Apple to advance iPhone gaming, not join console fray.

by WyldKard on August 6, 2009

Despite ’s sordid foray into the video market with the ill-fated Pippin, TUAW’s Mike Schramm believes that is willing to give console another go. His speculation is based in large part on a piece by Erik Sherman at BNET, in which Sherman notes various patents filed, and various individuals hired, as evidence of ’s console initiative.

No TV console aspirations.

We’ll address Schramm first, by noting that an escapade into console--land would be a horribly poor move for . ’s success with the , and later the , was due to them being able to put a decently-priced but amazingly polished device into consumer’s hands. Before the , mp3 players weren’t particularly notable aside from the fact that they existed at all. pretty much defined the portable mp3 market, and arguably, created the mainstream movement towards legal mp3 downloads. With the , entered a market densely packed with crappy , where even the best sported comparably poor user interfaces and little real online functionality. With the AppStore, blew the doors open on downloadable content, and once again redefined a market, now being emulated by contenders.

The console market is nothing like the portable or cell phone markets were before got involved. The console market consist of only three key players, all of whom do a great job at building systems, and all of whom have significant industry backing in the form of third-party titles. Plus, all have an indy developer component, and significant mindshare among consumers.

That’s not to say that couldn’t be successful by entering the console wars, but their timing would be way off. Releasing a console before circa 2013, when , , and will reveal their latest offerings, would be dooming an console to irrelevance in only four years time. Furthermore, would fight an uphill battle, akin to what dealt with when they unveiled the original . Only, ’s experience with the mainstream market ( had years of experience dealing with PC ), is virtually null prior to the proliferation of games. Simply put, the console marketplace is too volatile a place for to push itself into – the competition is too fierce, so why take an unnecessary risk? is better suited to define a market with much less competition, and the handheld market is a prime target.

The accidental success.

We’re not so sure that expected to be successful with . Surely, expected to find games developed for the , but titles from big-name publishers using big-name IP? Maybe even built the to be capable of running games with decent graphics and framerates, but the very lack of input options makes us question ’s expectations that the might become a veritable and competitor. But here we are: leveraging the AppStore’s framework, the is able to market pretty amazing games via a convenient, cutting-edge distribution model, all for a much cheaper price than games released for the or . Like the proliferation of the Wii, is build on a solid foundation of more casual titles, but as time goes on, we’re now seeing more and more “mature” titles requiring more of a user’s focus. It’s one thing for to have given Mac a mere head-nod in the past, it’s another for to dismiss a clearly growing phenomenon. So, will continue embracing , and that’s at the heart of Sherman’s observations.

The acquisition of Bob Dreblin, Raka Koduri, Mark Papermaster, and Richard Teversham, might not even indicate assembling a “dream team” for the market, but let’s assume this to be true. Dreblin’s contribution to the Gamecube CPU may be most telling: the Gamecube was underpowered compared to offerings from and , but the thing was admittedly compact. If anything, the rest of the team would play into embedded just as easily as they would in traditional console , not to mention ’s acquisition of PA Semi and their investment in PowerVR. If ’s going to be serious about , they’ll want to develop specific for that purpose, especially since this kind of specialized will still be able to power the thousands of non- applications. By controlling the supply chain specifically, ensures that the competition won’t be building similar products, and furthermore, secures its from additional vulnerabilities.

Sherman makes some good observations about ’s patent filings. If anything, it should be pretty clear that is looking to link and outside media. Much as iTunes can suggest based on one’s existing library, application 20080076495 proposes similar functionality, only rather than just making recommendations, games could identify appropriate to play based on a user’s preference. For example, a scene in a game calling for fast-paced, action-packed combat, may query a user’s library for metal or hard rock , and based on the user’s ratings, will play a top song in that category. In other words, games will be minimally tailored to suit the user’s tastes based on other media they own. The patent application, at absolute minimum, forms an extension to the iTunes store, in that games may be recommended based on songs a user owns: lots of metal songs may mean a user prefers more action-oriented games, for instance.

The other patent applications Sherman identifies give further insight into ’s direction with games, but it should be pretty clear by now that is looking at solidifying the game user-base. Arguably, is already ahead of the game with their application distribution model, as and are now moving ahead with their own online stores. The difference is that the is a more flexible system, is nearly always connected to the , and meets an application price-point easily suited for growth. By the time the AppStore starts including games costing $20 or higher, the handheld market will be a shitstorm of competition, because will have become a major contender well before that, assuming the next version further advances a long-term plan (and the 3GS appears to herald this). At that time, and better have stepped up their game, because unlike with the traditional console market, the handheld market is far more malleable, especially when the ’s chief success is drawing spontaneous buyers into a web of easily-accessible, easily-downloadable content.

So for those longing for an console, look no further than your . While it’s already successfully integrated the and cell phone, it’s now looking to devour your friendly neighborhood , too.

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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

1 Erik Sherman August 6, 2009 at 10:50 pm

Thanks for the mention of my article. Given what I saw in the patents, and looking at Apple over the long run, I’d agree that it’s not going to be a separate game console, but some combination mobile device.

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