Kind of like Microsoft buying Bungie, then making Halo console-only? I (and many others) bought an Xbox just for that game. Apple certainly have the cash to do it, but I very much doubt they have the will.
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Apple CEO Tim Cook Visits Headquarters of Video Game Firm Valve
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Kind of like Microsoft buying Bungie, then making Halo console-only? I (and many others) bought an Xbox just for that game. Apple certainly have the cash to do it, but I very much doubt they have the will.
The games that they want.
I've lots of games on my Macs. Granted, I rarely play games, but I agree with others that all of this has to do with future iOS development... not OS X... plus, I doubt Cook is going to buy Valve or anything...
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Cash is freedom, but buying out other companies deprives them of their freedom. If work is valued, of course.
The only major thing I dislike about apple is there are no good games to play on it (save for blizzard titles). Those .99¢ offerings in the app store dont cut it.
I want big title games.
Mass Effect level stuff.
Make it happen Cook!
Hardware - specifically the gpus - needs to get some attention from Apple then.
I too want this to happen though....
Fair enough, but bungie is really only known for halo while valve has many popular titles and the most popular platform for digital distribution of PC games. I'm going to stick with my ' valve is the last bastion of PC gaming and will certainly not risk their lively hood by going Mac exclusive' theory. Going Mac exclusive is rediculous
Future iOS development in what way? There's no reason to send Tim Cook to talk about something as trivial as Valve making iOS games.
Yeah, Valve has no need for a Mac exclusive deal, and would hurt itself immensely by such, imo.
Looks like this is slowly validating these 2 claims:
1. Apple realises gaming is a huge profit maker for iOS. More iOS devices sold and more apps sold (which are games) for more 30% cuts from Apple. Also more sold games on the Mac App Store is more money for Apple too.
2. Apple realises Apple itself is terrible at making games and dedicated gaming consoles.
So Apple is doing the rounds and finally asking some of the major game developers what do they want in Apple iOS hardware and OSX/iOS themselves so Apple can help deliver this. Well that's my guess. And I really hope this is the case.
1. Apple realises gaming is a huge profit maker for iOS. More iOS devices sold and more apps sold (which are games) for more 30% cuts from Apple. Also more sold games on the Mac App Store is more money for Apple too.
2. Apple realises Apple itself is terrible at making games and dedicated gaming consoles.
So Apple is doing the rounds and finally asking some of the major game developers what do they want in Apple iOS hardware and OSX/iOS themselves so Apple can help deliver this. Well that's my guess. And I really hope this is the case.
If Apple is looking at ramping up its hardware for iOS and OS compatible games, I'd be ecstatic. Currently contemplating a PC solely for gaming which is a bit annoying.
I hear ya - Apple needs to work on gaming and GPU's. Give me an iMac grade system with a user upgradable GPU. I'd love a mac pro but they havent been refreshed and are out of my budget. I couldnt bring myself to buy a locked down iMac even if the gaming compatibility was there. That or give the mac mini a desktop gpu and let me upgrade it down the line myself for god's sake!
this can pretty much only be a good thing
Lots of speculation about this, but I think no matter what this will turn out to be something positive for gamers. I mean the main question here is why would Tim Cook himself have to personally visit Valve?? There are many projects and collaborations (including big ones) between Apple and Valve that would not necessitate Tim himself visiting. He could have sent many of his underlings (including high ranking underlings). But nope. He went down there himself. So... WHY???!
Hopefully we'll find out sooner than later! If anything, I'd love to see Apple take gamers more seriously. Like many other posters have mentioned, improving gpu capabilities would be a huge improvement. And it wouldn't even be hard to do!
But between that and Steam and iOS development and a million other things, I think there will be some positive benefits for us gamers...!
Lots of speculation about this, but I think no matter what this will turn out to be something positive for gamers. I mean the main question here is why would Tim Cook himself have to personally visit Valve?? There are many projects and collaborations (including big ones) between Apple and Valve that would not necessitate Tim himself visiting. He could have sent many of his underlings (including high ranking underlings). But nope. He went down there himself. So... WHY???!
Hopefully we'll find out sooner than later! If anything, I'd love to see Apple take gamers more seriously. Like many other posters have mentioned, improving gpu capabilities would be a huge improvement. And it wouldn't even be hard to do!
But between that and Steam and iOS development and a million other things, I think there will be some positive benefits for us gamers...!
I think hardcore gamers are all about the games, not necessarily the tech. For example, Skyward Sword for the Wii caters to the hardcore audience, is a hardcore game that takes 40+ hours to complete, and won numerous Game of the Year awards while being put in the running with games like Skyrim and Arkham City, games only hardcore gamers play. And this is on the Wii w/ its 480p output.
Ever since the original Gameboy, Nintendo has never tried to out spec its competitors anyway so analysts complaining about hardware rumors are missing the point. The thing that'll make that console sell are the innovative gaming experiences the new controller will provide. Whether they end up being casual party games or hardcore RPG's that take 100 hours to complete, that's up to the developer.
Nintendo consoles usually slack on the shooters and sports games but they make up for it by having a ton of RPG's and platformers. Any time a group of fans are petitioning for localization of some game nobody ever heard of, they're usually Nintendo RPG gamers. And even though a lot of RPG's tend to look all cute and stuff, I don't think there's any genre that draws more hardcore gamers than RPG's. Those games will suck 100+ hours out of your life easily.
I don't sense any excitement from this event. I think this visit has got more to do with distribution rather than the games themselves.
If Tim Cook visits Crytek, Bethesda etc afterwards then I may feel a slight twitch but for me, it would be moot since I have a Mac Pro with bootcamp.
If Tim Cook visits Crytek, Bethesda etc afterwards then I may feel a slight twitch but for me, it would be moot since I have a Mac Pro with bootcamp.
Something More Ambitious
I don't know if anyone else mentioned this but it might have something to do with Valve's R&D department. They've been working on "gaming glasses" that could potentially compete with Google's Project Glass and I bet Apple wants in on it.
I don't know if anyone else mentioned this but it might have something to do with Valve's R&D department. They've been working on "gaming glasses" that could potentially compete with Google's Project Glass and I bet Apple wants in on it.
I think the console market learned an important lesson with the PS3, and that's the market will not support an overpriced console. The PS3 had a very slow adoption rate compared to the 360 and Wii which was largly due to pricing. This resulted in slower developer support which further slowed its adoption rate. Mind you, the PS3 was also introduced when the US economy was booming so an overpriced console would fare much worse today.
I think everyone is getting way over their heads on this one... It will undoubtably have something to do with Mountain Lion's Game Center.
Apple has it's Game Center, Steam has it's Achievements...
If you want to speculate even more, an iOS game such as Portal 2 Mobile makes more sense.
Apple has it's Game Center, Steam has it's Achievements...
If you want to speculate even more, an iOS game such as Portal 2 Mobile makes more sense.
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I don't know what to make of this visit but I like to think that it could mean that gaming is to be taken more seriously over at Cupertino. I mean, today, games released are generally at least a couple of years old and nutered. We all know why. Lack of power. Where it matters.
Macs simply can't handle modern games. Well, the very highest-end models fare somewhat well, but the rest is just not good enough. You should not have to get the 27" with the 6970m to get a playble experience (at least 1080p, no less than high settings and always >40 fps).
Let's see what happens with the new iMacs.
Macs simply can't handle modern games. Well, the very highest-end models fare somewhat well, but the rest is just not good enough. You should not have to get the 27" with the 6970m to get a playble experience (at least 1080p, no less than high settings and always >40 fps).
Let's see what happens with the new iMacs.
Could they do it by modifying the existing Apple TV 3 firmware?
Could they do it by adding Bluetooth to the ATV to pair with a gaming controller?
No they shouldn't. It shouldn't even be legal for them to buy Valve as they develop software primarily for windows. There are millions of people who have spent money on Steam games and rely on Steam ON WINDOWs and we don't need Apple coming in and messing things up.
Certainly, Valve is far bigger than Bungie was then.
But Bungie (with its Marathon and Myth series) was the poster-boy company for Mac gaming. The "Ok you have Doom, but we have Marathon!" company. To be bought by Microsoft - of all companies - and then for its exciting new release which was demoed at Macworld to be whisked away and made a console exclusive was a massive slap for Mac fans. Those kind of shenanigans happen - I still have the scars!
As above though, even though Apple could do it, I don't think they have the inclination.
People will not shell out monies for a games console with no games as some people above have pointed out.
Gaming on the Mac is only possible via bootcamp and this is the only realistic option aside from having a dedicated gaming PC I can see for the foreseeable future. Hell, the original Half Life is not available for OSX. I intend to play it once the Black Mesa Project is finished. Don't get me started on getting surround sound out of games on OSX.
Mac games take too long to come out, cost too much, don't run as well (usually) and have significantly less modding options.
I agree with the above, Apple buying a games company as good as Valve would be bad news for everyone.
Gaming on the Mac is only possible via bootcamp and this is the only realistic option aside from having a dedicated gaming PC I can see for the foreseeable future. Hell, the original Half Life is not available for OSX. I intend to play it once the Black Mesa Project is finished. Don't get me started on getting surround sound out of games on OSX.
Mac games take too long to come out, cost too much, don't run as well (usually) and have significantly less modding options.
I agree with the above, Apple buying a games company as good as Valve would be bad news for everyone.
As far as 5.1 Dolby games native to the Mac, here is a list I did in 2007, and I'd bet the situation hasn't gotten worse since then!
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/332896/