Beware the Mighty APPLE...

To qualify the following post, one must first understand that consciously ignoring a company's reach, a company who has more cash on hand than Intel is worth, is only delaying the inevitable emotion that follows the shift of an ecosystem. The ecosystem we're talking about today is video games. And I think a storm is coming...

In very recent days, rumors have picked up (once again) of Apple doing more with their hobby project than they have been previously. In fact, Apple has just (very quietly) given the Apple TV a special place on their store page, next to the special places reserved for central products like the iPhone, iPad, and Mac lines. This comes on the heels of another recent announcement, regarding the future of Apple TV and that the next big push is games.

Apple's favorite hobby may soon see a long-awaited update that would add support for iOS games and Bluetooth game controllers, a new report claims.

Credit AppleInsider

Beware the company with deeper pockets than anyone else, especially since Apple's entry into the world of video games comes at a minuscule cost when compared with the likes of Nintendo, Microsoft, or Sony. Keep in mind also that Apple already has enough financial information (read: credit cards) to launch a bank chain and they have already set up and has already paid out $15 BILLION dollars to iOS developers (66% of which likely went to game developers).

All this adds up to a very dangerous situation for the big players in the industry. Apple has been waiting, watching, and planning for some time, it's a certainty. Rather than come out and tell the world their plans, like every other company, they've subtly backed their way into gaming and the iron is hot for another move towards the industry.

You may choose to ignore it, but it's probably going to happen. Who knows what Apple has going on behind the curtain...

I sincerely hope Apple does it again and completely upends yet another industry. Bring on the change, it's time.

Apple TV doesn't have any processing power and I don't see that changing in a new model. These are going to be phone games on your TV, which puts it on par with the Ouya, this won't effect the main consoles in any way.

They could do very well in the business, as they have shown with the tremendous amount of downloads/business done in the Store, but I dont see it having a real negative effect on the console business as , exclusives, online, plug and play will keep the console business alive and well.

The company that made the Ouya didn't have nearly the reach, resources, foundation, or name that Apple has. Comparing the two devices, while understandably tempting, is really impossible.

Rockstar has already released many of their classic titles (Max Payne and GTA series games) on iOS, and with native controller support, so assuming they're all going to be "phone games" is also fallacious. Many of the Final Fantasy games are also available on iOS (albeit for much, much too much). Also lets not forget about Baldur's Gate 1 and 2, Chrono Trigger, KOTOR, TWEWY, XCOM: Enemy Unknown (yes, the full game), Bastion, Limbo, MtG Dual of the Planeswalkers, Frozen Synapse, The Walking Dead, and so many more.

Those don't even account for the large quantity of high-quality titles only available on iOS (and sometimes also on android). Brushing this news off, especially after Apple has already released a 64bit A7 that is, as AnandTech said, somewhere in the Core2Duo range (already), is not a smart thing to do.

Phone games on my tv, well done musical mac, you fail to impress with apple products yet again.

many companies print money... they don't always win though.

Oh good, someone's grandpa found their way on Gamespot and is talking about Apple

Apple is for people who don't know better, they're good for your grandma who thinks you need to drive to the app store.

The idea that they could offer anything to gaming is laughable

Perhaps, but I would be surprised if it didn't disrupt the industry at least in part (if not completely). Ironically, Apple would likely release an updated Apple TV for a measly $99USD and be the cheapest way to get into gaming on your TV at home. It also may come with features that out-do Microsoft's cable TV stuff baked into the Xbox One (seriously, not hard to do, a box on a box is such a dumb dead end waste of time) with their own solution.

Apple is likely the most powerful player in tech today, so anything they do will be scrutinized, lauded, dismissed, and ultimately, copied. This is the way of the world, lol.

Wow, a complete post of pretend

Want to stop with the "if" and lay out an actual fact?

One that ties into your subject, not PR fluff that's for a completely different tech area

Did you see the games I listed? Do you know how many high-quality titles (that aren't re-releases) are available?

I truly find this post funny, honestly. Being called a grandpa for having perspective on the future by someone who appears clueless truly amuses me. So none of the evidence I pointed to above caught your eye in terms of Apple's influence in gaming? Without even trying they've already managed to pay ~$10 BILLION to game developers. What happens when they put more effort into it than none?

I laid out PLENTY of facts in the OP.

@musicalmac: Yes... and?

"App piracy harder on iOS than android" ... take it from someone that has played around with both... they are exactly the same in this department, but as apple's market shrinks, so will this ridiculously stupid perception.

Not that I expect different from Tech Crunch, they have always been far up Apple's backside.

Those casuals you refer to are, without question, the LARGEST group of people one could target. Look at the Wii's success, just as a point of interest. It's not the console or hard-core gamer Apple would target.

Yeah, in other areas

None of it means anything to your subject though

It's all guesses, did you not catch the number of times you said "if"?

Facts or stop talking

I'm not sure what you're referring to here.

I'm not sure what you're looking for. What do you want facts on?

I linked to reports of Apple planning on adding some sort of gaming to a refreshed Apple TV in the coming months. I also made mention to the fact that Apple typically referred to the Apple TV as a hobby project, but hobbies don't typically get their own section on the Apple Store on the same level as the Macs, iPhones, and iPads.

AS IF ON COMMAND.

Since our previous report, we’ve learned a few additional details about new versions of the Apple TV in development. It is currently not clear or confirmed if the following specifications will be placed in the shipping product, but we understand from solid sources that they have been considered and/or tested in prototype versions of the device.

We’re told that Apple has considered combining the Apple TV and AirPort Express products. Versions of the new Apple TV in testing are said to include an integrated 802.11ac wireless router.

We’re also told that the new Apple TV will likely feature a focus on gaming, and this lines up with a recent iLounge report. We’re led to believe that the game integration will utilize existing iPads, iPhones, and iPod touches as controllers. It’s likely that there, too, will be some integration with Apple’s physical controller MFi program.

Lastly, Apple has been testing versions of the Apple TV with a built-in TV tuner component so it has the ability to control your existing cable boxes/TV stations much like the since canceled Google TV. It’s likely that a user will be able to connect their existing set-up to this Apple TV and get an Apple-designed user-interface atop their content.

Credit 9to5Mac Apple TV graduates from hobby/accessory to product line ahead of major changes

So, again reports confirm that things are happening inside Apple in regards to their former hobby. Very interesting. That last bit, though, about a box on top of a box, is a waste of time unless it's in preparation for Apple to provide some sort of cable television-like service in the near future.

"Phone games" means "games you can play on a phone" and that's true for all of those, I don't use it as an insult like some people.There's some great games there, of course, but a lot of them are 5-10 years old and that's not going to get someone buying this over a PS4 or an Xbone. If you want to play all the latest games those are the places to go and I can't see Apple entering that market.

Apple TV is an established device and this is just another little arrow in its quiver, this isn't Apple making a dedicated gaming device, it's them adding something they already have on their other iOS devices into the Apple TV. It'll make the Apple TV a better, more enticing product, but I don't see how it's going to make it into some sort of gaming powerhouse.

@musicalmac: No competition whatsoever. Apple IOS games don't compare in any way to the console/PC gaming depth, storytelling, visuals, or multiplayer. Now don't get me wrong, Apple will make a ton of money as they already are. But playing a phone/tablet game on your TV isn't the same experience as playing a Mario, GTA, Halo, Uncharted. Apple wants to and will make money going after the type of gamers it already has. But to cut into the profits of the console boys, it will have to go full on in with a console of its own. And with Iphone sales slowly diminishing, not sure if the game console business is a risk worth taking when you are already making hand over fist money with the styles of games available now on your platform.

Ah, my apologies for jumping to conclusions.

I don't think the AppleTV has to be a gaming powerhouse to make an impact on the market. I don't anticipate people will rush out to their nearest retailer and snatch up Apple TVs like new console releases. I think, much like Apple has done previously, it'll be a slow push into a market in an unorthodox way.

Did you know that Steve Jobs didn't want 3rd party apps on the App Store, and had to be convinced otherwise?

I think you're exactly right, that the Apple TV would simply be adding another arrow in it's quiver (I like that analogy for it, kudos), and I think it may slowly chip away at or at least more immediately supply people with a device that features more of what they want for less money.

Heh, we disagree on the timeline. I think a game-enabled Apple TV will have more effect on the industry in the long-run than it will in the short-term. Right now, Apple's A7 is, as I said before, in Core2Duo territory and reports cite the A8 (the next generation of Apple's 64bit mobile chip) as being up to twice as fast again.

What I'm saying is that Apple never looks at a market as a sprint (like Samsung and their useless galaxy gear watch or like Motorola with their Atrix fingerprint sensor). You can bet they're planning on years ahead, not what makes a splash now.

I can't comment on the AppleTV in terms of capabilities abroad, but I wish there were fewer restrictions across the board with content across boarders. I remember vacationing in Costa Rica and being slightly annoyed that I couldn't watch Netflix on my MacBook Pro because of my location. (This was some time ago now.)

People have been shoving their heads in the sand for years when it comes to Apple. With the popularity of their brand, the amount of excess cash they possess and their track record, they could very easily enter the gaming market and conquer it. They have been making subtle moves with their iOS devices for years and each year their marketshare grows while handheld devices see their sales erode. It's only a matter of time before Apple is on Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo's doorstep with a home console (perhaps the updated Apple TV) that takes their markets hate away. Apple has always entered a market and dominated since 2001 with the entrance of the iPod and they could do it again with a game console

Ever since jobs kicked the bucket apple has turned into a completely shit company with no edge, no innovations and no nothing. All they do is make the same shit each time with a slight improvement and a big ass price tag slapped on it to appeal to suburban white kids that want to spend their mcdonalds earnings on a gadget to be trendy, college/30 something kids who want to sit in starbucks so everyone see's their apple device, or middle aged people who have to have "an apple product" because they think it makes them cool so they don't feel 40, and older wannabe business type people who don't want to be caught sitting someplace public playing with something that doesn't have a apple on it. That's all apple does is cater to those audiences of people with no technical knowledge and way too much money that worry about having a trendy item.

Bottom line is apple doesn't make a single product that competes with other companies. Everything apple makes there is a more powerful, more open ended, more reliable and cheaper product out there.

But ever since the death of jobs apple has lost any sense of reality and ability to compete. This much like everything else apple has done post jobs will lag behind its competition.

You're right to say that Apple's share of the market in terms of smartphones world-wide is going down, but that doesn't mean they're selling fewer iPhones. Apple sold ~51 million phones in the last three months of the year (2013), which is a few million more than they sold in the last three months of 2012. Sales are not diminishing.

Also, as I pointed out before, companies like Rockstar and Square Enix have released many titles on iOS that were previously available on consoles, and even XCOM in its entirety is available on iOS. It's a whole new world out there, things are not what you assume them to be.

Can you provide any evidence to support your post?

I will, at the very least, applaud your effort if you decide to try.

Nope i just don't see it, i think some people are just seeing things when it comes to this sort of console.

Mobile games are useless to anyone outside of a mobile, yes the whole iOS games are big, and this is because everyone has a mobile phone, i download games weekly to have a go and i get bored within 10minutes of the game, this type of console just won't pick up, if this was some type of revolution in gaming the Ouya would of picked up alot more sales than it has, mobile gaming is just not wanted on the home/bedroom tv, when were at home we want quality graphics and story telling, a mobile game just doesn't have the hmmph we look for with a home console and i don't see this changing for a long long time, because the further we go the better the mobile gaming becomes but the better the home consoles and pc become aswel, the boom in mobile gaming is for the sheer fact most people have a mobile

Also, to put Apple's finances in perspective.

Apple's Net Worth - $185 Billion

Apple's On-Hand extra cash - $146 Billion

Microsoft Net Worth - $69.96 Billion

Sony Net Worth - $18.6 Billion

I always find these threads adorable.

How many micro consoles need to die before they stop being a threat to traditional gaming? Nobody over the age of 7 wants to play angry birds at home.

@darkspineslayer: you're probably right. That's why Numerous Final fantasies, Call of Duties and Grand Theft Autos, to name a few can easily be found on the App Store

Considerings Apple's love of photo, music and video (including first-party software Aperture, Logic, and Final Cut Pro) it seems more likely that the Apple TV may be focussed on those things.

iOS games sell well because they are on devices that do a lot more than just gaming. If Apple tried to make a SECOND console-like device, they would fail due to lack of gaming knowledge and an inability to sell things at less than 40000% profit.

If Steve Jobs is still in Apple than this will be something that I'm look forward to but now??? Not as much!

Nobody proposed that they would make something else AND the traditional Apple TV. In fact, the most recent article revolving around this subject points to Apple releasing an Apple TV that already does the stuff you mention (it already does that, already) but that also acts as a wireless router and a game hub.

Remember, without trying, Apple has already paid game developers ~10 BILLION dollars. That's billion with a B. There's nothing adorable about that. Games that sell for pennies on the dollar, that in some cases are "HD Remakes" as we would call them, are hugely profitable on iOS.

Apple TV sounds meh to me, but I'm sure other people will get a lot of use out if it.

Now if Apple threw their hat into the console arena................

In a related news, Amazon is also developing an Android-based console. Link to story. All the big tech companies are competing for space under your TV.

You're right, nobody has proposed they would be making an Apple TV AND a console, except Boddicker, who posted after I did.

Anything Apple does with iOS gaming and the Apple TV will be targeted against android, not consoles. Any damage iOS has done to consoles has already been done. Apple is not a gaming focused company and will likely never be.

In the relatively-distant future? Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft may shift focus to handheld gaming systems that will be cheaper than Apple phone and tablet products and have both the developers - and the fan base - to continue with Forza, Soul Calibur, Mario, etc.

I think that perhaps you don't fully understand Apple's motivations. Apple isn't targeting "andriod" and doesn't have a huge motivator to do so. To my knowledge, android has only really made Samsung money. In fact, I'm fairly certain Google is still a few billion in the red on their foray into mobile operating systems. Perhaps I'm wrong -- I'd love to see evidence.

Apple is targeting customers first and foremost with products that merge hardware and software into the most usable and broad-market things that they can. That's their primary goal. That goal has been responsible for many shifts in the tech landscape and Apple has quite a bit of blood on its hands in terms of other products they have steamrolled as a result.

Whatever Apple does, it won't be with the goal of beating MS, Sony, Google, or anyone else. However, the demise (or nullification) of a product or company typically follows anyways... Only time will tell, but the idea that Apple's move in this area could erode the market (and future market of gaming) isn't even close to remote so much as it is seemingly just a matter of time.

It's likely that the Apple TV update will be bigger and broader than the simple inclusion of gaming, and that this other functionality, whatever it might be, is going to be the hot-ticket item. That this mystery functionality will be the reason Apple gets it into consumer living rooms. Again, time will tell and now that Apple has given the Apple TV prime status among its products, I think we're in for something bigger than many of you are anticipating.

I can't wait to play Candy Crush on my brand new HDTV home theater system!!!1!

Most of my reply would simply be restating what I already said. If you didn't understand it the first time, I'm not going to waste the time to post it again. Perhaps one of the other posters will phrase it in a way that you can comprehend.

As far as Apple "not targeting android and doesn't have a huge motivator to do so", I would simply point out that anyone taking business advice from you would be out of business fairly soon.

Your post wasn't very deep to begin with... And Apple rarely fights down, rather letting the competition fight up. Apple's not in a race to the bottom.

@WadeFan: Woah, you showed me. Numerous games I can find on PSN right now? And in the case of Square Enix games, cheaper?

*runs to apple store*

Apple making a big push into gaming would be the final nail in Sonys coffin.

The Apple TV would have indies games locked down, so where does that leave the indiestation 4?

So we're gonna pay upwards of 400 bucks to play old games?

I'm surprised this isn't a sticky

Apple is known for pricing their products consistently. Though I understand this is just a cantankerous drive-by trolling, the reality is that the next Apple TV will also come with a 99USD price tag.

Not guaranteed, but likely.

This.

Apple is for n00bs. the anodized aluminium finish adds no performance improvement whatsoever. its all about marketing for those clowns.

Big deal....more casual games.

Yeah for 20 years. Apple had the means, they had the money and in the right business but they never gave a shit about gaming. Even iOS gaming was not something they actively pursued, it was an accident. Mainly developers that went after an already existing big market and even to this day iOS gaming is seen as the bastardized form of gaming, full of cheap crapware that fully embraces microtransaction.

A huge company that never cared about gaming, that is the reason an Apple fanboy looks out of place in a gaming forum. Do they want to finally take this industry seriously? They're welcomed but it looks like it's going to be some appleTV crap and I'm not holding my breath.

I do like my iPhone, but no. It is possible though

Apple could easily succeed in this market. With an Huge cloud infrastructure already coupled with deep pockets that could produce a powerful console it'd be easy for them to succeed. Especially given their brand recognition.

Sony would then actually have competition.

I have a phone for phone games..

And it doesn't matter if the have 3 or 4 gen old rockstar games or 3-4 gen old rpgs. It doesn't matter that they have a game from ps3/360. They're still phone games, and the majority of them are quick fun with no real immersion and low production values.

I hate apple, I hope they fail.