In no way does the iPad compete with the PSP or the DS as much as the iPod/iPhone does imho, so the discussion on whether or not the iPad competes with these two is almost irrelevant. The iPod definitely will compete with the DS as much as the PSP ... I can see it for myself - I'll now never need a DS probably, because my 21 month old kid is already perfectly capable of browing to the page that contains the app he wants, boot it up, and play (already some really great applications out there for him). It's all kinds of amazing to me, honestly, but it's clear that the intuitiveness of the touch interface is not limited to bringing in the non-gamers, women and elderly.
On the other end, the iPod for me is fast becoming my primary podcast device, over the PSP, and also internet and the youtube app are finding a lot of use over here. Same for stuff like watching photos, although here I'm always using the social network clients rather than put any actual fotos on the device. And definitely, there are some fun games on this too. Games that tailor specifically to the device and its touch interface are great, and there are a few games here that my wife enjoys too, which was previously limited to a tiny bit of Lumines and LocoRoco.
However, there are a lot of big games on the PSP that so far no iPhone game seems to get close to. It's really DS type games more than anything, like Civilization for instance, that are seeing strong competition in their iPod/iPhone versions. And adding to that, an application on the iPod/iPhone that has as intensive use of 3D as its PSP counterparts, even if for the 3GS versions they can actually get close to the detail and in some aspects even look better, they drain the battery like mad. Half an hour of intensive 3D stuff kills its charge. Even the worst PSP battery gets six times that. Besides that I'm also finding that the video quality of my 2004 PSP is still better than that of the iPod (PSP is bigger, wider, and also looks great at any angle), and for me personally being able to lock the keys without locking the screen is essential if I want my kid to be able to watch a movie or some kids cartoon on it (Has better sound too) And again, the PSP is a 2004 device. It will have its own successor eventually as well, I reckon.
Now enter the iPad. The iPad doesn't even begin to be anywhere near the size of something like a DS or PSP, so it's totally not the same kind of device we're talking about here. The iPad is a competitor to notebooks, laptops and netbooks more than anything else. I've personally always been enthusiastic about the Tablet PC, which was announced ages ago, but which has taken forever to reach an acceptable price-range, and as a result progress in user interface design has been incredibly slow as well.
Enter Apple, who have basically redesigned the UI framework for OS/X to run on a multi-touch device like the iPod/iPhone. They did a great job in designing a user interface for the iPod, and I think it's very well suited to scale up to something like the iPad. It will be a great device for all sorts of things, but for each category it competes in, it's all about the dedicated software and the ease of use of both the UI and the service side of things (App Store, iTunes, etc.)
In my mind there is no quesiton that it will have great games. But it will expand the market as much as anything else, that much is clear. I think it will bring about a great rethink about user interface design brought to larger computers and even desktops, and I think it will be an awesome device for a lot of people who are now struggeling with various forms of laptops. I really feel it will be perfect for me and my wife - I can see us sitting together on the couch leaning against each other, each using an iPad rather than sitting together behind a desk as we do now.
On the other end, the iPod for me is fast becoming my primary podcast device, over the PSP, and also internet and the youtube app are finding a lot of use over here. Same for stuff like watching photos, although here I'm always using the social network clients rather than put any actual fotos on the device. And definitely, there are some fun games on this too. Games that tailor specifically to the device and its touch interface are great, and there are a few games here that my wife enjoys too, which was previously limited to a tiny bit of Lumines and LocoRoco.
However, there are a lot of big games on the PSP that so far no iPhone game seems to get close to. It's really DS type games more than anything, like Civilization for instance, that are seeing strong competition in their iPod/iPhone versions. And adding to that, an application on the iPod/iPhone that has as intensive use of 3D as its PSP counterparts, even if for the 3GS versions they can actually get close to the detail and in some aspects even look better, they drain the battery like mad. Half an hour of intensive 3D stuff kills its charge. Even the worst PSP battery gets six times that. Besides that I'm also finding that the video quality of my 2004 PSP is still better than that of the iPod (PSP is bigger, wider, and also looks great at any angle), and for me personally being able to lock the keys without locking the screen is essential if I want my kid to be able to watch a movie or some kids cartoon on it (Has better sound too) And again, the PSP is a 2004 device. It will have its own successor eventually as well, I reckon.
Now enter the iPad. The iPad doesn't even begin to be anywhere near the size of something like a DS or PSP, so it's totally not the same kind of device we're talking about here. The iPad is a competitor to notebooks, laptops and netbooks more than anything else. I've personally always been enthusiastic about the Tablet PC, which was announced ages ago, but which has taken forever to reach an acceptable price-range, and as a result progress in user interface design has been incredibly slow as well.
Enter Apple, who have basically redesigned the UI framework for OS/X to run on a multi-touch device like the iPod/iPhone. They did a great job in designing a user interface for the iPod, and I think it's very well suited to scale up to something like the iPad. It will be a great device for all sorts of things, but for each category it competes in, it's all about the dedicated software and the ease of use of both the UI and the service side of things (App Store, iTunes, etc.)
In my mind there is no quesiton that it will have great games. But it will expand the market as much as anything else, that much is clear. I think it will bring about a great rethink about user interface design brought to larger computers and even desktops, and I think it will be an awesome device for a lot of people who are now struggeling with various forms of laptops. I really feel it will be perfect for me and my wife - I can see us sitting together on the couch leaning against each other, each using an iPad rather than sitting together behind a desk as we do now.