Apple announced the "new iPad" is coming March 16

Apple announced the “new iPad” is coming March 16

Categories: News

Thursday, March 8th, 2012 by Fade to Slack

Worry not, true believers. All the hype, all the news, all the specs that you heard about months prior to yesterday’s press conference were pretty much confirmed. Some rumors definitely missed, like the supposed inclusion of Siri, lack of a Home button, and the old “iPad HD” naming chestnut, but everything else was as expected.

A quad-core processor, more RAM, higher pixel count, better camera, 4G connectivity, and a virtual kitchen sink app to cover all the bases. It looks mighty fine. Apple claims it is four times more powerful than the iPad 2, which will be reduced $100 until it’s no longer relevant. They can rebuild it. They can make it stronger, faster, better…

Epic Games, publisher of Infinite Blade and developer of the Unreal Engine, already has a raging nerdrection going for it. Namco Bandai’s Sky Gamblers looks absotively stupendrific. Dismiss this device as a true gaming platform all you want, but it’s a heavy-hitter.

And it’s coming to many countries in a just over a week. (South Korea is not one of them… dammit.)

If you haven’t converted yet, now’s as good a time as ever, gamers. All those who already own an iOS device, get ready for a massive App Store sale as publishers fight over the new fish.

About the Author

Fade to Slack is a founding member of Delta Attack, an American expatriate in South Korea, and a true believer in the legitimacy of mobile gaming. Keep up with him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Fade2Slack so he can justify having a Twitter account.

Fade to Slack has written 311 posts on Delta Attack.

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Mark A. Brooks

I am, for the first time, tempted to pick up an iPad. I really want to see the clarity of the new resolution.
- Markham Asylum
  
  My resolve is weakening. It’s inevitable that I’ll get an iOS device… it’s just a matter of time.
  - Mark A. Brooks
    
    It will eat your life, sir. I’m addicted to my little iPod Touch; I spend more time playing on this thing than anything else now. I definitely recommend the iPod Touch (the 8GB model is only $199, although you’d probably want the 32GB). The device can be a little expensive upfront but the games are cheap as shit, and you can often find good ones for free.
    - Markham Asylum
      
      The iPod Touch is probably the way I’d go, as I could then use it for listening to music at work as well without lugging around a maxiPad. A few questions:
      
      1. What’s the battery life like?
      2. Do you use screen protectors? I’ve never been a fan, but I could give it a shot, especially since they’re only a few bucks on Amazon.
      3. Do they have wi-fi, or do you need to USB it up to access the store?
      - Mark A. Brooks
        
        Battery is really good; about four hours continuous use at regular brightness (it will usually last you longer, depending on how you use it. Music with screen off takes extremely little battery) Charges very fast.
        
        Screen protectors aren’t necessary; the face is scratch-resistant glass. Seriously. You will not scratch it.
        
        It is a wi-fi device. When in wi-fi zones, with the right apps, it functions almost exactly like an iPhone.
        
        I have never needed to sync mine to iTunes, by the way. You can do everything onboard. It’s an amazing device, truly.
        
        Markham Asylum
        
        That sounds fucking awesome. I’ll probably get one late this year.
  - Fade to Slack
    
    One of us, one of us…
    
    Seriously, though, sir. You are missing out. I know the asking price is hefty, but it nearly pays for itself in no time flat. The only problem is that you know it will also be made obsolete in no time flat.
    
    The new iPad is definitely something to keep an eye on. I’m just afraid that every game will be an Unreal Engine game rather than something original or awesome vector art.
    
    I was thinking, the best way to be satisfied is to alternate years with iPhone and iPad. The iPad and iPhone have always been very similar. The iPad then shows us a preview of what the next iPhone (and/or iPod Touch) will be capable of doing.
    
    I’m pretty excited by the processing potential and what the future may hold when my iPhone contract expires this December.
    - Markham Asylum
      
      What about virtual controls? I’ve heard many people (I think you and Mulletsaurus included) complain about them vs. real controls.
      - Fade to Slack
        
        It depends on the game. Square Enix totally botched the controls for Final Fantasy Tactics and Chrono Trigger, but Secret of Mana and Final Fantasy I-III feel fine.
        
        If you look at the top ten games missing from iOS list I made last year, you’d see that almost all of them originally feature touch or mouse controls. Those transition well.
        
        Games like Cut the Rope and Infinite Blade, though, were built for iOS usually have more thought put into input than those ported to iOS. Games that were ported to iOS and require precise control, though, are awful.
        
        It’s really, though, that there’s so much to play that’s quite decent. The App Store is just a very nice, often discounted, place to pick up new games at a fraction of what you are used to paying. I picked up Batman: Arkham City a few days back for 30 bucks, and it nearly killed me to part with that much for a game that I know I’m going to love when I finally get around to playing it.
        
        Mark A. Brooks
        
        In my experience, virtual controls suck overall. But thankfully, 90% of the stuff I play don’t involve them. Slack summed it up quite nicely; think of how crappy PC to console ports suck when the original control scheme involved a mouse. It’s like that, sort of.
        
        It’s a different kind of interface than your traditional handhelds; the screen is your controller and most games are made with that in mind. Also, the touch controls are ultra-responsive; it puts Nintendo’s stylus-preferred stuff out to pasture.

Apple announced the “new iPad” is coming March 16

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