The APPera

If the thoughts of NOVA iPad and Need For Speed Shift iPad do not satisfy you enough, wait ’til you hear that the other 140,000 something games and apps will be trekking to the iPad as well when it arrives sometime in April (May for 3G enabled devices).

We already told you these games are readily available for iPads without developer intervention*. We also know that devs will have to reprogram some of the control positioning as well as beef up the graphics. As iPhone gamers though, what can this really mean and how will this new device affect us (if at all).

Bigger Screen Size Doesn’t Necessarily Equate To Better Games

While it’s true that the new device’s screen and resolution sizes will be more than twice as big as the iPhone, this doesn’t warrant better games… for now. Most games will probably have to be updated and released as two versions with different resolutions.

I’d have to assume that upon launch, there won’t be many “converted” and iPad specific games but further down the road, iPad gaming may actually evolve into its own category.

Touch Controls Will Rule The iPad

Can you really imagine tilting a 1.5 pound, 10 inch screen and half a thin thick device left and right to play Doodle Jump or other tilt controlled games? Racing games will probably come natural as most people have tried Mario Kart on Wii systems, but for other genres, I can’t say the same.

More Complex Casual Games

That said, I can already see time management and tower defense games ruling this device. Let’s be honest, even the best TM and TD games can STILL be improved through bigger gameplay area.

Airport Mania and Fieldrunners are two games that first come to mind. How much awesome can Airport Mania be with additional airstrips and introduction of some new “airplane pitstops”? OR how great would it be to not to zoom in and out of Fieldrunners to get the best action? Don’t even get me started on Plants Vs Zombies!

Pricing

I would just have to assume that the pricing average will be “a little bit” higher than the iPhone. A lot of people are complaining about graphics and “horsepower” for more complex games both of which the iPad can take care of.

However, for this to actually work, Gameloft and EA Mobile should price their iPad specific games at a higher price point out the door OR pricing will be extremely similar to the iPhone. It’s good for the consumers but I want to see better games with better content and more complex gameplays.

Which genre do you think is going to rule the iPad? How much do you think the games will cost? Thoughts?

[Thanks to Gizmodo and Engadget for the images]

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