iPhone vs. iPad (HD) Games

[mprofit]

I'm looking into purchasing a few games for my iPad. Most of the games I'm considering have both an iPhone and iPad version, and in most cases the price difference is big: Plants vs. Zombies, for example costs $9.99 for the HD version and only $2.99 for the iPhone version.

The iPhone games I've scaled up on my iPad don't look terrible, but obviously the picture difference can be glaring in many cases. However, I watched a YouTube video this afternoon reviewing the two Plants vs. Zombies versions, and the scaled iPhone version didn't look too dissimilar to the iPad version. Unfortunately there aren't many other videos comparing iPhone vs. iPad apps, which would be really nice.

Anyway, I'm wondering if you all have found that the higher price is worth paying for HD apps, or perhaps that the cheaper iPhone version would have been the better bet. A few apps that I'm considering buying are PvZ, Asphalt 5, and Flight Control, all of which have less expensive iPhone versions available.

 

[SteveAbootman]

I spent .99 on Angry Birds. The extra 4 dollars for nice graphics simply wasn't worth it because it's not a graphically intense game. For a racing game for example, id say the graphics play a bigger role and may be a candidate for the ipad version.

 

[shpint]

Angry Birds HD = Rip off, if you already have the iPhone version
Plant v Zombies HD = AWESOME!!!!!!
Real Racing HD = Feels like you are holding a steering wheel
We rule for iPad is free and easier to touch things
Geared HD is worth every cents.

 

[mprofit]

Angry Birds HD = Rip off, if you already have the iPhone version
Plant v Zombies HD = AWESOME!!!!!!
Real Racing HD = Feels like you are holding a steering wheel
We rule for iPad is free and easier to touch things
Geared HD is worth every cents.

I've played Angry Birds on my iPhone but not my iPad. It seems like it would look fine on the iPad. But $0.99 versus $4.99 is a large difference for a game like that.

On the other hand Plants vs. Zombies looked great on the iPad using both versions, at least from what I saw on YouTube. What, in your opinion, makes the price difference worth it for PvZ but not for Angry Birds?

 

[Sleazy E]

PvZ HD is a no brainer. It looks much better and has more content the. The iPhone version.

 

[MRU]

PVZ HD has been tailored to the iPad,that being said I don't think the difference is worth 120% more price hike over the iPhone version.

Of it was $4.99 I'd recommend the HD version in a heartbeat. But at $9.99 it's hard.

What blurs the line for me now is the iPhone games being updated to iPhone 4 retina displays at no extra cost, whose resolution is now not that dissimilar to iPad, and yet the iPad is still being charged considerably more? That screams of unfair and a bit of a rip-off, especially as most iPad ports of iPhone games are just merely resolution increases and not iPad specific features.

 

[drjsway]

What blurs the line for me now is the iPhone games being updated to iPhone 4 retina displays at no extra cost, whose resolution is now not that dissimilar to iPad, and yet the iPad is still being charged considerably more? That screams of unfair and a bit of a rip-off, especially as most iPad ports of iPhone games are just merely resolution increases and not iPad specific features.

Economy of scale. iPad currently has between 3-4million users. iPhone/iPod Touch, over 100 million. Hence, they can make more money on the iPhone version even by charging 3x less.

 

[ped]

Economy of scale. iPad currently has between 3-4million users. iPhone/iPod Touch, over 100 million. Hence, they can make more money on the iPhone version even by charging 3x less.

That might make some sense if there were some cost (beyond the work of porting) to make an app available to iPad users. But there isn't.