Today Apple announced their IPad. A new, bigger version of what essentially is the IPhone minus the phone. Like most folks in the tech world I was interested in what Apple would bring to the table. Especially when it came to mobile gaming on the IPhone/IPad/IPod. I’ve been a critic in the past, and I was hoping to see something new. I wanted to see Apple move beyond the control problems that have plagued the IPhone/IPod from becoming a viable platform for games.

I wasn’t impressed. Apple brought nothing new to mobile gaming, especially when it comes to controls. Sure, the screen is bigger (9.7 inches) and the frame rate is improved, but this will come at a price. Weighing in at 1.5 pounds with the larger footprint will only makes motion controls clunkier, holding it up for long periods will making gaming strenuous. In the end tilting the larger screen to steer your car in EA‘s Need for Speed Shift won’t be “funner” it’ll just be more annoying. Couple this with more replicated traditional controllers as opposed to solid real world buttons and joysticks just rings towards more of the same coming from Apple.

Frankly, I don’t see this being a viable platform for gaming. Mobile Internet, fine. Doing some typing with the Keyboard dock, okay. When it comes to gaming on the go, I still think a user is going to be much better off with a Nintendo DS or a Sony PSP. The IPad just isn’t going to cut it, despite what Apple may try to tell us in the future.

Found this impressive video from the crew at EA’s Need for Speed: Shift on Joystiq and it has me all a titter. If what this video shows is an accurate gameplay experience, not only is it embracing the idea of no-HUD gameplay I talked about at length. The gameplay is also doing a fine job of communicating pertinent information to the player video other clever ways. The G forces effect in particular, the blurring of the peripheral vision, perspective shifts, the drivers view bobbing around. All this enhances the players experience by giving them then information they need without interrupting the immersion.