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Forums - Gaming Discussion - iPad to get physical controller?

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In a recent review of the new iPad on hardware enthusiast web site Anandtech, the site's founder Anand Lal Shimpi revealed that Apple may be working on a physical game controller for the iPad. "I know of an internal Apple project to bring a physical controller to market, but whether or not it will ever see the light of day remains to be seen," noted Shimpi in his review.

                

Many hardcore gamers have dismissed the possibility of gaming on tablets because of the lack of joystickls, buttons, and tactile feedback, which they believe makes many types of console games (such as first-person shooters) impossible to execute well. In his review, Shimpi says "As smartphones and tablets come close to equalling the performance of current game consoles, I feel like the controller problem must be addressed."

It is worth noting that Android's latest versions (since Honeycomb) include support for both wired and wireless controllers. Several manufacturers make controllers that can be used with Android tablets, though such controllers are typically $50 or $60, which seems expesnive considering the games are usually less than $10 each for tablets.

So far, tablet games have managed to get by without the need for external controllers; designers have been clever at finding ways to put different controls into the touchscreen, and it may just be that gamers need to get used to these alternatives (or they need to get better, or both). Gamers once thought first-person shooters would be impossible on consoles due to the lack of a keyboard/mouse combination, which is still the interface of choice for the best FPS players (as noted in this article on the new iPad).

If Apple were to come out with a good game controller for the iPad, it would certainly get support from game publishers. It would also make it possible to port more games to the iPad without having to redesign the control inputs, assuming that an Apple controller would have all the typical inputs of a console controller. Publishers would still have to port software to a very different hardware platform, but that's something they're used to doing. Will Apple actually do this? About the only thing we can be sure of is that we probably won't know until they ship it, if they ever do.



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somethings doomed.



Atto Suggests...:

Book - Malazan Book of the Fallen series 

Game - Metro Last Light

TV - Deadwood

Music - Forest Swords 

if this is well designed, then it could doom some things all right.
Guess where the next Call of Duties or Gtas will be on?



I just feel like adding an extra peripheral onto not only a mobile device, but a device consider to be peripheral in and of itself (most people with ipads have a computer where they do real work), is completely against the simplicity of Apple.

It goes against their core principles and how they would be viewed in the marketplace. Making an apple device a place for hardcore gamers changes the image of the brand. Non-gamers view the ipad and iphone as havens for their skill-level of casual play. Everything about apple hardware and software is non-threatening to novices of any type, whether it be an artist using garage band, a web developer using iweb, or a gamer playing games.

This would introduce complex software onto complex hardware (ipad + external device). I don't see it happening, but seeing as this would potentially be apples biggest foray since steve jobs left, it would shed light on new managements direction.



Why would I care for a physical controller when all iOS games are designed to keep my attention for 5 minutes? Its not like I'm playing a fukkin Uncharted, Mario or other "dedicated handheld" game.



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kowenicki said:
Turkish said:
Why would I care for a physical controller when all iOS games are designed to keep my attention for 5 minutes? Its not like I'm playing a fukkin Uncharted, Mario or other "dedicated handheld" game.


do you have an ipad?

there are some games that are better than games that demand 5 minutes of your time..

But I would have thought the point was that the ipad 3 could have games such as you mentioned with a controller.

Not sure why people are so aggresive on somehting like this. 

Yeah I have an iPad 2, except for the old SNES ports like FF, there are no games wich can keep me entertained for more then 5 minutes, Infinity Blade is basically Fruit Ninja, all you do is slash enemies instead of fruits. That device like smartphones are not made for "dedicated handheld" games, even if it had buttons and joysticks there still wouldn't be any games.

 

Why do people think iPad has to mimmick dedicated gaming handhelds, its a totally different ballpark with different kind of games and developpers.



Turkish said:
kowenicki said:
Turkish said:
Why would I care for a physical controller when all iOS games are designed to keep my attention for 5 minutes? Its not like I'm playing a fukkin Uncharted, Mario or other "dedicated handheld" game.


do you have an ipad?

there are some games that are better than games that demand 5 minutes of your time..

But I would have thought the point was that the ipad 3 could have games such as you mentioned with a controller.

Not sure why people are so aggresive on somehting like this. 

Yeah I have an iPad 2, except for the old SNES ports like FF, there are no games wich can keep me entertained for more then 5 minutes, Infinity Blade is basically Fruit Ninja, all you do is slash enemies instead of fruits. That device like smartphones are not made for "dedicated handheld" games, even if it had buttons and joysticks there still wouldn't be any games.

 

Why do people think iPad has to mimmick dedicated gaming handhelds, its a totally different ballpark with different kind of games and developpers.

Don't compress the Ipad library into 2 games, it's just not fair.

Just think of the huge amount of ipad games that utilize a virtual d-pad and virtual buttons - like, but definitely not only, GTA 3. This controller thing could bring even more games like that to the plattaform.



RolStoppable said:
kowenicki said:
this is an obvious move.

the ipad 3 linked to your tv (or not) and with a controller.

that would steal some sales from something....

Microsoft and Sony home consoles, because they are heavily reliant on third party software.

No its clearly Nintendo who is in trouble, having lost one of Wii's biggest Exclusives already to the ipad, and what is Nintendo without First party Exclusives.



Atto Suggests...:

Book - Malazan Book of the Fallen series 

Game - Metro Last Light

TV - Deadwood

Music - Forest Swords 

VicViper said:
Turkish said:
kowenicki said:
Turkish said:
Why would I care for a physical controller when all iOS games are designed to keep my attention for 5 minutes? Its not like I'm playing a fukkin Uncharted, Mario or other "dedicated handheld" game.


do you have an ipad?

there are some games that are better than games that demand 5 minutes of your time..

But I would have thought the point was that the ipad 3 could have games such as you mentioned with a controller.

Not sure why people are so aggresive on somehting like this. 

Yeah I have an iPad 2, except for the old SNES ports like FF, there are no games wich can keep me entertained for more then 5 minutes, Infinity Blade is basically Fruit Ninja, all you do is slash enemies instead of fruits. That device like smartphones are not made for "dedicated handheld" games, even if it had buttons and joysticks there still wouldn't be any games.

 

Why do people think iPad has to mimmick dedicated gaming handhelds, its a totally different ballpark with different kind of games and developpers.

Don't compress the Ipad library into 2 games, it's just not fair.

Just think of the huge amount of ipad games that utilize a virtual d-pad and virtual buttons - like, but definitely not only, GTA 3. This controller thing could bring even more games like that to the plattaform.

No wonder its another port :P

The thing with smartphones and tablets are... first: no real games except for iOS games and second: they're constantly upgraded every year, thats the major problem. You can't play GTA 3 on your iPhone 3GS from 2009, while I can play GTA Liberty city stories from 2005 on my PSP from 2005. Thats why I think games on those devices will always stay on the level of Angry birds PvZ or Fruit ninja.