I recently made the decision to switch to Mac. Not that I don't like Windows based PC's or am unwilling to experiment with Linux, it's just that I really wanted something new and fresh and iPhoto called to me. That and I got a free iPod Touch with my purchase.
And it is freakin' awesome.
Anyway, I read this today. I personally love the DS and don't see the iPod Touch edging it (or any Nintendo hand held ever) out of the market. But, with a screen comparable to the PSP and intuitive and unique controls the accelerometer and touch screen provide, I can see the iPod Touch becoming a very capable gaming platform. And seeing as the PSP has more of a multiple use focus, like the iPod Touch, it seems to me the real head to head competition here is between Apple and Sony.
I guess my final thoughts are that the iPod Touch currently has a slew of shovelware and puzzle games with few games that feel like a complete package. There is a current transition in mobile gaming towards realizing that it doesn't have to be like cell phones of old with awkward controls or sub par graphics. I think the movement needs to simply grow. But I suspect it will. I suspect more developers will eventually see the iPod Touch as a capable gaming platform and take the extra effort to make games more similar to DS or PSP quality games.
Heh, wow. Reminds me of this stupid tabloid story in The Inquirer that said Google was planning on buy out Valve from Microsoft, and then the rumor started going crazy that Google was buying Valve and then giving it/partnering with Apple so Apple could compete in the PC gaming market and maybe create a console to take down the Xbox 360. XD
I have an iPod Touch from a few months ago... I have bought quite a few games there now. Spore, Super Monkey Ball, Crash Bandicot Racing, Bomberman... and so on.
I agree it's fun and all... but games are not serious business for Apple, I wish it were because I love the way the new iMacs look, simple and beautiful.
But most PC games out there are not Mac compatible.
Me and deques bought Guild Wars complete collection to play... and it only works on the windows plattform.
I hope that with the iPhone/Touch they will realise that games is a giant market and should get more companies to do games for Mac, then I might consider buying one.
(also the iMacs are expensive as hell)
I don't think the problem is on Apple's side. Jobs has stated that gaming is a big part of the iPod universe and there was a whole section of the Apple Store I went to to pick out my computer at that was dedicated to Mac gaming. Because Apple is still somewhat of a niche in the PC market, less gaming companies support it--but they do exist. "Spore" and "Lego Star Wars" were among the games being demonstrated [when I bought my computer]. And even on the independent scene, "Aquaria" [was] developed for [the] Mac. However, I think the real question is how Apple is doing, and will do, in the mobile gaming market. In this field, not only are there more and better companies than just Microsoft alone supporting the hardware [okay, technically the software but we can't get too picky for this sentence's sake], there is also a much broader market. Sure, a lot of that market is populated by casual gamers and consequently casual games at the moment but [I don't think that will] make a difference [in the long run]. In this field, Apple is making a big move. It may not have started intentionally but it is impressive nonetheless.
Peace,
manaman
Edit: Okay, I just went back and tried to make my late night musings make a little more sense. Perhaps they do. Probably they don't. Ah well, I tried.
Last edited by manaman on Sun Sep 21, 2008 5:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
I hate to double post here but I feel this is worth it. I just came across this little item online. I don't know, I would expect good things from an Apple home console but I still hope that it doesn't become a reality any time soon. Someday, perhaps.
Hm, might be interesting. It would certainly be an uphill battle for them like it was with Microsoft, even more so, for global acceptance. Then again, if they don't have the failings of Microsoft they might find themselves better off. XD
Let's not forget Apple already tried the console market and it fail very bad that most people didn't even know they had a console.
I like Apple in the way that they sorta challenge the technology forward and everything looks smooth and cool... but I hate how they also "lock" everything to them and doesn't allow others in.
Also... I don't know if we need yet another console in the market... I have hard enough trying to get all current 3 of them.
I don't think the Pippin really counts, however. First of all, one could consider its failure due to its being ahead of its time. Nowadays everyone wants their gaming platform to perform functions one would associate with computing. At the time, however, the Pippin was considered more of a computer than a gaming console. One could argue that the iPhone and iPod Touch are likewise more multimedia devices than gaming platforms but now that is similar to other gaming devices (PSP, I choose you!) and if Apple does decide to enter the ring with a gaming machine, the current ideology of Apple suggests that the machine would concentrate on one one thing and work to make it the best it can be. If you're interested in where I got this idea, go here. Now I agree that it would be hard to adjust to yet another company in the market. Still, seeing as Apple has a history of helping stimulate ideas in an otherwise stagnant area, it could be helpful and interesting to see them pursue something beyond the iPod Touch and iPhone.
missyjean130, that's changing, though. I was going through a list of home computer games and found that the majority of games I was interested in either had a label saying it would work on both Mac or Windows or were released for both platforms.
That aside, I find that consoles beat personal computers any day and so for computing, I have grown truly fond of my new Mac (I am a very recent convert) while appreciating that I have a Windows machine handy. Both serve their purpose. I rarely choose the Windows machine over my Mac, but when I do it's for good reasons.
As for Photoshop and Gimp, both run on both platforms.
As for gaming, I believe that we're seeing a trend towards developers thinking of Apple users and ways they can access that demographic. Just recently I was reading about how large the market share Apple has for college-age notebook computer buyers has grown. That same demographic is the one that typically plays games. I see this as a good sign of things to come.
Peace,
manaman
Last edited by manaman on Wed Dec 10, 2008 4:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
missyjean130 wrote:I guess I'm one of those people who will always have a bias against apple products.
I hate apple too but I just don't show it because I don't like getting blackballed over something ridiculous. Personally I think Apple over prices everything. An equally speccèd PC doesn't cost as much as the new Macs (Unless you get Alienware). The iPods are outrageous when compared to over MP3 players. you can get a 2gb Creative Zen V for the same price as a 512mb iPod Shuffle. Consumers blindly follow specific brands instead of doing research so the iPod becomes a big hit because it was made by Apple.
PC vs Mac. Ford vs Chevrolet. Everyone has their pick.
Well... I can't say I'm a big fan of Apple... never had a mac. But I have had iPod Mini, Nano and Touch.
I think Apple is so damn expensive... specially their macs.
BUT from the first iPod I owned (the Mini one) I have sort of got stuck with it. I mean they work great. iPod Touch works amazingly great. I have tried many touchscreen, I even got the Nokia N95 right before the Touch and what is so great about Apple is the simplicity they have. Not so much fuzz and it works great.
So I gladly pay few extra bucks for an iPod.
But how it looks today I'm not even thinking of buying a Mac or an iPhone. It is just to expensive... nothing is really worth THAT much money.
this today. I personally love the DS and don't see the iPod Touch edging it (or any Nintendo hand held ever) out of the market. But, with a screen comparable to the PSP and intuitive and unique controls the accelerometer and touch screen provide, I can see the iPod Touch becoming a very capable gaming platform. And seeing as the PSP has more of a multiple use focus, like the iPod Touch, it seems to me the real head to head competition here is between Apple and Sony.
