The Apple iPad is only just out and already some are saying its the future of gaming. Upon release or very soon after its been claimed that there are now over 830 games available on the new tablet pc and given that the thousands of games available for the iPhone and iTouch can also be played on it the claim that it’s the future of gaming has some credence.

“The iPad is the fourth step in the gaming evolution,” said Gonzague de Vallois, senior vice-president of publishing at Gameloft.

“The first being the microcomputer, the second being the game console and the third being smartphones. Each of these platforms revolutionized gaming in its own way.”

Neil Young, founder and CEO of the largest iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad game developer, ngmoco says “I think people are going to be blown away by iPad when they actually have the opportunity to interact with it. When you play games on the large format, multi-touch fields using two hands it’s much more ‘Minority Report’ than even the iPhone is.”

With its large screen, game makers can offer multiplayer options on a single iPad.

Some publishers offer lower-priced iPod Touch/iPhone ports as well as slightly more expensive iPad versions that take advantage of the new functionality.

“By taking an existing iPhone game and modifying it for iPad we believe that it will not only bring a new experience to an existing title, but basically create a new game,” said de Vallois.

For example, Gameloft’s iPad shooter “N.O.V.A Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance” allows players to use two fingers to curve a grenade toss and offers multi-targeting capabilities with a hand-drawn grid that eliminates all enemies on the screen with a rocket. The game originated on iPhone and iPod Touch.

“I think Apple learned their lesson about the importance of gaming from the iPhone and the iPod Touch,” said Young. “It was really that first holiday season for the iPod Touch where Apple recognized and realized gaming was such a huge part of the business and the iPod Touch had found its home as a game machine