(Image Source: Kotaku)
BY ADNAN S. KHAN
ANCHOR ANTHONY MARTINEZ
Finally! An alternative to the horrible array of in-flight entertainment has arrived. Mobile game developer Gameloft has inked a deal with Australian airline Jetstar to offer iPads with preloaded games for in-flight use.
“Flights including Australian domestic, trans Tasman and short-haul international flights between Australia and New Zealand will all run the scheme, with pricing ranging from A$10 to A$15 ($10-15) per flight. It doesn’t look like the iPads will also have internet access, however.”
Gamasutra reports initially the company will offer only five games, which include Real Football, Shrek Kart, Avatar, UNO and N.O.V.A.: Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance. Jetstar hopes to add seven more titles by the end of 2012.
Gameloft is one of the largest developers of mobile games. A writer for Gamepro says this addition is a much-needed relief from an already frustrating flight experience.
“…to add insult to injury, the guy next to you promptly reaches into his man-bag and pulls out an iPad. He then proceeds to sit there playing Infinity Blade, Fruit Ninja and Sword of Fargoal for the whole flight, mocking you with his personal big-screen entertainment.”
The Qantas’ budget carrier will be introducing some 3,000 iPads, according to CNN. So that means not everyone is going to be able to rent one, which CNN says is not all bad.
“That being the case, a maximum 160 of the 330 passengers on A330 flights will get an iPad -- others will either miss out or save a buck.”
Jetstar may not represent the widest demographics, but a writer for Kotaku hopes this is the beginning of something much bigger.
“Perhaps one day airline passengers will be stacked on top of each other like sardines, jacking [into] virtual reality to keep them from going [insane], and we'll thank Gameloft.”
