| Legend11 said: At the recent CES show in Las Vegas an Intel executive admitted to me that they had held discussions with apple about a gaming console or even an Apple gaming PC running Intel RISC processors -SNIP to avoid having a huge quote box-Given Apple's excellent skills with creating nifty hardware interfaces and consumer electronics, the company might do fairly well against flat-footed operators like Redmond and Sony. Apple might even be able to run a game controller or console component using current versions of the Mac or iPod. |
I don't know how well this could turn out. And i'm not referencing the Pippin. Apple is a different company now than they were back then (IIRC Steve didn't even come back to Apple till Pippin was all but dead and his return has been instrumental in Apple's rise the last decade). Still I have my doubts.
Concerning the first part above I think it'd be wise for them to look into an Apple gaming PC. One of the reasons certain people give for not getting Macs is the lack of gaming without using something like Cider. Of course that shouldn't be a huge concern with Parallels or even better bootcamp but for some people it's just not worth the hassle. If Apple can somehow start getting more developers behind OS X for gaming it'll really help them gain more marketshare and general acceptance.
However a traditional standalone gaming console doesn't seem like something Apple would excel at. The higher costs they charge for their hardware won't sit well in gaming communities. For computers with the Macs you get what you pay for in the respect that there is a certain quality guarantee on the hardware Apple ships. But even amidst all the RROD stories console buyers aren't basing their decisions off of possible hardware reliability and if Apple tries to put out a product priced higher than they could based off of raw specs the gaming community would trash it. The PS3 had less than stellar sales and many point to the high price point but that's at least justifiable with the Bluray drive. I could very easily see Apple price it high without such an incentive just so they don't lose money per console.
Also (and I freely admit this next point is quite suspect 
) it seems quite apparent that Steve Jobs hates buttons. Just google "Steve Jobs hates buttons". A gamepad without buttons even if it uses a multitouch trackpad or some such technology will be very crippled. People are already complaining about the Wiimote's lack of buttons. I can't fathom what Apple would come up with. I mean the second part up there even mentions using an Ipod as a control option. I'm assuming they mean the touch/iPhone but even that won't suffice.
Developer support is also an issue. They don't have the resources MS did with their PC gaming connections to neccessarily get 3rd party support rolling quickly and they don't have the brand name 1st and 2nd party studios Nintendo and Sony have at their disposal. I suppose just off the Apple brand name people would try to at least give it a shot at first as Apple is amazing at marketing so a decent launch is quite possible.
I dunno in the end Apple's been successful enough that I can't doubt them completely but i'm still skeptical about this.
