电子游戏是推动苹果iPad销量的重要因素，同时也是体现该设备功能的重要载体。游戏邦发现，苹果新一代平板电脑iPad 2已可为玩家提供堪比掌机设备的高清电子游戏。游戏开发群体，甚至是掌机游戏开发者，目前都正致力于面向iPad 2开发游戏，他们对主频为1GHz的A5双核处理器可强化游戏体验这一点最感兴趣。

Dead_Space_for_iPad_2

EA Mobile全球工作室副总裁Travis Boatman表示，“游戏将进一步挖掘iPad 2的功能，我们很期待看到iPad 2的潜能所在。iPad 2高速的运算和图像处理能力将使EA游戏质量达到一个新高度，超越以往在任何便携式设备上运行的EA游戏。”

Trinigy（游戏邦注：该公司针对iOS开发了Vision游戏引擎）总经理Felix Roeken表示，“iPad 2将带来一个更强大的游戏系统。无论是在游戏中的在线视频，还是聊天过程中，双摄像头都有助于形成更为逼真的虚拟形象，或者加强游戏社交体验。它优化的浏览器将促进更多基于浏览器游戏的快速发展。”

Trinigy为iOS系统优化了Vision游戏引擎，这个优化版本将于今年初夏推出，旨在更好地运用iPad 2的运算能力及其他性能。游戏邦获悉，该公司还为手机游戏开发商创建了一个特殊的运营模式，有可能让iPad 2真正成为游戏开发平台的又一个理想选择。

不过，上述这种情况并不是在说明平板电脑的游戏数量不足。苹果iPad已经拥有超过6.5万款的游戏和应用程序，这些内容均可在iPad 2上运行。苹果iPad的全球销量将近2000万部，游戏邦认为这是游戏开发商的一个重要目标市场。

Gameloft美国游戏发行副总裁Baudouin Corman表示，“苹果的A5处理器芯片对游戏运行效果来说很重要。双核意味着更短的加载时间、更高的帧速率、更优质的画面处理以及更引人入胜的特效，如模糊的径向运动、实时条件反射和阴影处理。总之，游戏体验变得更棒了。”

Namco Bandai Games美国地区的执行制作人Jonathan Kromrey表示，“我们很高兴，iPad 2的图形处理能力是iPad的9倍。它为开发商和发行商提供了额外的辅助工具，这给我们带来了更多机会。我们将继续为玩家提供顶级的游戏内容，相信这一行还将出现更多充分利用iPad 2硬件优势、更具沉浸式体验效果的游戏。”

iPad 2配有2个摄像头，同时内置GPS功能，这也为游戏开发商打开了创新游戏设置的又一扇大门。

PopCap Games手机游戏开发主管安德鲁·斯坦（Andrew Stein）表示，“开发商可以充分利用iPad 2的摄像头和陀螺仪等新功能，创建基于视觉互动的真实感游戏和视频互动多人游戏。”

Ogmento总裁及联合创始人Brian Selzer认为融入地理定位元素的游戏设置将成为iPad 2的新互动方式。Ogmento是手机及iPhone真实感游戏（AR游戏）开发商，该公司从平板电脑摄像头功能看到了新的发展机遇。

他表示，“一般平板电脑的规格对玩家来说有点太大了，不便于他们长时间拿着玩游戏，而《超自然活动：保护区》这类基于现实生活和地图功能的游戏可以带给玩家类似于棋盘游戏的体验。总之，我们一直希望能在平板电脑平台上开发游戏，iPad 2的问世实现了我们的愿望。”

Infinity Blade

为iPad 2重新打造的新游戏包括Epic Games颇受好评的《无尽之剑》。游戏邦了解到，苹果在iPad 2的发布会和网站上，都曾借助这款动作类游戏来宣传其新平板电脑。

Epic Games副总裁Mark Rein表示，“iPad 2的内存比iPad大，纹理处理更为精细，功能更突出。更多的GPU意味着开发商可以进行更多的物理操作，屏幕上可以出现更多的敌人，呈现更广阔的游戏环境。”

游戏邦发现，手机游戏发行商Chillingo也推出了益智游戏《碰撞反应》（Collision Effect）和射击游戏《无限领域》（Infinity Field）的iPad 2版本。

Chillingo联合创始人及联合总经理Joe Wee表示，“虽然我们认为更先进的技术不一定能带来更好的游戏，但是更先进的技术是游戏创新的关键。游戏的创新步伐依旧十分缓慢，最令人担心的是，创新才刚刚开始……”

目前市场上的平板电脑数量也很惊人。据市场调查机构国际数据公司（International Data Corporation）预计，今年全球平板电脑的出货量将达5000万部。据游戏邦所知，微软推出的Xbox 360销量已达5000万部。此外，由于iPad 2支持HDMI，同时内置Nvidia双核处理器Tegra 2，因此它可以便捷地连接到HDTV（高清电视）上。

Selzer表示，“对于便携式游戏来说，平板电脑是更好的载体，因为它们的屏幕比智能手机大，同时又比传统的笔记本电脑轻，方便用户外出玩游戏。”

游戏邦认为这就是索尼、任天堂和微软等公司密切关注iPad 2之类新平板电脑的原因所在。游戏行业正在迅速发展，而苹果无疑是当中的领军力量。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

Game developers eye iPad 2 as next-gen console

Ramped up specs and growing popularity have many game developers approaching Apple’s iPad 2 as the ideal foundation for their next big hits.

Apple relies heavily on video games to drive sales and show off the functionality of its iPad line of tablets. With the iPad 2 launching yesterday, the second-generation tablet has been built to deliver high definition video game experiences on par with what gamers are used to playing on consoles. The game development community — including console game makers — are excited about the potential the new 1GHz dual core A5 processor brings to the experiences that studios are now working on for the device.

“Games will push the capability of the new iPad 2, and we are excited to see what this device can do,” said Travis Boatman, senior vice president of Worldwide Studios, EA Mobile. “The faster core and graphics capabilities of the iPad 2 opens up possibilities to reach new levels of quality in EA’s games never before seen in a portable device like this.

“The iPad 2 will turn what was a good gaming system into a great gaming system,” said Felix Roeken, general manager of Trinigy, which created the Vision Game Engine for iOS. “The dual camera could be used to generate more realistic avatars or enhance the social experience of games, either with live video during gameplay, or chat.

And the better performing browser might open up the development of more browser-based games.”

Trinigy has optimized its Vision Game Engine for iOS, which will launch early this summer, to take advantage of every bit of the iPad 2’s power and performance, from special material shaders and textures, to integration with Havok Physics for iOS. The technology company has also created a special business model specific to mobile developers, which should make the iPad 2 a really attractive alternative for game development.

Not that there’s been a dearth of games for the tablet. Apple has over 65,000 games and Apps designed for its original tablet, and they will all work with the new

device. Apple also has an installed base of approximately 20 million iPads worldwide, which gives game makers a great target audience for new experiences.

“Apple’s A5 processor chip could be very interesting for games,” said Baudouin Corman, vice president of publishing, Americas, Gameloft. “The dual core means faster load times, higher frame rates, better draw distances and more impressive effects such as radial motion blur, real time reflections and shadows. Overall, the gaming experience will just be better.”

“We are really excited that the iPad 2 will offer nine times the power of the original,” said Jonathan Kromrey, executive producer at Namco Bandai Games America.

“This gives developers and publishers additional tools to work with, and anything that gives us more, is another great opportunity. We’ll continue to push the capabilities of the latest and greatest technologies to bring top-tier content to our fans. We have no doubt that the gaming industry will see titles that fully utilize the hardware creating rich, immersive gaming experiences.”

The dual cameras and built-in GPS are already opening up new gameplay experiences for game creators.

“Developers have a nice opportunity to leverage the new iPad 2 features to create unique experiences on a tablet using the cameras and gyroscope, which opens up new avenues like augmented reality (AR) games and multiplayer games with visual interaction between players,” said Andrew Stein, director of mobile product development at PopCap Games.

Brian Selzer, president and co-founder, Ogmento, believes location-based gameplay will become a new form of interaction on the iPad 2. The creator of AR games for mobile phones, including the iPhone, sees new opportunities with the tablet’s cameras.

“While the form factor is a bit too big for the player to be required to hold up the device and look through it for any extended period of time (ala AR browsers), real-world, map-based games like our Paranormal Activity: Sanctuary game could take on more of a board-game like experience. Overall, we have been looking forward to playing our games on this platform, and now with the iPad 2, we can finally do so.”

New games are available for launch that have been redesigned to take advantage of the new tablet, including Epic Games’ award-winning Infinity Blade. Apple has been using the action game to promote the new tablet during its announcement press conference and on its website.

“The device is going to have more memory than we had before, so it means better texture detail, and the technical specs are phenomenal,” said Mark Rein, vice president, Epic Games. “More GPU means game developers can use more physics and add more enemies on the screen, while providing a wider view of the environment.”

Mobile game publisher Chillingo has iPad 2 versions of the puzzle game Collision Effect and the space shooter Infinity Field available.

“While we’re firm believers that better technology doesn’t automatically make for a better game, in the right hands, better technology can mean the difference between realizing a creative vision, or not,” said Joe Wee, co-founder and co-general manager, Chillingo. “The level of innovation out there is staggering, and the scary part is, it’s only just started…”

The number of tablets flooding the market is also staggering. Research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) forecasts that 50 million tablet devices will ship this year worldwide. To put that in perspective, Microsoft has an installed base of 50 million Xbox 360s. Now, add to the equation the HDMI support that iPad 2 and many of the new Nvidia Tegra 2 tablets have, which allow for easy connectivity to HDTVs. New tablets like the iPad 2 are essentially portable consoles that can be played on-the-go and then plugged into a TV for big screen entertainment.

“Tablets are proving to be a great form factor for mobile games as they offer up the larger than smartphone screen-size for bigger gameplay experience, but they are also lighter than traditional portable laptops, allowing for easier on-the-go playing,” said Selzer.

That’s why companies like Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft are keeping a close eye on new tablets like iPad 2. The gaming field is evolving quickly, and Apple, so far, has led the way.（Source：DigitalTrends）