The iPad could be the future of games consoles, say Epic and EA

The quad-core graphics processor in the new iPad's A5X system-on-chip may not quite be able to match a PlayStation 3, but some games industry bigwigs believe it's only a matter of time before Apple's tablet catches up to consoles.

[Moncole]

And EA thinks Origin is good.

[Misterhbk]

If the iPad is the future of gaming count me out.

[Hellsvacancy]

And me, im really not intersested in any kind of portable gamin device, ive never even held a PSP before

Stoned and sprawled across my nice big sofa infront of me large tv is the way i game, and will always game

[LORD-PHOENIX]

and EA and EPIC are the future dumb developers looking to make angry bird type lite games because they are lazy and have run out of ideas on how to cater to the hardcore gaming crowd

[Drekken]

I'm with you. It seems like all these game devs want to take away all pinpoint accuracy and control over games to leave us with an unsatisfying feeling. Its bad enough to play most games we have to use a controller... Now they want us to use some crap pad to shake a swipe? I will quit gaming also.

(and what I mean by use controller is: I gamed on PC for years and made the shift to consoles this gen and PC by far has the most accuracy for shooters and the most options for customization.)

[Solid_Snake37]

oh cant take it... so much ass kissing...

[Saladfax]

It boggles my mind how some of you people, no offense, don't understand what they're talking about.

It's not going to be a system by which you play games directly on your iPad. Controls without pressure or tactile feedback are one of the worst methods of input, and even trying to market it as a handheld experience would just plain fail.

No, what they're talking about is a portable device which has hardware capable of hooking up to your television and (with peripherals) provides experiences on par with your current favorite console. It also happens to surf the internet, hold many ebooks and your song library, travel over to your friend's house to play games, and all the other junk. Is it a good thing? Hell, I don't know. I don't really want an iPad, but sincerely doubt it'll be the only game in town if this indeed is where things go.

It's device consolidation, and the iPad won't be the last to try it. In a couple of years, smartphones and other tablet providers will pretty much be trying the exact same thing.

[Diver]

can you imagine gaming if the pc and consoles dropped away? e3 would have angry bird babes and ign would be catering to people that may make a game like AB sell but they aren't game enthusiasts.

none of these dummies at epic seem to understand that most ipad gamers aren't big gamers. we already tried to use a device to make non-gamers into gamers. its called the wii. how far did that advance the game experience?

other than gears epic don't know crap about games. they killed UT and should just shut up.

[stevenhiggster]

@saladfax

I agree with what you're saying. The trouble is though it just seems to me like everyone thinks this is some new concept, a device that can game at a high level, store ebooks and other documents, browse the web etc.

Ummm... THE PC SAYS HI!!

[Wintersun616]

@saladfax,

Get back to this planet. That sounds nice and all on paper, until you add reality to the table. A few short points why a dedicated device is better for gaming than a do-it-all device.

- iPad has to be thin, thin devices produce a lot of heat.
- Because of those physical limitations there are certain limits to what kind of hardware the iPad can have.
- iPads and other tablets and smartphones are prone to overheating in continuous resource demanding use. This is a problem that will not go away any time soon because each new device is becoming more and more powerful and slim tablets and phones will never have cooling systems that compare to consoles that can be a lot bigger.
- If used for gaming much, the battery would start degrading very soon because of the heat and continuous charging and decharging. Ever tried to change a battery to an iDevice? Yeah, that'll void your warranty.
- iOS eats a lot of resources which means that a dedicated console with the exact same hardware has better looking and performing games.
- A new iPad is released every year and costs what, 600$? Give it a maximum of 2 years until you need to buy a new one to play fresh games.
- This is just an opinion, but it's one that I'm sure almost every gamer can agree with: dedicated consoles will always have better 1st party games.

[sikbeta]

@Moncole

Steam zealots think everything non Steam is bad, so?

O-T

Release i-devices every year and expend s***loads of millions in advertising = check

Tell i-zealots that they need new i-devices asap everytime one comes out = check

Keep selling s***loads of i-devices every year to the same people = check

tell i-zealots that i-devices are consoles = incoming

future of gaming: $0.99 and the death of traditional gaming = incoming

[Dee_91]

and the future of gaming is the ipad.

LMAOLULZLOLGTFOROLFCOPTERTROL LOLOL

Once the iPads and tablets catch up to the ps3 they will have to catch up to the ps4 and nextbx
then when they catch up to ps4 and nextbox they will have to catch up to ps5 and newnextbox.

I do have giant hands so I might be able to use the ipad as a controller /s

[ikkokucrisis]

someone tell me why i would want to develop a game that takes me 3 years to make on a platform that changes every year?!!

[madjedi]

Thank you wintersun, you laid out all the reasons why trying to using a mobile device like a standalone console is a impractical solution.

By a 3ds or a vita for mobile gaming, if your spending $600+ on a ipad for gaming your a fool, that is either a vita/3ds and a console or a decently powerful pc to game on.

But that is a bizarre society in which we live, $300-400 cellphones and $600 ipad are perfectly acceptable but the ps3 launching at $599(which was damn steep) and the 360 launching at $499 is too expensive?

"It's device consolidation, and the iPad won't be the last to try it. In a couple of years, smartphones and other tablet providers will pretty much be trying the exact same thing."

And they will still have many of the same problems, that exist today not as powerful as current gen systems, near double the price of dedicated systems, heat issues and battery life.

Why are people trying to push the portable tiny pc that replaces everything, before it's even practical. We are going to see the end of moore's law with silicone in 10-20 yrs in alot of estimates.

Maybe graphene or one of the other materials in testing will be the new silicone, but till then the dedicated systems, aren't going away for a very long time.

[Getowned]

Gaming sucks on a Ipad.Ipads are nice and all but gaming is god aweful I had the chance to try a few games on a Ipad today and I couldn't stand it the only game that I found that controlled well was angry birds and thats not saying a lot seeing as that game is crap imo.Gamings future is in no way on the Ipad at all I don't care if the Ipad has the best grapics card and 50GB or ram on a I7 it's not the future of gaming because the controls suck you see I like this little thing called buttons and a controller.

I also got a chance to test out a 3ds and a vita.I did think the 3DS was a ok system but I didn't think the 3D was all that great, but on the other hand I don't have anything but good things to say about the vita which is a really the best hand held ever made imo, and I'm the kind of person who dislikes hand helds a lot.I am not a fanboy in anyway and I hate people who suck up to any company(unless it's steam aka valve,beacuse steam is just bad ass) but Sony has 100% delivered the goods with the vita.

[DeadlyFire]

Do I really want a pad screen controller? NO.

I stick to my Keyboard+Mouse, and console controllers.

The pad controller idea is a niche, just like motion controls. Its a fragment of choice. Its not the whole picture. In the end you will find more gamers with a controller or keyboard+mouse than anything else.

[contra157]

I think mobile gaming with cell phones or tablets is cool for casual gaming , but the fact of the matter is that mobile gaming (phones,tablets) would not have exploded so massively if the gaming industry actually listened or gave a damn about the hard-core gamers. Look what's happened to gaming it's being everyday more shaped for noobs.

[Intentions]

This.

If this happens, then I am moving to PC gaming permanently.

[Ares84HU]

I'm a type of gamer who needs to have an actual physical controller to play. I cannot play games on an iPad or on my iPhone at all. Angry Birds yes, but for a few seconds when I wait at the doctors office but than again....I get bored with it in a few seconds.

As soon as iPad and it's likes take over I'm done with gaming. The only thing that keeps me happy is the knowledge that there are hundreds of games even from this generation I haven't played yet so I guess I will be playing them at some point. Just like I play a ton of PS1 games still I can easily see myself playing PS3 games 15+ years from now.

[Saladfax]

@various people above

To every person even slightly suggesting that they intend the future to be touchscreen controlled: stop being dumb! There is no way, I repeat, NO WAY that they'll use such a horrible input method for mainstream gaming.

There's no reason to blow hundreds of thousands of dollars on development for something that is destined to be shit just because of controls, and devs aren't (well, mostly) that bloody stupid.

And no, everything is going to be Angry Birds. For Christ's sake, as long as there is a market for anything from Uncharted to Modern Warfare to whatever game didn't flop, you'll be able to buy and play those games. Plus, you'll always have niche genres filled by independent game companies, and every now and then you'll get something like Bastion, which is just bloody brilliant.

@wintersun (good band, but could never get into them)

Most of your issues are minor quibbles based upon technology that essentially doubles in power every two years (See: Moore's Law), and once again I'll stress that I'm not necessarily in favor of this notion of device consolidation.

Think of past generations and how serious heating issues have been. It's not like any of them have ever been immune to those issues.

Plus, this and your battery issue can be solved by your very own "iPad Console Dock! Comes complete with wireless gamepad, cooling apparatus, and dedicated power supply to ensure your relaxation time goes uninterrupted.

I think in the nearish future it'll be quite obvious how a simplified, unified architecture for development to be distributed across several avenues (even something like Droid Market and App Store) will make the notion of first party obsolete.

Not that I don't enjoy Uncharted, Demon's Souls, etc, but those games will be made in the same quality and spread across more users, which will make the devs and the owners of the studio (Sony) more money. In all likelihood, you'll see universal devices in the same sense as you see DVD players: a means to an end.

Oh, and as far as price goes... it's Apple. They like their 30 point profit margin, but a competitor, say, Sony, could make a similar, universal media product with their own app store and OS which might be a bit cheaper.

Blah blah, random speculation. The main point is for people to stop thinking somehow touchscreen crap controls will dominate the future. It's idiotic to even suggest.

[dedicatedtogamers]

EA and Epic are sorely out of touch with gaming if they believe this. Then again, EA and EPIC are two of the most profitable "mainstream" developers on iOS so it's no surprise they'd advocate for it when they whore their games out on it.

[sikbeta]

Epic is smarter though, they capitalize on selling UE3 mod-version to developers of I-devices, so they can take money from the licenses fees, EA in the other hand would lose much more IF the future of gaming is about selling games @ 0.99/4.99 :/

[TBM]

If it does i quit gaming period.

[LAWSON72]

LMAO If anything has to do with the future of consoles then PC here I come

[Tonester925]

haha If it comes to that I will come aboard too. I want a gaming PC to go along with my PS3 anyway.

[mabreu]

If they want to make iPad a console, they should stop releasing new iPads every year. Console's rely on standard hardware that only change when a new generation is ready.

Standard hardware helps developers make games that utilizes what's available to it's upmost potential. If the hardware changes, they have to take into consideration that older iPads need to work with your game. This is fine too because PC games are designed that way for many years.

People need to embrace the iPad and smartphone platform AS IS and stop trying to make it a "console killer."

[Zeixama]

Ipad is good only for close screen masturbation and hacking .

[princejb134]

As a iPad owner, this is definitely not the future of gaming

[Lior]

My ass is the future

[TheDareDevil]

It is indeed

[TekoIie]

We both have nice butts! ;)

[Getowned]

I like bottoms :D

[Ult iMate]

Agree. What can Epic possibly know about the future of consoles, when they joined consoles only in this gen?
When Kojima or Inafune, or Nomura, or anyone else who've been with consoles for more than ten years, will say something about iPad, then I would belive. But not Epic. They did absolutely nothing for consoles in the past gens neither for portable consoles to say anything about the future of consoles.

[DigitalAnalog]

Where are THE GAMES? If Infinity Blade is the prime example of what the "future" of gaming is supposed to be, then I do NOT intend to look forward to it AT ALL.

[OcularVision]

N4G does have some stubborn people. Remember when the Atari came out? Many people thought it was an overpriced piece of tech that is only good for showing off; they thought the machines in arcades were here to stay. Same with motion controls like the Wii.

Oh, and you can't say that the Wii U controller wasn't at least a little bit inspired by one of the Apple devices.

[BubloZX]

The Wii U pad is a table with a controller lol. The ipad is a tablet. ONE IS FOR GAMING! The other for everything else. Seriously everything you just compared where dedicated gaming machines, Not multi purpose overrated tech. I mean the ipad wont have games that look marginally better or more impressive then the 3DS why? No standard medium for storing games and Apple always releases new hardware. That's less incentive for developers to waste money on making games for it. Then you also gotta keep in consideration that tablets overheat and have rechargeable batteries. Ipad just wont work.

[Ult iMate]

@ OcularVision
So much words, but nothing about particular games. So much for "future of gaming", lol.

[majiebeast]

Hahaha. I can already see it dragon age 2 for ipad 3 now with even less locations or mass effect 3 with even more locked away content. They just need to find a game that caters to the hipster & midlife crisis demographic shouldnt be too hard though.

Im sticking to my console's,pc and vita for gaming not some overpriced tablet that cost 100$ to make and they sell for 500.

Funny how when sony launches a 599$ console that was top of the line they get yelled at by these same publishers, but a 500 something tablet that has 25% of the value is now the future of gaming seriously!

[Ilovetheps5]

Do developers want the ipad to be the future just so that the developing costs will be less? If so, that's terrible. I don't think the controller of a game could ever be a touch screen. There has to be physical buttons as well as just having the right hardware for gaming. I hope that the ipad isn't the future of gaming or I'm out.

[esemce]

Bull$hit!

[barb_wire]

Not the future in my gaming..

[cityboy100]

And EA thinks madden is good when they are losing titles left and right next will be football when 2k comes back.

[Tommykrem]

I have and iPad and like it very much, but I find this prediction terrifying nonetheless.

[brettyd]

It's a good device but it's not ideal for gaming. I hate playing games without buttons. Vita is a much better device, a perfect blend of button and touch control.

[Tommykrem]

Agree, or at least it's not ideal for a very big amount of games. Most, if not all, of the really good games I've played have needed some sort of buttons, yes.

[morkendo23]

I have a i-dont and it runs not at all lol

OT
if ipads the future u can count me OUT!
Epic and EA must smoked some good SHIT that night think of this crap.

[cityboy100]

I have an iPad and all the hardcore games controls suck

[NAGNEWS]

Epic and EA were drunk last night.

[portugamer]

Fuck apple, fuck ipad.
Apple, just move to any planet on mass effect 3, so Shepard can throw a meteor on you, so we don't hear about your phoking iPad again.

[Agheil]

NOT THAT I SUPPORT THIS, because believe me I dont. Their idea is a portable console that'll you can't take anywhere and then come home and connect it to your tv (I'm assuming apple tv in this case) and connect controllers to it and game on screen. I love this idea but I believe that a traditional (With buttons) portable gaming system should take this role and not a tablet.

[OmegaSaiyanX]

Reason why Epic and EA are saying this is because Apple is a big player amongst brands, you tell someone you got an iphone their ears prick up to interest, you tell them you got an ipad they act like little kids going 'omg! you got one omg omg omg show me how much omg!'

Basically people that have no sense associate Apple being the best because its expensive and if you can afford one its a big deal.
Personally I rather throw my money at Samsung, Sony, Microsoft than Apple, to me Apple makes good looking products but underneath its the same boring interface thats been used for years and years.

Sony and Microsoft have shown advancements in software, look at the updates with Windows and Xbox 360, Sony has also moved onto a better interface just look at the PS Vita.

Apple are still trying to flog an interface thats been kicking about since the first Ipod Touch and iphone...

So just because Apple is a big brand EA and Epic are just thinking 'money' not whether its a good platform to make games on or even a great platform to show their ability to be creative in vast improvements on gameplay and graphics...

[Mikhail]

okay, the PS3 which was $599, had every tech put together and some good aesthetics (Orginal look>Slim look) had been bash because of its over-engineering and price....and the new ipad is 499 and is praised as a game changer.

And I don't want to buy a new ipad because I want to play a new exlusve game for a newer Ipad.

[SkullBlade169]

I honestly would rather play on a Virtual Boy than an iPad...

At least it has a damn controller, and (probably) better games too...

[Baka-akaB]

Epic and Ea would claim virtual Boy is the future , if they made any money from it ...

Nothing to see here , move along . Dont forget EA is the kind that would even support the ngage .

[tubers]

Emphasize on the "Could" please :P

[OmniSlashPT]

And pc gaming, psp, wii, 3ds and the ps3 are all dead right? Those 'experts' of the industry said so...and that mobile gaming would kill handhelds (?) and facebook games would kill home consoles (?).

Epic just cares about the graphics and EA about the money. Gamers care about the games. So gtfo.

[susanto1228]

Coming from Epic and EA???? And, what is that suppose to make us feel like this is FACT instead of FICTION. First EPIC should feel like shit for being placed in an article with EA (especially right now) Second Epic needs to keep it's mouth shut lately they've become the spokesperson for APPLE and it's really getting disgusting the way they are licking their B#$#$#

[Awesome_Gamer]

If this is true... Count me out of gaming

[gtxgamer2]

Ipad will never get the kind of exclusives Nintendo, Sony, and microsoft have. enjoy your 1-5$ games

[dorron]

No buttons = No game

Also, I love Sony's exclusives.

[kevnb]

eventually, not until another set of consoles come out and die. Im talking ipad 10, alot will change by then. Im also thinking google might have a big part in the next 10 years, and it really depends on what happens with the internet.

Also I think microsoft is prepared, after looking at windows 8 it seems like they are ready for tablet gaming.

[Alcohog]

They failed to mention that they were drunk when making this analysis.

[pbasson]

EA also failed to mention, what happened to Battlefield 3 on iOS

[Kidmyst]

I'll always be a PC gamer and right now it's 50/50 between PC and my consoles but if gaming ever went this route it'd be 100% PC. Think of the $600.00 PS3 initial price tag and all that the consumer got with that. Then think of a $500 Ipad and that's all you get.

[frostypants]

Yep. The iPad's cost is largely due to the amount of performance and technology they pack into a small device. There's no reason for gamers to pay a premium for compact hardware components, since a console just has to sit under the TV.

[HungPHATx]

Magin if apple added a Blu Tooth controller and it resembled a 360/PS3 controller ! Then is could compete wity hardcore gaming....until then touch is fun to mess around with! but not taken seriously

[AtomicGerbil]

Is it April 1st already?

When the media and Games publishers are tearing the arse end off Sony and Nintendo about hardware pricing we get a gem like this.

As many have expressed above, if Apple get more than the toe they have now in the door and tablet gaming becomes the norm, I'll be jumping 100% PC.

[Fel08]

Wonder how much EA and Epic got paid to make that statement.

[Pandamobile]

I'm sure they weren't paid anything to say that.

[Bimkoblerutso]

Over my dead wallet.

[gypsygib]

It's totally possible IMO. The majority of non-casual gamers (COD, BF3, and Sports games fans) will just play their online MP on whatever device is offering the yearly iteration of their favourite franchise.

N4G gamers and people who visit game sites and read up on the industry and buy a large variety of games are a tiny fraction of total sales.

The demographic that buys the most games, loves playing them but doesn't really care about the industry that much, which is why so many great games only sell 2-3 million while COD sells over 20 million.

There must be 100 million 360 and PS3 owners that play games, most games, no matter how good fail to appeal to even 5% of them. Every year, it's sports an peoples favourite shooters that dominate...outside of Nintendo of course.

[etownthree]

I'd have to agree with EPIC.

I'm sure it's just a matter of time before Apple releases their own blutooth enabled controller exclusive for iPad.

Then it's truly the ultimate portable/home game console for the hardcore/casual.... but unlike other consoles... The iPad has thousands of other uses.

Count me in.
(as long as I can easily play it on my big screen.... Which in sure wouldn't be a problem..... example, WiiU)

[Soldierone]

Carrying a controller AND the actual Ipad makes it the "ultimate" handheld? Why not the other device sitting over there with AAA games and a controller built into the device?

If thats the case I guess my laptop is leading innovation....

[SamPao]

ololololololololololol

[Soldierone]

Well when I think future of consoles and video games I think absolutely amazing visuals, a console that will last years, and features that beat out what we have today. Something we can't imagine will eventually happen.

So if Ipad is the future, so much for my hopes...might as well just go to PC and give up on those hopes. I mean we have had what 3IPads now that pretend to be handheld gaming machines and still not a single controller....cant imagine how much they will "innovate" in the future....

[Gish]

So instead of throwing my controller out of frustration, I throw my $500 ipad.

[MattS]

So in conclusion a lot of people on N4G don't like gaming on the iPad.

[Rageanitus]

SURE if Ipad is used for onlive

[llMurcielagoll]

Traditional controller trumps touch! I rest my case.

[BuffMordecai]

Anybody who disagrees is an idiot.

[llMurcielagoll]

Indeed haha, just my luck, the couple of comment readers happened to be crazed iPod touch XL fans

[GameGuy]

That $hit kray

[slutface]

I'm never buying anything epic makes. Their comments are that damning to me

[-Gespenst-]

That'll be the last straw. I think i'd have to invest in a high end PC that I could upgrade if that happened. In fact, if this is true, I should probably start saving now...

[CoolBeansRus]

I disagree with this article. Nuff said.

[Jamaicangmr]

Yeah you keep telling yourself that.

[glennco]

he does have a point to a certain extent. apple could release a new toilet and it would be the best selling crapper on the market in a year.

Sent from my non-iPhone

[bunfighterii]

If you can plug it into your TV, it uses a gamepad, and it delivers what a dedicated console would in terms of technical and graphical achievement, then why not?

[madjedi]

Consoles aren't $600+, are designed to run for extended periods of time and don't die 2-3 hrs later due to the battery's charge being depleted.

If you suckers want to give apple $600 for a yearly updated iconsole/pad, then by all means, the world needs fools to make us laugh

[bunfighterii]

I was being a bit tongue in cheek there. iPad certainly has the world's attention and is a great device, but gaming device for hardcore gamers it is not.

Until the iPad becomes a home console experience, which is imaginable (for the reasons I said above), it won't diminish dedicated home consoles.

[urwifeminder]

Cool id give it a go.

[mamotte]

Thank you graphic whores. You took us here. Enjoy!

[2pacalypsenow]

Why cuz of Angry birds ? hahaha

[TBONEJF]

I don't think the iPad is THE FUTURE OF GAMING. One thing is they don't support SD CARD or removeable batter. and todays games like on XBOX 360 and PS3 takes A LOT OF HDD space. Theirs something wrong with EA AND EPIC. I'd rather buy the SONY TABLET S it's PLAY STATION CERTIFIED

[BuffMordecai]

Even Patcher doesn't make predictions this bad.

[Somebody]

Recently Epic told the indie gamers to "go PC" if they want to succeed.

Now, they are saying that iPad could be the future of games.

With Epic is now busy adapting the Unreal 3 and 4 for mobile devices.

Way to go telling your future rivals to another place (PC)that major publishers have avoided all these years so that you can have all the cake you want.

[smashcrashbash]

*holds head* okay Epic we get it. You are kissing @$$ because you are putting games on the Ipad. We heard you the first thousand times.Apple Ipad is the future, it will replace consoles if Microsoft and Sony do do something, you love Ipad *rolls eyes* unpucker for a second and get some air. Jeez.

[ChickenOfTheCaveMan]

iPad is the future of gaming, Soulja Boy was the future of rap and Fox's Touch is the next big thing in tv.

People are addicted to the flavor of the week, but this is rarely true.

[AWBrawler]

I don't give a damn what they think. I don't care about EA nor Epic. I honestly can't think of the last game from either that I purchased or eve played

[MilkMan]

This noise again?

[PixL]

So EA wants my $3 a month I usually spend on mobile crap instead of $150 I usually spend on console/PC games? Let's see how long they survive on that.

[Neko_Mega]

Someone much have been swimming in the pool of dumbness.

I'm sorry but a tablet or PAD, isn't a gaming system and most of the time the games for them aren't even close to what you get on things like the 3DS or PS Vita (heck sometimes not even close to PSP).

To think this is true, you have to be pretty dumb.

[taijutsu363]

Yeah ad Im BLACK!....oh wait...

[nik666uk]

Time to look for a new hobby me thinks!!

[Ghost250]

simply put no its not. and if it ever comes to that point i'm just gonna tell it like it is almost every true gamer will go back to traditional consoles of old.

[Kos-Mos]

Two companies I`d never support.

[Dantheman1]

3DS triumphs
vita succeeds
Ipad 3 fails
WIN

[ratdog]

everyone seems to be missing the point. If the onlive app goes through or apple allow a bluetooh controller, you plug the iPad into the TV 1080p and bingo you have a console. If the next iPads come with more HD space etc and better graphics which they are doing every year (iPad 3 has fairly comparable graphics to current consoles) you can see what Epic and EA are talking about.

Why by a tablet and a console when your tablet becomes your console. They are not talking about 69p touch games here they mean proper console games....

[pbasson]

Onlive will fail, but the idea of cloud gaming or cloud anything is the future.

[pbasson]

Handheld console wise tablets will dominate, as of current tablets & smartphones target only casual. Tablets more will eventally end up targeting core gamers. But future of gaming resting on the shoulders of tablets, yh doubt it.

[ratdog]

my point on onlive was whether apple would allow the use of their bluetooth controller as that is the biggey here, at the moment they won't. No controller no chance of being a future console. Will apple budge and allow a controller to be used and not just touch screen? I don't know, but if they do...? In terms of power and capability and all of the other functions an iPad allows you can see epic's and ea's point. It won't be a a tablet when its sat on your table streaming a proper game to your TV while you use a bluetooth controller to play.. then pick it up and browse the net or read a book. MS and sony should be concerned.... not saying it will defo pan out that way but put the controller in the mix and well.......

[givemeshelter]

EA and EPIC are saying this simply because of the rising costs of games and the fact that these mobile games are vastly cheaper to make and vastly easier to create. Simple business 101 folks.

[ZippyZapper]

And this is why EA has only made games

[johnhumane]

Grand Theft Auto VITA, Vice City Nights ...no ipad required lol

although REAL games like gta on ipad/VITA would be great