Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Microsoft Xbox Strategy and Marketing Executive to Join Apple?
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Newspeak for he will be separated from the graphics group for a year to work off his old employer's non-compete agreement.
[url=https://www.macrumors.com/2009/04/30/microsoft-xbox-strategy-and-marketing-executive-to-join-apple/]![]()
Meanwhile Steve Ballmer is working on his monkey dance and oblivious to what this all means in the long haul.
Um...no. Remember Pippin?Unless this suit has a lot of pull with game developers, I see this going nowhere. Most iPhone/iPod Touch games I've seen leave much to be desired.
I guess I have to ask you, "Compared to what?"
If you consider that the iPhone and iTouch games are so highly desirable that they comprise the bulk of all app store downloads, then while they may not be as feature-rich as a dedicated game box, they do entertain people who have a few minutes to spare or are in need of some diversion.
The dedicated game boxes do games really well and are for a niche market that is focused on gaming. The iPhone and iTouch both do a wealth of other things really well, and do games better then most (if not all) competitor hand-held games. Furthermore, with more titles available than any other game machine, one's possibilities to enjoy diversion with the iPhone or iTouch is endless.
Now, say Apple were to add a larger game surface along with all the other non-game applications and the user were to be able to tap into the full app store library, and suddenly there could be a full-blown competitor to the existing game boxes gobbling up the gamer dollars like corn in a hen house.
What if he designed an actual game app for the iPhone that you had to open to access all the games you have dl'ed. As it is now it just seems to sloppy and all over the place haveing each game seperate. Imagine having each album you buy have it's own title on the springboard, horrible. If this device is going to be marketed as a gameing device I want lots of games but having them placed all over the springboard it's not going to happen.
Picture a icon like iPod app but with a controller on it, then each game title is seperated just like music. Artist, genera, faves with the ability for cover flow. And an iPod live section to dl games and add ons and iPod live friends etc. This would be awesome, in my opponion.
Picture a icon like iPod app but with a controller on it, then each game title is seperated just like music. Artist, genera, faves with the ability for cover flow. And an iPod live section to dl games and add ons and iPod live friends etc. This would be awesome, in my opponion.
It must really piss off Apple fanboys seeing MS having so much success with the Xbox360 in such a short period of time they've entered the gaming market. The fanboys should stick to their PS3s.
"Short period of time?"
"Short period of time?"
"Short period of time?"
What are you smoking? It is Apple that has came out of nowhere to be a force in the handheld game market in a much shorter period of time than MS has been in the dedicated game box market.
MS is of much more concern to Sony and Nintendo who are the Xboxe's competitors, not Apple.
BWA HA HA HA HA!
You mean bleeding money like a stuck pig while repairing/replacing 30% (at least) of their gaming hardware due to an epic failure rate (my brother is on his 3rd - and he's one of the lucky ones)? And to add insult to injury, ending up getting pwned by "lowly" Nintendo in the Mother of All Console Wars?
BWA HA HA HA HA!
If that's success, I'd hate to see failure.
What a Ballmer-licking tool.
A force compared to whom? Nintendo own the portable gaming market, 100M DS sales and still rapidly rising. While even the PSP has sales of over 50M units and that is considered a failure in the face of the Nintendo portable behemoth. Total iPhone and Touch sales pale compared to either of those numbers, plus you have to keep in mind that only a fraction of those owners will even be using the device as a serious gaming platform.
A much more likely situation is that Apple are looking to design their own low power/high performance mobile device chipsets. The benefits being silicon exactly designed for the tasks Apple have in mind and security via obscurity (if nobody outside Apple knows about the chips, good luck unlocking it).
Apple is unlikely to be moving in to the games console arena itself. However, gaming is important to Apple, and the games market is one you have to play. There is lots of competition between platforms to get the best games. That requires lots of industry knowledge and good business skills. Microsoft walked in to an industry where all developers were loyal to Sony and took it, getting exclusive content on massive PS titles like Grand Theft Auto. That's a pretty spectacular feat.
As the mobile market heats up, gaming is going to be key. It's already the biggest market on the AppStore. This indicates that it is an important feature of a mobile platform. If Apple wants to keep the momentum with their platform, they're going to have to employ the same skills: bringing in console developers to get established IPs on their platform, getting platform exclusivity, and developing the platform to help game developers create better games than they can on, say, the Pre. Microsoft know how to do that because they did it to Sony.
Looking beyond the iPod Touch and iPhone, the Mac has fairly poor games support, and it's a much-touted reason for switchers being hesitant to move to the Mac. This was in part due to poor hardware support, but that has now improved: Both AMD and NVidia are releasing new chips for the Mac and every Mac now has a GPU capable of running games like COD4. Part of the reason for the Mac's dearth of games is DirectX, and that's something Apple are combating with OpenCL and improvements to the OpenGL spec. The iPhone uses OpenGL, as will most mobile platforms. This would hopefully attract more developers to the Mac as they would already have a team of people competent with OpenGL. Still, Apple's strategy here is a little weak. I'd like to see them taking more of a leadership role in pushing new OpenGL updates as frequently as Microsoft updates DirectX.
As the mobile market heats up, gaming is going to be key. It's already the biggest market on the AppStore. This indicates that it is an important feature of a mobile platform. If Apple wants to keep the momentum with their platform, they're going to have to employ the same skills: bringing in console developers to get established IPs on their platform, getting platform exclusivity, and developing the platform to help game developers create better games than they can on, say, the Pre. Microsoft know how to do that because they did it to Sony.
Looking beyond the iPod Touch and iPhone, the Mac has fairly poor games support, and it's a much-touted reason for switchers being hesitant to move to the Mac. This was in part due to poor hardware support, but that has now improved: Both AMD and NVidia are releasing new chips for the Mac and every Mac now has a GPU capable of running games like COD4. Part of the reason for the Mac's dearth of games is DirectX, and that's something Apple are combating with OpenCL and improvements to the OpenGL spec. The iPhone uses OpenGL, as will most mobile platforms. This would hopefully attract more developers to the Mac as they would already have a team of people competent with OpenGL. Still, Apple's strategy here is a little weak. I'd like to see them taking more of a leadership role in pushing new OpenGL updates as frequently as Microsoft updates DirectX.
DS release: late 2004
PSP release: later 2004
iPhone release: mid 2007
iPod Touch release: mid/late 2007
See the problem with comparing unit sales? And actually, Total iPT+iPhone = 37M units, which does not pale in comparison to either of those numbers. They have 75% of Sony's PSP sales and a third (33%) of Nintendo's. All things considered, that's pretty thumping good. And actually, lots of those people will use the device as a gaming platform, considering that the most popular category on the AppStore is games.
No Xbox or console for now
Apple will be bring out a new device with Music, HD Movies, Apps like in iPhone/iPod, and on top of that, it geared to compete directly against the PSPs and DSs of the world. So what Apple bets is that with the AppStore/iTunes, they have build a global distribution that ravels all alternatives. Look at Amazon, they are trying to compete but the buy and direct instal into the device is what keeps everyone glued to this format. When you look at small time developers selling hundreds of thousands shortly after the development phase was completes, heck there is nothing out there that can deliver this. Apple delivers a platform to develop for, they invest on all the marketing of the product, they give you a delivery solution for global distribution... and Apple takes a cut from all sales on that platform.... BRILLIANT!!!
Will they move to the console arena, it´s hard to say since this new device with high end graphics for games will not be limited at one per household (considering they glue AppleTV in there to motivate sales) and there is much more to be made if there are Apps/Games in the 20-30$ range vs the 40-90$ range for a console. Heck Apple will make a killing selling these devices at a premium. somewhere in the 400-600$ range (lost of mem) compared to the lower volume lower margin console market that is in the 300-500$ range . Now all Apple has to do is make the darn thing, add a 3G modem, and buy Skype and all my occurrences will match Apples strategies.
Apple will be bring out a new device with Music, HD Movies, Apps like in iPhone/iPod, and on top of that, it geared to compete directly against the PSPs and DSs of the world. So what Apple bets is that with the AppStore/iTunes, they have build a global distribution that ravels all alternatives. Look at Amazon, they are trying to compete but the buy and direct instal into the device is what keeps everyone glued to this format. When you look at small time developers selling hundreds of thousands shortly after the development phase was completes, heck there is nothing out there that can deliver this. Apple delivers a platform to develop for, they invest on all the marketing of the product, they give you a delivery solution for global distribution... and Apple takes a cut from all sales on that platform.... BRILLIANT!!!
Will they move to the console arena, it´s hard to say since this new device with high end graphics for games will not be limited at one per household (considering they glue AppleTV in there to motivate sales) and there is much more to be made if there are Apps/Games in the 20-30$ range vs the 40-90$ range for a console. Heck Apple will make a killing selling these devices at a premium. somewhere in the 400-600$ range (lost of mem) compared to the lower volume lower margin console market that is in the 300-500$ range . Now all Apple has to do is make the darn thing, add a 3G modem, and buy Skype and all my occurrences will match Apples strategies.
I forgot to add that it´s allso a nice way for Apple to entice first generation iPod touch user to upgrade!
This seems more of a move towards a DS rival than one for 360. An iPod touch/ iPhone with a good selection of games available for it (not just the ones available for it now: think of Guitar Hero with a little controller, or Sega classics eg Sonics with a mini d-pad) would position itself well. I for one don't want to carry a load of cartridges/ discs on a plane or train, but one handheld with the games built in makes sense - especially if it can browse the net and play music within the same device.
EDIT: A simple move for Apple to accelerate this process would be to produce a series of simple iPhone/ iPod Touch games controllers on release eg a d-pad with 6 buttons in a SNES-style set-up. This would effectively create a standard control system that most developers (if not all) would be willing to conform to. After that they can licence the standard ("created for iPhone/ iPod Touch"), immediately avoiding any confusion.
EDIT: A simple move for Apple to accelerate this process would be to produce a series of simple iPhone/ iPod Touch games controllers on release eg a d-pad with 6 buttons in a SNES-style set-up. This would effectively create a standard control system that most developers (if not all) would be willing to conform to. After that they can licence the standard ("created for iPhone/ iPod Touch"), immediately avoiding any confusion.
They've recently started making profit. And it just goes to show how wonderful and innovative the package is that people with multiple hardware failures still go back to the Xbox360.
Wii is nothing but a gimmick. Xbox360 is superior.
So they have a third of the sales of a dedicated portable gaming device, and even then only a small fraction of those users will be using their iPhone/Touch for gaming beyond a 5 minute diversion while waiting for a train or bus. I would say, as far as on the go gaming fares, that does indeed pale in comparison. Also as good as touch and tilt controls are, for a large number of popular gaming genres, they just do not work as well as physical pads+buttons or a combination of both.
The App Store platform devices are wonderful and inventive pieces of kit, but to suddenly think they will be able to challenge the likes of Nintendo (over 250 Million portable consoles sold) for the portable gaming crown on the basis of them hiring a guy who worked in the Red Ring of Death department for MS and few guys who's products got humped by Intel or Nvidia is stretching things.
In my opinion I think Apple are happy with the market they have created for themselves a market which will continue to grow separate from the more mainstream portable gaming scene, and to attempt a turf war against such established names would not be the wisest choice of actions.
I only have a 360 because of Halo 3 and other games. Also, how is MS new to the gaming market? You do remember there was the first xbox right???
Careful with your last statement there, your bias is showing.
I bought it solely to play halo 3. Theres nothing innovative about an online multiplayer shoot um up/
As for the underlined, why is it that all of your over reaching statements require some sort of qualifier before they are valid?
"blah blah blah blah blah IF you take into consideration X" It just makes for weak points.
The Wii is a "gimmick" that has sold more consoles than Sony and Microsoft in this generation. What Nintendo has realised (and what it appears Apple is trying to capitalise on) is that there are more people who don't want to spend hours in front of a console (but still like playing games) then there are who do prefer that approach. Nintendo have done it by appealing to an older generation, and to women more than any other in history. Apple are clearly aiming the iPod Touch in particular towards those who want to play casually - not immerse themselves for hours in the latest £40 experience.