Hands on Impressions: The New iPad with Retina Display and A6X Processor & iPad mini

[JBRUU]

I think my iPad is faster than my old iPod classic, anyone have some benchmarks?

[k1lljoy_89]

Originally Posted by JBRUU

I think my iPad is faster than my old iPod classic, anyone have some benchmarks?

[Connector]

Originally Posted by JBRUU

The nova 3 update doesn't do crap for the iPad 4. Still looks and plays the same, still depth of field+radial motion blur on ONE level only, still a decent but not spectacular framerate.

I think it was just widescreen updates for iPhone/iPod 5.

Wowzers, this is really going to be bad news for you Jbruu since you were one of the few to upgrade from the new ipad to ipad 4. Before, there were games that didn't run so good framerate wise on the new ipad like Wild Blood, Blood Roofs, or Virtua Tennis. But with updates and also ios 6.0.1, everything that I owned ran pretty good for me, with the exception of Nova 3.

To me, it seemed to run somewhere inbetween 20-30 fps, and in heavily congested scenes, it experienced some slight slowdowns. Certainly playeable, but slightly irritating.

Well, it is very strange that this update says optimizations for ipad 2, ipad 4, and ipad mini, cause I got some GREAT news for ipad 3 owners!!!

Wowzers, the game runs super great now! The framerates are excellent, I assume the framerates must be locked cause ipad 4 owners aren't noticing a difference, but for us ipad 3 owners, it is an incredible change. No frame rate problems at all, in fact, this game looks better framerate wise to Dead Trigger which is supposedly 30 fps, so if I had to guess the framerates on Nova 3 on my new ipad, it would be in the forties.

The most noticeable section is when all the flying robotmen come flying in in the first scene. Before on my new ipad, the framerate suffered and there were some skipped frames. Now, it looks like ipad 4 videos that I have seen on youtube, the robotmen all fly in smooth, buttery smooth.

Wow, this is shocking, really makes me wonder about the new ipad's underpowered label, but it's probably that the ipad 4 framerate is locked, and that the ipad 3 framerate just basically caught up in this update.

However, there still are no special effects in the ipad retina version. Personally, I like it that way mostly, I hate that blur effect in this game. So for me, I don't mind not having it, in fact I prefer it, ipad retina graphics just look so wonderful to blur out.

I think Future gameloft games will show a bigger difference in ipad 3 and 4 games, but I am glad that the one game which I wanted to have better framerates, now runs wonderfully. Wow, this is cool.

Also, now I play Nova 3 in ipad console mode, meaning on play on hdmi tv, with a Gameloft Duo Gamer joystick. Since this game is airplay supported, the ipad screen has a different display than the tv. Also, widescreen support is supported. If you look at the bottom of the attached photo, you can see the wireless joystick too. Wow, so fun.

The airplay version got better graphically in the update. Not really sure what it is, but it looks better. The framerates though are still a little bit better to play on the ipad retina, but man, it is so much funner to play on the tv. And the duo joystick is awesome. Plays so much better than a touchscreen. In fact, it plays as well as my old xbox controllers. Kind of odd looking, but functionality wise, they work just like an xbox controller, just a lot lighter which is cool. Just wish you could play more games with the duo gamer joystick.

So Jbruu, hope you take this news well, don't go jumping off of a cliff or anything. At least in about a year, you can dog me about how good some game runs on your ipad 4, just that day isn't here yet. The new ipad (3) isn't as extinct as many would seem to think.

[MadFingerGames]

Originally Posted by JBRUU

http://www.hardwareluxx.com/index.ph...ipads-a6x.html

This is pathetic on nVidia's part. I am so, so glad to be an iOS gamer.

hmm.. We have different results. iPad4 is not able handle our Dead Trigger 2demo in same way as Tegra 4.

Best

Marek

[PrayForDeath]

Originally Posted by MadFingerGames

hmm.. We have different results. iPad4 is not able handle our Dead Trigger 2demo in same way as Tegra 4.

Best

Marek

Not surprised. The Egypt HD benchmark is quite outdated.

And sorry for going off topic, but will dead trigger 2 have some sort of a campaign like ShadowGun? I'd prefer that over the 'objectives' in dead trigger.

[Connector]

Originally Posted by MadFingerGames

hmm.. We have different results. iPad4 is not able handle our Dead Trigger 2demo in same way as Tegra 4.

Best

Marek

Don't worry, Jbruu is always wrong. Check out the Dead Trigger 2 thread in the upcoming iphone game section sometime, the link is below. Maybe you could give us some info on the game. Thanks.

[JBRUU]

Originally Posted by Connector

Don't worry, Jbruu is always wrong. Check out the Dead Trigger 2 thread in the upcoming iphone game section sometime, the link is below. Maybe you could give us some info on the game. Thanks.

That picture is starting to get annoying.

[Connector]

Originally Posted by JBRUU

That picture is starting to get annoying.

Ok, sorry, deleted, this picture is more appropriate.

If they want to see the other one, they can go to the Dead Trigger 2 thread.

[andsoitgoes]

Originally Posted by MadFingerGames

hmm.. We have different results. iPad4 is not able handle our Dead Trigger 2demo in same way as Tegra 4.

Best

Marek

Take a Wii (original game) optimized for the system and stick it on an Xbox, I'm sure it won't run smoothly.

That said, I still believe in iOS and the iPad 4, along with all the upgrades it's made, as well as how tight the integration and optimization is versus android.

You say things that don't make much sense. They don't handle it in "the same way"? Unless there's a definition behind that, something to say for certain the iPad 4 GPU system is less powerful than the Tegra with proof other than "we couldn't do it", then it's just empty words. You clearly designed it with the Tegra in mind, so why would it work in the same way?

And that said, it would make sense for the Tegra to be better. It's been 3 months, the Tegra releases to the market when? Things coming after should be steps ahead. With the 4 being fairly iterative, that makes sense.

Oh and I would like to clarify something with all this iPad 5 in march nonsense, the only way that will happen is if they drop the new iPhone at the same time.

For the last 2 years now, the iPhone is the defining technology, the iPad then follows behind. Yes, it adds a bump but does not supersede heavily like would happen, unless its ala a slimmer profile with the same innards.

Thankfully, I am more than happy with my iPhone 5 and 4, it will take more than anyone or anything can offer to justify any sort of upgrade for the next long while. The games I play, the things I do, it's pointless. I don't play high graphic games anyway. I look at what I play, adventure, card and board, minor arcade games. All these graphicaly intense games don't really interest me much, unless you consider The Room, Machinarium, The Walking Dead and such, those are about as far as I go.

I truly wonder how many people are pining for a vita replacement? With this new turn to freemium and overwhelming micro transactions on iOS AND android, I still think people will prefer paying $30 - $40 once than spending $7 and then nickel and dime it over and over again.

Just to make it clear, I've no problem with IAP for expansions, more decks in card games, expansions in games like carcassone, etc. but anything else is extremely rare to be legit.

[Connector]

Originally Posted by andsoitgoes

Oh and I would like to clarify something with all this iPad 5 in march nonsense, the only way that will happen is if they drop the new iPhone at the same time.

For the last 2 years now, the iPhone is the defining technology, the iPad then follows behind. Yes, it adds a bump but does not supersede heavily like would happen, unless its ala a slimmer profile with the same innards.

Well, while I am doubtful too that it will happen, I do think it's far from nonsense, and that there are rumours too of an iphone 5s with a different processor. So it could happen.

The main reason they came out with your ipad 4 was not for the cpu upgrade, it was to add the lightning connector and to get away from using Samsung screens to go with LG. The cpu upgrade was mostly a bone thrown out there so some people would buy it and also so it could better compete against the surface and android tablet.

The ipad 3 runs everything fine right now, the only game I had that didn't run that smooth, Nova 3, runs great now after the recent update. So if you think about it, there was really no need for a cpu update if an ipad was coming out in March as rumoured. Or even by October cause the games haven't caught up to the technology yet. Developers have not pushed the ipad 4 even close to its boundaries yet.

Anyway, now that they are getting rid of Samsung cpus, they are going with a completely different supplier and a different size cpu. If, for example, the contract says, the samsung cpus wont be made anymore after a certain date, lets say today, then they will HAVE to comeout with a new ipad 5 and new iphone 5s, which will be thinner and lighter at the minimum.

I am kinda thinking now that the ipad 5 and iphone 5s will have a new thinner a6, and that both of these models will be designed more for lightness, thinness, and size. I think the main showstopper will be the ipad 6 and iphone 6 which will have more of a console experience.

Do I think they will go with 6 months cycles? No. Do I think they need to come out soon with an ipad 5 or iphone 5s? No. But may they be forced to to get completely away from Samsung? Maybe if they run out of Samsung cpus.

Edit: read this

http://www.macworld.com.au/news/new-...adopted-84754/

Reading this

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The semiconductor manufacturing company is reported to already be producing samples of Apple’s new 28nm A6X which could power the next-generation of iPad and iPad mini devices. According to Taiwan’s Commercial Times, TSMC has begun a trial production of the 4th generation iPad’s A6X processor.

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Makes it seem maybe that if there is an ipad released in March, it actually is an Ipad 4s, with a slightly different smaller processor and maybe slightly different form factor. Or maybe this line could just be marketed as the Ipad 4, since it is essentially the same, and use the same form factor.