Is it necessary to create a retina version of an app?

Question

Im creating an iOS game and I thought I was done until I test ran it on the iPad Retina simulator, and its extremely laggy. Is that a simulator glitch, or will it actually not work on the Retina iPad? I tried looking up if it was necessary and couldn't find an exact answer.

Answer 1

You shouldn't be using the simulator for making any kind of judgment around performance. It's a simulator, not an actual device. It doesn't represent the actual conditions you'll be experiencing in hardware, and there are vast differences in terms of graphics and the rendering pipeline. If you're not testing your app on a hardware device you're doing a disservice to your potential users.

Do bear in mind the vast majority of devices being sold right now are retina. Many graphically rich games are able to support the hardware, so I suspect what you're seeing is either a) due to the simulator, or b) can be fixed with some optimisation.

Answer 2

Yes it is (kind of). The appstore has regulations on retina apps. I think that they only accept retina apps and a lot of people use retina devices so it might be a good idea to make it retina.

Answer 3

No it is not necessary. It may look pixelate on a retina device but it is not necessary. However, many people use retina devices (just consider this). Retina is just for looks most of the time. Good luck on your game!

Edit:

I looked into the developer and appstore requirements. Apple needs you to have a retina version or you might be looking at a turned down app. Anyways, have fun with this and good luck!

Answer 4

Designing for Retina display

Building apps for Retina display involves creating two sets of images — one at 163ppi and another at 326ppi. After slugging our way through an app build or two, we feel confident that we have a decent workflow for attacking future Retina display app designs. Hopefully this information is of use to other designers

For More Information Please Check HERE1, HERE2

Answer 5

Yes you need your iOS game to run on all the devices glitch/lag free, when you go for publishing the application on the store it'll be turned down if it is not working on the retina version.

Possibly you are not using the images for retina display which are double the resolution

1. make sure resolution independence is turned on

2. design your artwork 2x as large as the actor (so a 100px actor should have artwork that is 200px)

3. ENSURE that all artwork is divisible by 4. (200/2 is 100, which is the size of the actor. 100/2 is 50 which is the pixel it will center on when placed in the game, you can't rest on .5 a pixel, it can turn out blurry)

4. Drag artwork into GS and program as normal.

I hope this solves your problem