Everyone refers to the Xbox 360, PS3, and to a lesser extent the Nintendo Wii as a “next gen” gaming console. Does that mean the next round of consoles (Xbox 3602, PS4, Wii2) will be third gen, or will they just be the new “next gen”? I know, who cares, right?
A while back Apple announced to investors that there would be a “product transition”. No one is really sure what this is, or when it would be. Some think it was the new iPod Nano, the change to the iPod Touch, or even the new MacBooks. Others think it may be some kind of NetBook or Apple Tablet. Still others think it could be a new networked type TV. And some people think we have yet to se it.
Well, what if Apple were to venture into the realm of console gaming systems… better yet, what if they already had, and you didn’t know it. Perhaps you already have an Apple console in your living room, office, or bedroom. It may not be as big of a stretch as you think.
Today’s consoles are basically nothing more than a PC running some kind of modified OS. Take the Xbox 360 for example. Every 360 is basically the same set of hardware (though there are some revisions as technology improves and gets cheaper) and every Xbox 360 runs the exact same OS. – A modified form of the original Xbox, which in turn was a modified version of Windows 2000.
This allows for a couple of nice things. First off, it evens the playing field. You don’t have to worry about getting pwned because someone has a better video card, more memory, or a faster CPU. Everyone is playing using the same specs. It’s also easier for developers to write the game for the same reason… they don’t have to worry about conflicts in versions, drivers, etc.
Of course, when you play a game on your computer you usually have to install the game first. Depending on the game, this can take a while, and there is no instant satisfaction when you bring home the latest greatest game. With consoles, you just pop in the disk and away you go.
But gaming isn’t all that today’s consoles are about. Now you can use them as a DVD (or HD/Blu-Ray) player, and even download/rent movies form the Internet. Want to play a game that came from an earlier console? In some cases, you can even rent/buy those. You can also browse the Internet, look at pictures on your desktop computer, or stream music.
Gaming consoles aren’t just about gaming anymore. They truly have become media centers, and the only thing they really are missing now is a TiVo DVR-like function. Surely that isn’t to far away.
So, what’s this got to do with Apple? After all, unless you play World of Warcraft you probably don’t think of Apple as gaming system.
There has been a buzz going around that Apple may have plans to kill off the MacMini as well as the Apple TV. Two different products that have a lot in common. You could probably think of a MacMini as a grown up AppleTV. One has to ask, if the rumors are true, why would Apple kill off two products that are so similar?
Why? There are a lot of people that would love to see the AppleTV and MacMini merged into one system. Personally, I think that would kick ass.
But, why stop there? Take it one more step. AppleTV + MacMini + iTunes + Console = some kind of super Apple product. To be honest, I cannot even come up with an ideal name for something like that.
Imagine gaming on a Mac like system without needing to install anything? Insert the disk, and the game loads up, just like you’d expect from a console. Bluetooth connected controllers, or maybe even truing the iPhone / iPod Touch into a controller. WiFi/Gigabit connection to your home network would give you access to your iTunes library and allow you to stream/watch/listen. There could even be a TimeMachine type function to allow backing up of game data, profiles, and downloaded content. Heck, Apple could even forgo the use of physical media for the games and move everything strictly to downloaded content via iTunes.
Yes, that would kick ass. But what if Apple and game developers took it a step further and wrote the games so they could be played on your Apple console or any other [Intel-based] Mac that you owned? That’s right, they’d not just jump into the console market, they’d instantly have several million units already out there ready to go.
Of course, an Apple product like this would cost quite a bit depending on how exactly they did it, and what additional features they offered. Right now the MacMini starts out at $599 and the AppleTV at $229. What could Apple get away with charging? Sony introduced the PS3 at $499/$599 and Microsoft introduced the Xbox 360 at $299/$399 (and $479 for the Elite). Apple could easily justify a system like this in the $600-800 range, though history has shown people will gladly pay extra for an Apple product meaning the price could actually reach the $1,000 mark.
Though the price people would actually be willing to pay would really depend a lot of configuration, features, and more importantly available games at launch. The economy would also play a big role in pricing. If Apple were willing to cut margins close enough, they could severally hurt Microsoft and probably land a death blow to Sony, who is still losing money on every PS3 sold.
I really don’t think it’s a matter of if we’ll ever see an Apple console, rather a matter of when.