With HD technology, wireless capabilities, and even mobile gaming becoming dangerously old hat in a technology-driven society, consumers are curious about what the latest breakthroughs for video games are going to be and when they’re going to hit the marketplace. Will fully interactive, 3D virtual gaming spaces finally become a reality? Will we, in essence, get the holodecks that Star Trek fans have long coveted? Well, probably not this year. But thanks to Apple it looks like the consumer public will get some new and improved gaming options for the iVerse with rumors of a beefy graphics processing unit (GPU) that will blow competitors out of the water.

Everyone is expecting a big year for the technology giant, despite the loss of their long-time leader (and co-founder), Steve Jobs. Fans of Apple’s product line have been holding their breath for the iPhone 5, but since it likely won’t come out until fall, they’ll have to content themselves with the launch of a new iPad in the spring. Sadly, there have been whispers that the latest iteration to hit store shelves won’t be the expected iPad 3, but rather a truncated iPad 2S (do we detect shades of last year’s iPhone 4S debacle in which consumers expected the highly anticipated iPhone 5 but got only minor upgrades instead?). Of course, it is mere speculation at this point, but considering the rumored additions to the new versions of your favorite iDevices (the iPad 3 and iPhone 5), it’s no wonder that buyers (and gamers, in particular) are chomping at the bit.

It seems that upcoming iterations of the iPad and iPhone may contain some major muscle when it comes to graphics capabilities, reportedly including the PowerVR Series 6 GPU (manufactured by Imagination Technologies, a company in which Apple has a large stake). While the iPad 2 improved on its predecessor with approximately nine times the speed and power in terms of graphics, the A6 is estimated to be as much as twenty times faster than the current iPad GPU (the A5). If the inclusion of this chip is a reality, the result will be a tablet that has the potential to trump a console (like the Xbox 360) in terms of speed and graphics capabilities. That would be a pretty incredible coup. And there is even speculation that it won’t be long before traditional consoles give way to gameplay via tablets and phones that wirelessly link to home entertainment systems (in which case they could also be used for multiple media needs).

Thinking back to just a decade ago, when mobile gaming was relatively unheard of, it would have been hard to imagine the many options gamers have today. Whether you’re talking about social gaming on handsets, FPS and MMO games for the iPad, or even online bingo or poker, the access to media that modern gamers enjoy is improving all the time. And whether you want games that can fit in your pocket or you’re willing to tote around a bag or backpack to get the bigger screen that tablets can offer, Apple looks to be the company that will bring the latest and greatest to the gaming experience in 2012.

Editor’s Note

Thanks to Evan Fischer for this quest post. He is a freelance writer and part-time student at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California.