Gamer Spotlight: HP TouchPad
Armageddon Squadron
Most of the games on the TouchPad aren't even worth mentioning. At HP's suggestion, we tried out Polarbit's Armageddon Squadron, a game that was demoed at the launch event. Honestly, it's crap. Setting aside the fact that screenshot functionality is broken, graphics quality is perhaps comparable to a Nintendo 64 or SNES.
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit for TouchPad
The launch of EA's Need for Speed Hot Pursuit for TouchPad coincided with HP's tablet announcement, and for a really good reason. It's the only game even remotely worthy of praise. It's roughly on par with Riptide on an Tegra 2-based Android tablet and less attractive than Real Racing 2 HD on an iPad 2.
Interestingly, there's something wrong with screen captures in this game too, as every screenshot contains visual artifacts.
Overall, gaming on the TouchPad is disappointing. The variety of games in HP's App Catalog suggests the selection is much broader. However, the Adreno 220's graphics potential is decidedly untapped compared to what we've seen in iOS and Android.