iPad

[Erkki]

So, what do you guys think of the iPad as a gaming device?

I'm between wanting it because I like the size and interface simplicity, and thinking it's evil because it's almost a proper computer, but much less open. If it became hugely popular, it might set some kind of trend that takes us to a place where I don't want to be. As for other limitations beside the closedness, no flash is bearable, given how HTML 5 may make it mostly obsolete anyway, but no multitasking whatsoever seems like a big limit.

But as Jake retweeted, compared to PSP and DS, it's MORE open. And I think as a gaming device, it could be great, especially for adventure games and maybe other more complex games that the iPhone just wasn't cut out for. I really liked Beneath a Steel Sky and Broken Sword on the iPhone, but on the iPad they would be so much better. And Sam & Max is already coming out for it..., I'm sure other new adventure games will follow.

[Jayel]

I agree with you. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to have it, hold it, do stuff to with it, but at the same time very apprehensive about it invading our living rooms.

As Jake said, it's more open than any portable gaming device except maybe OpenPandora and their earlier GPXX (with their almost non-existent market). But it's dangerously close to a home computing device and it's about infinity times more restrictive than any desktop.

edit: in addition, I hate what's happening to mobile phone market. It used to be that whenever you got a smart phone, yeah even windows mobile, you could install whatever apps you felt like it. Now the companies are looking at Apple and realizing how much money they'd been leaving on table, starting to ape apple.

Edited April 3, 2010 by Jayel

[Salacious Snake]

A friend of mine got one today, and I played Sam & Max on it. It's pretty fucking amazing.

The device itself is really nice, and I plan on getting one of the 3G models.

I don't see what there is to be apprehensive about. You don't have to get one if it's not the kind of device you're looking for. It's not going to invade your living room. It's like a vampire; you have to invite it inside before it can enter.

[toblix]

I think it's not the physical device people are apprehensive about, as much as how it shows how willing people are to accept a lot of "bad" things, like Apple's censorship and crazy rules for getting software on the app store, when the end result is a high quality user experience. As Jayel is saying, even the more open platforms like Windows Mobile are now able to lock down many aspect of the platform, saying this is what people want, this is what they're buying.

[Erkki]

But maybe there's no reason to worry too much about this. Android will save us from Apple, right? Even if Apple's devices will have the most market share any single product has, looks like Android will be at least a strong competitor and be a lot more open. There will probably be awesome Android tablets soon.

[pabosher]

The one thing I'd really like to know from anyone who's got one -

Is it a decent "I need to do some work, so I'll type it up on my iPad" device? I need to get a laptop/macbook/portable thing soon, and iPad looks pro, but if I can't write a dissertation on it, then it's not worth it.

[JonCole]

But maybe there's no reason to worry too much about this. Android will save us from Apple, right? Even if Apple's devices will have the most market share any single product has, looks like Android will be at least a strong competitor and be a lot more open. There will probably be awesome Android tablets soon.

Android is a strong competitor, but I expect that Google's platform will be harmed by fragmentation because they just don't have enough regulation and requirements. If they reign in the purpose of Android soon, I think you're right, it'll prove to be an interesting fight, but developers just aren't following it en masse like the iPhone, because of all the different crowds you have to please with so many different devices with different resolutions and specs.

[elmuerte]

Is it a decent "I need to do some work, so I'll type it up on my iPad" device? I need to get a laptop/macbook/portable thing soon, and iPad looks pro, but if I can't write a dissertation on it, then it's not worth it.

unless you have a real death wish, go for a physical keyboard and mouse interface.

touch screens are really only for casual typing.

Android is a strong competitor, but I expect that Google's platform will be harmed by fragmentation because they just don't have enough regulation and requirements. If they reign in the purpose of Android soon, I think you're right, it'll prove to be an interesting fight, but developers just aren't following it en masse like the iPhone, because of all the different crowds you have to please with so many different devices with different resolutions and specs.

Just like MS Windows is fragmented and unsuccessful?

[buemba]

The iPad looks great for point and click adventure games, RTS and board games, but I'm not sure I want to play these types of more involved games on it.

I have Broken Sword for my iPhone and while it's an awesome port of a game I really liked for some reason whenever I want to play something on it I always go with quick and simple games like Canabalt or Doodle Jump. That's what I want when I'm playing a game on a portable device, not something that'll demand a lot of concentration and hours of commitment (I also have that mindset when playing the DS, though oddly enough not when I'm playing the PSP).

Not that it matters yet. The internet may be moving away from Flash, but until sites like Kongregate and Newgrounds stop using it I won't buy an internet browsing device that doesn't support the format.

[pabosher]

unless you have a real death wish, go for a physical keyboard and mouse interface.

touch screens are really only for casual typing.

But it DOES have the official Keyboard thing that plugs in, which is why I'm tempted...

[Salacious Snake]

You can also use a bluetooth keyboard.

[Lu]

Just buy a netbook instead then. It's cheaper and more functional for that sort of thing.

I'd like an iPad, but not for 500 dollars. Other than that, I'm pretty much in the same boat you are, Errki.

[Sombre]

I've already got a DS and a laptop :S

[Tanukitsune]

I bought the iPhone because I needed a new phone, but... I can't justify an iPad when my iPhone isn't even a year old....

As a more or less avid iPhone game I can say there were a few nice games on it, but I've yet to see a killer app...

I'm glad Sam & Max is on the iPad, but... It's going to need more than that.

Will anyone actually make an essential exclusive game for it?

I kinda want it fail because I don't want to buy another gaming device, which is a horrible thing to say yet.... I already have an iPhone, DS and PSP... I'd rather get a Pandora before getting an iPad, and I probably will!

[ThunderPeel2001]

This is the best review I've seen (from the New York Times):

The Apple iPad is basically a gigantic iPod Touch.

It’s a half-inch-thick slab, all glass on top, aluminum on the back. Hardly any buttons at all — just a big Home button below the screen. It takes you to the Home screen full of apps, just as on an iPhone.

One model gets online only in Wi-Fi hot spots ($500 to $700, for storage capacities from 16 to 64 gigabytes). The other model can get online either using Wi-Fi or, when you’re out and about, using AT&T’s cellular network; that feature adds $130 to each price.

You operate the iPad by tapping and dragging on the glass with your fingers, just as on the iPhone. When the very glossy 9.7-inch screen is off, every fingerprint is grossly apparent.

There’s an e-book reader app, but it’s not going to rescue the newspaper and book industries (sorry, media pundits). The selection is puny (60,000 titles for now). You can’t read well in direct sunlight. At 1.5 pounds, the iPad gets heavy in your hand after awhile (the Kindle is 10 ounces). And you can’t read books from the Apple bookstore on any other machine — not even a Mac or iPhone.

When the iPad is upright, typing on the on-screen keyboard is a horrible experience; when the iPad is turned 90 degrees, the keyboard is just barely usable (because it’s bigger). A $70 keyboard dock will be available in April, but then you’re carting around two pieces.

At least Apple had the decency to give the iPad a really fast processor. Things open fast, scroll fast, load fast. Surfing the Web is a heck of a lot better than on the tiny iPhone screen — first, because it’s so fast, and second, because you don’t have to do nearly as much zooming and panning.

But as any Slashdot.org reader can tell you, the iPad can’t play Flash video. Apple has this thing against Flash, the Web’s most popular video format; says it’s buggy, it’s not secure and depletes the battery. Well, fine, but meanwhile, thousands of Web sites show up with empty white squares on the iPad — places where videos or animations are supposed to play.

YouTube, Vimeo, TED.com, CBS.com and some other sites are converting their videos to iPad/iPhone/Touch-compatible formats. But all the news sites and game sites still use Flash. It will probably be years before the rest of the Web’s videos become iPad-viewable.

There’s no multitasking, either. It’s one app at a time, just like on the iPhone. Plus no U.S.B. jacks and no camera. Bye-bye, Skype video chats. You know Apple is just leaving stuff out for next year’s model.

The bottom line is that you can get a laptop for much less money — with a full keyboard, DVD drive, U.S.B. jacks, camera-card slot, camera, the works. Besides: If you’ve already got a laptop and a smartphone, who’s going to carry around a third machine?

I've bolded what I see as the biggest issues. How can you realistically use this device in comfort for any about of time when it weighs that much? And if you can't read in direct sunlight (like you can with the Kindle) it's never going to replace newspapers/books.

Not great for reading books or websites, and it's not great for typing. What IS it great for?

Edited April 4, 2010 by ThunderPeel2001

[Erkki]

Hmm... this review really makes me want to finally get a laptop/netbook instead (can you believe it I've never had one).

[Murdoc]

Hmm... this review really makes me want to finally get a laptop/netbook instead (can you believe it I've never had one).

Yep, this thread pretty much outlines my problems with it. Also I'll include something possibly preposterous, but can we get a friggin style with it? Decent stylus + functional photoshop = art dream.

Of course that'd probably add another couple grand to the price, so I'll wait until something offers fixes for the other issues first.

[Moelman]

I think it's cool that Sam and Max is being released on iPad, and there will probably be some other cool games, but overall I think the device is garbage. It's basically just a huge iPod touch with a few exclusive apps, and comes with all the problems of the touch and iPhone. You still can't see flash; you still can't multitask (#1 reason I don't want it); the app system is still closed. Apple is just too fucking stubborn to admit that these are problems and fix them (at least the first two). I really do wish the iPad was something I wanted, I generally like Apple's products, but it's not something I can get behind.

edit: I think I duplicated a lot of what's been said in here, I didn't read the thread first, but I basically feel the same as that NYT review posted above.

Edited April 4, 2010 by Moelman

[Nicholololas]

Basically the more I read about the iPad the more it's making me want to get a Macbook instead.

[JonCole]

Just like MS Windows is fragmented and unsuccessful?

If you want to get snarky, how about we talk about how massively successful Windows gaming is nowadays?

This is the best review I've seen (from the New York Times):

Stuff

I've bolded what I see as the biggest issues. How can you realistically use this device in comfort for any about of time when it weighs that much? And if you can't read in direct sunlight (like you can with the Kindle) it's never going to replace newspapers/books.

Not great for reading books or websites, and it's not great for typing. What IS it great for?

For what it's worth, you only quoted half of what I'd agree is a pretty well written review by David Pogue, the quoted half specifically targeted toward the vitriolic techies who want to find anything they can as reason to hate the iPad. The second half of the review is posed to the typical consumer who doesn't have a modern laptop and smartphone and may not be used to a wide variety of apps and such.

Furthermore, I've heard pretty dissenting opinions from the common consensus on the readability of the screen for the purpose of books and such, mostly coming out of the only people who've handled the device already. Namely, Andy Ihnatko of the Chicago Sun-Times said he's perfectly satisfied with reading books on the iPad and has no mindblowing readability issues. Plus, he's owned and read from a Kindle for months and months now, being a fully converted digital book reader, so he seems fairly well qualified to speak about the reading experience.

---

As someone who has owned a couple netbooks at this point, I want an iPad for the simple reason that a netbook has the ability to do a lot of things, but it does none of those things particularly well. Sure, my Eee PC 1000HE can multitask, but slowdown from running anything more than two programs makes me never want to pick up the machine again. Background processes? Forget about it. Streaming 720p video? Go somewhere else.

This stuff wouldn't be too bad if it wasn't for a couple other snags. Honestly, I don't need HD streaming or tons of programs running. But the low resolution of the screen hinders internet browsing, the reduced keyboard and odd key placement makes typing short documents cumbersome, and the slow processor and pathetic GPU cause framerate hiccups even in Peggle.

All I want out of a light, portable machine is the ability to browse the internet effectively, write short blog posts, and play a couple casual games. The iPad promises (and seems to deliver) strong results on all these fronts and even manages to do some other things really well that are practically icing on the cake for me.

And honestly, for a robust machine that does exactly what I want it to do, $500 isn't so bad. At this point, I'm just waiting to see if the promises continue to hold water and the iPad proves to be everything it's cracked up to be.

Edited April 4, 2010 by JonCole

[Patters]

If you want to get snarky, how about we talk about how massively successful Windows gaming is nowadays?

According to several fairly reliable sources it is having a slight resurgence. 2,363,008 on steam at this point is not something to scoff at.

Forget about it. Streaming 720p video? Go somewhere else./QUOTE]

The ipad may support 720p it's not native though, in the same way my 720p TV supports 1080i, yet is below that resolution.

If I were in the market for a portable computing/entertainment device I would not get an Ipad, nor a netbook. I would go for a smaller screened laptop, 11 to 13 inches of screen, while more expensive than an Ipad, it would be more satisfying.

I doubt I would ever get an iphone either though. People seem to be far too reliant on them, among other consumer electronics such as Sat-navs. Though I like physical media.

In fact a lot of what I have read from those who have ipads seem more like they are trying to justify it to themselves, either subconsciously or otherwise, rather than making it a viable purchase to those on the edge of buying one.

DAMN CAPITALIST CULTURE

[JonCole]

According to several fairly reliable sources it is having a slight resurgence. 2,363,008 on steam at this point is not something to scoff at.

It's not something to scoff at, but I was really just coming from the angle that comparing Windows success to Android potential for long-term success is essentially apples and oranges, so noting the equally ridiculous apples to oranges PC vs console disparity was an easy seg. It wasn't meant to take a shot at PC gaming, more a shot at the idea that a mobile OS serves nearly the same purpose as a desktop operating system.

Forget about it. Streaming 720p video? Go somewhere else.

The ipad may support 720p it's not native though, in the same way my 720p TV supports 1080i, yet is below that resolution.

I get your drift, but again, the point was less about the resolution and more about the ability to stream video sufficiently. Hell, I can't even use YouTube comfortably on my netbook.

If I were in the market for a portable computing/entertainment device I would not get an Ipad, nor a netbook. I would go for a smaller screened laptop, 11 to 13 inches of screen, while more expensive than an Ipad, it would be more satisfying.

I guess that my point is that portable computing is not acceptably grouped with entertainment device, which you seem to believe in based on your forward-slash usage.

I'm absolutely with you as far as a portable computer goes. If I want to do some serious document editing, database managing, image editing, multitasking, etc, I'd buy an Alienware M11x. 11 inch screen, 1366x768 screen, ULV processor, discrete graphics chip, and many more factors make it a great machine to get a desktop computer-like experience and yet still have a little bit of portability.

But that's not what I want. I don't need an $800 laptop to get satisfaction, considering the goals I seek to achieve with this device. I want to have a good internet browsing experience. I want to play some rad games. I want to watch video on a beautiful screen. I might want to check out an e-book or two. I don't need a notebook for those things.

[Garple]

If I were in the market for a portable computing/entertainment device I would not get an Ipad, nor a netbook. I would go for a smaller screened laptop, 11 to 13 inches of screen, while more expensive than an Ipad, it would be more satisfying.

The HP Mini looks cool. Am I dumb for saying that? I don't know about computers.

[Patters]

The one thing which would interest me about this, above anything else, has been done by Tested (sister site to Giantbomb). Taking the thing apart.

http://www.tested.com/ipad-autopsy-video-we-take-apart-an-ipad/47-24/

[Garple]

The one thing which would interest me about this...Taking the thing apart

Computer Nerd Alert!