Apple’s reveal of the iPad last month certainly wasn’t a surprise — the leak-machine was well-oiled and eerily accurate concerning the newest i-device. Excitement for the device has ranged the full gamut of reception, from mouth-frothing desire to stomp-the-screen-in hatred. There are those who love Apple’s simple approach to the tablet philosophy, touting it’s ease of operations as a bullet-point feature. Then there are those who believe the opposite, that the iPad’s functionality isn’t as fleshed out as it should be, especially for the price. Most gamers would likely be inclined to agree with the latter viewpoint, and that might reflect in its success as a gaming platform.
There are several theories about the iPad’s price point, but it’s hard to argue against it being overpriced as a gaming platform. The lowest price of entry comes with the 16GB model, at a whopping $499, and that’s without the additional cost of 3G (model or subscription). Compare that with the price of the uber-successful Nintendo DS at $170, even with its price having gone up several times through the years, its still a fraction of the cost. Then look at the as-of-now unsuccessful PSPGo at $249, its price cited as a large part for the general malaise it has met with at retail. Keep in mind that most gamers wouldn’t pay $499 for the PS3 at launch. Hell, keep in mind that a PS3 currently costs less than the iPad and you’ll start to see the problem.
The iPad, in all its glory
Chances are that Apple knows this, and will likely be going for crossover sales with the games, at least initially. Their concern will be marketing them to the pool of consumers who did buy the iPad, rather than market the device to consumers immersed in hardcore gaming culture. This Trojan Horse philosophy has the potential to work, proved recently by Apple themselves. The iPhone (and iPod Touch to a smaller degree) has been successful as a gaming platform due in a large part to its large install base. The games were merely an additional feature on a device millions of people desired for other reasons; icing on the cake, if you will. There’s also no denying the fact that Apple has in large tapped into a “Blue Ocean”, similar to what Nintendo accomplished with the Wii. Many iPhone owners may not have been interested in handheld gaming before this, but they now count among the converted, and subsequently the sales charts. If the iPad takes off in a manner similar to the iPhone and the demand outstrips the supply, the games could follow the same route as well.
There’s also the inevitability that the iPad price will eventually drop, either at retail, or through the addition of new features (though it’s not quite the same thing). Remember when they added more memory and 3G to the iPhone fairly close to its launch? There’s nothing stopping them from taking up a similar strategy here — it certainly didn’t hamper success before. It’s hard to imagine they’ll drop the price enough to truly matter, however. Even chopping $150 off the asking price keeps it well above the competition, competition that potentially could be even cheaper by then.
There is also the concern of size. Sure, a 10-inch screen sounds incredible. But is it really portable at that point? Sure, it’s more portable than a laptop, but we’re talking about a group of consumers who complained about the size of the PSP. The iPod Touch and iPhone are both handheld devices, pocketsized and ready to be whipped out on a whim. The iPad is a tad less convenient than that, being about four times the size. This equates to less playtime on the bus, or in the back of a classroom, or while waiting in line… think about anywhere a portable device would be convenient and it’s hard to imagine using the iPad there.
The truth is, the iPad is an oversized iPod Touch, especially in the place where it matters most: the price. Will it succeed in the tablet space? Potentially, though that’s a separate argument altogether. Its success in the gaming space, however, will likely take time to gain any sort of traction, and even then, may not resonate with the same golden glow as its handheld forebearers. Apple is an intelligent and resourceful company, but they have some real work to do to make the iPad stand as a gaming platform. If they don’t play their cards just right there’s a very real chance it may never take off in that manner.
I agree with you that it’s unlikely the iPad will (initially) sell in large numbers to people primarily interested in playing games. I think it will be successful, though, in the sense that it will sell a very large number of games to people who bought it for some other reason. Almost no one bought an iPhone for games, though the availability of a large number of games for it is perceived as a strength. It would be more reasonable to think of it using the PC model than the console model; the fact that the PC market even exists never really made sense to the hardcore console types.
I agree, hence the Trojan Horse theory cited above. If I recall correctly, Apple only began to market the iPhone/iTouch as a gaming device long AFTER the devices were already successful. I could definitely see the same thing happening with the iPad, but I still think excitement surrounding the device won’t reach the same fever pitch the smaller devices did.
I think you may be looking at it a little too black and white. I don’t consider my iPhone to be a gaming device — at all — but I’ve certainly played my fair share of them. It’s a good way to play a specific type of game — not one I’d find on a console, besides Peggle, which I’d buy anytime and anywhere — for a short period of time (I got through most of Clue while in a doctor’s office). Just because it’s not a gaming device doesn’t mean I can’t use the device for games. I think the iPad has a lot of potential to do some cool stuff, using similar mechanics but on a grander scale.
Now, then, me thinking that the iPad is a giant disappointment is separate from all this; I just wanted to make sure I could disagree with both you AND Dave
You may not consider the iPhone a gaming device, but Apple certainly began to market it that way: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yozeskm_pbk
If I had an iPhone (which I’m considering, even right now) I would game on it a whole bunch. I would definitely check out what the system has to offer.
That said, my article isn’t saying you can’t use an iPhone for gaming, nor is it saying you couldn’t use an iPad. In fact, I agree with you that the games could be far grander in scale — the screen is massive. But I think the price is far too high for the mainstream to ever jump aboard for a device to simply screw around with.
The iPhone’s success has to do with A) a huge marketing strategy and B) oh, it’s a phone that does cool stuff. There was a hole in the smart phone/cell phone market that the iPhone filled with ruthless precision. The iPad does not have anything like part B) going for it. It does less than a laptop and costs about as much. I honestly don’t think there’s a market for it anywhere near the potential there was for the iPhone.
I could be very wrong, but we’ll see. If they can or find a way to upscale iPhone games they’ll have a huge starting library, but even then the price of entry is astronomical. Maybe when the device hits under $300 we’ll see success (remember: in the gaming space), but I remain unconvinced.
Oh I agree that they’re saying ‘hey play games on it.’ But I don’t think anyone would buy one for the sole purpose of playing games (if they do, we agree they’re stupid). I think the iPhone’s greatest strength is how many different things you can do with it (as anyone will tell you, the service sucks). I didn’t buy mine as an mp3 player, or a web browser, or a phone, or something new to play Peggle on. I wanted it because it did all of those things, and I think that anyone but an Apple marketing executive would tell you that ignoring everything but games will make it a horrible waste of money.
Incidentally, you’ll be able to play iPhone games on it from the start, but at iPhone size (or twice as big with the drop in quality you’d expect). Knowing little about the iP* development process, it might be easy for developers to hit ‘recompile but bigger’ or it might be next to impossible in some cases.
I think the thing appeals to people in positions to show off their task computer. Welcome to my post-modern shop, let me record our transaction onto a thin screen held in a picture frame on my desk. Oh look, I’m maintaining a database while wearing a yellow hard hat and walking on gravel. Now I’m an executive, sitting comfortably in my office. I congratulate my success by rewarding myself with expensive things to do my “work” with. Now I’ve become a 14-year-old girl. I start bringing my iPad to school for the first few days of January, but then it embarrasses me because it is big, so I keep it in my room all the time and never use it instead of my laptop or desktop computer. Next Christmas apple can suck gooch!. I’ll be asking Mom for a pogo stick and cookies.