Everyone's convinced Apple is going to replicate their success with phones and tablets in the home. Google and others want to get their first (or at least concurrent). Never mind that no one, including Apple, know how to do this yet.
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Google developing Android-based gaming console - Wall Street Journal
- Thread starter excaliburps
- Start date
Everyone's convinced Apple is going to replicate their success with phones and tablets in the home. Google and others want to get their first (or at least concurrent). Never mind that no one, including Apple, know how to do this yet.
Yes, because Google and Boxer8 are the same...
This should've been the first post. The gaming market is about to get extremely crowded, and then will suffer a huge shake-out just like 93.
Sony and Nintendo will be fine and left standing after the dust settles. Beyond that, we'll see.
Agent X
Member
This could be a good idea, as long as it's well built and works with the existing Google Play market that people are familiar with. It needs to be affordable (under $100) and easy to use. Google might have made a few hardware mistakes before, but this could work if they play their cards right. They could also consider creating a "reference" design, which they could license out to various hardware partners.
Will games cost $60?
pcostabel
Gold Member
Finally.
This is the One Console Future everybody was waiting for. An open standard platform manufactured by different hardware makers. Developers will only have to target one API, just like on the PC but without the plethora of configurations that make that platform a support nightmare. There will be a handful of devices from Samsung, Google, HTC etc. with different specs but all compatible, hopefully with less fragmentation than in the mobile world.
With mobile tech fast approaching the performance of current gen consoles, it won't be long until these devices, without the battery limitations of phones and tablets, will surpass the performance of PS4.
It's a win for developers, consumers and hardware makers. Very excited about it.
This is the One Console Future everybody was waiting for. An open standard platform manufactured by different hardware makers. Developers will only have to target one API, just like on the PC but without the plethora of configurations that make that platform a support nightmare. There will be a handful of devices from Samsung, Google, HTC etc. with different specs but all compatible, hopefully with less fragmentation than in the mobile world.
With mobile tech fast approaching the performance of current gen consoles, it won't be long until these devices, without the battery limitations of phones and tablets, will surpass the performance of PS4.
It's a win for developers, consumers and hardware makers. Very excited about it.
MechaBowser
Member
I would be cool with this, even if it doesn't go anywhere. That are a smart watch. Waiting for Apple to launch a game console now.
lol
excaliburps
Press - MP1st.com
Updated the OP with Google saying they're "expecting" Apple to announce a console soon?
Wonder how this will work if we have five companies developing consoles now.
Wonder how this will work if we have five companies developing consoles now.
onken
Member
Yeah because those situations are completely comparable, right.
forknknife
Banned
Aaaaw yissss....
I mean Ou Yaaaa
I mean Ou Yaaaa
Interceptor
Banned
Yep. And without strong exclusives this will end the same way.
TheRealTalker
Banned
FEELS LIKE THE 90's
Man this gen is going to be one for the history books... who do you think may also now join in the fry and who will fail and leaving the console gaming gen...
of course I mean this new competitors since they won't have a large 3rd party support to get them going and they obviously dont have a large slew of owned I.Ps
Man this gen is going to be one for the history books
... who do you think may also now join in the fry and who will fail and leaving the console gaming gen...of course I mean this new competitors since they won't have a large 3rd party support to get them going and they obviously dont have a large slew of owned I.Ps
CaptainTiptop
Member
Nexus Q 2?
Vermillion
Banned
May based Google kill in the console market.
Fuck Apple
ElectricKaibutsu
Member
Everyone is hopping on the console making bandwagon. I think I'll stick with the big three unless something unforeseen happens.
ReturnOfTheRAT
Member
No. Google should get in bed with someone, let's say Sony, and develop an Android market place that is available through their online service. No additional box required. Use emulation or whatever and the "partnership" can continue.
Well it'll be something to watch for sure. Google's Nexus line always sets the hardware standard for each wave of Android phones, so this thing merely existing will elevate the rest of the devices put out by third party manufacturers, and most likely legitimize the casual TV media box (well between this and Apple putting one out).
These things might finally claw themselves out of the tech toy ghetto and be things with decent games and software on 'em.
These things might finally claw themselves out of the tech toy ghetto and be things with decent games and software on 'em.
Manmademan
Member
yep. Google has plenty of products that aren't exactly successful and never really catch on.
The problem with Google and Apple is that neither one is a game company, or has any experience with game development. Neither one could program a AAA exclusive if their lives depended on it.
So any content for this "console" will be android market trash. A wasteland of emulators and cheap knockoffs of existing games.
to top it off, their competition here aren't the PS4 and Xbone, but (inevitably) the PS3 and 360, offered to the public at zero profit margin, with cheaply available downloadable libraries that absolutely embarrass everything on google play and ios. This is a fool's errand- especially for Apple whose business model usually revolves around hardware with a healthy profit margin built in.
Anticitizen One
Banned
We already had this 20 years ago it was called 3D0 and nobody wanted that shit
This was also attempted with the Sega CD and there were like 8 companies making variations of it.
Manmademan
Member
LOL. This is how you can tell who hasn't been gaming for long.
You're right- this WAS the 3DO's business model. the reason why it didn't work is that the designer of the hardware that set the standard (that is, the 3D0 company itself) took the royalties on the games sold, leaving the hardware manufacturers to make a profit by building the margin in the hardware.
THAT meant 3D0 ended up with a console that sold for $799. in 1993. That's $1,250 in current money, or about as much as a Macbook pro. Meanwhile it's closest competitors were selling for half of that or less with superior hardware. There's a reason no one in their right mind has tried it in 20 years, and definitely NOT someone trying to sell a console on the merits of $1 iOS time wasters.
I don't think these new Google & Apple devices are gonna compete with the PS4 & XB1, at least not initially. But with these new devices being officially from Google & Apple, I think they'll definitely compete with the PS3 & Xbox 360 because they'll be able to woo 3rd-party publishers to put games out on their consoles.
pcostabel
Gold Member
The 3DO didn't have a library of pre-existing games, nor a well supported SDK that thousands of developer are already familiar with. This is an extension of the mobile platform just like tablets are an extension of phones. Developers can quickly port their mobile games to the GoogleStation.
Anticitizen One
Banned
If Apple really wanted to they could became a big power player in the gaming world but for whatever reason they never tried. They could easily kill MS in the gaming space. Shit they even had dibs on Halo before MS did.
Not that I really want to encourage this, seeing as the console market is probably fairly well saturated. But if Googles doing this, here's my advice.
- Keep it simple, don't let every hardware vendor on the planet make their own version of this.
- Don't refresh every year. Try to give every major hardware configuration at least two years on the market.
- Don't get over ambitious. You probably aren't going to compete with Sony and Microsoft on visuals. Drop in the most powerful chipset you can afford for $150 USD, and leave it at that.
- Focus on the controller first, the UI second, and the box a distant third.
If its traditional controller based, there's no way it will compete with the big three. Same with Apple. You aren't going to beat the traditional controller-based consoles as big as they are at this point.
The ONLY way o could see them doing well is if they somehow do something on the level of the Wii - an entirely new way to play that is intuitive for all ages. Of course, that's not something I want, but that's what sells (see also Kinect).
The ONLY way o could see them doing well is if they somehow do something on the level of the Wii - an entirely new way to play that is intuitive for all ages. Of course, that's not something I want, but that's what sells (see also Kinect).
Manmademan
Member
Why would third parties do that? Nintendo doesn't seem to be having much success at convincing them, or convincing consumers. Think about why this is.
*If this new console comes out with technical specifications below the PS3 and 360, with the intent to just run iOS or android play games- forget it. we've already seen how phone games work on TV with Ouya, and it's terrible. customers can also already play all of these games on existing hardware. why buy a new console?
*If this new console comes out with technical specifications equivalent to the PS3 and 360, it's going to have to be priced significantly higher, since Sony and MS don't have to make a profit on the hardware. Gamers will then have to be convinced to shell out several hundred dollars to play games that don't look or perform any better than the consoles they already own. This is part of what's killing the WiiU.
*This console isn't going to compete with the PS4 or Xbone, period. That's fantasy land.
so any way you slice it, this thing is going to struggle for marketshare. ultra cheap hardware with an untouchable library on one hand, and on the other new console hardware with tons of hype, a built in audience, and AAA games that have been in the pipeline for years. Retailers are also going to be very reluctant to carry a DL only console (which WILL be what this is) without a healthy profit margin built into it for them. This is a no win situation for Google and Apple. better to focus on a tablet that can interface with smart TVs, than try to make a console.
Graphics Horse
Member
Google is entirely a hardware company now? wtf.
Besides, a hardware company making a successful console is not unprecedented, look at Sony.
Sony- or Microsoft-style loss-leading is not something that Apple are interested in doing, I suspect.
Manmademan
Member
I was thinking more of Apple when I said that, but it does sound weird. I'll think of a different way to phrase that. A better way to put it is that neither one has any experience developing games.
And as for Sony, Sony was making console games for the SNES under the Sony Imagesoft label for several years before dipping their toes into making a console- and even then they tried partnering with nintendo first before going solo.
edit: actually longer than that-
looks like the studios under their umbrella developed for the NES, SNES, and Sega CD.
outunderthestars
Banned
I'm sorry, but a $99 Apple TV with access to a gaming store would sell incredibly well.
Nor do they need to make "AAA exclusive games" to do so. The fact that you think they need to do so in order to succeed shows how out of touch you are with the overall gaming marketplace these days.
Apple's Game Center, launched in 2010. Within a year IOS users were downloading over 5 million games A DAY,in just seven countries, Within three years it has 200 million unique users. Angry Birds has been downloaded 1.7 BILLION times since its launch across all platforms.
Since the launch of that last generation of consoles 1.5 billion IOS and Android devices have been sold. To think that those platforms are not huge competitors for MS/Sony/Nintendo is incredibly foolish.
Why do they need to develop games? Neither make music or movies, yet they are dominating the sales of those markets. Apple seems to have no problems attracting over 200 million people + to purchase games on an IOS device.....
specialguy
Banned
An Ouya with money behind it...
I'm not so quick to dismiss this...
yday I, due to seeing a GAF post, grabbed something called Raiden Legacy off google play. It's like, 4 or 5 Raiden games for 1.99 on sale.
They fricken look and play beautifully on my GS3. Just gorgeous on that HD amoled display. I didn't know these were things.
Except oh yeah, they're on a shitty touchscreen controls, yuck.
Anyways my point is, Android console may not=fail.
Apple doesn't like to have a loss with their devices though. So we will see if they will price it competitively or do an Apple tax of $900.. lol
ALBOFIGHTER
Member
So it's gonna be an ouya/steambox/nividia shield...what else can it be? An all in one console like xbone but with better specs? Or a core gaming console like ps4 but with absolutely no exclusive studios to compete with. No matter how you slice it, seems like a failure.
Manmademan
Member
questionable, since an apple TV in general doesn't seem to be interesting anyone, ever. iOS games that are already playable on other platforms people already own (iphones, ipads) won't change this.
Do I really? let's look at it this way. With only phone games blown up to TV resolution, the console fails. These look and perform terribly at TV resolutions, and people already have a means to play them.
Third party ports of 360 and PS3 games flat out will not run on a $99 apple tv. period. The hardware can't handle it. But let's assume it did? Why pay $99 to play the same games that already play on the console most people already own?
Ah, someone else that confuses the ios market with the console market. These are two entirely different audiences. Angry birds already exists on PS3 and 360. it's not exactly lighting the world on fire.
Not at all. It's just the realization that the audience for $1 time wasters on a platform everyone MUST have (smartphones are basically essential now) and the audience for a separate box that hooks to the TV are not the same thing. Treating them like they ARE is a good way to go out of business very quickly.
Because if they do not develop games, they have no way to compete with established platforms that have game libraries MUCH better suited to a TV/console environment. The quality of titles available on PSN and XBLA absolutely destroy those on ios and android market, and it's not close. Without the benefit of being accessible anywhere, the appeal of angry birds or cut the rope goes way down, when I could be playing PSN games for $10 or PS2 and PS1 games for $5 or less.
Vermillion
Banned
That reminds me - if Google and Apple both believe that their phones would compete in the console space, why would they make actual consoles?
Anticitizen One
Banned
eh as a kid growing up in the 90s we had way more game systems and companies to choose from. Atari Jaguar, Neo Geo, Sega, Sony, Nintendo, Panasonic 3DO, Phillips CD-I, the pippin, etc.
It actually felt weird in the 00s that there were only 2-3 competitors
Anticitizen One
Banned
Well WSJ and many others are saying they will just include the gaming functionality into the existing Apple TV unit or the rumored actual smart TV they are supposedly developing. It wouldn't be a stand alone game box.
Manmademan
Member
Lol. let's be real here. The Bolded were released and viable for a year or less. The CD-i (which was not really a game console) and the pippin in particular were rare as unicorns. Why not mention the Nuon while you're at it?
The problem here is that an apple "television" has been rumored for a long time, but never actually appeared. The reason for this is obvious. Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, and even Samsung are starting to struggle in the TV market. The profit margin on these things has been obliterated and it is VERY difficult to sell anything high end with any kind of margin. Most companies are ramping down their TV divisions and getting out of the business, not vice versa.
