Apple Considered Launching Cloud Gaming Service

[JoelTheSuperior]

I think the key problem Apple has, as others have mentioned, is the quality of titles available via Apple Arcade.

The truth is Apple's hardware is more than capable of running triple A games (with a possible caveat of storage limitations), but the reality is the lack of games and this won't be fixed by supporting cloud gaming.

 

[Naraxus]

Apple would need games for this to work. Honestly I was rooting for Apple Arcade but there are no good AAA games

Forget AAA titles. Apple Arcade has nothing worth playing period

Apple Arcade is flop in every sense of the word

 

[V.K.]

Appletv has so much untapped potential… little tweak and a speed bump …

Maybe not such a little bump but yes, Apple is stubbornly refusing to tap the potential of ATV. They keep having some really dumb ideas about. I still cringe to remember how a few years ago Cook declared that they think that the future of TV is apps. What they need to do is make a high end version of ATV capable to compete with game consoles, include a native controller for it and get some high end games. A gaming service does make sense in this setup. They can buy a couple of game studios if they have trouble attracting devs. They certainly are not strapped for cash.
On the other end make cheap portable low end version of the current ATV box. Both products would sell and the top one will bring a lot of service revenue from games. Seems like an obvious missed opportunity to me.

 

[Realityck]

One explanation for why Apple has not moved forward with cloud gaming as far as we know may be because it seems to prefer using powerful local hardware rather than depending on an internet connection to stream games being processed elsewhere. It also seems unlikely that the company would risk an obligation to allow competing cloud gaming services by Microsoft, Nvidia, Google, Amazon, and Netflix onto the App Store, which have otherwise been forced to use browser-based solutions. Nevertheless, the company may have been sensitive to the growing interest in cloud gaming from its rivals.

That last word is particularly funny because Apple having zero presence with cloud based gaming can’t refer to others that provide more sophisticated cloud based AAA games as rivals. In order for them to be rivals Apple needs to have a cloud based gaming, which right now amounts to nothing. Please wake up Apple and do something as it would greatly increase your Mac sales.

 

[Madmic23]

You're serious?

Apple is literally the most profitable gaming company in the world.

Apple earns more from gaming than Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, Activision combined | AppleInsider

Apple's profits from gaming outweighed those of major game companies, according to a report, with Apple earning more from App Store games in its 2019 fiscal year than Nintendo, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, and Sony combined.

appleinsider.com

Apple only makes so much on gaming because of their 30% cut on in-app purchases. They're just processing payments, it's sort of like saying Visa is the most profitable gaming platform in the world. If the app store opens up to allow different payment methods, Apple's gaming revenue will dry up pretty quick. That's why I think they want to make their own streaming service, but I think they're getting a little ahead of themselves. Is Apple going to rent a bunch of cloud computing from Amazon to setup a bunch of Windows servers to play the latest games? Because I don't see developers flocking to make Mac versions of Call of Duty, GTA, Madden, etc.

 

[HornOfAbraxas]

Seeing so much negativity about cloud gaming, I need to provide a positive experience.

Now, I am an EDGE CASE. I have a wired home network, and a stable fiber connection.

However, that means, FOR ME, cloud gaming is excellent. I can experience a game in 60fps on light, cheap, fast hardware - with 1 frame of input latency (16.6ms or less). In some cases, I don't have to pay a single dollar (GEForce Now).

Especially for Macs, which are historically left behind in the gaming world, cloud gaming can be a great solution. As more people come on board with high bandwidth, high quality internet connections - dismissing this technology seems like folly.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

"Getting into AAA gaming" has nothing to do with hardware.
Software and developer tools and relationships are the key there.

Apple is dreadful on that front

Getting AAA titles on macOS has a LOT to do with the hardware. If Apple were selling, say, 100 million units of the hardware per year, then there would be more developers interested. If Apple are dreadful, it’s in selling 100 million Macs per year.

 

[Janichsan]

Apple would need games for this to work. Honestly I was rooting for Apple Arcade but there are no good AAA games

Fixed that for you. AAA games weren't in the plans for Apple Arcade anyway.

 

[Madmic23]

Seeing so much negativity about cloud gaming, I need to provide a positive experience.

Now, I am an EDGE CASE. I have a wired home network, and a stable fiber connection.

However, that means, FOR ME, cloud gaming is excellent. I can experience a game in 60fps on light, cheap, fast hardware - with 1 frame of input latency (16.6ms or less). In some cases, I don't have to pay a single dollar (GEForce Now).

Especially for Macs, which are historically left behind in the gaming world, cloud gaming can be a great solution. As more people come on board with high bandwidth, high quality internet connections - dismissing this technology seems like folly.

You're totally right. For people with the right internet connection, it will make way more sense to spend a few dollars per month on a game streaming service, especially if it comes with a catalogue of games to play. That's a lot easier than spending $500+ on the latest and greatest gaming console, or thousands of dollars on a high end PC.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

I am not a gamer, but the games my nieces and nephews play are “Call of Duty” or “Red Dead Redemption” or “Fortnight” or “GTA V”. I don’t think that you were referring to any of these, and they are what’s popular now. Yes there are still games that aren’t very violent but most games now want to be known as “edgy”. And if you don’t allow a lot of games access to your streaming service because of content then you won’t be a threat to other services. And as I said, they already have a “wholesome “ gaming service that’s been around for 4 or 5 years and sales haven’t been setting any records.

Minecraft’s more popular than all of those. So, yes, creating an edgy game is easy for getting attention. And, if your goal is just to create something visually and competitively appealing enough to drive IAP’s, edgy is really all that’s required. Is another Minecraft possible? Yes. BUT most publishers are just interested at catching the “whales” of this season, then getting on with the next thing… I admit that it’s not LIKELY we’ll see another Minecraft.

 

[TravelsInBlue]

And yet apple is nearly the top gaming revenue company in the world. Ignorance is bliss? https://appleinsider.com/articles/2...y-nintendo-microsoft-activision-combined/amp/

Apple raked in more profits from games than Xbox maker Microsoft Corp., gaming giants Nintendo Co. and Activision Blizzard Inc. and PlayStation maker Sony Corp.—combined—in its fiscal year 2019, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis

You're serious?

Apple is literally the most profitable gaming company in the world.

Apple earns more from gaming than Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, Activision combined | AppleInsider

Apple's profits from gaming outweighed those of major game companies, according to a report, with Apple earning more from App Store games in its 2019 fiscal year than Nintendo, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, and Sony combined.

appleinsider.com

App microtransaction revenue doesn’t mean it’s a legitimate gaming platform. Mobile games are basically glorified casino slot machines.

 

[techfreak23]

Has anyone seen the state of cloud gaming right now? Sure, it’s a passable experience, but it won’t go mainstream. Not unless there are some huge leaps in network connectivity, latency, and accessibility/affordability for the market they are trying to attract. Otherwise, gamers will always have a console or pc.

 

[UBS28]

Has anyone seen the state of cloud gaming right now? Sure, it’s a passable experience, but it won’t go mainstream. Not unless there are some huge leaps in network connectivity, latency, and accessibility/affordability for the market they are trying to attract. Otherwise, gamers will always have a console or pc.

Exactly.

I also have cloud gaming but local or remote access directly to the Xbox Series X beats cloud gaming by far.

However it is nice to be able to play it anywhere on any device you have and then continue where you left of at home when you have access to your Xbox Series X.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

App microtransaction revenue doesn’t mean it’s a legitimate gaming platform. Mobile games are basically glorified casino slot machines.

Every big developer release today is a glorified loot box delivery platform. It’s how they make money from people that are addicted to gambling. Mobile’s no different in that the top games there are also loot box laden. EXCEPT on Apple Arcade.

 

[lazyrighteye]

That’s right. But, not just that: cloud gaming consume LOTS of energy elsewhere than on the device it’s being used. Apple wants to leave the world a better place than they’ve found it. Cloud gaming does the opposite of that.

Thanks for highlighting. I hadn’t considered that aspect.

 

[techfreak23]

Exactly.

I also have cloud gaming but local or remote access directly to the Xbox Series X beats cloud gaming by far.

However it is nice to be able to play it anywhere on any device you have and then continue where you left of at home when you have access to your Xbox Series X.

That's true. The console streaming over the local network works great. It's nice to be able to lay in bed or somewhere else in the house instead of my desk. I also use it sometimes at family's houses, but I haven't tried it in a different city. Haven't used it with the Series X either since I can't get my hands on one, but it works pretty well on the One X. I don't play multiplayer games through it though. The latency is still too much to try to play competitive multiplayer games.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

but I haven't tried it in a different city

I’ve done it with a Playstation, actually worked better than I had thought it would. And I didn’t even have super speedy internet either at home OR in the hotel I was in.