Apple's So-Called Gaming Console Is A Major Bust

Kotaku: "The tech prophets have taken to the internet’s streets with big signs saying “CONSOLES ARE DOOMED. APPLE IS HERE."

[Relientk77]

Oh don't worry they will release the new one next month

just like how they release a new Iphone every month

[noah-kun]

Dumbest thing I've read today. They have not released a new Apple TV in years and they only release a phone each year.

[Kal-V3]

Siri.. look up the definition of "hyperbole"

[Inzo]

uuh, I think he is giving you a good blend of elaboration and sarcasm. What is concerning though is that 10 people agreed with you.

[frostypants]

OK, Drax...

[HighResHero]

I still don't have the one from last month. :(

[eferreira]

Some people on here are just plain ignorant.

[JeffGUNZ]

Huh? They release two different sized iphones a year, that's it. How many Android phones get released in a year? I mean come on man, you don't like Apple that's fine, but why not call out Samsung who releases the Galaxy and then the Galaxy Edge, or Galaxy note?

[Inzo]

Just.....no.

[lipton101]

A new android comes out like every 30 days, they're a dime a dozen. There's one iPhone per year. And Apple TV? Try 2012 or so for the last iteration. Call me what you want, I love my iPhone and I'll never go back to any other phone manufacturer.

[nitus10]

Basically Apple is one company while there there are lots of different companies that use the Android OS in their products. That is why it appears to you that a new Android device comes out every month.

In the smartphone market IOS (the Apple operating system) has only 13.9% of the market while Android has 82.8%.

Don't believe me then look at the following URL: http://www.idc.com/prodserv...

Remember that is just the smartphone market. The Android OS is on tablets, eReaders, printers, watches and even TV's as well, just to name a few.

Still if you like your iPhone that is fine by me, in fact all my family except for me have iPhones. Personally I don't have any issue with IOS or Android although I do like my Galaxy S4.

[Thatguy-310]

The people that claim that products like these are going to replace consoles are simply casual players. Someone who is into gaming know that gaming dedicated hardware isn't going anywhere soon. A ps4/xbox player isn't going to go out and throw money at this because it's simply not the same.

[noah-kun]

You can play all the Final Fantasy games up to 7, all the GTA 3 games, Star Wars: KOTOR and tonnes of arcade and console ports on iOS with controller support, and presumably these will be put on the Apple TV App Store too.

It seems like the goal posts for what's "hardcore" keep getting moved as these games are put on devices used by younger or more affluent people than the online gamer community. People will enjoy these now "casual" games on these devices just the same.

[Thatguy-310]

I agree with you that people enjoy these casual experiences but I doubt it's going to replace or even be a threat to the console makers.

[Death]

It's fun to see hardcore gamers ecstatic about "Indies" on their chosen console and then take shots at new systems that can play them. Apple TV isn't hardcore but playing shovelware on a console is? Sound hypocritical to me.

[JoeReno]

200mb storage cap is CRAP. Even for ios games.

[Spotie]

You know what sounds moronic?

Automatically downplaying all indies as shovelware.

Furthermore, there's a difference between a console that's been getting a lot of indies, and one that can only play SOME indies. What would be the point in such a redundant device from a gaming perspective?

What would be the point, Death, when people could play those exact same games on their tablet or phone? There are no exclusives or big budget games coming to this thing, so why would anybody pick it over other devices?

None of what you say is true, and it's hardly relevant. The bottom line is that it's nowhere near able to compete with any of the consoles because it lacks everything that makes consoles desirable.

[r2oB]

@ death

I don't think anyone is taking shots at indie games, its more like taking shots at the people who think console gaming is dead in lieu of mobile phone gaming. I'm sure you can see the difference between a console/PC indie game that core gamers get "estatic" about and a 200MB mobile game, hopefully. Or perhaps you just took this opportunity to troll.

[seanpitt23]

200mb? We must be back in the 90s and I don't know it yet.

[blastcorp64]

In my view, a "hard core gamer" is defined more by the time and money invested in gaming and not so much by the content of individual games. PS4 is a sales leader, but I'm sure a big chunk of those sales were from "casual gamers". And they may casually play a game like MGS - my good friend back in the day loved the original MGS on PSX, but he was not really a gamer at all. His library of games was tony hawk, MGS, FFVII, and NCAA football. He never defined himself as someone who games or considered it a hobby.

[noah-kun]

@blastcorp64 It sounds like you are describing an addiction. The amount of time and money someone can spend on gaming isn't decided by their love of games, it's decided by their income level, stage of life and number of responsibilities.

The measure of a game player should be based on their love of the art form alone, anything else is gate-keeping by the current institutions of gamers.

[LifeInNZ]

Question is, how many of these "casual" gamers will not buy a console like they once did?

[Thatguy-310]

But the games are completely different. If someone is buying a console it's because of the games that aren't available on platforms like the app store. I just don't see someone who usually buys consoles opt out for this. The demographic are polar opposites

[Doodleburger]

Yeah, and the casual market helped Nintendo win last gen in sales, so maybe they're banking on that. Just a thought.

[frostypants]

Yep. Kind of like how people said mobile gaming would end consoles. And of course consoles are now selling more than ever.

[lipton101]

I'll definitely buy it. Just not for games. I love my Apple TV and I've been waiting with much anticipation for the new one.

[Unyoked]

Wouldn't have guessed

[BlackPanther]

1. Apple never claimed it was a gaming console.

2. Anyone who thought that is an idiot. It is a set top box that does casual gaming.

3. And of course Kotaku wrote this.

[GHOSTxx420]

Exactly no one said it was a gaming console.

[Takwin]

Tons of people who don't work at Apple reported it as a gaming console. Like, every news, tech, and gaming site I visit.

Apple showed a lot of games and controllers and talked more about games. That seems like a gaming console, even if it is based on casual app style games.

[uth11]

Well the media has been saying it would be for the last week or two...

Console killer they said, PS4 is done for , they said.. :P

[BlindMango]

Haha yeah, when I saw it was Kotaku that wrote this I was not surprised in the least

[maybelovehate]

The device, ui, and remote are all very nice. Not a serious gaming console but at least it outputs 1080p which puts it ahead of PlayStation TV.

For 150 and many free to play and cheap games it seems like it could be a nice starter console.

[Saranya]

It's remind me to OUYA.

[BlackPanther]

Excpet it is really different.

[il-JumperMT]

Dont insult OUYA!

[KaladinStormblessed]

First off when did apple ever call it a gaming console? It's simply an Apple TV. We could already stream our iPhone games to it, and iOS games simply aren't up to scratch with console games. It's great for the casual gamer, but for anyone that is really into video games an Apple TV isn't going to cut it.

[MultiConsoleGamer]

1. It's not a gaming console, they never said it was.

2. It's a media box, that plays games, almost exactly the same as Amazon Fire TV and Google Nexus Player. Gaming is secondary.

3. Early damage control piece. Better get ready, whether you like these media boxes or not, they have the potential to dilute the console market, especial when coupled with services like PS Now, which will eventually be available on platforms other than Sony consoles and Samsung TVs.

They will also siphon off the casual gamers and the family market.

Please note, PS Now has a long way to go before it can be completely viable, but it has the potential to end the console market, making gaming something akin to Netflix or HBO. No more platforms, just subscription based services. I love it.

[Kavorklestein]

Well at least PSnow has one measly fan.
At least ONE person likes it.
Hope you're rich enough to do more than support it Verbally.

I'm 99% sure nobody who defends it actually uses it or sees it as valuable.
But as long as you can Verbally (with no proof you use the service whatsoever) say it is a great service, then that's the same as actually paying rip off prices to play old games being streamed to you instead of using a dedicated console right?

Of course it is!

I want to see data from Sony showing how many people stream games each month.

Chances are they can't be too proud of it, especially considering how much they spent to aquire Gaikai.

I mean, it was cool... until the prices were announced.

PsNow will ONLY, and I mean ONLY- be worth anything in the long term if it becomes subscription based.
Period.

Until then it is and always will be a joke for people with money to blow.

If netflix can stay in business with gazillions of titles and even some new releases, Surely Sony can do something similar, or at least make the pricing more reasonable for people who get NO ownership of the games they play on the service.

[LightofDarkness]

PSNow is circling the drain, dude. The word is out that for the vast majority of real world cases, the trade off in quality (both lag and visuals) is absolutely not worth the cost. Not even close. We simply haven't the infrastructure to make virtually lag-free full game streaming over the cloud a reality, and it's not happening any time soon, with how the US's infrastructure is shaping up.

It's not Sony's fault (although it is a tad short-sighted), every single service like this before it has failed. Sony's not doing anything different here to prevent that. It's just the technical reality of the situation. Your synthetic "happy path" scenarios may look great in controlled demonstrations at trade shows, but they won't cut it in the wild.

So no, game streaming is not going to come along and suddenly make gaming on Apple TV any more than a fleeting novelty.

[Aenea]

Saying PS Now is circling the drain is a tad premature when it hasn't even been rolled out yet outside the US...

Am in Europe, need to see it for myself how it goes, tho I did create an UK account to do the beta test when the games were still free to try, tried one game and it seemed to work rather nicely. If it will work with every game and if I will be willing to pay money for it that is something else entirely...

[pinkyxyz]

What a joke of a statement. How can it dilute a market that consist of core gamers. Core gamers will never buy a device like an apple tv SPECIFICALLY for gaming when more powerful consoles exist. Its a media streamer with light niche gaming abilities. Thats it.

[JeffGUNZ]

That's not his point, he is saying the market will grow and overpopulate "gaming" with this. Remember the fad with the Wii? When everyone who hasn't played a video game ever bought one? The Core gamers are what runs the gaming scene currently, but stuff like this will populate the genre and the casuals will grow in number.

It's fine, as long as Sony and MS don't fall for the gimmick.

[MultiConsoleGamer]

Never mentioned core gamers. Try actually reading the comment before you reply Pink.

[SynestheticRoar]

I don't know that frogger looks like the next GOTY. LOL.JK.

[shadowT]

"You can play Frogger on Apple TV. Amazing" ;D

[triple_c]

I remember when OnLive was suppost to compete with the PS3 & 360. I remember when Steam Machines and Ouya was suppose to compete with the PS4 & Xbox One. Where are all of those consoles now? Oh that's right.. you don't hear about them. History shows that people just don't care for these fake, half a**ed consoles.

Apple, if you really want to compete with Sony and Microsoft then build a REAL gaming console. This.. just isn't cutting it..

[Aenea]

Steam machines release next month I believe? Also a tad too early to say they don't have any impact :)

Gotta say tho don't think Steam machines will be competing with PS4/X1 but they might steal some users away from PCs...

[Maxor]

The industry desperately want Apple to make a gaming console.

[pinkyxyz]

Exactly.

[ozstar]

And Oppenheimer created the Nuclear Bomb, your point?

[_LarZen_]

It's sad that a site like Kotaku have to write click bait articles like this. One would think they had enough web traffic because of good articles?

Guess not.

The AppleTV is foremost a device for watching movies,serier and live TV. But just as the phone is foremost made to make phone calls. It can also do other things.

On of those things is casual games.

[uth11]

For once I'll defend Kotaku on this. A bunch of other media outlets have been portraying this thing as something that could give the PS4 a run for its money.

This article is the first I've seen that completely debunks that notion.

[eferreira]

The media not Apple, It was all based on rumors that the media made and now Apple gets the hate.

[_LarZen_]

No one with any sense would even consider the idea that Apple would go head to head with PS4 and XBO. It's just click bait articles. Nothing else.

Just like this one is.

[JeffGUNZ]

@ uth11

Who CARES what other "media outlets" are saying. Apple CLEARLY said this is the new way to WATCH TV. They think apps like netflix and hulu plus are the FUTURE OF TV. They said it over and over in their keynote, did you not watch it yourself or are you just feeding these click bait "media outlets"?

Apple has never said this was a gaming device nor an attempt to enter or compete in the gaming market. This was clearly showing that TvOS, their new OS for the device is unified and all their devices connect and share.

[uth11]

all I'm saying is Kotaku is taking on the other media sites who made these crazy claims, and for once I agree with Kotaku.

It has nothing to do with what Apple claimed / didn't claim.

[Protagonist]

The "thing" is talked about on NeoGaf in the gaming section (not Off-Topic), meaning it was definitely thought of to have done more than the usual casual gaming.

[Doodleburger]

This is the type of garbage kotaku creates when they've run out of ways to bash Konami and praise destiny.

[mastershredder]

Kotaku = tabloid crap.

[UNKLE]

This apple shit never replace nintendo xbox or playstation.

[Segata]

It's a Wii. Oh and another micro console clone.
http://i.imgur.com/EkQ9YZx....