There have been some big hits on the iPad, mainly due to the graphics power that now exists within the latest model, the Third Generation. Apple has been enjoying the developers creating visually stunning app based games that they can then use to showcase the graphics power of their own products.

The big names include Real Racing 2 HD, the Asphalt Racing series games and Ski Safari, which have all been optimised to be a visual treat due to the power of the retina display that the iPad 3 offers to it’s users.

Google Play has started to feature these games in their Android Market for mobile users to download. Users can now play these games on their phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S2, which has much less graphics power than the iPad. These games were never made exclusively for Apple, but it has taken them many months to allow both platforms to be able to download and enjoy the titles.

Although the graphics are clearly not as good, you are experiencing the game on a smaller screen, so it compensates. If you imagine a large megapixel image, it will look normal on a very large monitor or projector image, and better quality on a small screen, due to being compressed into a smaller space. The same effect happens with these games, so they still appear to have wonderful graphics when in fact they would look terrible and almost unplayable if they were scaled up to fit an iPad or other tablet screen.

The games also cost the same as the tablet versions, and although they take up less space due to the less graphics being demanded, they still take up a considerable amount of space for a mobile device such as a phone, meaning you will have to purchase a memory card to add that extra space to your phone, simply to be able to play these types of games.

Most of these games fall into the Racing category as they can use repeated graphics. Once a course or race track is created, the same textures and trees in the background can be used for multiple other tracks, allowing for less space to be taken up, but still be able to create a variety of different levels and offer better graphic detail within them too. As more space becomes available on mobile devices by default, some shooting games and adventure games will be able to offer great graphics as well as gameplay and still fit on the drive. Console Game developers always have this issue because they have to ensure they offer the best game possible, but still be able to fit that game onto a DVD disc, or a Blu-Ray if you are enjoying HD gaming on the PS3.

Infinity Blade does not yet appear to be available, which is an adventure title focused on brilliant graphics for the iPad. This game is very short, due to the issue that was described above, however the game is still a brilliant one and worth the download. It is expected that they will follow suit and be offering a phone version, however this is a challenge which involves offering a similar gameplay experience as well as reasonable graphics than phone users can enjoy, especially when they have spent out on an expensive one, such as the iPhone 4S or the Samsung Galaxy S3.