Apple Tablet Seen as Great for Gaming

News Analysis: There is consensus building that the Apple tablet will be a gaming device geared to support basic social gaming applications of the type people use on Facebook, as well as multiplayer games. Jeff Scott, founder and publisher of the 148Apps blog, says publications that cover the gaming arena have been invited to the upcoming special Apple event. He also says a screen resolution of at least 640 by 800 and a stronger processor than the one powering Apple's iPhone 3GS will make the tablet well suited for games.

Apple executives will take the stage at Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco Jan. 27, and are expected to unveil the anticipated Apple tablet computer.

There is a lot of information seeping through the reality distortion field around the device, the official name of which (iSlate? iPad? iTablet?) no one aside from Apple CEO Steve Jobs, his executives and their partners seems to know.

No one can agree on its price, said to be between $500 (good) and $1,000 (bad). There is, however, a consensus building that the tablet will be a gaming device geared to support basic social gaming applications of the type people use on Facebook, as well as multiplayer games.

Jeff Scott, founder and publisher of the 148Apps blog, wrote on TechCrunch Jan. 25 that, in addition to Apple supposedly making deals with Electronic Arts and developers to create and demo games for the tablet, publications that cover the gaming arena have been invited to the special Apple event.

But so have writers from every major high-tech blog and traditional news outlets such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Where's other evidence of the Apple tablet being a gaming godsend? Scott said the supposed dimensions and traits of the device point to a proper gaming console.

The tablet is expected to have anywhere from a 7-inch to 11-inch screen, but Scott said he expects two models, the smaller one targeted at gaming and the larger for more general use.

He also said a screen resolution of at least 640 by 800 and a stronger processor than the one powering Apple's iPhone 3GS will make the tablet well suited for gaming. Scott wrote:

"A device with a larger screen will make that experience much more compelling. Both traditional games, like board games, and arcade games could take advantage of the larger screen and increased multi-touch capabilities to support multiplayer games. Imagine a high resolution Scrabble, Chess, Checkers, etc. game on the tablet device where you can play either simultaneous multiplayer on a single device or across multiple devices. Beyond traditional games, a first person shooter could use the device split screen and allow multiple players to compete in the same game."