Playing Video Games on Tablets: Still Awesome or So Lame?

Now that society is completely hooked, every interactive digital platform will be faced with the task of supporting video games. Portable devices, like phones, are obviously limited by their size, but even those are becoming powerful enough to handle visually stunning games. But the tablet, a relatively new type of platform, has a unique impediment: Its interface.

The worst was revealed in a New York Times review of "Grand Theft Auto III" on the iPad. Rockstar re-released the 2001 game on the new platform for just $4.99 -- a bargain no matter how you spin it -- and while the game seems to run extremely well on the iPad, the touchscreen controls make it a little bit of a nightmare to play. There are no buttons, save for a "thumb-seeking virtual joystick," which makes multitasking (for instance, shooting while driving or jumping while moving the camera) a recipe for disaster.

Still, the game came off with a decent review and tablets aren't done evolving. There will always be a little room for improvement.