The iPad to revitalise family gaming, become the next boardgame

Regardless of whether you think the iPad lives up to the hype, there's no getting away from the fact that a larger screen lends itself to certain gaming genres, many of which the iPhone and iPod could previously handle with limitations.

Travis Boatman, EA's vice president of worldwide development, said at yesterday's Apple Event, "Some games will just be better on iPad thanks to the larger screen and the sophistication gained with multi-touch on that large of a device."

And he wasn't solely referring to the popular Need for Speed franchise. He described Scrabble, and how the larger screen has the potential to be a new way to enjoy boardgames: the iPad laid down on a table with family and friends.

Others can see the casual gaming potential, too. "You can store all your board games, card games, and tables sports games in there and play with your family and friends. I think this will make the gaming experience much more social," Natalia Luckyanova of Imangi Studios stated.

In a similar vein, Peter Relan suggested that the iPad, "probably won't replace the traditional console in the living room, but it has the potential to address a broader casual market in the living room for board games etc, and once you add the play with your friends it allows social casual gaming in a broad way in the living room.

"We have plans for some really special features for the iPad that will make social gaming even more immersive."

We're intrigued to see what he means by that.