Can I resist the lure of going iPad-only?

Ignis

I must confess, the sweet siren song of the iPad is drawing me closer, and the past few days I have been trying to resist it, but that resistance lessens each day and each hour. As I get further along with my game idea, I just keep asking myself: "Will this game look good on a tiny iPhone screen?" and "How much can I obsess about optimizing the performance or cutting features entirely just to meet 3G performance standards?" I know the iPad isn't a supercomputer in itself, but it seems that GS can be pushed considerably further on that device without dragging the game to a stuttering halt. Not to mention that screen... that big glorious glass screen, where I envision my game shining and looking so beautiful!

I understand from a sales standpoint, it's probably suicidal to ignore the iPhone. The iPad is apparently selling well, but it's not in the pocket or backpack of millions of users... yet (and it might never be half as popular, given the price tag).

So I'm curious... how many GS devs have committed their game(s) to iPad only? How many have decided that their game is just not suitable or simply exceeds the display and horsepower of a tiny pocket device? At this point I can keep developing for both devices, but I think I'll soon reach a crossroads where I must decide iPhone and iPad, or iPad only... and develop for that display size and power.

synthesis

Consider this...
95+% of iPad users are 25-45 years old. The iPad market is 1/50th the size of the iPhone/iPod market. There is limited supply of iPads...especially outside of the US. iPads cost 3x as much as iPods. Most of the market is waiting for the iPad3G due later this year.

I recommend sticking with iPhone and plan for the 4G phone this summer. Better odds and bigger market all around. Estimates have 25M new users by year's end due to the 4G release to multiple carriers in the US (outside of AT&T).

IMO...iPad is overrated and too low in market share right now. Until the user base grows...stick with the market that buys apps....iPhone3G

Koda89

You COULD do what I'm gonna do from now on, and still make iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch versions, but do a reverse of what most of us did for the iPad launch. Most of us took our iPhone/iPod Touch versions and simply up scaled them for the iPad. Instead, make the iPad version first, and then down scale it for the iPhone/iPod Touch versions. And that way, once you release the iPhone/iPod Touch version, you can go around and make a mini ad campaign of "(enter game title here) Now On iPhone and iPod Touch!"

Ignis

Koda89 said:
Instead, make the iPad version first, and then down scale it for the iPhone/iPod Touch versions. And that way, once you release the iPhone/iPod Touch version, you can go around and make a mini ad campaign of "(enter game title here) Now On iPhone and iPod Touch!"

Hmm, I like this tactic Koda. In my game, I think the features that will primarily drag down performance will be visual things... particles, animations, a few rule-heavy actors, etc. These are things that I could potentially remove/reduce from the iPad version, aiming toward optimization on whatever iPhone/Touch is currently on the market; after all, my game might be months from completion. I could also judge the market at that point and determine how iPad is doing. Is it selling more? Is it finding its way into more people's hands? Is it gaining more mass appeal among families and such? That would help determine if a "lite" version is worth the effort.