The iPad is having a huge impact on the gaming industry, and the bog industry players are paying attention.

After Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook noted that iPad sales now surpass PC unit sales for HP, Lenovo, Dell, and Acer; Mike Capps, president of game developer Epic boasted that Apple’s new tablet computer has “more memory and higher screen resolution than an XBox 360 or Playstation 3.”

Hardcore gaming snobs may scoff, but Apple’s competitors are taking notice. In late October 2010, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said Apple was a more dangerous competitor than Microsoft.

76% of Apple’s revenues now come from ‘post PC devices’ — iPads, iPhones, and iPods, Cook said Wednesday. And gaming is one of the most popular applications for these devices. Of the top 25 paid iPhone apps, at least 22 are games; among the top 25 paid iPad apps, at least 12 are games.

To be sure, most of the casual games that are so popular on the iPad and iPhone aren’t as sophisticated — or expensive — as the best games on home consoles or dedicated handheld gaming devices. But Apple’s massive volume — Apple has now sold more than 55 million iPads — means its products are getting plenty of attention from developers.

It probably isn’t affecting serious gamers, but for casual games the iPad and smartphones have revolutionized the business as more people get hooked on Angry Birds or play simple games like chess or casino games. Now as the iPad gets more powerful with better screens, we might see it have an impact on serious gaming as well.

You might not be a believer in the iPad. I understand that. I respect that. As it stands, the device is pretty lackluster, and it’s certainly lacking in the gaming department. PopCap believes in it, though, or at least one of the co-founder’s does.

John Vechey recently talked with Eurogamer about the future of Apple’s newest gadget and the role it would play in PopCap’s development. “The iPad’s important,” he said, “but I think it’s going to be more important in three years … it’s probably going to take the second generation to make it really, like, ‘Wow!'” I’d say at least the second. Unless Apple’s initial release was the worst tease of all time, the iPad has a long way to go before it becomes a must-have item.

It’s not just the device Vechey is attracted to, it’s the accessibility to new content. “Here’s this new device that gets to more people with a really great e-commerce model attached to it … it’s really easy to buy on the iPhone — that’s part of what makes it successful.”

Read the full interview at Eurogamer.

Someone needs to sit down with John Koller, Sony’s hardware marketing manager, and give him a quick lesson on cause and effect. He seems to think the iPad, as with the iPod Touch and iPhone, will drive PSP sales for customers looking for “deeper, richer console.” Personally, I think he’s nuts.

The numbers look good – the PSP and PSP Go have tripled in combined sales since the launch of the iPhone. But that doesn’t make the two related. My guess is the price of the PSP has gone down so much and the units have been hacked so many times that it’s become accessible enough to encourage a lot of gamers to buy.

I talk a lot on Gadget Teaser about the death of dedicated devices and the future of the all-in-wonder. I think handheld gaming is following the trend toward multi-purpose machines. Apple has simply put together a better system for supporting that kind of platform. If Sony doesn’t make some changes, I wouldn’t be surprised to see PSP sales plateau in the next 2 years.

Source: WSJ