Apple to get in the mix of gaming?

[Flip]

A 3-D Apple system...

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/05/a ... t-ste.html

[RentCavalier]

Wow, does Wired ALWAYS give Apple huge blowjobs like this, or is this just a special occasion?

[SineSwiper]

Heh, Apple is getting into Nintendo's territory. This won't be pretty, like Jobs expects it to be. Apple's history of stealing ideas and making them look like the second coming is going to bite them in the ass this time.

[Zeus]

Stupid fucking Idiotfilter, won't allow me to look at Blogs.

Apple's already trying to get their hands in the handheld pie with the iPhone/iTouch. For those of you guys who can read the article, is this something that's gonna supplant the DS or PSP? Even the PSP is a distant second, is this something that's gonna come on with the hardware manufacturer not supporting it with its own software? The iPhone/iTouch will have gaming as a secondary function so I can see that doing OK. But a standalone system without Apple developing? Not so sure

[Flip]

Stupid fucking Idiotfilter, won't allow me to look at Blogs.

Apple's already trying to get their hands in the handheld pie with the iPhone/iTouch. For those of you guys who can read the article, is this something that's gonna supplant the DS or PSP? Even the PSP is a distant second, is this something that's gonna come on with the hardware manufacturer not supporting it with its own software? The iPhone/iTouch will have gaming as a secondary function so I can see that doing OK. But a standalone system without Apple developing? Not so sure

Here you go:

Apple's Next Step: 3D, Wii-Like Gaming?
By Wired.com Staff May 19, 2008 | 6:25:00 PMCategories: Apple

With WWDC around the corner, the blogosphere is aflutter with talk of the 3G iPhone. But what else does the mothership have in store for us next? Try 3D gaming.

Earlier this month, AppleInsider reported that Apple had published its patent for a 3D remote-control system. The report suggests that the remote-control system will be able to detect the absolute position of the remote on an X, Y and Z axes, similar to Nintendo's Wiimote.

AppleInsider suggests that Apple TV would serve as the game console. Supporting AppleInsider's speculation, PopCap vice president of video game platforms Greg Canessa said in a Wired interview that he would be "customizing [PopCap's] user interface and display for Zune, ipod, [and] Apple TV."

Details on the 3D-gaming experience itself are scarce; when questioned about gaming in interviews, Steve Jobs has been tight-lipped as usual. But keep in mind that Apple is an overachiever and strives to be revolutionary. Jason Schwarz, a writer at Seeking Alpha, suspects that Jobs is going to blow us away with true 3D gaming: "You actually want to learn to fly a plane, to sail, to race Nascar, or to improve your golf swing? 3D Apple could bring these real life simulations to the mainstream," he wrote in a Mar. 14 blog.

Among Windows-PC enthusiasts, the most echoed criticism of Apple is its relatively diminutive grip on the gaming industry; despite the ability to run Windows on Apple's Intel machines, gaming remains a concern. Will the digital-music giant strive to conquer new territories by revolutionizing 3D gaming? Or will Apple TV just let us play crappy iPod games like The Sims Pool? We'll keep you posted.

[Julius Seeker]

Apple has the cash resources and experience here. They know how to market well, I wouldn't count them out. Apple already has a product that could potentially compete in the handheld market, their Ipod Touch/Iphone, and they're now starting to get a lot of developers on board. I want to see how things are done here.

The question is, can Apple compete in the videogame industry? It's hard to say at this point, the best developer they can get (and perhaps a vital one to their success) will be their biggest competitor. It will certainly be interesting to see what unfolds.


On a side-note, I wouldn't exactly call the article generally flattering towards Apple let alone a blowjob. This is a difficult industry to break into, Microsoft has lost billions getting into it; can Apple afford to do the same?

What 2009/10 has in store for the Ipod touch/Iphone should give an indication on how well they can fare in the videogame industry.

[Zeus]

Sorry, I don't blow Apple on a daily basis, I actually had to look up what the hell Apple TV was.

OK, so they're thinking they can use a TiVO-like device with direct downloading to make a 3D gaming system? And all they're really going to be doing is copying the Wiimote? Yeah, OK. And which company is supposed to be developing these 3D games/simulations? You would almost need M$ or Sony to develop the games to make it work. If you're a game developer/publisher, you almost have no reason to develop for this with anything other than quick ports or C-grade games (B-grades go to Wii or handhelds), not with the 360 and Wii each with over 10M userbase in the US alone (well, by May for Nintendo; that's when they'll officially pass the 360 in userbase). "Interactive entertainment" experiences are not easy to do and you need an experienced developer to make a full 3D game/simulation be more than just a thing you try for 5 minutes. At the end of the day, I also think this Apple TV thing will be niche at best anyways, nowhere near the userbase of any major console. I'm very skeptical.

Seek, the iPhone/iTouch is really nothing more than a glorified cellphone for gaming, just with an accelerometer. It does have the capabilities for almost DS-like gaming (and then some with the acclerometer) but it's still a cell. That market just wants quick pick-up-and-play games here, nothing in the vein of an RPG. That would actually be a little uncomfy for long play sessions I would think from fiddling with an iTouch for a while (and developing for it). Also gaming is still secondary on the systems and if history has taught us anything, any electronic device that does more than one thing never does any one thing properly.

[Julius Seeker]

any electronic device that does more than one thing never does any one thing properly.

A mac or an untampered PC seem to do multiple things quite well actually.

The Iphone won't compete with the DS in gaming (simple math will tell you that, the Iphone is selling no where near as well as the DS), not even close, but it's developer and manufacturer profits I'm interested in.


The Iphone, as it currently is, does most of what it does far better than the competition. It also vastly outclasses DS and PSP in terms of hardware, but it is not as mass marketable.

[Imakeholesinu]

Heh, Apple is getting into Nintendo's territory. This won't be pretty, like Jobs expects it to be. Apple's history of stealing ideas and making them look like the second coming is going to bite them in the ass this time.

Windows mobile versus iPhone.

[Imakeholesinu]

Stupid fucking Idiotfilter, won't allow me to look at Blogs.

Apple's already trying to get their hands in the handheld pie with the iPhone/iTouch. For those of you guys who can read the article, is this something that's gonna supplant the DS or PSP? Even the PSP is a distant second, is this something that's gonna come on with the hardware manufacturer not supporting it with its own software? The iPhone/iTouch will have gaming as a secondary function so I can see that doing OK. But a standalone system without Apple developing? Not so sure

THe PSP may be a distant second here in the US, but in Japan it is the kittens mittens.

[RentCavalier]

Stupid fucking Idiotfilter, won't allow me to look at Blogs.

Apple's already trying to get their hands in the handheld pie with the iPhone/iTouch. For those of you guys who can read the article, is this something that's gonna supplant the DS or PSP? Even the PSP is a distant second, is this something that's gonna come on with the hardware manufacturer not supporting it with its own software? The iPhone/iTouch will have gaming as a secondary function so I can see that doing OK. But a standalone system without Apple developing? Not so sure

THe PSP may be a distant second here in the US, but in Japan it is the kittens mittens.

Evidently, teh DS and Brain Age-type games are like orgasmic chocolate to Japanese girls though.

[bovine]

if apple is going to be making it, it's going to be WAY more expensive than anything else out there.

[Julius Seeker]

if apple is going to be making it, it's going to be WAY more expensive than anything else out there.

Probaby not. The Iphone was considerably cheaper than anything in its class, and a lot even considerably lower than its class. They've been doing well; they came in and knocked out Motorola. I don't think they plan on repeating Sony's PS3 mistake, Apple is a very intelligent company when it comes to just about everything they do. The latest iteration of the Nokia N95 costs $800USD, and trust me, you're much better off with an Iphone.

[RentCavalier]

if apple is going to be making it, it's going to be WAY more expensive than anything else out there.

Probaby not. The Iphone was considerably cheaper than anything in its class, and a lot even considerably lower than its class. They've been doing well; they came in and knocked out Motorola. I don't think they plan on repeating Sony's PS3 mistake, Apple is a very intelligent company when it comes to just about everything they do.

600+ dollars is cheap?

You live in bizarro land, sir.

[Julius Seeker]

if apple is going to be making it, it's going to be WAY more expensive than anything else out there.

Probaby not. The Iphone was considerably cheaper than anything in its class, and a lot even considerably lower than its class. They've been doing well; they came in and knocked out Motorola. I don't think they plan on repeating Sony's PS3 mistake, Apple is a very intelligent company when it comes to just about everything they do.

600+ dollars is cheap?

You live in bizarro land, sir.

What land do you live in where $800+ is cheaper than $600? The RAZR, the former market leading device prior to the Iphone, launched for $1000 and is wasn't even high end.

[Zeus]

Stupid fucking Idiotfilter, won't allow me to look at Blogs.

Apple's already trying to get their hands in the handheld pie with the iPhone/iTouch. For those of you guys who can read the article, is this something that's gonna supplant the DS or PSP? Even the PSP is a distant second, is this something that's gonna come on with the hardware manufacturer not supporting it with its own software? The iPhone/iTouch will have gaming as a secondary function so I can see that doing OK. But a standalone system without Apple developing? Not so sure

THe PSP may be a distant second here in the US, but in Japan it is the kittens mittens.

This year so far, yes. But it's still WAAAY behind in overall installed base. We'll see over the next few years if it can match the DSs 22M+ over there

[Kupek]

OK, so they're thinking they can use a TiVO-like device with direct downloading to make a 3D gaming system?

No, that's all speculation. When I read the Apple Insider writeup, I thought Apple would be more interested in interfaces than games.

As for the iPhone/iTouch, I don't think gaming is a perceived or actual draw at all. The draw is web browsing, emailing and chatting at a decent resolution on a device that fits in your pocket.

[Zeus]

OK, so they're thinking they can use a TiVO-like device with direct downloading to make a 3D gaming system?

No, that's all speculation. When I read the Apple Insider writeup, I thought Apple would be more interested in interfaces than games.

As for the iPhone/iTouch, I don't think gaming is a perceived or actual draw at all. The draw is web browsing, emailing and chatting at a decent resolution on a device that fits in your pocket.

They're definitely doing a big push on the gaming side, albiet in a very hands-off approach. They actually allowing the developers to set their own prices and if I'm not mistaken, they're doing a "let the market decide" approach to which games are on the system. I'll have to ask my bud but I don't think there's actually a screening process for them (aside from maybe the porn/vulgar ones). You don't add an accelerometer to the damned thing for surfing the Internet.

It may be use #7, but it is something they're pushing a bit.

[Kupek]

You don't add an accelerometer to the damned thing for surfing the Internet.

Actually, you do. Well, for the basic user interface. The iPhone/iTouch change the orientation of the screen depending on how you're holding it. It uses an accelerometer to determine this.

[Andrew, Killer Bee]

What a surprise, Kupek is the only person posting sensibly in an Apple-related thread.

[Zeus]

You don't add an accelerometer to the damned thing for surfing the Internet.

Actually, you do. Well, for the basic user interface. The iPhone/iTouch change the orientation of the screen depending on how you're holding it. It uses an accelerometer to determine this.

Sorry forgot about the profile changing.

Still, you don't really need it to surf the internet....

[Zeus]

What a surprise, Kupek is the only person posting sensibly in an Apple-related thread.

Yes, the rest of us are all insane

[SineSwiper]

This is a difficult industry to break into, Microsoft has lost billions getting into it; can Apple afford to do the same?

I would say no. Apple, in terms of a company, pales in comparison to Microsoft. Apple, with all of its iPods and iTunes, just doesn't have as much money as MS, so they couldn't afford to put billions of dollars into it.

What land do you live in where $800+ is cheaper than $600? The RAZR, the former market leading device prior to the Iphone, launched for $1000 and is wasn't even high end.

Funny, I know people who have RAZRs and they certainly can't afford a thousand dollar phone. If Apple was smart, they would have bundled the phone into a 1 or 2 year contract so that $600 didn't seems like, oh, $600. Of course, Apple has enough hardcore zealots to last three lifetimes, so they eat them up like candy.

[Andrew, Killer Bee]

If Apple was smart...

I'm not sure you can call Apple's business acumen into question, given that they're in second position for smartphones in the US market, from a standing start, after less than a year. Apple doesn't have enough "hardcore zealots" to account for their iPhone sales (To say nothing of the iPod).

This is a difficult industry to break into, Microsoft has lost billions getting into it; can Apple afford to do the same?

Apple are not going to break into the industry in the way that most gamers think they would try: they're just going to continue offering games for their existing hardware. As their hardware improves (and they're not going to improve their hardware with gaming in mind: as always they'll be driven by user experience, and any benefits to gaming experience will be incidental.), so too will the gaming experiences available on it. (The iPhone is going to have some completely kick-ass gaming experiences on it, I'm sure; and the current-gen Nanos have the most insidiously addictive version of solitaire ever. Having both a PSP and a DS available, Fea and I both will opt to play solitaire on the iPod, heh!)

[Julius Seeker]

What land do you live in where $800+ is cheaper than $600? The RAZR, the former market leading device prior to the Iphone, launched for $1000 and is wasn't even high end.

Funny, I know people who have RAZRs and they certainly can't afford a thousand dollar phone. If Apple was smart, they would have bundled the phone into a 1 or 2 year contract so that $600 didn't seems like, oh, $600. Of course, Apple has enough hardcore zealots to last three lifetimes, so they eat them up like candy.

Did your friends buy the RAZRS at launch? They don't cost that much anymore, and Iphones don't cost 600 anymore, they cost 400.

[Kupek]

If Apple was smart, they would have bundled the phone into a 1 or 2 year contract so that $600 didn't seems like, oh, $600. Of course, Apple has enough hardcore zealots to last three lifetimes, so they eat them up like candy.

The Cupertino-based company earned $1.05 billion, or $1.16 per share, in its second quarter, which ended March 29. That's 9 cents per share better than what analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial were expecting on average.

During the same period last year, Apple earned $770 million, or 87 cents per share.

source: http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080423/earns_apple.html?.v=18

You seem to have this impression that Apple is somehow in trouble, or that they're only held afloat by "zealots." They're not. They're doing quite well, and it's because of mass appeal.

Kinda like Nintendo.

[SineSwiper]

Hmm...market shares for Apple seem to be more than I thought. However, I still don't believe Apple would spend that kind of money on gaming, as MS did.

Oh, and to Andrew: LOL. You're playing Solitaire over DS/PSP. You're such a loser!

[Zeus]

Kinda like Nintendo.

Although I doubt Apple has more than $10 billion (yes, that's a "B") of cash or cash equivalents at their disposal

[bovine]

Fea and I both will opt to play solitaire on the iPod, heh!

they have cards for that sort of thing I hear.

[Andrew, Killer Bee]

Although I doubt Apple has more than $10 billion (yes, that's a "B") of cash or cash equivalents at their disposal

Haha, Apple have a cash balance of 19.4 billion dollars. They're not going to blow that on a gaming machine, though.

they have cards for that sort of thing I hear.

I don't know this cards of which you speak.

Oh, and to Andrew: LOL. You're playing Solitaire over DS/PSP. You're such a loser!

Hey, don't knock it till you've become horribly addicted to it.

[RentCavalier]

Oh, and to Andrew: LOL. You're playing Solitaire over DS/PSP. You're such a loser!

Hey, don't knock it till you've become horribly addicted to it.

That kind of logic could be applied to cigarettes, heroin, and child pornography you know.

[Zeus]

Although I doubt Apple has more than $10 billion (yes, that's a "B") of cash or cash equivalents at their disposal

Haha, Apple have a cash balance of 19.4 billion dollars. They're not going to blow that on a gaming machine, though.

Seriously? FUCK, that's almost a waste. And I thought Nintendo sitting on all that cash without properly investing just to ward off a hostile takeover (by M$ or Sony, actually) was bad.