苹果iPad 2的新硬件配置及其迅速聚集的人气，开始让业内猜测：平板电脑是否很快就会取代掌机设备？芬兰开发商Rovio董事长Peter Vesteracka曾于日前的SXSW大会上公开表示，掌机游戏正在“走向灭亡”。他认为手机游戏更为平价，也更容易更新升级，这两点是手机游戏赶超掌机游戏的重要根据。

ipad 2

尽管Vesteracka并不看好掌机游戏的未来，不过前索尼高管菲尔·哈里森（Phil Harrison）却发表了更为中肯的看法。哈里森承认平板电脑的发展速度确实很快，所以这个新平台有可能成为掌机设备的竞争对手。苹果平板电脑目前的性能是一年前的两倍，而Xbox 360和PlayStaion 3在这五年中几乎没有多大变化。

游戏邦获悉，他同时也表示尽管平板电脑硬件的发展可能超过掌机平台，但这两者的游戏体验仍然会有差别。“我认为平板电脑的用户界面和用户体验还是会打一点折扣，但它的触摸屏可以支持视频掌机所无法提供的游戏体验和游戏设计，所以我觉得这是一种折衷的解决方案。但还是认为平板电脑会催生一个很有活力的游戏市场。”

哈里森还指出，平板电脑游戏市场将从手机游戏开发商多样化的运营模式中获益。开发商可以选择在游戏中添加社交网站等增值功能，通过免费模式、广告赞助、微交易或者付费下载等渠道创收，“这些都将成为21世纪最为流行的运营模式。”（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

Could the iPad 2 replace traditional video game consoles?

The iPad 2′s new hardware and its popularity has led to speculation that tablet devices will soon replace consoles. Rovio Mobile’s Peter Vesterbacka is the most vocal champion of this position and recently claimed during a South by Southwest panel that console games are “dying.” Vesterbacka points to the lower price point of mobile games and their ability to be updated rapidly as two factors that will push mobile gaming ahead of consoles.

While Vesterbacka talks smack about consoles, former Sony executive Phil Harrison takes a much more balanced approach towards this subject. Harrison acknowledges that tablet hardware is evolving so rapidly that tablets could rival that of the console. The Apple tablet has more than doubled its performance in a year, while the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 remain unchanged after five years.

Though the hardware evolution may outpace the consoles, the gaming experience of a tablet will be different than that of the console. “I think while there are clearly some compromises in terms of user interface and user experience on a tablet, the touch screen interface will enable other forms of game experience and game design that you couldn’t do on a TV-based console,” said Harrison, “so I think there’s going to be a tradeoff. But I think the pads/tablets market is going to be a very vibrant market for games.”

Harrison points out the strength of the tablet gaming market comes from the diverse business models available to mobile game developers. Developers can choose to generate revenue from free, ad-supported applications, games with in-app micro transactions and paid games with value-added features like social networking. “These are 21st century business models that are going to prevail,” says Harrison.（source:tuaw.com）