All iPads Non-mobile gaming on iPad isn't ever going to be great

[teh_hunterer]

I've always been keen on the iPad as a gaming device because it's so thin and light and powerful and convenient.

Mobile games are fine, but it seems to me it always should have been a competitor to the Switch and Steam Deck for traditional games, considering it should be better for them in almost every way (bigger and better screen, more powerful, silent, more versatile, sleeker, etc).

But after 6 or so years of waiting enthusiastically for non-mobile gaming to become more of a thing on iPad, I've come to the conclusion that it just isn't happening. There are limitations inherent to the iPad that will seemingly never go away.

Here they are:

• Because of the locked nature of the iPad, you have to wait for developers to target the iPad specifically, which means most games will never, ever be on there in the first place

• games have to have touch controls before they're allowed on the App Store. This is a significant barrier to porting games that means even less developers will bother making that iPad specific version. Compare that to the Switch which has a touch screen but doesn't require developers to overhaul their UI to put their game on there

• Many games have little to no graphics settings. Apple discourages developers from having that complication in their app, giving users a console-like experience. Works well on consoles, but the iPad isn't an Xbox or Switch where developers will target the exact hardware config and give you an experience that makes sense for the hardware. On new iPads with new chips you will find games still running at potato resolutions or poor frame rates because they're locked into targeting older hardware. Or because they targeted the lowest common denominator in the first place. On a new computer you can just change settings to take advantage of new hardware. On iPad you're stuck between two equally better worlds. You get the console lockdown but none of the benefit

• you're always going to be paying the highest prices for games because the Apple app stores don't really get any sales and everything is permanently priced as if new, even if the game is 10 years old

This isn't to bash the iPad, but more to highlight that the things hindering the it as a gaming device are inherent, and not something likely to change any time soon. There is a fair bit of sentiment online about the idea that the iPad is just a few tweaks away from becoming something great, and thinking about these points has completely dispelled that for me.

I fear Apple makes so much money from mobile games that it doesn't feel much incentive to get the experience right for traditional games.

Good games will still come here and there, but wouldn't you rather play those games on any other device where it will be a better experience? In the same way you can technically replace a computer with an iPad for many things, the question remains, would you want to?

Interested to hear people's thoughts. Maybe I missed some limitations or maybe things are about to get better in some way I'm not seeing?

 

[Lifeisabeach]

It's even worse on the Apple TV. It's the perfect device for a lot of gaming, but even games that available for the iPad and would be a perfect fit for the ATV with a controller, they just aren't there.

 

[Shirasaki]

Nintendo is Nintendo, and switch games, especially those developed by Nintendo, will never ever come to iPad, with exceptions from third party developers.

Your lowest denominator thing is valid, but game development for newer hardware isn’t as simple as “bumping up resolution and graphics settings”. Assets and codes must be updated to reflect that, and that’s not a simple fix. Moreover, it is somewhat challenging to “future proof” iPad exclusive game considering that whatever hardware games are targeting at the start of development is likely the best they are going to have for some time. That’s why you will see graphical settings on games also released on PC, as devs can target beefier PC hardware and port games to iPad later, while enabling graphical settings. Honkai Star Rail as a good example.

As for the price, well, even Nintendo runs promotion from time to time. Apple never does that on their App Store. Greedy Apple I suppose.

With all that being said, platform agnostic game development can make iPad a more attracting device to play games with, assuming developers target PC platforms first and foremost, then port the game to iPad later.

 

[teh_hunterer]

Nintendo is Nintendo, and switch games, especially those developed by Nintendo, will never ever come to iPad, with exceptions from third party developers.

Very true. What I meant was more as a platform for third party titles, I think it gets way more love from developers for traditional games.

Case in point, even though Cyberpunk came to Mac and Switch around the same time, it didn't come to iPad.

Your lowest denominator thing is valid, but game development for newer hardware isn’t as simple as “bumping up resolution and graphics settings”. Assets and codes must be updated to reflect that, and that’s not a simple fix. Moreover, it is somewhat challenging to “future proof” iPad exclusive game considering that whatever hardware games are targeting at the start of development is likely the best they are going to have for some time. That’s why you will see graphical settings on games also released on PC, as devs can target beefier PC hardware and port games to iPad later, while enabling graphical settings. Honkai Star Rail as a good example.

What I mean is that the same game released on both Mac and iPad, the Mac version will have graphics options, and the iPad one won't.

Say you buy an M5 iPad and an M5 MacBook Pro. The iPad is stuck running that game at whatever potato resolution and frame rate the M1 iPad could run it at, whereas the MacBook Pro can run it at a crisp resolution and high frame rate. And maybe with bumped up graphical settings that are available in the Mac version and hidden on the iPad version.

As for Honkai Star Rail, that's a gacha game and so I'm not surprised to see it get updates and remain current. Sadly you don't get that treatment for traditional games on the iPad for the most part.

 

[vanilla_prison]

I agree with a lot of your points when it comes to native gaming on the iPad. The iPad as a cloud gaming device, though? Pretty good right now and is sure to get better in the future. Xbox cloud, nvidia GeForce, steamLink, and shadowPC are just a few popular options for playing real games at real graphics levels on your iPad. Cloud gaming allows the iPad to be what it’s meant for - mobility. You’re not at your desk or couch using the gaming console or PC - you’re wherever you want to be using your tablet as a middleman.

That said, there are some good titles that have found their way to iPadOS. Assassins creed, resident evil, ark survival, and more. It’s never going to be a dedicated gaming platform, but being able to game a little on top of what else the iPad can do is a bonus