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iPad Steam deck proves Apple missed an opportunity
- Thread starter macguy360
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That’s stretching things a bit isn’t it? Apple releases lots of gaming devices and yes, has made great strides in accessibility, controller support and modern conveniences of late. I game on my iPhone all the time and thing that the market is in much better health than Android.
But nobody is replacing their Xbox or Switch with an iPhone. And whilst touchscreens are not as bad as some people make out, a Backbone is not a replacement for a dedicated system. I want a device I can take with me, just turn on and pick up where I left off. Faffing around unpacking a Backbone, taking my iPhone out of its case (always a risk) and then having to decide what to play lacks the immediacy of dedicated hardware.
And Apple don’t make any games. In terms of quality nobody really touches Nintendo.
Please, gaming companies wish they made as much money as Apple from gaming. Why you think AAA-titles are turned into mobile games with "micro-transactions" and lootboxes? Because Apple outperforms everybody in the gaming industry except for Sony and Tencent.
Apple > Steam. And the funny thing is, Apple isn't even trying and they still beat Steam.
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That will depend on Steam's ability to provide the same quality experience, and make a profit off of it. Considering it would require buying a controller, most casual gamers who might play a few AAA games likely will pass, and serious gamers will already have their systems and likely look down on an iPad unless it matches that experience.
That's the key - money. Would a Steam app make enough money to warrant developing and supporting it?
People obviously like what Apple offers.
We do, it's called parenting.
That would be a game changer since the ATV is already hooked up to a bigger screen and at a much lower price point than an iPad / iPhone. A couple of controllers and you have a console that is cheaper than an Xbox or PS, handles TV viewing; if it runs the same quality games it would be a compelling buy for a casual gamer. As a bonus, it's easier to take with you when traveling as well.
yea. I bought a RaspberryPI and set it up for retro gaming but never really finished my plans to build a full fledged arcade; I'd rather finish restoring my old BMW. I also picked up an open box Atari retro game system dirt cheap but yet to have set it up. If I can get it to work with my X-Arcade stick and Star Wars yoke I may take another crack at it.
Apple are only ‘outperforming’ them based on their cut of sales though. It’s like saying the government is at the cutting edge of technology because Tesla pay them a sales tax. They make a lot of money from gaming but this by and large a passive, no-effort income on their part. Apple are not involved in the development of these titles.
AAA games aren’t turned into an IAP-ridden cancer. I don’t recall seeing an F2P Halo, Horizon, Forza, Elden Ring or Zelda title on mobile.
The App Store has an excellent selection of games for all interests but comparing it to Steam is a little silly. iOS finally gets Hades after 7 years on the market, the same year Hades 2 launches on Steam in early access. Games like Death Stranding are available on iOS but they don’t run too well.
Apple is a store, just like Steam.
Steam makes money the same way as Apple by taking their cut.
Microsoft also makes money like Apple (they sell their hardware as a loss) by taking a cut of games sold.
Sony, they also make money the same way as Apple, as the money is not earned from the PlayStation they sell (as the PlayStation is sold at a loss), but from the cut of the games they sell.
So trying to discredit Apple their business model is quite funny as others make money the same way. And Apple is one of the best at it.
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The government gets a cut is all sales through sales tax. Proxy doesn’t make it the biggest player in the Games Industry
Where can I buy games from the government? Where is there store? Which gaming devices does the government make where the games are played on? Is the government even a company like Apple, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Steam, …. ? How many people bought this device from the government to play games on?
Not a single list of the largest gaming companies in the world includes the USA government (because suprise, it is not a gaming company unlike Apple).
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Apple aren’t a gaming company either though.
They don’t
Actually appear
On any
Of these lists
The analogy still stands. Apple are involved in gaming by proxy. They make passive income from the sale of other people’s work via their 30% cut. The government make money from the games industry passively through sales taxes.
True, Apple is involved in the infrastructure of their gaming market but then the same could be said of the government who look after the actual infrastructure you need to power the thing in the first place.
I’ve kind of lost track of what the original point was here. Apple are somehow better than Valve because they passively make money from sales rather than being directly involved in the development? I don’t know. It’s late and I’m going to bed.
The analogy doesn’t stand because the government doesn’t:
- sell gaming devices (like Apple, Sony,Microsoft, Nintendo, ….)
- doesn’t sell games (like Apple, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, ….)
- it is not a company (like Apple, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, ….)
- has no gamers playing on their devices (like Apple, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, …)
Now if you seriously think the US government is the same like companies like Apple, Sony, Microsoft, ….. you need to ask for a refund of your college tuition.
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Apple are a storefront, like GameStop or Walmart. They don’t take any active action in the games industry, merely passively benefit from it. The government passively benefit from every consumerist venture via sales taxes. They passively benefit from it.
iPhones merely ‘host’ games in the same way that my dining table can support a board game. By the logic of an infrastructure company like Apple being described as part of the videogames industry we would have to describe IKEA as part of the board games industry, surely?
The point of this silly debate to begin with is that Apple are not a gaming company and never have been. They do not publish or fund the development of recreational software beyond a Mac chess program, Texas Hold ‘Em and some NYT-esque word game in Apple News.
Google, Lenovo, Samsung, Asus, HP, Huawei, Honor, Nokia, Xiaomi, Oppo, Dell and Toshiba all make devices capable of playing video games but none of them are gaming companies. Apple belongs on this list.
Microsoft build DirectX and own the Xbox brand. They have a direct role in the development and publishing of video games as well as their sales via a storefront. They also build dedicated gaming hardware in the form of consoles.
Valve own Steam, a popular PC gaming storefront. They also develop and publish their own software. They have a popular dedicated gaming system themselves that makes PC gaming portable.
Sony own the PlayStation brand. They fund, develop and publish their own games as well as having an eponymous dedicated gaming platform themselves.
Apple are not in the bracket as them. Apple cannot ‘blow up Steam’ any more than IKEA can ‘blow up Games Workshop’.
Definitely much, MUCH longer than that if you try hard enough. For example, Rollercoaster Tycoon, which is still widely available, dates from 1999. We're talking about 25 years here.
No just no. The Steam Deck and PC handhelds didn’t have a gap to fill, they just wanted to chase the handheld market Nintendo had created with the Switch. That’s all. And I’m sorry but these PC handhelds with 7” screens are truly horrible to do work on compared to an iPad screen. Try looking at Windows menus on a 7“ screen… word documents or spreadsheets. And if you say you just plug it into a monitor well yes but then you are adding an additional device and you can’t take a monitor round plus PC handheld like an iPad.
The market has spoken, these triple AAA games charging premium pricing on iPad aren’t selling very well, I’ve got most of them but I’m a realist and you can see they aren’t selling, Steam on iPad won’t sell the iPad, it’ll just be a nice to have feature. All those freemium games I’m afraid have proved to be what the market wants. And some of them are pretty damned good, COD, PUBG, Mario Kart and Diablo have been huge hits.
I recently sold my OLED Steam Deck as it was pointless for me, I just didn’t use it or get in with it, I used the money to put towards a new MacBook Pro, and my Switch Lite these days is in a draw until I sell it. I much prefer to play games on my 11” iPad Pro or PS5, and I can remote play PS5 games on my iPad or stream Xbox Games from Microsoft’s service on it perfectly. I have a fantastic all in one 11” device, screen big enough to work well with the old games designed for TV screens, and small enough to be portable. But I am not the norm inc the slightest with this.
So whilst your point has reason, it just doesn’t match reality of the market. But to claim the Steam Deck exists purely because Apple didn’t make the iPad a premium gaming device is just ludicrous and ignores the Switch entirely.
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Some people get by just fine with a cellphone and a word processor. I don't see why they wouldn't be able to use a handheld PC, which is much more versatile.
Also, you don't need to use a monitor. You can use a tablet as a monitor instead (which is what I did).
That’s the Legion Go. I have one, and I absolutely adore it, and not just for games. I actually love editing in DaVinci Resolve on it.