Doom game creator suggests Apple embarrassed about iPhone gaming
John Carmack, creator of the classic PC game Doom, described working with Apple as a "rollercoaster ride," and suggested that company executives are not happy about the popularity of gaming on the iPhone and iPod touch.
In an interview with gaming website Kotaku, John Carmack revealed that top executives at Apple do not look fondly on the growing popularity of games on the iPod Touch and iPhone.
"At the highest level of Apple, in their heart of hearts," Carmack reportedly said, "they're not proud of the iPhone being a game machine, they wish it was something else."
Despite this sentiment, the iPod Touch has seen an increased push as a gaming machine by Apple advertising, calling the Touch "the funnest iPod ever." Apple has gone so far as to directly compare the iPhone/Touch platform to the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP hand held gaming systems, touting that the App store contained 21,179 gaming and entertainment titles versus 3,680 for the DS and 607 for the PSP.
Carmack believes the executives at Apple have had to embrace the iPhone/Touch as a gaming platform as a result of the overwhelming popularity that games have enjoyed at the App store. Apple executive John Geleynse was quoted earlier this year as saying "it's not a phone, it's a console experience."
AppleInsider recently reported that Japanese game maker Nintendo had seen profits nearly cut in half compared to last year, which many attribute to increased competition from the iPhone and iPod touch.
The iPhone/Touch has a distinct distribution advantage over the DS, which relies almost entirely on physical copies of games versus the App Store's entirely digital method of distribution. Furthermore, the average App Store game is in the $5 to $10 dollar range while the average DS game hovers closer to $30.
With more and more established console game companies such as Electronic Arts, id Software, and Konami making serous forays into App store gaming, it seems like the iPhone/Touch will continue to be major players in the world of handheld gaming, whether Apple likes it or not.
In an interview with gaming website Kotaku, John Carmack revealed that top executives at Apple do not look fondly on the growing popularity of games on the iPod Touch and iPhone.
"At the highest level of Apple, in their heart of hearts," Carmack reportedly said, "they're not proud of the iPhone being a game machine, they wish it was something else."
Despite this sentiment, the iPod Touch has seen an increased push as a gaming machine by Apple advertising, calling the Touch "the funnest iPod ever." Apple has gone so far as to directly compare the iPhone/Touch platform to the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP hand held gaming systems, touting that the App store contained 21,179 gaming and entertainment titles versus 3,680 for the DS and 607 for the PSP.
Carmack believes the executives at Apple have had to embrace the iPhone/Touch as a gaming platform as a result of the overwhelming popularity that games have enjoyed at the App store. Apple executive John Geleynse was quoted earlier this year as saying "it's not a phone, it's a console experience."
AppleInsider recently reported that Japanese game maker Nintendo had seen profits nearly cut in half compared to last year, which many attribute to increased competition from the iPhone and iPod touch.
The iPhone/Touch has a distinct distribution advantage over the DS, which relies almost entirely on physical copies of games versus the App Store's entirely digital method of distribution. Furthermore, the average App Store game is in the $5 to $10 dollar range while the average DS game hovers closer to $30.
With more and more established console game companies such as Electronic Arts, id Software, and Konami making serous forays into App store gaming, it seems like the iPhone/Touch will continue to be major players in the world of handheld gaming, whether Apple likes it or not.
Comments
It wouldn't surprise me if Jobs felt the same. Despite it's massive popularity gaming is still looked down upon my many people. Jobs may have wished the iPhone to just be a blackberry killer with a built in iPod. Instead, at least to some people, it's a Nintendo DS rival, with an iPod and a Blackberry built in.
Then again Jobs is as driven by a desire for profit as much as any other billionaire, so he may have already seen the light of gaming.
They could at least suggest a standard so third party accessory and case makers could build a single interface. Plus game makers need to feel comfortable programming for these so there's not like 5 of them out there that no one programs for, which is probably what'll happen eventually without some kind of leadership.
"At the highest level of Apple, in their heart of hearts," Carmack reportedly said, "they're not proud of the iPhone being a game machine, they wish it was something else."
Well what Apple can do is segregate the Top Selling Apps in the App Store by categories, that would help a lot.
Plus for the marvelous waste of $100 a month for a consumer level phone, I would be gaming on the thing myself to extract maximum value! Good thing I can't see the screen.
Games are a great time killer and fun. Just include a tray at the bottom of each iPhone to collect coins and a pull handle and you'll really rake in the profits.
I think Apple is just sore that they missed such a huge market by ignoring 3D gamers all these years because they had this complex of trying to be taken seriously all the time.
Poor Apple, they built a all purpose device and let the free market and consumers dictate what it was going to be and now they are moaning because they are making tons of money and people just want to escape the pressures of life, the economy and lack of jobs etc, by killing time playing games.
Hello Apple! Your a (impulsive) luxury consumer products company.
kotatsu, I don't agree with your statement about Jobs being driven by a desire for profit - I believe he is a control-freak and is driven by the desire to build devices that look and operate a certain way, and anything else is unacceptable - "I will build it my way, and if you don't like it, tough beans."
I think Apple execs are perfectly happy with the popularity of gaming on iPhone/Touch. At the same time I do think they would like to see more business purpose adoption with the platform. I think the slow uptake in businesses disappoints them, but I don't think they're disappointed by the games.
2) The DSi has OTA downloads of games.
3) The link is a little more telling about Carmack’s plan for iPhone OS games, their profit compared to other platforms and why the Android platform currently holds little interest…
I had to buy and Xbox and recently a Windows 7 based pc in order to game even though I love the mac OS for everything else.
The most common reason I have heard from friends and acquaintances why they haven't purchased a mac is that you can't game well on one.
The iPhone does *everything.* As it should. and it does a damn good job. No reason for Apple to have a problem with this. Its perfectly in line with the consumer market strategy for the iPhone.
Unless of course, the whole gaming scenario is what might be holding the iPhone back from significant enterprise adoption.
The rest of the time, the gaming is a plusl and has paid off handsomely.
I'm not sure how much truth there is to Carmack's ideas.
If Apple can sell more units because of gaming they will do it. They support games through their TV ads and feature several gaming companies every year during WWDC.
Poor Apple, they built a all purpose device and let the free market and consumers dictate what it was going to be and now they are moaning because they are making tons of money and people just want to escape the pressures of life, the economy and lack of jobs etc, by killing time playing games.
In your excitement to take a whack at Apple, you seem to have lost touch with reality. Exactly who at Apple is "moaning?" Not one person--at least not publicly. All we have is one game maker's word for it. And since when has Apple had a problem with making money?
Now, I won't say that Apple's grand plan included the iPhone as a gaming device, but they seem plenty happy with the fact now...
I think this is a crock of **it.
If Apple can sell more units because of gaming they will do it. They support games through their TV ads and feature several gaming companies every year during WWDC.
And here's the kicker. Carmack also says THIS:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/33721096/site/14081545
So . . .
And here's the kicker. Carmack also says THIS:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/33721096/site/14081545
So . . .
I pipped you on this one.
His comments don't make any sense since some of the first apps demo'd before the SDK was released were games. Apple actually sought out the early game developers. EA has often been at major keynotes of Apples. This is just nonsense.
On top of that, over a year ago at the iPod Special Event they showed a commercial that was focused entirely on App Store games.
John Carmack yaps a lot. He also tends to get more vocal when he doesn't get his way on something. Take anything he says with a grain of salt.
Carmack is a very intelligent guy, who is tremendously pragmatic and has few pets or favorites. He's not a vindictive turd, but rather a guy who has had so much success that he can speak his mind. If anything, he tends to be fairly reserved in his speech. Even when he's frustrated, he doesn't appear to try to blow things out of proportion. But he doesn't necessarily avoid treading on toes. The few times he's been critical of Apple, he's usually got his thumb right on it.
Hello Apple! Your a (impulsive) luxury consumer products company.
Is they? Your a Einstein! Grr!
I thought impulse buying entailed paying less for quick product that turns out to be inferior. Silly me. I should have been buying Dells for all my video editing.
The most common reason I have heard from friends and acquaintances why they haven't purchased a mac is that you can't game well on one.
Kind of moot, considering you can natively run Windows on Macs. Thus, you can indeed enjoy shooting all the same 3D aliens.
Really, gaming was the last genuine bastion of the anti-Mac crowd. Bit for bit, they lose on everything else (including value, and resale in particular). What do they have left?
I think Apple execs are perfectly happy with the popularity of gaming on iPhone/Touch. At the same time I do think they would like to see more business purpose adoption with the platform. I think the slow uptake in businesses disappoints them, but I don't think they're disappointed by the games.
Apple is a consumer products company. ( a luxury impulsive one at that)
They do the opposite of what is expected in products for business users. (who think a lot before committing as they are trying to make money and extract the best option)
Look at the Droid, it's square and black, has a real keyboard, it doubles as a GPS with turn by turn, it doubles as a alarm clock when your charging. It has a removable battery and a real flash for the camera.
What and who is this targeted? The serious, no nonsense, male business traveler.
What is the iPhone (and most Apple's products) mostly targeted for?
Why is it that anything extra with the iPhone is a bolt on hassle? (it's because Apple makes great consumer devices that have some uses in the business environment with alterations, until something more dedicated arrives)
Why is it surprising the iPhone's most popular selling apps are games?
It's no surprise to me. If Apple wanted to make a business iPhone they could, at the sacrifice of their consumer one.
Business is about being serious and consumer is about having fun.
Hard to mix the two impressions.
I have made a living using Macs for over 20 years. I'm not sure you can say that about impulse, luxury buys.
Elegant, easy to use. Stable. Nicely designed. Enjoyable to work on. The interface, the hardware design and the structure of how they do what they do, have lead the industry since the Mac was introduced. You don't have to want to use one, you don't HAVE to use one, it's not forced on you as Windows is if you are unlucky enough to be in the belly of a corporate beast that is run by IT guys who know only Windows.
Buy to write it off using the thought process (or lack of) that you use is silly.
Well what Apple can do is segregate the Top Selling Apps in the App Store by categories, that would help a lot.
Plus for the marvelous waste of $100 a month for a consumer level phone, I would be gaming on the thing myself to extract maximum value! Good thing I can't see the screen.
Games are a great time killer and fun. Just include a tray at the bottom of each iPhone to collect coins and a pull handle and you'll really rake in the profits.
I think Apple is just sore that they missed such a huge market by ignoring 3D gamers all these years because they had this complex of trying to be taken seriously all the time.
Poor Apple, they built a all purpose device and let the free market and consumers dictate what it was going to be and now they are moaning because they are making tons of money and people just want to escape the pressures of life, the economy and lack of jobs etc, by killing time playing games.
Hello Apple! Your a (impulsive) luxury consumer products company.
1) Nintendo?s excessive drop in profits seem to stem more from the dropping Wii sales, which the Touch doesn?t directly compete with.
2) The DSi has OTA downloads of games.
3) The link is a little more telling about Carmack?s plan for iPhone OS games, their profit compared to other platforms and why the Android platform currently holds little interest?
I could see a Doom classic or even a version of Quake on the iPhone but I have no clue how they are going to make an iPhone version of Rage that even remotely looks like Rage.
http://www.rage-game.com/home.action
Carmack is a very intelligent guy, who is tremendously pragmatic and has few pets or favorites. He's not a vindictive turd, but rather a guy who has had so much success that he can speak his mind. If anything, he tends to be fairly reserved in his speech. Even when he's frustrated, he doesn't appear to try to blow things out of proportion. But he doesn't necessarily avoid treading on toes. The few times he's been critical of Apple, he's usually got his thumb right on it.
I don't really know anything about Carmack. You say he's mature and credible, but common sense and all the visible evidence says that Apple is plenty happy with their success with gamers. I for one would like to see more proof that he's believable. Show me some evidence from Apple itself that it's opposed to gaming.
Except that the gaming element is one of the key driving forces of iPhone, and is heavily promoted (publicly) by Apple.
The iPhone does *everything.* As it should. and it does a damn good job. No reason for Apple to have a problem with this. Its perfectly in line with the consumer market strategy for the iPhone.
Unless of course, the whole gaming scenario is what might be holding the iPhone back from significant enterprise adoption.
The rest of the time, the gaming is a plusl and has paid off handsomely.
I'm not sure how much truth there is to Carmack's ideas.
Actually thats not so true. The Touch is the one being pushed as the gaming iPod, not the iPhone. There's an app for that is pushing the iPhone as a computer/widget device.
Is they? Your a Einstein! Grr!
80% of luxury sales are impulsive. This is a proven statistic.
The shiny screens on new Mac's and Apple Store locations are just further proof.
I thought impulse buying entailed paying less for quick product that turns out to be inferior. Silly me. I should have been buying Dells for all my video editing.
Impulsive sales occur at all stages of buying ability, it just happens more if it's less in price as more people can afford to be impulsive.
Kind of moot, considering you can natively run Windows on Macs. Thus, you can indeed enjoy shooting all the same 3D aliens.
Really, gaming was the last genuine bastion of the anti-Mac crowd. Bit for bit, they lose on everything else (including value, and resale in particular). What do they have left?
Most PC 3D gamers are interested in the least expensive, most expandable/customizable and most compatible software to play others online with.
Apple doesn't offer a sub $1000 expandable tower, thus few games and few graphic card upgrades. And also for the longest time Mac's didn't give up control of the hardware to game software like it did on Windows for the best performance. (Now Mac's can give up control of the OS to other OS's. It's a start)
So even if you got a cross platform 3D game, in the old days, on the Mac side it would run slower, because the OS didn't give up control of the hardware.
Of course this is all history now, as dedicated consoles 3D game much better and cheaper, look just as good as PC gaming. Lots of players online too.
And you get a up to 9 core and a BlueRay drive too in PS3's...