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

- bonus point I forgot about: iPadOS ram management. You can't count on more than 8GB being there, and you can only use a small portion of that for ram and vram before the OS just kills the app.

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 releases on both Mac and iPad, and 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 on release, 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

 

[jonnyb098]

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.

I’ve been advocating this for over a decade. Throw a M4 chip in the Apple TV and market a gaming version of it complete with a controller, Apple Arcade subscription. Sell it for $200.

At the very least they could stick an A19 Pro in it as is. It could easily run AAA titles at 1080/60.

 

[PandaPunch]

Personally, I think what hurts the iPad for "traditional gaming" isn't so much the specs or anything like that. Or even the price of games, I think it's because of how awkward it is in terms of portable gaming. And I think this problem applies to a lesser degree with the Swtiches and Steam Decks. It's an issue of form factor.

Once you leave the sizes of 3DS XL or PS Vita, you now have a gadget that you can't easily pocket in your pants or crossbody bag/purse. Power, imo, is less important when you consider not everyone is playing the super demanding 3D games are are often 40+ GB. And the M series chips are more than capable of emulation/native Mac ports of console games if you want to talk about decompilations like we've been seeing with the N64 Zelda titles (easily outdoing NSO and their often whonky emulation);

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And there's different companies that we associate with console and PC gaming with their ports on iPadOS with varying degrees of quality. Sonic's ports being an example a decent mobile port of a console title. I've personally bought and played through some point and click games like Kathy Rain.

I can only speak for myself but I personally wouldn't use the iPad for gaming due to form factor, size, and stuff I'd need to play. I often carry a bag with me and while I love the iPad, I can't say I love the idea of carrying a controller around. Also, I don't get access to tables when I'm away from home that isn't part of an appointment, you wouldn't play video games in the middle of group therapy unless it's part of the activity to use an example. Compared to a 3DS XL, that I can easily slide in my bag's pocket and play it since it's a small one piece gaming console.

That's what stops me from playing games on the iPad; if I'm away there's no way to comfortably play it, so it's not great in terms of being portable. And if I'm at home, the ergonomics of it would be bad compared to my gaming PC or even my Mac, so I would use one of those instead. Power and games aren't the problem, imo.

 

[Abazigal]

I feel the main reasons for this:

1) iOS users have been conditioned to not want to pay money for games. Hence the proliferation of freemium titles or paid ones.

2) Not everybody owns a game controller for iOS. I have cycled through a couple over the years, and I suspect the people who bother getting one are not the majority. This uncertainty limits the number of console-quality games hitting the iPad, compared to say, the Nintendo Switch, because some games are just not designed to be played with touch controls. Which is a shame, because even a simple title like Grimvalor is a vastly better experience on my 2018 iPad Pro + PS5 controller compared to even the latest Switch 2 (due to its larger screen and 120hz display).

3) Apple could have used their Apple Arcade platform to push more of such games (and it felt like for a while, we were getting there), but that seems to be in limbo, with more games favouring the iPhone of late and skipping the Apple TV altogether. 😕

The iPad is still great for turn-by-turn strategy and board games (I have fond memories of Shadow Era, Warhammer : Quest and Waterdeep) but for everything else, I would recommend investing in a separate console or gaming PC setup.

 

[teh_hunterer]

2) Not everybody owns a game controller for iOS. I have cycled through a couple over the years, and I suspect the people who bother getting one are not the majority. This uncertainty limits the number of console-quality games hitting the iPad, compared to say, the Nintendo Switch, because some games are just not designed to be played with touch controls. Which is a shame, because even a simple title like Grimvalor is a vastly better experience on my 2018 iPad Pro + PS5 controller compared to even the latest Switch 2 (due to its larger screen and 120hz display).

Ah yes this is a major reason that I forgot about.

Every Switch and Steam Deck (and Xbox and PlayStation) user has a controller as their primary input because they all come with one.

It's a shame because you'd think the iPad would be so versatile - it has touch, controller, and mouse/kb, so you'd think it would get everything, but in reality it's just meant mostly touch and not much of anything else.

 

[Ctrlos]

As someone who games a lot on their iDevices I have to disagree with the OP. The iPhone and iPad are in rude health as gaming platforms, able to support a burgeoning indie market as much as F2P mobile titles.

The iPhone is perhaps unsuited to ‘console’ games due to its battery limitations but the iPad is different. Games that are built ‘for’ the touchscreen are titles like Broken Sword, Disgaea, Thimbleweed Park and Balatro where you have touch-target buttons instead of having to move a character and they work brilliantly on the iPad. For console ports or emulators though you have to consider the iPad as a small TV. Propped up on a train with a keyboard and a controller in tow it makes a great way to take the console experience with you wherever you are, like a laptop really.

If you’re playing a game like Death Stranding or Hitman with the touchscreen you’re doing it wrong.

 

[teh_hunterer]

As someone who games a lot on their iDevices I have to disagree with the OP. The iPhone and iPad are in rude health as gaming platforms, able to support a burgeoning indie market as much as F2P mobile titles.

It's fine for those things, but I was talking about non-mobile games in the OP. The kind of games you get on PC or console.

Games that are built ‘for’ the touchscreen are titles like Broken Sword, Disgaea, Thimbleweed Park and Balatro where you have touch-target buttons instead of having to move a character and they work brilliantly on the iPad.

These are fine but outside the scope of the thread.

 

[Shirasaki]

Ah yes this is a major reason that I forgot about.

Every Switch and Steam Deck (and Xbox and PlayStation) user has a controller as their primary input because they all come with one.

It's a shame because you'd think the iPad would be so versatile - it has touch, controller, and mouse/kb, so you'd think it would get everything, but in reality it's just meant mostly touch and not much of anything else.

That’s because touch is what shipped with iPad 100% of the time, whereas controllers and keyboards are not shipped with iPad at all. Thus it only makes sense for developers to target touch control first, before considering controller. As for keyboard? The Apple one is insanely expensive. Third party ones are cheaper but usability varies quite a bit. I once thought with keyboard accessory many things could be done, such as playing games on the keyboard, but turned out nope. The way keyboard accessory works also makes relying on it to control game a bit patchy.

 

[Shirasaki]

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

Cyberpunk was first and foremost a PC game. So it makes sense to release on Mac. As for iPad? Nah. Even if the processing power is there, iOS limitations and touch centric control makes porting cyberpunk to iPad nearly impossible.

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

But devs would have to target Mac first, with its admittedly far smaller market share compared to even iPad. That in and of itself is already a big ask. It makes more sense to target iPad first than on Mac, unless it’s examples like cyberpunk you just mentioned.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

If only the Sony Playstation wasn’t so locked down, we might actually be able to play games on it.

 

[uacd]

Well, RDR is coming! A 2010 game. However I expected GTA IV or even V. Gaming on iOS is stuck in 2012 and it is a sad reality. Switch on the other hand seems like a cool device to play, too sad it is so limited that there is no browser (however there is YouTube smh), I know thing is marketed to kids but why they didn't allow browsing, even my ancient PSP had it

 

[teh_hunterer]

If only the Sony Playstation wasn’t so locked down, we might actually be able to play games on it.

Popular consoles being locked down is fine because developers release games for them.

It's when something is both locked down and not popular that it's a problem. And for non-mobile games the iPad is not popular.

 

[teh_hunterer]

Cyberpunk was first and foremost a PC game. So it makes sense to release on Mac. As for iPad? Nah. Even if the processing power is there, iOS limitations and touch centric control makes porting cyberpunk to iPad nearly impossible.

That's my point. The processing power is there, the device would be ideal for the game. But the iPadOS limitations make it not worth the bother.

But devs would have to target Mac first, with its admittedly far smaller market share compared to even iPad. That in and of itself is already a big ask. It makes more sense to target iPad first than on Mac, unless it’s examples like cyberpunk you just mentioned.

Not sure what you're saying here. I am talking about games that are already released - basically the same binary on both platforms, but where the settings are locked down on iPad and not locked down on Mac.

The point is, the iPad version is forever locked down to whatever made sense on the M1 or M2 (low res, low frame rate), whereas if you play the game on a new Mac you can just increase the settings to take advantage of the new hardware.

 

[teh_hunterer]

That’s because touch is what shipped with iPad 100% of the time, whereas controllers and keyboards are not shipped with iPad at all. Thus it only makes sense for developers to target touch control first, before considering controller. As for keyboard? The Apple one is insanely expensive. Third party ones are cheaper but usability varies quite a bit.

Yeah and this is pretty much never going to change. Because the iPad is locked down and requires developers to target the most common usage, the selection of controller-first games is just going to be tiny.

The iPad is either opened up, or it remains in the state it is permanently when it comes to traditional games.

I once thought with keyboard accessory many things could be done, such as playing games on the keyboard, but turned out nope. The way keyboard accessory works also makes relying on it to control game a bit patchy.

Yeah it took a full two years after the introduction of mouse support for any popular game on the iPad to be updated with proper mouse and keyboard support (Minecraft).

 

[Ctrlos]

It's fine for those things, but I was talking about non-mobile games in the OP. The kind of games you get on PC or console.



These are fine but outside the scope of the thread.

They are all games ported from console, are they not? I would argue they play better on the iPad. If we're talking games like AC Mirage or Death Stranding then they still play just fine on the iPad. Theoretically any game that runs on a Mac will run on an iPad Pro.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Popular consoles being locked down is fine because developers release games for them.

It's when something is both locked down and not popular that it's a problem. And for non-mobile games the iPad is not popular.

Oh, yes, I agree. Something being locked down is not a problem. If it ends up being successful, great, if it doesn’t, well, that’s how the market speaks. The Nintendo Wii was locked down, not popular and now it’s gone. At no point did Nintendo consider “Maybe it should be less locked down!”

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Well, RDR is coming! A 2010 game. However I expected GTA IV or even V. Gaming on iOS is stuck in 2012 and it is a sad reality. Switch on the other hand seems like a cool device to play, too sad it is so limited that there is no browser (however there is YouTube smh), I know thing is marketed to kids but why they didn't allow browsing, even my ancient PSP had it

You know that chunk of people excited about emulation? Yeah, they’re fired up that they can play games far older than that!. The great thing about great games is that they’re great even for audiences that weren’t alive when they were first released.

 

[indefinite]

Mobile gaming is doing great on iOS recently. New console games. Fortnite.

 

[uacd]

You know that chunk of people excited about emulation? Yeah, they’re fired up that they can play games far older than that!. The great thing about great games is that they’re great even for audiences that weren’t alive when they were first released.

Too sad that no Dolphin rn

 

[teh_hunterer]

Oh, yes, I agree. Something being locked down is not a problem. If it ends up being successful, great, if it doesn’t, well, that’s how the market speaks. The Nintendo Wii was locked down, not popular and now it’s gone. At no point did Nintendo consider “Maybe it should be less locked down!”

Maybe drop the sarcasm and explain directly because I have no idea what you're trying to say.