You neglected to mention how complete this particular version of the Plants vs. Zombies game is. My biggest gripe with the iPhone app was its lack of the additional modes (Zen Garden, Puzzle, Survival, Mini-Games) available in the PC version; it's essentially just the full Adventure mode with the option to Quick Play any of the levels after you beat it. It's fine for killing some time or if you've never played the game before, but serious veterans of the PC version will be quickly bored since most of the replayability is lost.
Typing is a bit of a pain since the glass screen doesn’t feel nice to your fingertips and, held in landscape, it’s a serious stretch for thumbs to reach the middle of the screen
Why were you using your thumbs in landscape mode? When in portrait, use thumbs, when in landscape, use both hands or one hand. I was able to get a comfortable 60-70WPM using it with both hands on my lap.
Plants vs Zombies graphics, look the same as the pc version in the screenshots. I think an ion netbook would be a better gaming machine than the iPad.... actually my non ion netbook is probably better than iPad for gaming, I can happily play GTA San Andreas, Halo, Plants Vs Zombies, Audiosurf, Starcraft, Lego Starwars 1&2 + Indiana Jones. Plus hundreds if not thousands of other great games. Oh and i have a lot more storage space than an iPad to store it all on too !
I find iPhone games either have horrible controls, or are just too casual. PSP and DS games on the other hand give you much more gameplay with much more logical controls.
Controls can be blamed on the screen size... thumbs take up most of the screen, but I haven't seen any of the non casual games that use thumbs ported over to the larger iPads screen yet.
Do this again when games like CoD and EAs iphone catalogue are ported properly and I might take the thing seriously. iPad RTS's might actually be interesting, rather than the hideous mess they are on the iphone.
Otherwise I'll treat iPad gamers as the same kind of people who play browser based flash games and call themselves 'Gamers'.
Real Racing was initially shocking - it might, as we wrote in our [eur=http://beta.bit-tech.net/gaming/apple/2009/07/18/iphone-and-ipod-touch-games-round-up-3/5]original review[/eurl]
Think Id stick to a laptop, but it does look like a gorgeous device.
You guys say you prefer the PSP or DS to gaming, but if you buy say about 6/7 games on the DS or PSP you have come up to the price of an iPad, as the most expensive games on the iPad are around £6 and very easy to access and buy whenever you want. Most expensive PSP or DS games are £30, and you have to either go to the shops, or wait for it to be delivered before you can play it.
if it wasn't for the lack of purpose to use this device, it'd be a really nice gaming platform. but where do you game with it? at home when console/PC is near by? on the train, but how do you carry it?
im sorry, i don't get this shiny bit of tech. netbook replacement you say? but no keyboard and no way to run off the shelf x86 programs kills its usefulness.
Design of having a very portable device with such a huge exposed screen worries me - so easy to break it. The microsoft clamshell book style slate makes a bit more sense imo - at least it folds in half protecting the screen when not in use.
Originally Posted by leveller BT Staffers, when are you writing up the full review of the iPad? Would be interesting reading.
LOL, we've *literally* just had this debate in the office! We've got another couple of pieces in the pipeline - one on using the iPad as a reading device... an overall review, possibly, I just thought everyone might be iPadded out .
Originally Posted by Pieface You guys say you prefer the PSP or DS to gaming, but if you buy say about 6/7 games on the DS or PSP you have come up to the price of an iPad, as the most expensive games on the iPad are around £6 and very easy to access and buy whenever you want. Most expensive PSP or DS games are £30, and you have to either go to the shops, or wait for it to be delivered before you can play it.
Originally Posted by Sifter3000 LOL, we've *literally* just had this debate in the office! We've got another couple of pieces in the pipeline - one on using the iPad as a reading device... an overall review, possibly, I just thought everyone might be iPadded out .
I wonder if you could get out a reading (books, mags, social apps) and video (TV shows, movies, YouTube app etc) sub-reviews and then the overall conclusion?
Originally Posted by Pieface You guys say you prefer the PSP or DS to gaming, but if you buy say about 6/7 games on the DS or PSP you have come up to the price of an iPad, as the most expensive games on the iPad are around £6 and very easy to access and buy whenever you want. Most expensive PSP or DS games are £30, and you have to either go to the shops, or wait for it to be delivered before you can play it.
Who on earth pays £30 for PSP or DS games? Given that most of the latest PSP titles can now be downloaded (I don't know the situation with the DS) your last point is only of partial relevance.
You have a point in the sense that the games on the iphone/Touch/Sanitry towel are good value although you could argue that the games on the handheld consoles are also superior (GT:Mobile vs Real Racing for example).
The iPad will make a great gaming device *if* appropriate games are made for it. Action games just don't work with touch screen controls (I'm looking at you Geometry Wars). It's a lot like the Nintendo DS, everyone doubted it until they made games that played to it's strengths and not it's weaknesses.
Also, I think OnLive has just found it's first useful platform. Pair an iPad with a bluetooth controller and it has the potential to be interesting.
If there's one thing team bit-tech generally agreed on, it is really cool. Where the arguments about the iPad did break out though, was when we confronted the question, "what's it for?"
That's my experience, exactly. It's a cool, fast device, but I have no purpose for it. Perhaps, sometimes it would be nice to sit on my bed and read blogs/forums, but... I'm not going to spend $500+ just to do that (and I should really start going outside more).
If the iPad could play point-and-click games that don't demand too much from the graphics/controls departments, such as Samorost, Machinarium, Commandos (there's a 4-pack game for $5), I would love to have one. But, alas.
They could easily have made it a decent gaming system: just add a few small buttons around the bezel for controls.
(perhaps a psp style mini-analog stick and two buttons, duplicated for portrait/landscape modes)
Touchscreen is great for certain game types, but touchscreen-only is more of a hindrance than a feature to gaming as a whole.
The moment you're forced to try to emulate hardware controls on a touchscreen is the point where the touchscreen-only concept is holding the device back.
It's less of a problem for mobile-phone style mini-games, but the bigger the game gets the more serious the problem.
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ReplyFixed that for you. ;)
I don't think I'll ever use an iPad, too much of a novelty for me to be honest. I'll see what I think when we get one in at work.
I bought an iPhone over any other model for it's games capability, I like to be on top of games where I can and it ended up replacing my DS and PSP.
But then also the iPhone has phone, web, email etc making it a better investment
Can I borrow it please ... NOW!
Those that want to game on it? Maybe?
Controls can be blamed on the screen size... thumbs take up most of the screen, but I haven't seen any of the non casual games that use thumbs ported over to the larger iPads screen yet.
Do this again when games like CoD and EAs iphone catalogue are ported properly and I might take the thing seriously. iPad RTS's might actually be interesting, rather than the hideous mess they are on the iphone.
Otherwise I'll treat iPad gamers as the same kind of people who play browser based flash games and call themselves 'Gamers'.
Think Id stick to a laptop, but it does look like a gorgeous device.
if it wasn't for the lack of purpose to use this device, it'd be a really nice gaming platform. but where do you game with it? at home when console/PC is near by? on the train, but how do you carry it?
im sorry, i don't get this shiny bit of tech. netbook replacement you say? but no keyboard and no way to run off the shelf x86 programs kills its usefulness.
LOL, we've *literally* just had this debate in the office! We've got another couple of pieces in the pipeline - one on using the iPad as a reading device... an overall review, possibly, I just thought everyone might be iPadded out .
Still waiting on uk cost before the definite yeh or neh comes in
eh? and wut?
I wonder if you could get out a reading (books, mags, social apps) and video (TV shows, movies, YouTube app etc) sub-reviews and then the overall conclusion?
Who on earth pays £30 for PSP or DS games? Given that most of the latest PSP titles can now be downloaded (I don't know the situation with the DS) your last point is only of partial relevance.
You have a point in the sense that the games on the iphone/Touch/Sanitry towel are good value although you could argue that the games on the handheld consoles are also superior (GT:Mobile vs Real Racing for example).
Personal I'm waiting for a decent ereader to come out
Also, I think OnLive has just found it's first useful platform. Pair an iPad with a bluetooth controller and it has the potential to be interesting.
That's my experience, exactly. It's a cool, fast device, but I have no purpose for it. Perhaps, sometimes it would be nice to sit on my bed and read blogs/forums, but... I'm not going to spend $500+ just to do that (and I should really start going outside more).
If the iPad could play point-and-click games that don't demand too much from the graphics/controls departments, such as Samorost, Machinarium, Commandos (there's a 4-pack game for $5), I would love to have one. But, alas.
(perhaps a psp style mini-analog stick and two buttons, duplicated for portrait/landscape modes)
Touchscreen is great for certain game types, but touchscreen-only is more of a hindrance than a feature to gaming as a whole.
The moment you're forced to try to emulate hardware controls on a touchscreen is the point where the touchscreen-only concept is holding the device back.
It's less of a problem for mobile-phone style mini-games, but the bigger the game gets the more serious the problem.
But no, too expensive only for that.
I'll pass!
Seriously guys? I'm sure there's a less innuendous way of saying the same thing..
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