The new iPad – What will it change for games?

The new iPad just got out and we wonder about one thing: will this device allow for a new generation of games to come out?

As gamers, we will be interested mainly by two major improvements:
- Retina Display
- Quad-core Graphics

Better Display

The new iPad’s 2048×1536 retina display opens the door for a new step in graphical details. However, more details implies higher costs on the artistic side and bigger app download size. Most successful games weren’t successful because of their graphical details, so will developers chose to release Ultra HD versions of their game? Future will show us.

More Power

The new A5X processor promises improved gaming graphics and simulation realism. The iPad is now clearly more powerful that an XBox 360 console. Whereas a big part of this performance boost will surely be used to handle the huge screen resolution, we will surely see impressive graphical showcase very soon. Epic already announced a new version of Infinity Blade for soon!

No Game Controller

But unfortunately, the major drawback for the iPad to become a major core gaming platform still hasn’t be addressed: the lack of standard input device that would allow for more precise controls and integration with existing paradigms: physical buttons. For all those games that need advanced real-time controls, the lack of physical feedback is the main problem for smoother interaction and bad controls are generally among the main reasons for most of the bad reviews those games get.

Conclusion

There is no real revolution on this platform for games, it certainly won’t change the way iPad games are made except for more pixels to fill.
However, all improvements in processing power always bring nice high-end games. Developers will be eager to showcase what they can achieve with this new platform, which will certainly lead to a some interesting titles.