Could Apple make a good console machine

[*LTD*]

Except for the fact that there weren't good smart phones before the iPhone.

I agree, but the regulars on this site will insist that Symbian/Nokia already did everything they needed and that their WinMo contraptions were cutting-edge.

At the time, people didn't really know any better. I bet I can pull up pre-iPhone posts on this site that tell of how wonderfully adequate smartphone tech was at the time. Until Apple showed us it wasn't.

We might very well be in a similar situation with consoles today. We think MS, Sony and Nintendo have it all figured out. Apple might once again show us that we've got it all wrong.

 

[Stella]

It was during an interview when they asked Steve how he felt about losing Halo to Microsoft, after seeing how big it had become. He replied "I don't care about the gaming industry"

Times change, now SJ does care about gaming. Apple have been pushing the iOS as a good gaming platform, especially the iPod Touch. iOS of course is more geared towards very casual gaming.. play 20 minutes here and there on the go.

Consoles need too much upfront investment and take time for profitability. However, I could see the AppleTV becoming some sort of gaming machine. You can already jail break ATV to run iOS apps. The games are here, Apple need to decide on the interface ( i.e., using iPod Touch / external keyboard etc ) to control ATV fully.

 

[roadbloc]

Except for the fact that there weren't good smart phones before the iPhone.

I disagree. The first gen iPhone was worse than many smartphones available on the market at the time. It was only as other companies ran out of ideas, that Apple started getting ahead of the game. But that goes with everything. Competition drives innovation.

We look back on old technology and think "how did we manage with that POS back then?" But the reality is, it was pretty cutting edge at the time and you were more than happy with it.

 

[Liquorpuki]

I agree, but the regulars on this site will insist that Symbian/Nokia already did everything they needed and that their WinMo contraptions were cutting-edge.

At the time, people didn't really know any better. I bet I can pull up pre-iPhone posts on this site that tell of how wonderfully adequate smartphone tech was at the time. Until Apple showed us it wasn't.

We might very well be in a similar situation with consoles today. We think MS, Sony and Nintendo have it all figured out. Apple might once again show us that we've got it all wrong.

You're comparing OS's that are a generation apart. Symbian/Blackberry OS/Windows CE/Mobile were great OS's 5-10 years ago, regardless of how much they suck now. You don't compare a PSP to a Gameboy.

With smartphones, the two big things that Apple contributed were
1) A closed system architecture focused on simplicity and a great user experience
2) The app store (before this you had to buy the software at Best Buy or pay for it on the internet, download it, and use your PC to install it on your phone... it also cost about $30 a program).

As for consoles, I think Apple is usually smart enough not to gamble on markets where it has no clue what it's doing. If you want proof that Apple doesn't have a clue when it comes to gaming, look at that pointless anomaly on your phone called the Game Center.

 

[Fubar1977]

Apples gaming interests simply don`t extend beyond what it can do with iOS and the app store.
This is not going to change regardless of what LTD and the other rabid fanboys say.

 

[KingCrimson]

I don't see the point. The PS3 & X-Box 360 are already insanely great. Apple only gets into markets where there is no good product yet.

 

[steviem]

I don't see the point. The PS3 & X-Box 360 are already insanely great. Apple only gets into markets where there is no good product yet.

Because the Mega Drive and SNES were insanely good when the Playstation came out. Where was there any point in Sony bringing out a console? Same with Microsoft. I see gaps in both consoles (sorry, I'm discounting the Wii...) and the systems surrounding them which Apple would be able to fill really well.

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

Because the Mega Drive and SNES were insanely good when the Playstation came out. Where was there any point in Sony bringing out a console? Same with Microsoft. I see gaps in both consoles (sorry, I'm discounting the Wii...) and the systems surrounding them which Apple would be able to fill really well.

And what makes you think Apple would be able to fill them really well? Where have they shown to be any good at gaming platforms? There aren't many (read: any) great games comparable to anything on the PSP or DS on the iPhone. It's all crappy mini games or short adventure games.

 

[Liquorpuki]

Because the Mega Drive and SNES were insanely good when the Playstation came out. Where was there any point in Sony bringing out a console? Same with Microsoft. I see gaps in both consoles (sorry, I'm discounting the Wii...) and the systems surrounding them which Apple would be able to fill really well.

The Playstation didn't compete with the Mega Drive (AKA Sega Genesis) or SNES. It competed with the N64.

Before the PS came out, Sony had already collaborated with Nintendo. The PS was their way of getting revenge on Nintendo after they screwed them over. And before the XBox came out, Microsoft had already collaborated with Sega.

Meanwhile Apple is in a bubble when it comes to games, which is why their most popular game, Angry Birds, is nothing more than a minigame that's a ripoff of another minigame (Crush the Castle) and when they rave about it, you'd swear they were talking about Mass Effect 2.

 

[SevenInchScrew]

....you'd swear they were talking about Mass Effect 2.

"Level Complete - 3 Stars, +5 Renegade"

 

[chrismacguy]

Hmmm last time Apple tried this, it ended in complete failure *cough cough* P!PP¡N *cough* - and it would make little sense for them to try again when they already have massive inroads into the mobile market with iOS - why bother with the consoles.

 

[KingCrimson]

Because the Mega Drive and SNES were insanely good when the Playstation came out. Where was there any point in Sony bringing out a console? Same with Microsoft. I see gaps in both consoles (sorry, I'm discounting the Wii...) and the systems surrounding them which Apple would be able to fill really well.

Then there's the X-Box Live ecosystem which is hard to beat. Although Apple could create their own gaming ecosystem that non-console owners might be willing to get into.

 

[Photics]

I don't see the big problem here.

The Apple TV already runs a modified version of iOS.
There are thousands of games on iOS.

Just create a decent USB controller or remote and open up an Apple TV app store. If the next Apple TV had an A5 processor and a camera, a lot could be done.

The Pippin is old news.

But basically, even if Apple does nothing, the iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad are blurring the line between portable device and game console. The iPad 2 hooks up to the TV via an HDMI extension. That's basically a console. If HDMI is replaced with something wireless, and controller support (like a USB controller) is added, it's basically a console with a huge (and inexpensive) game library.

 

[*LTD*]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/8H7)

Hmmm last time Apple tried this, it ended in complete failure *cough cough* P!PP¡N *cough* - and it would make little sense for them to try again when they already have massive inroads into the mobile market with iOS - why bother with the consoles.

As for the Pippin, that Apple was a far, far different Apple than the one you know today. For one, managment is completely different. The Apple of today could turn their sights to almost any market with a reasonable chance of redefining it completely.

 

[KnightWRX]

Before the PS came out, Sony had already collaborated with Nintendo. The PS was their way of getting revenge on Nintendo after they screwed them over.

Actually, not quite. Sony was collaborating with Nintendo to make a CD drive system for the SNES. When Nintendo scraped the plans, Sony went ahead with it and created the Playstation from the work they had done with Nintendo on the system. The Playstation wasn't really revenge, more like "hey, let's not waste all this R&D and just sell it to recuperate the loss".

The rest is history. That is why Sony entered the console game market.

 

[applefan289]

Any chance of an Apple game console?

I don't have any game consoles as of now (I used to have a PS3 and 360, but got so bored of it, I sold them), and thought I would definitely buy a game console made by Apple.

I also believe if Apple made a game console analogous to the current lineup (Wii, 360, PS3) it would blow the others away. Especially if they integrate it with the same interface as iOS/OS X.

Knowing Apple, they would also contract with video game designers to make beautiful-looking games. And if the rumors about Apple producing a TV are correct, the console would look amazing on it.

I would also buy an Apple fridge, car, dishwasher, dryer, you get the picture.

But an Apple game console seems to fit in. iGame or iPlay.

I am not currently into the video game industry, but if Apple dived in, count me in.

 

[Gav2k]

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They have the iPod touch and the iPad. What more do you want??

 

[decafjava]

And what makes you think Apple would be able to fill them really well? Where have they shown to be any good at gaming platforms? There aren't many (read: any) great games comparable to anything on the PSP or DS on the iPhone. It's all crappy mini games or short adventure games.

Why do people keep repeating this when it's not true? An hour or two browsing review sites or even browsing the app store will put that BS to rest. Yea there are many crappy games but there were and are many crappy games for the PSP, DS as well as full-blown consoles or PCs. People can't seem to see past Angry Brids to realise there are some good creative new games out there. Sony or Nintendo will not go the way Symbian, RIM and Palm have, but ios as a gaming platform is here to stay. Why are so many bigger game companies as well releasing games for ios as well as traditional platforms?

Just one new example, X-plane has a version of their sim (I don't have it-would rather get the AR Drone if I had the cash) for ipad and iphone-it's considered one of the most realistic flight simulators for PC and Mac out there. It might not be to your taste but it is NOT a crappy minigame or short adventure game.

Labyrinth 2 is another example, which I do have, that puts the accelerometer to very good use. I've linked others you can search my posts.

Sounds like another tech myth "Android is too fragmented", "Macs are safer than PCs" etc.

 

[KingCrimson]

Here's another thing. With Sony's network security problems, Apple could tout the iCloud has the next great online gaming network.

 

[0098386]

Why do people keep repeating this when it's not true? An hour or two browsing review sites or even browsing the app store will put that BS to rest. Yea there are many crappy games but there were and are many crappy games for the PSP, DS as well as full-blown consoles or PCs. People can't seem to see past Angry Brids to realise there are some good creative new games out there. Sony or Nintendo will not go the way Symbian, RIM and Palm have, but ios as a gaming platform is here to stay. Why are so many bigger game companies as well releasing games for ios as well as traditional platforms?

Just one new example, X-plane has a version of their sim (I don't have it-would rather get the AR Drone if I had the cash) for ipad and iphone-it's considered one of the most realistic flight simulators for PC and Mac out there. It might not be to your taste but it is NOT a crappy minigame or short adventure game.

Labyrinth 2 is another example, which I do have, that puts the accelerometer to very good use. I've linked others you can search my posts.

Sounds like another tech myth "Android is too fragmented", "Macs are safer than PCs" etc.

Hmm, as a gamer I do find there are more higher quality, fully fleshed out games on the PSP and DS. I've thrown a fair bit of money into iOS games and in total I've only played around 8 or so hours worth of games. Glancing over my GBA, DS and PSP library each gen has around 20-30 games that are notable. Out of the 60 iOS games I have I can only count a few that I'd want to play again. The problem is-

-PSP and DS ports (Crimson Gem Saga, FF3, Pinball Fantasies, Doom etc) don't work well with touchscreens.
-Long gaming sessions (on my iPod at least) are not comfortable. Or rather they're not as comfortable as other handheld consoles and nowhere near that of console gaming.
-The ratio of good to bad iOS games is staggering. There are literally just a handful of great, console-comparable games on iOS. Apple doesn't reject games if they're bad (unlike every other digital distribution channel).

I threw more money into an iPod (purposely bought for gaming) than I did for my 3DS, PSP and DS combined. I expected it to be a little better, but it did make for a great portable mail client.


I don't believe Apple could make a good gaming console. I believe they'll continue as they have done for years. Mini-computers that run everything, but nothing truly dedicated or built for gaming.

 

[KingCrimson]

I don't believe Apple could make a good gaming console. I believe they'll continue as they have done for years. Mini-computers that run everything, but nothing truly dedicated or built for gaming.

I find your lack of faith disturbing.

 

[APlotdevice]

Realistically I think AirPlay is probably the closest Apple will ever come to console gaming.

 

[chrono1081]

Apple will not do it because there is no clear path to it be profitable. It requires a huge upfront investment and then loses for years to come. Sony ate losses for a while with the PS year after year. It took time for it to start turning a profit.

MS flat out said that it was looking long term with the Xbox and best case for them to break even was 10 years. It only been in the last year years that the Xbox devision has been turning a profit. MS went in knowing that it was going to be a VERY VERY long term investment to break into that market and they have done it and using it as a tool for other things.

Apple just will not do it because it has no short term path to profitability. Also would require them playing nice with the major game developers which Apple does not have a good history of playing nice with others. They do it is my way or the high way set up.

This.

Console manufacturers generally take a HUGE hit when releasing a console and continue to for years. In fact, even retailers lose money on the hardware, make a little (VERY little) on software, and hike up the prices on accessories (controllers and such) to make a profit.

With the PS3 for example, Sony lost $300 on every unit produced initially, hence why backwards compatibility was eventually dropped. I forget what Microsoft lost but it was a descent amount too.

Most of the money for game consoles comes from licensing software to play on the consoles. Thats where the money is made.

Actually, not quite. Sony was collaborating with Nintendo to make a CD drive system for the SNES. When Nintendo scraped the plans, Sony went ahead with it and created the Playstation from the work they had done with Nintendo on the system. The Playstation wasn't really revenge, more like "hey, let's not waste all this R&D and just sell it to recuperate the loss".

The rest is history. That is why Sony entered the console game market.

Its surprising how many people do not know this.

 

[APlotdevice]

This.

Console manufacturers generally take a HUGE hit when releasing a console and continue to for years. In fact, even retailers lose money on the hardware, make a little (VERY little) on software, and hike up the prices on accessories (controllers and such) to make a profit.

With the PS3 for example, Sony lost $300 on every unit produced initially, hence why backwards compatibility was eventually dropped. I forget what Microsoft lost but it was a descent amount too.

Most of the money for game consoles comes from licensing software to play on the consoles. Thats where the money is made.

It's worth pointing out that Nintendo sells their systems at a profit (or at least not at a loss) from day one. Always has.

 

[LethalWolfe]

Apple will not do it because there is no clear path to it be profitable. It requires a huge upfront investment and then loses for years to come. Sony ate losses for a while with the PS year after year. It took time for it to start turning a profit.

You don't think any division/group/project w/in Apple has ever started out i the red or was designed to be a loss leader? Or am I misunderstanding you?

Overall I agree that Apple's isn't going to make a console per se but I do see them trying to tighten the Mac/iDevice/TV noose and segueing into casual living room gaming. A big change from mobile gaming though is the touch interface is basically useless for gaming on a TV.

With the PS3 for example, Sony lost $300 on every unit produced initially, hence why backwards compatibility was eventually dropped. I forget what Microsoft lost but it was a descent amount too.

IIRC, the 360 hit the break even point 12-18mo after it was released. Of course the RRoD probably killed any sort of gains MS was hopping for...


Lethal