Could Apple make a good console machine

[Slamman500]

what do you think...

i really don't think apple is that much interested into the console gaming market...

but if they were going to... do you think Apple could make a great gaming console that can rival the ps3, 360, wii etc. etc.

 

[octatonic]

Yes I think they could but I don't think they ever will.

 

[*LTD*]

Of course. They have the talent, the $, the attention to detail, etc.

They made a phone, a media player, a tablet. They're at the point where they can enter into any segment of their own choosing with a more than even chance of shaking it up.

They question is whether they actually will make a console, or whether it's even worth it, given the success of the iPad (now mirroring content onto HDTVs) and TV rumours, how integrated it will be, etc.

 

[roadbloc]

No point. It is already a saturated market. They appear to be doing well enough by encouraging games to be developed on all their platforms. Why bother doing anything else if it is working well?

 

[maflynn]

No point. It is already a saturated market.

Agreed it appears so saturated that sales are flat at best. This question is raised often enough around here and the answers are the same. Yeah they could but they won't.

Another post will invariably come in and also state they tried and failed at the console market years ago and that is accurate enough as well.

 

[*LTD*]

Another post will invariably come in and also state they tried and failed at the console market years ago and that is accurate enough as well.

The Apple of 2011 is not the Apple of 1996. I wonder when people will realize this. Forget the Pippin and whatever happened then. It doesn't count. It was conceived by a far, far different company.

Apple was reborn in 1998. Different management. Different vision. A return to some of the ideals of the very early days, but this time the focus was on growth and value-generation. You know, CHANGE occurred. Big change. The kind that *is not* occurring at MS, for example.

If Apple put a console-like device or platform on project status (well, they already have the groundwork laid out) and mobilized their talent and $ like they did with the iPod, iPhone, iPad, including iOS, App Store etc., you name it . . . the console competition would have plenty to fear. PLENTY. Sony, MS, Nintendo, would probably get blindsided like it's nobody's business by another Apple wonder-device that sends them back to the drawing board.

The core competencies of established players count for very little whenever Apple makes a serious push into their segment(s).

 

[Rodimus Prime]

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.

 

[Slamman500]

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.

the ps3 is just starting to make a good profit for sony right now... it just reached its milestone, selling 50 million units....

 

[vincenz]

If they put their energies into it the same way all their current idevices are being made, I'm sure they could make a small dent in the industry. They won't do it though.

 

[Fuzzy14]

They made a bad one years ago.

I can see no justification or motivation to try and do so again, I think they are quite happy with gaming through iDevices.

Edit: Sorry missed the earlier reference to the Pippin. Was wondering why nobody else had mention it.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

the ps3 is just starting to make a good profit for sony right now... it just reached its milestone, selling 50 million units....

Now it is. But I was talking about the project itself starting back with the PS1. Huge upfront cost and no real return for profit for a long time.

 

[AppleScruff1]

I don't think they will make a console. Too much competition and too much money would be lost to gain a good foothold in the market. Apple is all about profit and new product innovation. Plus if they made a console you'd only be able to buy games from them as they would have a closed system like everything else they do so that they would have complete control.

 

[0007776]

They might be able to, but they wont. Apple likes to go into markets where there isn't any good product and make something good. there already are good game consoles, Apple couldn't add much.

 

[Liquorpuki]

Personally, I think if there's one industry Apple wouldn't have a clue what to do in, it's gaming.

Apple never even planned for iOS to become a gaming platform. Only reason it took off is because Sony and Nintendo didn't do anything for half a decade. So now we've got iOS gaming, which is nothing more than glorified minigames, ports of 20 year old Nintendo games, and Gameloft ripping off other developers' IP's. That's not visionary, that's regression.

If they put out a console, it'll be like one of those Apple TV experiments, where 2 years later half the people who own one still have no clue why they bought it.

 

[Mac.World]

Well, I think they already have with the iPad and the iCade. For $100 you got yourself a miniarcade. With Atari and hopefully CAPCOM coming on board, this is the ticket to old school gaming. Gimme some Street Fighter, Pac-Man and Mortal Kombat. Joystick and six buttons... mmmm perfect. iCade will be available in June it looks like. Link: http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/retro-gaming/e762/

 

[Fubar1977]

Check out the link Fuzzy14 posted.

They`ve already been there, can`t see them doing again TBH.

Now TV`s on the other hand...

 

[*LTD*]

pre-June 2007

They might be able to, but they wont. Apple likes to go into markets where there isn't any good product and make something good. there already are good smartphones, Apple couldn't add much.

Sounds familiar.

 

[0098386]

They haven't made a handheld that plays games as well as or have a library as good as the DS or PSP. So how could they make a console - a much tougher and saturated market?

They have some orbiting devices like the iPad, Apple TV, iPod etc. But if you were to combine those to make a games console... then you've just paid a fortune to play mostly bad games on a TV.

Games consoles do require buttons. They removed the controller with some Kinect games, however as anyone who has played them can attest to you lose so much precision and control when the controller is removed. Even the Wii suffers slightly from it.

Console games. The Zelda's and Mario's, Call of Duty's, Gears of Wars' (aka the best selling games). They need what Apple can't (or won't) provide.

Personally, I think if there's one industry Apple wouldn't have a clue what to do in, it's gaming.

Apple never even planned for iOS to become a gaming platform. Only reason it took off is because Sony and Nintendo didn't do anything for half a decade. So now we've got iOS gaming, which is nothing more than glorified minigames, ports of 20 year old Nintendo games, and Gameloft ripping off other developers' IP's. That's not visionary, that's regression.

As someone who has around 50 iOS games and has thrown around £100 into it - I can only agree.
I bought into it because I thought games like PvZ would be great on it. But it turns out the version on Steam is better.

 

[Dr McKay]

They'd have to focus a huge amount of energy into it, they'd start having to get really friendly with the big game developers, strike multi-million dollar deals for games to appear on their system, and if they wanted to stand a chance at online play, they'd have to invest in some serious server-space.

The data centre could be used for that I guess?

I really don't think Apple would want to invest the tonnes of manpower, resources and incredible sums of money to enter a market that Steve Jobs publicly admitted he doesn't care about.

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"

 

[*LTD*]

They'd have to focus a huge amount of energy into it, they'd start having to get really friendly with the big game developers, strike multi-million dollar deals for games to appear on their system, and if they wanted to stand a chance at online play, they'd have to invest in some serious server-space.

The data centre could be used for that I guess?

I really don't think Apple would want to invest the tonnes of manpower, resources and incredible sums of money to enter a market that Steve Jobs publicly admitted he doesn't care about.

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"

I love Steve Jobs' red herrings.

The truth is, no matter what SJ says *now*, there is really no telling what Apple's next big move will be. It could be virtually anything. Apple has a tendency of coming out of nowhere with something insanely great.

 

[AppleScruff1]

I love Steve Jobs' red herrings.

The truth is, no matter what SJ says *now*, there is really no telling what Apple's next big move will be. It could be virtually anything. Apple has a tendency of coming out of nowhere with something insanely great.

Or convincing people that whatever they make is insanely great, emphasis on insane.

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

The truth is, no matter what SJ says *now*, there is really no telling what Apple's next big move will be. It could be virtually anything. Apple has a tendency of coming out of nowhere with something insanely great.

You don't know much about the gaming industry or Apple, I guess. There's no way they will release a traditional console. The best we're going to get is an App Store for the AppleTV.

 

[AppleMacDudeG4]

yes but not likely

Apple could probably make a pretty good console but I do not think it makes sense for them to do so. They are doing fine with iTunes app store and people do enjoy playing games on their iPhone / iTouch / iPad devices so I do not think that they would want to get into that market.

It would not surprise me if Apple got into that market but I do not think it is likely under Steve Jobs' rule.

 

[Dr McKay]

I love Steve Jobs' red herrings.

The truth is, no matter what SJ says *now*, there is really no telling what Apple's next big move will be. It could be virtually anything. Apple has a tendency of coming out of nowhere with something insanely great.

Developing a gaming system, especially making their online world, is not something they can 'Move a few guys from the iOS section' to dabble in, like they seem to with other projects.

They'd have to invest serious manpower, resources, time, effort into something that might not pay off.

Im not saying they couldn't do it, just that they most likely won't do it. They'd have to increase in size massively, or forget other projects. And I believe Steve is sincere when he says he doesnt care about gaming, I believe the extent of his care for gaming extends to iOS devices.

 

[0007776]

pre-June 2007



Sounds familiar.

Except for the fact that there weren't good smart phones before the iPhone. Now there are other options, but at the time, most smart phones where awful. But that is getting off topic, and I know you will disagree with me, so I won't take this thread farther off topic.