iPad vs. iPhone game prices:why the big difference??

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Lounge' started by gekkota, Oct 29, 2010.

  1. gekkota

    gekkota Well-Known Member

    Jul 17, 2008
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    Remind me again why iPad games are priced so much higher than iPhone games...I can't seem to remember. Seriously.
     
  2. Eli

    Eli ᕕ┌◕ᗜ◕┐ᕗ
    Staff Member Patreon Silver Patreon Gold

    Because the iPad App Store hasn't been completely ruined by rock bottom pricing yet, allowing developers to actually make money on their games and apps instead of pandering to the 99¢ market.
     
  3. LBG

    LBG Señor Member

    Apr 19, 2009
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    nada ilegal
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    And maybe because there are less iPad owners than iPhone/iPod Touch owners?
     
  4. Rezur

    Rezur Well-Known Member

    May 10, 2010
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    #4 Rezur, Oct 29, 2010
    Last edited: Oct 29, 2010
    You pay for better graphics on the iPad?
     
  5. LBG

    LBG Señor Member

    Apr 19, 2009
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    What do you mean by stronger? If you mean more capable in terms of performance then you're kind of wrong. The iPhone 4 has twice the RAM and the same processor as the iPad, giving the iPhone 4 a slight advantage.
     
  6. Rezur

    Rezur Well-Known Member

    May 10, 2010
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    It may have the same processor, but the GPU is underclocked on the iPhone 4.
     
  7. LBG

    LBG Señor Member

    Apr 19, 2009
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    I thought it was only 100-200 mhz difference (not much). Anyway, the developers of Epic Citadel had to reduce the texture quality for the iPad version, while maximising the texture quality for the iPhone 4.

    http://forums.toucharcade.com/showpost.php?p=1284096&postcount=143

    Anyway, regardless of which is better. The difference is so slight that it doesn't really matter :)
     
  8. dyscode

    dyscode Well-Known Member

    Apr 11, 2010
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    no, iPads only make up about 10% of the whole iTouch market
     
  9. arta

    arta Well-Known Member

    Feb 14, 2009
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    And hopefully never will.
     
  10. gekkota

    gekkota Well-Known Member

    Jul 17, 2008
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    That makes sense. I would hate to see the iPad app store go the way of the iPhone app store, but it would be nice if large companies like Gameloft could throw us a bone once in a while when they lower the iPhone game price to 99 cents...
    (I'm referring to the inequity of selling Splinter Cell HD for $6.99 as opposed to 99 cents for the iPhone version.)
     
  11. iphoneprogrammer

    iphoneprogrammer Well-Known Member

    Mar 26, 2009
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    Financial Analyst for Baines and Ernst
    London, UK
    you win, the other guy looses.
     
  12. SpaceHunter

    SpaceHunter Well-Known Member

    Feb 9, 2009
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    Does it really matter?

    Typically it takes more time to development an iPad version of a game versus iPhone.
     
  13. Stroffolino

    Stroffolino Well-Known Member
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    Apr 28, 2009
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    There have been plenty of attempts at "rock bottom pricing" in the iPad App Store, but the way that store is structured makes those apps all but invisible.

    If Apple ever adds subcategories to the games category, we'll see the same downward pricing spirals pick up steam there.

    Phil

     
  14. madmud101

    madmud101 Well-Known Member

    Dec 30, 2009
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    #14 madmud101, Oct 29, 2010
    Last edited: Oct 29, 2010
    Well, don't developers have to spend more time hi-rezing the graphics so they don't look pixelated on the bigger screen?

    It's also a chance for developers to rake back a bit of their money lost from their ridiculously cheap iPhone games. For some reason, a bigger device makes it more justifiable to charge extra, even if nothing is added on. It's psychological.
     
  15. dyscode

    dyscode Well-Known Member

    Apr 11, 2010
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    Why should that be? the SDK is EXACTLY the same.

    You mean because there is more onscreen content?
    That should actually make it easier to develop for the iPad becasue you need less optimization
    for the GUI etc.

    I guess the it´s also because the iPad `looks`more like a real computer
    than the iPhone. Just a pschological factor.
     
  16. Random_Guy

    Random_Guy Well-Known Member

    Apr 6, 2009
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    Australia, mate!
    Because they are less popular.
     
  17. spacecowgoesmoo

    spacecowgoesmoo Well-Known Member

    Sep 4, 2008
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    Composer / Level Designer @ Bovinedragon Software
    Los Angeles, USA
    It's actually the exact opposite.

    - The screen ratio is different from the iPhone. Requires redoing the UI and many other things.

    - There is more onscreen content. In the best of cases, this requires rerendering from vector graphics and retooling the UI, which take time. And/or zooming the camera out, which requires optimization. In most cases however, this requires redrawing the art for the entire game at a higher resolution. Takes forever.

    - The screen is larger than the iPhone but the processor is the same. This requires more optimization than before to just get the same results.
     

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