Those considering the iPod touch for gaming might want to steer clear of the not-so-new 8GB model, which is just last year's model with a lower price. The best gaming performance will come from OpenGL ES 2.0-capable hardware, which is only included in the pricier 32GB and 64GB models.
Apple spent a lot of time during the September iPod event talking about how the iPod touch was a great gaming device. However, in an effort to bring down the price on the 8GB model, Apple left it saddled with last year's graphics capabilities. Plenty of holiday shoppers might not know or care about the differences, but it does create additional splintering of Apple's mobile platform at a time when the uniformity of the platform is seen as one of its biggest assets.
iFixit first discovered during its teardown of the third-gen 8GB models that the internals are identical to a second-gen one. An Apple spokesperson confirmed to Ars that the only thing "updated" about the 8GB iPod touch is the price. While Steve Jobs said that the $199 price point was important to put the iPod touch in the hands of more users, it seems unnecessary to create a disparity in the capabilities of iPod touch models from the same generation.
During the event, Apple had demoed some of the blazing fast, detailed graphics that are possible with the updated PowerVR graphics core that powers the iPhone 3GS and the new 32GB/64GB iPod touch models. Those models also have an updated ARM processing core, which runs at 600MHz (that number hasn't been confirmed for the iPod touch, but performance seems to be inline with the iPhone 3GS). Initial speed tests confirm that the iPod touch models with updated hardware perform much faster that last year's models, just as the iPhone 3GS outperforms the iPhone 3G.
It's true that developers can design games to use OpenGL ES 1.1 for older hardware and OpenGL ES 2.0 for devices that support it. However, it does create additional work for developers, who then have to create additional artwork and then tune performance for two different devices. It's only a matter of time before doing the extra work isn't worth the time or money, and developers start targeting the newer hardware to make the best experience.
Below, you can see a demonstration of the difference in performance between an OpenGL ES 1.1 device (the iPhone 3G) and an OpenGL ES 2.0 device (the iPhone 3GS) by iPhone developer Tap Tap Tap. The difference is quite striking, and you can see why developers would be keen to tap the power of the newer hardware.
Tuesday 15 September 2009
"Updated" 8GB iPod touch has lower price, not better gaming
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