The new iPad is for gaming, may replace consoles

Rob LeFebvre at GamesBeat argues that the iPad may replace console gaming for most gamers in the future.

[NukaCola]

When the writer was like "Journey is downloadable like every other iOS game" I just laughed. You can download Crysis 2 off Origin, so it's like an iOS title? Come on bro...The iPAD isnt going to replace gaming systems anytime soon.

[LOGICWINS]

It can if it becomes compatible with traditional gaming controllers and can output the game via HDMI to your big screen(Like the Wii U).

Consoles come out every half decade. A new IPAD comes out every year...do the math. From a specs perspective, the IPAD can easily overtake today's PS3/360 which sport 6-7 year old technology.

Now here's the issue: Will devs such as Naughty Dog, GG, or Bungie take advantage of the IPAD's power and make exclusive games on it? Without devs to exploit the IPAD's potential..thats all the IPAD will ever be, potential.

[raytraceme]

"..thats all the IPAD will ever be, potential."

good and i hope it stays that way!!! I get outed for playing on my vita from the same people who bought ipads for gaming in my school. iSheep are really annoying and i hope apple fails.

Apple is destroying mobile gaming and they need to be destroyed.

Also the new ipad is weaker than the vita LOLOLOL

[AtomicGerbil]

With everybody going ape over the price of £400 consoles, you really think a £600 tablet every twelve months is going to take over?

Not in my house, if this becomes the norm I'll be going 100% PC.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

No, the issue is there isn't a market for high quality hardcore games on the ipad. Cheap games dominate the market on the ipad. Wouldn't make sense for developers of that caliber to waste time on the ipad when they can just make games on consoles where the demand is.

[Kennytaur]

So the iPad can replace consoles by becoming one? One that might need replacing every year? What's the point of that?

[ShinMaster]

You almost made it sound as if the Wii U was only a tablet controller.
You know there's a system linked to that, right?

[LOGICWINS]

"With everybody going ape over the price of £400 consoles, you really think a £600 tablet every twelve months is going to take over?"

Sure why not? Last year the IPAD sold more units than every other tablet combined and many of those people were willing to upgrade to the IPAD 3. If top tier devs r willing to make games for it...it can easily take over the console market.

"You almost made it sound as if the Wii U was only a tablet controller.You know there's a system linked to that, right?"

Of course. I said LIKE the Wii U , not exactly like the Wii U.

"So the iPad can replace consoles by becoming one? One that might need replacing every year? What's the point of that?"

Whats the point of PC gamers upgrading graphics cards each year? Less jags, better graphics etc.

[mascia]

"IPAD can easily overtake today's PS3/360 which sport 6-7 year old technology."

The iPAD3 is about as powerful as my 4 year old laptop.

[AtomicGerbil]

@LOGICWINS

"Sure why not? Last year the IPAD sold more units than every other tablet combined and many of those people were willing to upgrade to the IPAD 3."

Sales mean jack when next to non were bought solely for the purpose of gaming by the gaming hobbyist. Any gamer worth their salt knows you can buy a dedicated console for the fraction of the cost of an iPad, and you could procure a mid to high end PC for the same or lower cost.

Yes, Apple sold a lot of iPads. Personally I can't get my head round why, because there is better tech on the market for a better price.

It's not going to sell in the gaming hobbyists market unless the price is brought into line with what else is out there and they introduce control peripherals.

[jeseth]

The iPad has absolutley crap casual games. Thats it!

Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft have juggernaut exclusive games. Plus, touch screen controls suck for the most part.

Keep your 9 inch screen and your 16 gbs of space. Maybe my wife will beat you at "Words With Friends".

Ipad gaming is a novelty at best.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

"If top tier devs r willing to make games for it...it can easily take over the console market."

Just how it is currently "easily" taking over the dedicated handheld market-- oh wait...

There is no way the ipad will replace consoles. It can't even replace the handheld market for christ sake.

You do realize that if developers were to make games on the ipad that rivaled consoles it'll cost $50 right? This kind of odd coming from someone that periodically says that it'll be hard to get consumers to spend $50 on a game when they are use to paying $.99 for a game, you aren't making any sense here...

[BuffMordecai]

Logic has failed you once again.

[SilentNegotiator]

Oh Logicwins. Once again, you prove your username ironic.

"It can if it becomes compatible with traditional gaming controllers and can output the game via HDMI to your big screen(Like the Wii U)"
-
That's nothing like WiiU and that idea is unlikely to be standardized by Apple.

"Consoles come out every half decade. A new IPAD comes out every year...do the math. From a specs perspective, the IPAD can easily overtake today's PS3/360 which sport 6-7 year old technology"
-
So......what happens, like, next year? When a new console releases? You really didn't think this through.

"Now here's the issue: Will devs such as Naughty Dog, GG, or Bungie take advantage of the IPAD's power and make exclusive games on it?"
-
The only developer you just listed that isn't owned by one of the big 3 is Bungie. And considering Bungie is working with Activision right now.....exclusives? lol

[Anon1974]

How the hell is Apple destroying mobile gaming? There's some great games available for the ios platform, just as there are for android platforms. Personally, I don't care what platform you choose to game on. Gamers are gamers and it doesn't matter if you sit and play minesweeper all day.

I don't understand this Ipad/anti-Ipad snobbery. If the Ipad brings more gamers into the fold - Good! If developers start bringing better titles to the Ipad - ALSO GOOD! How could anyone argue with more quality titles available to a wider audience?

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

@darkride

Where has anyone said that Apple is destroying mobile gaming?

This is about the IPAD taking OVER consoles which people are saying that it isn't going to happen besides for a select few idiots.

I couldn't care any less if there are a billion people playing angry birds. I just have a problem with people using that statistic as proof that the ipad is taking over the dedicated gaming handheld market and will soon will take over consoles.

I just hate how people are acting like gamers are moving away from dedicated gaming handhelds and consoles in favor of transitioning to gaming on tablets/smartphones. Tablets/smartphones are just bringing in an untapped causal market while consoles/handhelds are keeping the same consumers they've always had.

[humbleopinion]

@Logicwins:
Bungie is infact ALREADY making exclusive games for the ipad:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/...

And it's one of the best games on the device if I might add.

also, my Android phone already outputs to TV via HDMI connection, and connects to my PS3 controller via Bluetooth for a proper home console experience. Some of the games there already surpass the Wii games graphics-wise (not quality wise), so it's not science fiction

[raytraceme]

the fact of the matter is that the ipad has low quality games that make more money than the high quality games you see on the 3ds or the vita.

If the ipad takes over mobile gaming there will be far less support for the vita from 3rd party and it will be l4d.

The ipad doesnt even have buttons and is a pos for gaming yet people still insist upon it to be a gaming device.

[salinidus]

I think its pathetic to claim such a when most of the features that make this even close to gaming device are just a gimmick

[Tolkoto]

I'll wait to see how well Baldur's Gate works on the iPad.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

.
If you can name me one rational, sane and sensible person that is going to buy the ipad 3 purely for gaming I'll take that statement back.

[DV_Bastian]

But.... ANGRY BIRDS SPACE!

-_-

[CommonSenseGamer]

Yeah, funny. Now show me a game on the 360, PS3 or handhelds that is played by more people?

[CommonSenseGamer]

I would buy an iPad for its general purpose abilities. For me it makes absolutely no sense to buy something like a Vita as you still need to buy other devices to get the best general mobile experience.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

That's the thing... You buy a vita for a console gaming mobile experience... if that isn't for you then you aren't part of the demographic the vita is targeting.

[smashcrashbash]

No one would buy Angry Birds if it wasn't so cheap. People still buy PS3 and 360 games at the price that they are at. Angry Birds only sells well because it costs pocket change. If it where any higher it would have been ignored completely. Angry Birds is not on the same level as console games.

[Hicken]

You call yourself "CommonSenseGamer," but there wasn't a shred of common sense in your comment.

Well, maybe the first sentence.

You say, "For me," but even that's silly: what sense would it make to buy something like an iPad when you still need another device for the best mobile gaming experience?

The Vita and 3DS are, from the start, dedicated to gaming. They do a pretty good job at other things, but gaming is their primary feature.

Mobile devices, on the other hand, are considered jacks of all trades: they do pretty well on lots of fronts, but they don't excel at anything in particular. And they ESPECIALLY do not surpass current consoles or handhelds in the gaming arena. Nor will they ever.

As such, this entire article is nonsense. Sorry, but I'm not giving up my PS3 for an iPad. I mean, I MIGHT... if I wanted to give up all the multiplats and exclusives, and the ability to play Blu Ray, and come through looking all nice on my TV. I mean, I don't really wanna play Starhawk The Last Guardian or anything. I'm content with...

You know what? I'll just stop there.

[madjedi]

If your buying a vita for anything other than gaming, your critically lacking common sense.

[TekoIie]

No one with any sense would take this seriously...

[Relientk77]

Consoles are WAY better than an iPad, and I dont plan on ever buying an iPad lol. Next generation consoles? yes

[Pintheshadows]

I'd rather smash my face into a table of shattered glass than accept that an iPad could overtake consoles in terms of gaming experience.

[Shlabotnik]

With all respect to touchscreens, there will always be game types that are better played with a physical controller (compare Mass Effect Infiltrator iOS to Mass Effect 3 on a console, for example).

[bahabeast]

no it wnt, a ipad is something i use after i turn my console off from 6 hours of uncharted 3 multiplayer and im laying in bed video chatting with my g/f and checking e-mail.

long live consoles

[arbitor365]

its one thing to assert that IOS will take over handheld gaming. that is sketchy, but plausible

saying that they will replace all consoles is just laughable

[banana420]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA

[schlanz]

were at least 10 years away from mobile devices replacing consoles.

[josephayal]

Ipad + retina the perfect combination... bye bye consoles thks for everything

[Machioto]

I don't think any game is going to be display at that resolution and people were mad at the price of the ps3 so they're shell like 400+ for an ipad3.

[Imikida]

So let me get this straight, you think an Ipad could ever compare to ps3 or xbox or graphics? hahaha!!!
Plus, I couldn't imagine playing Twisted Metal or Resistance on those god awful touch screen controls.

[mamotte]

Yes, yes, I agree: iPad is for gaming. Now, show me good games, and maybe I'll buy it.

It's for gaming, but replace consoles? nah. Maybe for indie developers. I'd buy one if all great indie games were there.

[49erguy]

The only reason I'm not against it is the competition. Maybe its a long shot, but let's say iPad DOES release some games worthy of our attention. Maybe the consoles will be forced to up the quality and make free DLC. THe iPad games are a joke compared to real games but the prices will probably still be excellent.

[_LarZen_]

For me the iPad2 went in to the catagory gaming handheld, with the new iPad that opinion has been strenghten tenfold.

It wil not replace consoles but it wil be the most powerfull and mayby best handheld gaming device to date.

I realy love my Playstation Vita and the thumbsticks makes games I played on the iPad so much better. But there are so many games that is much better on a iPad.

If Apple says "okay, lets make a bluetooth handcontroller for the iDevices" then the pandora's box has been opend.

I know many wil disagree, but they can disagree as much as they want. Open minded people are starting to see what is happening.

[clrlite]

The new iPad couldn't even boot games that my laptop can run on high settings.

the iPad has 1GB of system RAM and my laptop has 16 GB of system ram + 2GB on video card.

Perhaps Asus laptops will replace home consoles.

Also, you will get disagrees because the Vita is actually more powerful, half the price, and is widely considered " an actual gaming device ".

You are right that a bluetooth controller would change things a bit though, but the headline is "may replace consoles".

it looks to be all hype at this point.

[paddystan]

The DS, 3DS and PS Vita called and said hello! And tell me one game on the iPad which gives me a great gaming experience. And powerfull you say? Show me Uncharted: Golden Abyss on the iPad please,

[_LarZen_]

If you are truly a gamer and not a fanboy of some systems you should know and have seen alot of games on the iDevices that looks just stunning.

Im not saying that a iPad wil take over any of the other systems, but it wil be and is allready a alternative for people who like games.

I wil not be suprised if we see a game with better gfx then Uncharted: Golden Abyss on the iPad this year.

And next year a new iPad is gonna just make the Playstation Vita outdated in terms of gfx...

Not all games wil be preffered to play on a toutch only enabled device, but saying it is not in the catagory handheld gaming and that the gfx and gameplay value is bad is just plain wrong and something only fanboys and haters wil say.

Not saying you are either of those, just saying. Haters wil hate and fanboys wil just be boys.

[paddystan]

Even though if the iPad gets very powerfull and can fight against an console in the very far away future it needs battery and doesn't have buttons.

[clrlite]

the new Ipad couldn't even think of running some 5 year old PC games. It only has about a gig of system ram and it's all battery. I wonder who's trying to push this crazy idea.

HAHA, these articles start popping up and people actually start believing it.

[turgore]

Exactly. I want to see it running, lets say, the original Far Cry or Fear or even Half Life 2.

[Nutsack]

Lol no.

No Buttons

No Game.

Period.

[Seventh_Blood_Reborn]

Yup. F@ck iStuff.

[turgore]

except it doesn't have buttons.
its crap. it can't be used for gaming.

[paddystan]

Lol. Playing games like Uncharted on an tablet device like an iPad will never happen. Do you know why? Because it needs battery and it doesn't have buttons.

[kevnb]

Not for atleast 5 years, airplay has to be perfected first.

[Scarfy]

One word - Heat.

Has anyone seen how hot the new iPad gets when running Infinity Blade? I'm not sure how hard that game is pushing the system, but running at over 45c for 3 or 4 hours probably wouldn't be good for it.

[Kran]

Wish people would stop saying stupid things like this. It wont replace consoles :/ Consoles wont ever be replaced.

[GraveLord]

Sorry but I never plan on buying a $600 iPad considering it will need to be oudated in only a years time. I will never be an "iPad gamer".

[Kran]

Even the first gen iPads are expensive...

[gtxgamer2]

hahahaha, i just had to laugh this article is priceless.

[2pacalypsenow]

im really getting tired of these Ipad is the future of gaming. shut up already i don't think angry bird is the future of gaming

[Imikida]

I hope not lol, I hear girls in my school saying "ohhh I'm a gamer girl" and I say "what games do you play?"
and they reply with "oh just angry birds, ninjump, and fruit ninja"

[Young_ART]

I've had enough of articles like this. You can have the most powerful console or handheld known to mankind, but if you don't have a decent library of software to support that hardware, IT WILL NOT SELL, OR WILL BECOME IRRELEVENT QUICKLY.

I'm a huge sony fan. I'll be damned if I migrated to Apple for gaming, to play crap like Angry Birds. I'd buy a microsoft console before I go to Apple for gaming at this point.

SOFTWARE SELLS HARDWARE. SOFTWARE KEEPS A HARDWARE ALIVE.

All of these "iphone / ipod touch will replace handhelds", and "ipad will replace consoles" articles are stupid.

[Thedaz3000]

As has been mentioned before a giant hurdle for the iPad as a gaming system is the lack of tactile physical inputs, the more I played ios games the less impressed I became with the virtual controls. The only hardcore games I found decent were dead space and infinity blade and that was simply because the devs had implemented control schemes that were well thought out and pretty intuitive but having said that dead space is still nowhere near as playable on ios as it is with actual button/stick controller setup and the worst example for me is gta3 its really a mess with touch controls.The other VERY important fact is that no major software dev is going to spend millions creating a cutting edge experience that fully utilizes the current iPad only to have to spend more in a years time learning to fully exploit the next generation iPad, it divides the user group up and forces the devs to have to start accommodating the lowest spec for at least 2 generations. It makes far more business sense to work on a consistent playing field for a decent few years to keep development and retraining cost under control. I am really very surprised that apples model of yearly product upgrades has been so successful , if people are like myself with children and mortgages etc then I certainly can't afford the upgrade cycle but so many seem to be able to. I now have a vita and I am glad it is a product designed to last a few years in the market and with the games I already have I simply cannot accept that the iPad could give me the precise control required for wipeout2048 or uncharted. iOS games are fun but without an actual controller they can't deliver the kind of game experience I am looking for.

[catfrog]

if tablets replace gaming, i stop gaming, those things are horrible for anything but browsing the web

[Awesome_Gamer]

That will NEVER happen...FACT

[JoeSchmoh]

I like that people are looking at the future of gaming as portable now with touch screen phones, Ipads/Tablets, because 2-3 years ago it was looked at as IMMATURE and NOT REALLY NEEDED. But, I would stick to buying a PORTABLE CONSOLE from a VIDEOGAME COMPANY WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE DOING LIKE SONY & NINTENDO. Not a computer company who's trying to say their new little device is the new frontier in the videogame industry because it's creator passed away. Apple, Microsoft and most western companies are DESTROYING THE VIDEOGAME INDUSTRY with their NO SCHOOL mentality of thinking EVERYONE JUST LIKE GRAPHICS! If you're playing videogames for STORY AND GRAPHICS...GO WATCH A MOVIE INSTEAD! LEAVE US REAL GAMERS ALONE AND STOP FUKING UP THE INDUSTRY! PERIOD! "ATARI" "XBOX" now "Ipad" Strike 3 the industry is DONE!

[Somebody]

Scary scenario isn't it?

Microsoft and Sony have been oh, soooo quiet about the next gen consoles development while chirping now and then about mobile devices, ARM cpu and touch screens. The game developers have been boasting about 10GB RAMs, power efficient cpus, ATI cards for the next gen but the publishers...just kept quiet. Now we see articles like these over the past couple of weeks-around the time when some of the major developers are praising the iPad.

No. I'm NOT trolling (I'm a PC gamer) or trying to get back at console gamers about the "Death of PC" era. I'm better than that.

Personally I am also rather troubled by recent articles like this. I've seen similar sounding articles like these before when the current consoles were about to be launched. What followed soon after wasn't pleasant. Whatever affects the consoles most certainly have an effect, directly or indirectly, on the PC. I'm not really looking forward at Windows 8 since Microsoft have been heavily promoting it as a mobile friendly OS while merging X Box LIVE and GFWL under one roof. Not a good sign.

So, truce against a common (potentially) threat?

[Flewid638]

The history of the television goes as far back as 1928. And we're still using TV's today. You can watch video on many devices....and we still use televisions.

Just because the iPAD can output games doesnt mean it replaces consoles. It just means that it can output games.

[gypsygib]

What, so th enew iPad will replace consoles in the year before the next new iPad comes out. Everytime an iPad comes out people are like, THIS one is going to replace consoles.

iPad could replace consoles, IF 3rd parties release their AAA games on it....and it has a standard controller.

[isarai]

HHHHHHHHA!

[Imikida]

Best comment ever.

[spektical]

smartphone/table games are made to pass time. I dont consider it a hobby, I consider it killing time. Playing games off a dedicated console, PC rig, handheld device is a hobby, and more importantly on average shell out more money than one time casual buyer.

[PixL]

[yawn]

(written from a tablet)