PopCap thinks iPad will change gaming, but not for years

Are you ready for the upcoming revolution (in approximately three years), when Apple's iPad begins to deliver on the "magical" capabilities that Steve Jobs promised not so long ago? We're not exactly on board yet either, but PopCap's co-founder John Vechey believes that we should be prepared for such a possibility. In speaking with Eurogamer, he says, "The iPad's important, 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!'"

Before addressing gaming, he admits, "This is my opinion ... it's not like it has a magical set of features, just a great package." His perception is that the device will be perfect for both children and ... his mom? "Because she can't screw it up, she can't download a bunch of stuff ... that's the perfect mum computer, right?" (We're inclined to agree with Vechey's claim, for the record.) It's also a question of accessibility though, he says. "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."

And yes, like PopCap's Andrew Stein told us earlier this year, Vechey reaffirms the developer's interest in games being re-developed for the iPad. "I don't know if this is a PopCap position or my word, but we're certainly going to support it -- I want to play Plants vs. Zombies on that." In the meantime, we'll be playing PvZ on our iPhone while waiting for that (and the revolution).