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Forums - Gaming Discussion - Apple poised to interrupt the gaming business

nightsurge on 11 November 2009

The only way Apple will make it in a console gaming situation, is if they stop being Apple.

Otherwise the console will be inferior to other competitors, but with a much higher price (aka the "Apple Tax") just to get the slightly unique OS experience offered on that console.

They would do exceptionally well in a handheld market if they can make the device itself a reasonable price without having to be on a contract. An iPod touch for $200 is just too expensive. Their handheld gaming device would have to be $200 and still do everything and more than the iPod touch all while making it bigger to add buttons.



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mai on 11 November 2009
Avinash_Tyagi said:
Sony and MS have far more to fear from an Apple entry into the market than Nintendo does, not many kids are going to get iPhones and Nintendo has its in house dev teams. The Iphone is a bigger threat to the PSP than the DS.

Why not? AFAIK the cheapest iPhone costs $99? It's lower than DS Lite MSRP of $129. Entry price is low, so that's not a problem now, but I believe the biggest difficulty to get kids on board is monthly fees. Data plan for $30 p/month is too much, since average DS user spend around $10-15 p/month on DS. Of course, there's always free Wi-Fi hotspots everywhere, but I'm not sure how big is amount of downloads made through Wi-Fi connectivity compared to other options to access internet among iPhone users (my guess, not that big).



nightsurge on 11 November 2009
mai said:
Avinash_Tyagi said:
Sony and MS have far more to fear from an Apple entry into the market than Nintendo does, not many kids are going to get iPhones and Nintendo has its in house dev teams. The Iphone is a bigger threat to the PSP than the DS.

Why not? AFAIK the cheapest iPhone costs $99? It's lower than DS Lite MSRP of $129. Entry price is low, so that's not a problem now, but I believe the biggest difficulty to get kids on board is monthly fees. Data plan for $30 p/month is too much, since average DS user spend around $10-15 p/month on DS. Of course, there's always free Wi-Fi hotspots everywhere, but I'm not sure how big is amount of downloads made through Wi-Fi connectivity compared to other options to access internet among iPhone users (my guess, not that big).

Not to mention the actual cell phone plan so it's anywhere between $45-70 a month just to use the device, and you are locked in for 2 years with a $200 early termination fee.

If they could actually sell their iPod touches for $99, that'd be something!



mike_intellivision on 11 November 2009

The iPod touch is around $200 (USD). I use that (instead of the iPhone) because it gets you without a contract.

The iPhone is $600 without a contract or $200 with -- meaning a two-year cost of close to $3,000. That is a lot for a game machine.

What people seem to forget is that first and foremost, the iPhone is a phone.

Mike from Morgantown



      


I am Mario.


I like to jump around, and would lead a fairly serene and aimless existence if it weren't for my friends always getting into trouble. I love to help out, even when it puts me at risk. I seem to make friends with people who just can't stay out of trouble.

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disolitude on 11 November 2009

"Tens and tens of millions of Sony (NYSE:SNE) PS2s and PS3s were sold over the last decade. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) has turned its game console business into a real success. "

lol

Both have los tmore than they made.

Great success!

Apple you're next!



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Avinash_Tyagi on 11 November 2009
mai said:
Avinash_Tyagi said:
Sony and MS have far more to fear from an Apple entry into the market than Nintendo does, not many kids are going to get iPhones and Nintendo has its in house dev teams. The Iphone is a bigger threat to the PSP than the DS.

Why not? AFAIK the cheapest iPhone costs $99? It's lower than DS Lite MSRP of $129. Entry price is low, so that's not a problem now, but I believe the biggest difficulty to get kids on board is monthly fees. Data plan for $30 p/month is too much, since average DS user spend around $10-15 p/month on DS. Of course, there's always free Wi-Fi hotspots everywhere, but I'm not sure how big is amount of downloads made through Wi-Fi connectivity compared to other options to access internet among iPhone users (my guess, not that big).

Because of a few reasons, one breakage and loss, kids are more likely to lose and break the Iphones than adults, another is that kids aren't responsible with cellphone usage, driving up charges by texting and downloading and using the internet.



 

Predictions:Sales of Wii Fit will surpass the combined sales of the Grand Theft Auto franchiseLifetime sales of Wii will surpass the combined sales of the entire Playstation family of consoles by 12/31/2015 Wii hardware sales will surpass the total hardware sales of the PS2 by 12/31/2010 Wii will have 50% marketshare or more by the end of 2008 (I was wrong!!  It was a little over 48% only)Wii will surpass 45 Million in lifetime sales by the end of 2008 (I was wrong!!  Nintendo Financials showed it fell slightly short of 45 million shipped by end of 2008)Wii will surpass 80 Million in lifetime sales by the end of 2009 (I was wrong!! Wii didn't even get to 70 Million)

De85 on 11 November 2009
NYANKS said:

http://247wallst.com/2009/11/11/apple-aapl-moves-to-conquer-its-next-frontier/

The Holy Grail of consumer electronics is still a smashing success in the video game industry. Tens and tens of millions of Sony (NYSE:SNE) PS2s and PS3s were sold over the last decade. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) has turned its game console business into a real success. Nintendo has become the darling of the Japanese consumer electronics market because of huge sales of its portable DS and Wii consoles.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has done remarkably well in the computer, handset, and multimedia player sectors of electronics, but its has little or no place in the gaming industry.

Steve Jobs means to upgrade his status in the video game field. According to The Wall Street Journal, “Apple has made clear that it intends to go after Nintendo’s turf.” Among the Big Three members of the game industry, Nintendo is by far the most successful. The company is expected to sell 30 million of its DS units this year.

Analysts expect Apple to be succesful as it moves rapidly into video games. Research firm DFC predicts that revenue from Apple game sales will rise  from $46 million in 2008 to more than $2.8 billion in 2014. The forecast for 2014 seems improbably high. And, forecasts of consumer electronics activity five years from now are bound to be little more than guesses.

Apple does have some significant advantages as it moves into games inclusing its brand. The Apple name certainly helped adoption of the iPhone. A company that did not have the Mac and iPod as established products would have had a much harder time breaking into the handset field.

Apple also has the edge in its success with product design. It would be nearly impossible to name a company that has come to market with more electronics product that have become instantly popular in part because they were so well suited to consumer tastes.

Apple’s last and not insignificant advantage is its growing relationship with cellular carriers around the world, something that Nintendo lacks. Multi-player games can work on wireless 3G networks giving them many of the capabilities of larger consoles hooked up to landline broadband. 3G systems also make the download of new games relatively easy.

Apple is moving into the video game industry and it is likely that the companies already in the sector will have the same trouble handset firms had with the introduction of the iPhone.

Douglas A. McIntyre

_____________________________________________________________________

So, what do you guys think of those analysts' expectations?  Apple has the money to put a good effort in, but that's one more giant in an already overcrowded field.

Wait, is he really saying what it sounds to me like he's saying?  Apple will release a console and sales for all others will take a sharp dive? 

Not going to happen.  We've already seen the problems sony went through with the $600 price for the PS3, and if apple actually does release a console it will not be cheap.  This is apple we're talking about...



NYANKS on 11 November 2009

The market is overcrowded as is. I kind of like things as they are right now. A new Pippin would be funny to see though lol.



crumas2 on 11 November 2009
Cypher1980 said:
The Pippin 2 is on the horizon

Oh, I hope not... *shudder*

But to be fair, Jobs seems to be knocking a lot of the balls out of the park these days.  When I first saw the iPod (and its price), I thought it would be a big flop.  I mean, who in his/her right mind would spend $400 on a music player?  Well, I thought wrong.

So, while I don't think it's a done deal, I do believe the current management at Apple has the wherewithall to pull it off.  But only time will tell.



c0rd on 11 November 2009

Apple also has the edge in its success with product design. It would be nearly impossible to name a company that has come to market with more electronics product that have become instantly popular in part because they were so well suited to consumer tastes.

Nintendo has the edge in its success with game design. It would be nearly impossible to name a company that has come to market with more video game products that have become instantly popular in part because they were so well suited to consumer tastes.

...

Seriously. When you step into the video game business, forget the hardware - you need the software. Sony caught Nintendo/Sega off guard by sweeping third party support away, but I don't see that happening again. Where will Apple get their games? The individuals making $5 games aren't going to steal Nintendo's thunder.