Have you heard? There was a second big media event today, and it may have been more important to gamers than the first: Apple formally announced the iPad 2, the update to its popular tablet that may hurt Nintendo more than Sony and Microsoft combined.
That headline is a little misleading; Apple isn’t directly targetting Nintendo. Rather, it’s aiming to capture a large portion of Nintendo’s audience of gamers, sans the dedicated and diehards. The iPad is still not a dedicated gaming device but, dammit, it’s getting there. In the meantime, it’s hitting for the mainstream wallets.
The device’s specs are pretty solid, rivaling and surpassing most other tablets on the market. Two cameras (one in front, one in rear), 33% thinner, lighter, all new visual design, Verizon and AT&T 3G service, and plenty of new apps were what many wanted to see. Yes, we know that there are no buttons, but remember the giant suction-cupped joystick we still use? No? We dropped that in favor of gamepads 20 years ago, and will eventually drop buttons (to an extent) for touch and gesture-based controls. It’s happening, and anyone who says it isn’t is becoming an aging gamer themselves. It’s four other changes, though, that will push the iPad as a more dedicated, compelling gaming device for the ever-expanding casual market.
First, the addition of a gyroscope allows much more precise controls when it comes to tilting and moving the iPad around. Racing games, for instance, will be that much better, and motion-gaming will begin to seep over from the iPhone to the iPad. Expect iFrisbee to be the next big thing… not. But you get the idea: a giant Sixaxis with a screen on it. Or more aptly, a 3DS with a gaint single screen.
Second, the new dual-core A5 processor chip will allow for great improvements in the multi-tasking of functions. Think 3 live video feeds + wifi + music playing + chatting all at once, with smooth results. Gamecenter and online play will have minimal lag, and the ability of the iPad to handle more data means deeper experiences all around. Heck, even OnLive will function much better, bringing true console games to the device. It trumps the 3DS’s power without blinking, and with casual gamers having several apps running at once the minimal lag will be a Godsend. It’s something that handhelds can’t currently do.
Third, the improved speed. There are reasons that there aren’t more “hardcore” games on the iPad, and one is that the current generation simply can’t handle giant, AAA-blockbusters that well. With the upgraded processing power, the iPad 2 will have smoother visuals, more detailed visuals, and faster processing of visuals. “Up to 9X faster” is the claim that Apple has, which means that already beautiful games like Infinity Blade and Dead Space 2 will be able make better use of the development tools like Unreal Engine 3. If Blade is built on a “Lite” version of Unreal Engine, imagine what full-on UE3 gaming will be like on the device.
Finally, and most importantly, the video output. With its next iOS update, Apple is allowing video mirroring in HD to televisions and projectors via HDMI cable. In other words, what you see on your iPad is what your family sees on your TV, or you can use your TV as your main viewing device and the iPad as a controller. The iPad can even become a console, especially if a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse are used to play games.
These are features that the casual market, the one that has been buying Nintendo portables and home consoles, will benefit most from. It’s these buyers that may leave Nintendo’s products or use the iPad 2 as a more dedicated third tier gaming device, taking time away from handhelds like the 3DS, Nintendo’s bread and butter for 2011. With the App Store growing by the thousands each month, the software library is untouchable — even for crappy Simon copycat apps.
And, releasing two full weeks before the 3DS, the iPad 2 may suck up a lot of the money that the 3DS would have brought. If there is money to be spent in March by the casual market, it won’t be towards the 3DS. In fact, 2011 may be a slower start for the device than even Nintendo is planning.
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