Comments on: Why Apple won't get into gaming

Don Reisinger thinks Apple will never get into gaming. Will it?

[topio]

Just look at Game support in apple hardware and you'll begin to see that this is not one of their main priorities

[Wolfman-K]

I agree the patent find is a non issue, but since news is so slow right now, it's good fodder for the punditry...

But just to play Devil's Advocate for a sec.... This is exactly what we said about Apple just before they jumped into the Cell Phone market.

And...

I have an iPod touch that was (now is not) Jail Broken, and the games the independent hackers were putting into the installer.app library were impressive, especially the ones that took advantage of the accelerometer.

I can see Apple putting out some of their own games for the iPhone and the iPod Touch soon. If they don't the SDK developers will.

[rpassavant]

While I agree that it would not make sense for Apple to get into the console market, I must disagree with one of the authors points:

... In the video game industry, the very first requirement of all hardware manufacturers is to allow other companies access to the console or handheld in order to create games for it. And if we look at Apple's history with its hardware, the company has been able to maintain a relatively stable environment because of its ability to keep its devices out of the hands of those filthy software developers...

If you look at any of the consoles, they are rock solid for the exact same reason that Apple products (for the most part) "just work" - the hardware platforms are locked down tight with no "upgrades" and the OS is locked down to only factory approved options. The games are only applications that run off the read-only memory (cartridge, CD, DVD, etc...) with specific purpose and to take advantage of the equipment within the box - which is completely stable with no variations between units. Game developers cannot modify the OS or the hardware, and THAT is where the stability comes in.

Apple has virtually the same lock on the Hardware and OS in any of their products - if a developer writes to the specs they work like a champ and all plays nice. Apple even encourages software development by giving away Xcode with all Leopard distributions.

[russkeller]

Apple has a well deserved reputation for jumping into a market and shaking things up. I prefer PC style games because I like my PC being my all in one entertainment center and the Idea of Apple getting into the mix worries me. As it is now PC games are dying and this may be the final nail in the coffin for PC games making consoles the new standard. Deveopers are already shying away from PC games in favor of consoles due to piracy since it's much easier to control thier product on consoles. Not to mention Vista is a great advertisement for using consoles instead of a PC.

[dogboi]

Forget the corporate culture for a minute. What would bring Apple to Video Games?

Capital, of course. The Video Game market is already larger than the movie, Television, and Music industries, and Apple has pushed into all three. Why not go for the larger target?

[limweiseng]

Apple will join the game race!
Yes hardware shouldn?t be locked to expand game business. That?s where the iPod Touch & iPhone come in. Opening up to SDK will enable it to be developed like PSP, better indeed. (imagination flies). Then yes again, not on the computer, Mac OSX not opening up but have we forgot Apple TV? It?s gonna act like Xbox, PS3 console dude! Games purchase wirelessly. Yes may not have DVD, Blue Disc, HDDVD, but what?s pulling it back? Nothing actually.

[mcghee33]

Are you kidding me!!! Of course they are not going into the gaming industry but i am the only one that read that NVIDIA just created a mobile chip that is capable of creating high definition video at a extremly low power along that it can play music twice as long as the iPod???!!!!! The reason that Apple applie for this patent is for the future iPhone and iPod touch that will eventually use this chip that will give them the ability to output high definition video from the iPod to your televiion and will also give it support for hd video gaming on the iPhone. Now this wont be a full fldged portable gaming system but will have the ability to play some games just like the iPod can now, it simply will do it much better

[nomastalgic]

Interesting.

Nomastalgic

[cmjones5]

I think they need to get into gaming. I've seen a macbook pro run some games that looked rediculously good compared to even running it on it's own console....itis amazing.

[aztec92154]

Hey everyone, we cant act like the idea of Apple creating a platform is crazy talk. We need to remember that we're talking about the company that created the Apple Pippin. ... What?! - Wait a sec. You don't remember the Apple Pippin? The Apple Pippin was a multimedia platform marketed by Apple Inc. (then Apple Computer Inc.) in the mid 1990s.

See Apple Pippin Wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Pippin

[nomastalgic]

i agree

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