apple to create their very own ‘App’ system. But yet, due to the unique accelerometer and touch screen features, App design for the Apple platform seems to be the most innovative route – at least this point is argued by the Games Tm article. The emergence of the iPad has further caused discussion over whether or not the platform could be adopted as purely a games console to rival the substantial success of the Nintendo Ds and PlayStation portable. Early signs it seems make this idea seem unlikely:
Of the 300,000 people who bought iPads on the first day of sale in the US, Aaron Yeung, associate producer on Geometry Wars Touch, estimates that only around 10-15 per cent fall into the ‘hardcore gamer’ category, and that the rest were early adopters, “more interested in the gadget/tech side than the games.” (Games Tm page 2)Furthermore unlike conventional systems, the IPad is not likely to boast exclusives titles that are not there simply due to the visual restraints of the iPhone/ iPod Touch;
“It’s not a huge amount of work to port an iPad application to the iPhone, and, at least for now, that’s where all the users are,” he claims. “Maybe we’ll see applications coming out for one device or the other first, but we feel that ultimately, unless the hardware platforms diverge significantly in subsequent revisions, we’ll see very few iPad-only games that do so for a reason other than that they wouldn’t work on the smaller screens…” (Games Tm page 2)
But conversely, some developers will see the iPad as a portal to creating a larger more immersive experience. Travis Boatman, Vice president at EA Mobile stated in the article that:
“The much larger screen does two things. First, the touch interface becomes larger since they are one and the same. With more places to touch, the player has more options for interaction. So designers can do more to make games interactive. The second part of that is the larger display, which offers more visual information to users. In some games you’ll be able to see more of the world. It’s a larger, more captivating experience. Need For Speed Shift offers a good example. With the larger screen only a couple inches away from your face, you’re completely immersed in the racing experience.”
“The fundamental difference between the iPhone and iPad”, Boatman continues, “is that the iPhone is not a destination device. It is always with you. The iPad, because of its size, is more like a laptop, so it’s something you choose to take with you. Games for the iPad are and will continue to be more about playing for a longer period of time for a far more immersive experience.” (Games tm Page 3)
Having been reading iPhone User Interface Design Projects, much of the emphasis was on perfectly tailoring a game/ App for the screen size so it this is a valid point. However, one issue that plagues all current App platforms is the cataloguing system. Currently the App store offers hyperlinks to various other forms of Apps, however there is no internal ordering system. Users must know the title of exactly what they want. If not then they are presented with numerous different Apps – none of which have any kind of preview system.
Meanwhile Lee Williams, executive director of the Symbian Foundation, said he was not sure the consumer or the industry needed any more application stores.
"The App Store is flawed - right now [it] is just a bucket of apps. You need to get beyond that bucket and give the consumer the opportunity to wander down a really relevant aisle of content and applications that they can get access to.
"When this problem is solved, the type of application you will see will be about more than an iBeer drinking app or a candle that flickers in different colours.
"The type of application you will see will help enrich your life in some way. It will let you do your image sharing, your social networking and establish presence with your friends, colleagues and family in completely new ways - which is really what mobile applications are all about," said Mr Williams. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8157043.stm, M Shiels)
“It is very difficult to find anything that you don’t know the name of and are specifically looking for, or isn’t featured,” says Yeung. “We think it will have to be improved greatly to become a more dedicated gaming delivery service. Having said that, we’re sure that over time it will change to accommodate games more… we’d hope so, anyway.” (Games tm page 4)
My own viewpoint of the iPad as a machine build purely for the playing of games is actually simple. While the large screen size, touchscreen and Accelerometer features mean that the iPad is Innovative, many buyers can obtain both an iPhone and a traditional gaming console for the price of the iPad. Furthermore the iPad is of a large size and even gamers will not want to have to manipulate an object of that size and cost in the public domain. Coupled with the current issues on the App store, I feel it is going to be very difficult to match the success of more user friendly consoles. It is these facts that have personally put me off aiming my Application solely at the iPad. And Aaron Yeung, shares this viewpoint:
Does Apple really have the right device to torpedo the traditional games market, though? Yeung, whose studio has also produced Geometry Wars games for Wii and DS, is sceptical. “Absolutely not!” he exclaims. “There are many reasons why. First, it is too big to be considered a truly portable gaming device. Second is price; it will never drop to £100-£150. Third, control devices. The tilt function is fine when using an iPhone, but using it on something the size of an iPad regularly? Also, the sheer size of the thing makes it uncomfortable to use ‘touch stick’ controls for extended periods. (games tm page 5)Information sourced from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8157043.stm
http://www.gamestm.co.uk/features/ipad-the-next-essential-handheld/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/App_Store
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