The iPad 2 has finally arrived. The newly redesigned device was announced by Apple less than two weeks ago, but everyone knew it was coming. Here at GameDynamo we managed to pick up one of the devices as soon as it became available, and we’ve been playing with it to see what it has to offer for potential buyers, especially those interested in gaming with it. We also wanted to see how different it is from the first iPad, and if it’s really worth the upgrade.

Our toughts are the following:

The iPad 2 is indeed more powerful than the first iPad. The new version of the device has an Apple A5 1Ghz dual core processor, with 9 times the graphics processing power of the first one. At 512 Mb., it also has double the RAM and a gyroscope. The most obvious difference in performance is noticed when web browsing and multitasking. If you’re one of those who like to have several browser windows open, each with a different website, you may have noticed that in the first iPad it took a couple of seconds to reload the pages you were looking at when switching between windows. Well, that’s no longer a problem, as you can go back and forth between windows without the frustrating page reload. What’s more, when you scroll up and down a page, there’s no longer a delay. The page seamlessly appears and moves on the screen without strange page breaks. Also, the gyroscope makes the iPad super responsive when you turn your iPad in different directions, which will be especially useful with map applications and many motion-controlled video games.

As far as performance with applications, it depends on the application, of course, but most of them load faster and run smoother on the iPad 2. From what we've tried, all native iPad apps we have work like a charm, though we did notice some buggy behavior in a couple of iPhone / iPod Touch games we installed on it. Then again, that’s something for the app developers to worry about. The iPad itself doesn’t disappoint, and playing games on it is nice, thanks to the gorgeous display. If only it had a good gamepad to go with it!

The new iPad is thinner and lighter, but it’s tough to handle. We’re excited to have a device that’s about 12% lighter and 35% thinner than the original. However, the size / weight difference between the original iPad and this second version is not entirely significant when it comes to handling the device, as the new one is entirely rounded around the edges, which makes it slippery. Thankfully, we grabbed one of those sweet Apple magnetic cases, which does wonders for the overall experience. Not only will it give you a better grip when holding the iPad with both hands, but it can also be folded to have the iPad stand either horizontally or vertically above a surface, as well as at a slight angle, which makes it extremely practical when it comes to watching videos.

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The iPad is a casual gaming device. As beautiful as some games (eg. Infinity Blade, Dead Space, Mirror’s Edge, Galaxy on Fire 2, Modern Combat 2) look on the iPad, it’s tough to consider it a true gaming device. The visuals do indeed look amazing, and its processing power makes some games feel like fully-fledged console titles. However, and it’s a big however, the controls will never be accessible enough to warrant long and exciting gaming sessions with it. I love playing video games on a handheld, but the lack of buttons and discomfort while holding the iPad make it very difficult for anyone to enjoy a real game, as good as it may be. The slight change in weight and size of the new iPad definitely doesn’t make a difference when it comes to serious gaming, so you’ll end up playing casual titles that require less hand-eye coordination, which makes action / adventure titles almost out of the question. Now, if Apple came up with an awesome gamepad / game controller that you can connect to the iPad and even the iPhone or iPod Touch… then we’re talking!

TV output is a gift from the gods, especially at 1080p. Here’s one thing you couldn’t do with the first iPad, though now you can, to some degree. The new iPad allows owners to output images to their TV screen / PC monitor at a resolution as high as 1080p, depending on the cables they buy, their setup, and the content that's being watched. We grabbed the Apple Digital AV Adapter, which has an HDMI port and also a charging input, so you can connect it to the AC and charge the iPad while watching a show. Note that this adapter works with the new iPhone, iPod Touch, and the original iPad, but it doesn't offer the same resolution (only up to 720p). When we tried it, the image was crystal clear on our HD screen, and watching Netflix or Hulu is super easy and works like a charm. As soon as you plug in the device, the image appears on the TV screen. This makes it easy for people to rent or buy movies via their iPad or to deliver a nice presentation. You can view games on the big screen as well, but it's not worth it, because most of the games have touch controls anyway, and you have to be able to see what you’re touching!

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