this is so pathetically typical of MS - announce ("leak") a vaporware product to try to distract attention from a rival's real thing.
but there is a major problem with that strategy this time: the iPad mini is going to TOTALLY KILL the Surface before they ever get the chance. MS will sell a few million of them to their hardcore fans - all those Windows-addicted IT guys especially (i know a few). and then - zilch. yup, just like the Zune.
you tell me what kids/anyone who open their Xmas present and find a Surface instead of an iPad mini will say? i know: after "oh shit," it will be "where's the receipt - i want to take it back and get a mini."
I wonder if Microsoft will include the January returns against the December sales...?
Centuries to come, when the civilization that develops after the current one falls to the wayside begins to mine the landfill full of Zunes, Kins and Surfaces will someday ask each other, "Who were these bozos?"
Nobody's gonna buy a SurfaceNT XYZ or whatever the **** it's called ....
No one's gonna buy a SurfacePro ....
Nobody's gonna get either of those things.
Not only does no one know/care about Surface, but the incompatibility of the "entry level" one ....
Plus, the revelation that the reason it has the battery life it does is because it has a shitty GPU that WON'T RUN SOTA GAMES ....
EVERYTHING in this "space", as they say, is Apple -- with Android sweeping up the crumbs.
THAT'S IT.
Nobody's gonna know/care about/actually buy a "Surface/XBOX" gaming tablet -- my protestations to the contrary, the iPad Mini's a monster hit.
This whole Surface/mobile Windows 8/tablet/phone thing is just one big mess -- much, much bigger than Plays For Sure/Vista/Zune/Kin/etc., etc.
And will FINALLY bring about the ouster of Ballmer.
But Mi¢ro$oft's got so much money, they can take this MASSIVE failure of a hit.
Then, a strictly by-the-book guy will come in, focus only on managing their regular Office/Windows business & ride the desktop era off into the sunset -- concentrating, then, on tap-optimized versions for iOS & Android.
They'll ditch XBOX, too, sell the IP to Mattel or whoever, so all non-Office/Windows trifle will be over & done with.
All of this will be looked at as Mi¢ro$oft's "restless period" & be forgotten.
40 Million XBox live subscribers gentlemen.
If true, this IS NOT an iPad toy like you see preschool kids on the plane playing or watching bids.
Think mobile hardcore gaming, portable lan parties, COD/Halo groups at Starbucks...
This could be a literal game changer.
Hardcore gaming does not lend itself to ultraportable devices. "Gaming" laptops are huge, weigh 10 lbs, and have a battery life of 45min.
Even if you managed to cram all that hardware into a surface size device, how are you going to controll the game? You'd have to drag around a decent keyboard and mouse, and in the end you might as well have bought the full sized laptop.
40 Million XBox live subscribers gentlemen.
If true, this IS NOT an iPad toy like you see preschool kids on the plane playing or watching bids.
Think mobile hardcore gaming, portable lan parties, COD/Halo groups at Starbucks...
This could be a literal game changer.
Sounds like the same "1337 g4m3r 4lif3" marketing that Sony uses with their oh so successful PS Vita and PlayStation-branded Android tablets. Game changer? Microsoft is following the herd.
Hardcore gaming does not lend itself to ultraportable devices. "Gaming" laptops are huge, weigh 10 lbs, and have a battery life of 45min.
Even if you managed to cram all that hardware into a surface size device, how are you going to controll the game? You'd have to drag around a decent keyboard and mouse, and in the end you might as well have bought the full sized laptop.
That's not really what hardcore gaming means any more. Hardcore gaming is playing the latest AAA titles on 7 year old console hardware.
Red Dead Redemption would be not be considered a casual game but it doesn't exist on the PC.
OpenGL 3 ES looks like this:
[VIDEO]
From this year onwards, tablets will have current-gen console quality and will improve each year.
In terms of controls, Microsoft can easily (and should) make a slim version of their 360 controller. This can have a cable to plug into the tablet or work wirelessly. The slim controller can be almost flat with weak or no force feedback motors, slim sticks or capacitive pads.
Kids in the back of a car could finally take proper games with them and play multiplayer.
I personally think this should be the next-gen console. People talk about the PS4 and XBox 720 and imagine the same boxes we have now but why bother? A tablet has a connection to a store with a much easier UI to buy games, it can be docked with any TV in the home, it can be undocked and taken on the go.
Nobody is really looking for vastly improved graphics, just good, affordable, accessible games and a machine you don't have to give up old games when you upgrade. New models can come out yearly and it doesn't mean games don't work, they just downgrade visually.
If true, this IS NOT an iPad toy like you see preschool kids on the plane playing or watching bids.
Think mobile hardcore gaming, portable lan parties, COD/Halo groups at Starbucks...
This could be a literal game changer.
Forget talking sense here. These guys have their heads buried so far up Apple's hind end that they can see Tim Cook's breakfast selection before it hits his teeth; they can't and won't see what's coming at them, which is ironically the same arrogant top of the world attitude that nearly killed Apple the first time, and that allowed Apple to then overtake MS and regain the prize. Arrogance always leads to complacency and myopic thinking, and it abounds here in spades. Until the school of hard knocks kicked some sense into him, Ballmer's arrogance was Apple's secret weapon. Now I see that the arrogance field has moved to Cupertino.
MS sold out of the entry level Surface, people. And they have quietly gone about the business they need to in recent years in order to erect an ecosystem that rivals Apple's. Want to sync wirelessly across your many different devices like iCloud? Yes, MS can do it too. Want to buy music, TV, and movie content? Yes, xBox music store and media does just as much as iTunes does. Yeah, it synchs between devices just like Apple, too, automatically. Oh yeah, it also lets you listen free add supported, or pay a flat rate for however much music you want per month - features Apple doesn't have. Want to watch that content on any of your devices, pick up on one where the other left off like you can with AirPlay? Yeah, got that too. Except you can also interact with content in more robust ways. And oh yeah, you can actually do the outlandish like hook your device up to about any USB device and add a memory card. In many ways, MS is now the biggest contender for taking on Apple in this space. Forget Android - it is pure junk by comparison.
Look, I love Apple products and I have a load of them. I'm writing this on my iMac, with my MacPro laptop nearby, and I'll probably look up replies on my iPhone. But I'm not so stupid as to think that Apple is the only game in town, and I'm not willing to be blinded by militant fanboyism. Thinking that Apple is somehow magic and that nobody else can ever touch their game is foolish and when that sort of thing is a characteristic of a leader, it has a very predictable path. If you think MS can't wade into this pool, you are dreaming. This is a pitched battle - for survival folks - and if you think MS isn't going to go all in you are fooling yourselves.
I went out and bought a Surface, FYI. I also own an Android tab and an iPad. I have developed for all three. And I can tell you something right off the bat: Android is the loser here. Android sucks by comparison to both of the others. Windows 8 is startlingly different but it is not bad. In fact, it is quite good. Maybe even great. You boys blow it off at your own peril.
If true, this IS NOT an iPad toy like you see preschool kids on the plane playing or watching bids.
Think mobile hardcore gaming, portable lan parties, COD/Halo groups at Starbucks...
This could be a literal game changer.
Way more Game Center subscribers. Why do you think this means anything?
And shut up if you're going to call the iPad a toy. Of course it's a toy when you're using it as one. It's also a professional product if you're using it as one. Can't say that about most of the other products on the market.
Way more Game Center subscribers. Why do you think this means anything?
The fact that you have to ask that question suggests that you don't know what xbox live really is, as does the comparison to game center. Game center is nothing at all like xbox live. Xbox live is in some ways more like the tip of the MS ecosystem; it is not simply a hub for game play, and I suspect we'll see that concept continue to evolve with the next xbox.
The fact that you have to ask that question suggests that you don't know what xbox live really is, as does the comparison to game center. Game center is nothing at all like xbox live. Xbox live is in some ways more like the tip of the MS ecosystem; it is not simply a hub for game play, and I suspect we'll see that concept continue to evolve with the next xbox.
Yeah, it does music and whatever too. Guess what; so does the iPad. And the latter has a larger ecosystem than the former.
Yeah, it does music and whatever too. Guess what; so does the iPad. And the latter has a larger ecosystem than the former.
Isn't the refrain 'size doesn't matter' the one that we hear echoing around these fora whenever anyone points out that Apple doesn't have the market lead in some given category? I remember MS and others snidely making similar remarks about how few apps were in the app store when it first started.
You just can't be dismissive in this industry - it moves too fast for that. Simply dismissing the ecosystem MS is bringing to market is unwise in my opinion, because it ignores the ways that it can leverage the huge market potential that exists in MS's installed base. My fond hope is that Tom Cook and the rest of Apple's leadership take the threat more seriously than do the fanboys running around here, because if they don't, it is inevitable that they will yield market to MS.
Isn't the refrain 'size doesn't matter' the one that we hear echoing around these fora whenever anyone points out that Apple doesn't have the market lead in some given category?
Yeah, but that isn't what we're talking about here. That's used to highlight the quality and success of what is had, not the potential of what can be. With a greater hardware install base, like we have here, developers will be more likely to work with iOS than they would any individual console (or that industry as a whole).
The thing about tablets is that they can do practically ANYTHING. Whether it's to play games, surf the web, go on Facebook, or use the hundreds of thousands of different apps that do all sorts of different things from actual productivity work to completely trivial and menial tasks, the tablet can do it all.
That's why having a "dedicated gaming" tablet strikes me as odd. It seems restrictive in its purpose as device, taking away one of the best things about of owning a tablet, its flexibiility.
The thing about tablet gaming is that it's also very different from the "hard-core" gaming usually associated with the Xbox 360.
The biggest difference is the controls. You simply cannot control on a tablet as well as you can with a gaming controller nor is it possible to get that level of immersive feeling of playing, say, "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2" using touchscreen as you would from the Xbox 360 controller.
With much of the Xbox 360's attraction being able to play online on its Xbox Live service and the high level of competition it can provide, the touch-screen tablet controls simply don't allow for that level of skilled playing that a Xbox 360 gamer would want or expect.
I see tablet gaming more geared toward "casual gamers" that are not going to spend weeks or months playing the same game online or trying to finish some RPG.
Rather, these gamers are more attracted to simple, easy to pick-up, and quick games like "Angry Birds Star Wars", "Bad Piggies" and other "puzzle"-type games, and which utilize and incorporate the tablet's entire touchscreen in the gameplay.
The market for games is also MUCH different between the two devices. One of the great things about tablet games is that they are usually very cheap if not free. Most of the most popular games can be bought for $3 and below.
That's not true for console games, where the games are usually around $30-$50 if not more. Despite the high price, they can be great investments providing literally dozens of hours of entertainment compared to say a Blu-ray movie which you may watch on only once or twice.
Yes, Xbox 360 also have games targeted more for the casual gamers like on Xbox Live Arcade or using the Kinect controller, so there is some cross-over in the potential audience, but generally I think "hard-core" gamers are going to stick with consoles.
One thing that's interesting about tablet gaming is I think the iPad (and now tablet market in general) basically RUINED the handheld game console market for Nintendo and Sony, at least with that section of the market that can afford an iPad or tablet device.
I mean really, who wants to play on some tiny 4.88" Nintendo 3DS or 5" Sony PlayStation Vita screen when the iPad gives you 9.7"?
And again with the variety of great games at little to no cost available to download from the App Store, it seems a LOT more attractive than paying $30 or $40 for a 3DS or Vita title.
Not surprisingly, the 3Ds got off to a rocky start with sales and was close to being branded a total failure.
It wasn't until Nintendo slashed $80 off it's initial $249 price just MONTHS after it was released did sales start picking up, though it's still hasn't come close to matching the success of the previous generation Nintendo DS.
The Sony PS Vita, on the otherhand, HAS been considered a total failure. The latest sales figures released in Japan shows that it sold less than 5,000 units that week, and it hasn't even been on sale for a year. Can you even imagine any IOS device selling just 5,000 units in a week???
What's also funny is how Nintendo is trying to introduce a "tablet-style" controller in its new Wii U console called the "GamePad" that's being launched later this month.
Much of how Nintendo is promoting the GamePad is not as a gaming device, but as tablet interface with your TV, being able to choose movies from Netflix, go online and text with friends.
Unfortunately as a "tablet", it already looks horribly outdated and obsolete, with a 6.2" screen at 854x480 resolution and 158 PPI.
And when you consider this device will probably have around a six year life cycle, it just seems like a HUGE miscalculation of Nintendo's part to try to "cash in" on the "tablet craze" started by Apple when this GamePad "tablet" will look increasingly ridiculous and out-dated with each new iPad life-cycle.
Forget talking sense here. These guys have their heads buried so far up Apple's hind end that they can see Tim Cook's breakfast selection before it hits his teeth; they can't and won't see what's coming at them, which is ironically the same arrogant top of the world attitude that nearly killed Apple the first time, and that allowed Apple to then overtake MS and regain the prize. Arrogance always leads to complacency and myopic thinking, and it abounds here in spades. Until the school of hard knocks kicked some sense into him, Ballmer's arrogance was Apple's secret weapon. Now I see that the arrogance field has moved to Cupertino.
MS sold out of the entry level Surface, people. And they have quietly gone about the business they need to in recent years in order to erect an ecosystem that rivals Apple's. Want to sync wirelessly across your many different devices like iCloud? Yes, MS can do it too. Want to buy music, TV, and movie content? Yes, xBox music store and media does just as much as iTunes does. Yeah, it synchs between devices just like Apple, too, automatically. Oh yeah, it also lets you listen free add supported, or pay a flat rate for however much music you want per month - features Apple doesn't have. Want to watch that content on any of your devices, pick up on one where the other left off like you can with AirPlay? Yeah, got that too. Except you can also interact with content in more robust ways. And oh yeah, you can actually do the outlandish like hook your device up to about any USB device and add a memory card. In many ways, MS is now the biggest contender for taking on Apple in this space. Forget Android - it is pure junk by comparison.
Look, I love Apple products and I have a load of them. I'm writing this on my iMac, with my MacPro laptop nearby, and I'll probably look up replies on my iPhone. But I'm not so stupid as to think that Apple is the only game in town, and I'm not willing to be blinded by militant fanboyism. Thinking that Apple is somehow magic and that nobody else can ever touch their game is foolish and when that sort of thing is a characteristic of a leader, it has a very predictable path. If you think MS can't wade into this pool, you are dreaming. This is a pitched battle - for survival folks - and if you think MS isn't going to go all in you are fooling yourselves.
I went out and bought a Surface, FYI. I also own an Android tab and an iPad. I have developed for all three. And I can tell you something right off the bat: Android is the loser here. Android sucks by comparison to both of the others. Windows 8 is startlingly different but it is not bad. In fact, it is quite good. Maybe even great. You boys blow it off at your own peril.
I disagree. I have recently bought a a Sony Duo 11, which is a very nice device, but the idea that regular windows and tablety things can coexist just DOES NOT WORK. In the windows desktop mode, the windows and fonts and the buttons are too small, the desktop internet explorer and the metro internet explorer are the same yet completely different, I could go on forever. Apple knows that while it would be cheaper to maintain one OS instead of two, it just is not feasible, while MS seems to have not gotten the memo. Sad.
Look, I love Apple products and I have a load of them. I'm writing this on my iMac, with my MacPro laptop nearby, and I'll probably look up replies on my iPhone. But I'm not so stupid as to think that Apple is the only game in town, and I'm not willing to be blinded by militant fanboyism. Thinking that Apple is somehow magic and that nobody else can ever touch their game is foolish and when that sort of thing is a characteristic of a leader, it has a very predictable path. If you think MS can't wade into this pool, you are dreaming. This is a pitched battle - for survival folks - and if you think MS isn't going to go all in you are fooling yourselves.
See, here's what I don't get when people like you claim you're "not blinded by fanboyism." The rumor of an Xbox tablet has you people singing its praises, like the rumor has already won, and the iPad is no longer a contender and Apple is now doomed. Except for the fact that this is just a rumor: you have no specs, no hardware, no benchmarks, no announced titles, prices, description, features, nothing. Versus iPad's real hardware, specs, benchmarks, hundreds of thousands of titles, prices, features, and an entire ecosystem. It's real, you can buy one now, and you can play real games on it, including triple-A sports titles, fighting games, shooters, racing games, arcade classics, and plenty of casual games. Go ahead: pretend none of that exists. Pretend your rumored Xbox tablet is real and already beaten iPad. And say with a straight face that you're not the one blinded by militant fanboyism. While you're "fooling yourself" over a rumor, I'll go play Need For Speed and Rage on my real iPad. Let me know when your rumored 7-inch Xbox gaming tablet wades into the pool.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alfiejr
this is so pathetically typical of MS - announce ("leak") a vaporware product to try to distract attention from a rival's real thing.
but there is a major problem with that strategy this time: the iPad mini is going to TOTALLY KILL the Surface before they ever get the chance. MS will sell a few million of them to their hardcore fans - all those Windows-addicted IT guys especially (i know a few). and then - zilch. yup, just like the Zune.
you tell me what kids/anyone who open their Xmas present and find a Surface instead of an iPad mini will say? i know: after "oh shit," it will be "where's the receipt - i want to take it back and get a mini."
I wonder if Microsoft will include the January returns against the December sales...?
Centuries to come, when the civilization that develops after the current one falls to the wayside begins to mine the landfill full of Zunes, Kins and Surfaces will someday ask each other, "Who were these bozos?"
Good for MS. They know they need to go all out and carve out an ecosystem. Otherwise, they lose the future.
P
*ding* *ding* *ding*
NO ONE is gonna buy this shit.
Nobody's gonna buy a SurfaceNT XYZ or whatever the **** it's called ....
No one's gonna buy a SurfacePro ....
Nobody's gonna get either of those things.
Not only does no one know/care about Surface, but the incompatibility of the "entry level" one ....
Plus, the revelation that the reason it has the battery life it does is because it has a shitty GPU that WON'T RUN SOTA GAMES ....
EVERYTHING in this "space", as they say, is Apple -- with Android sweeping up the crumbs.
THAT'S IT.
Nobody's gonna know/care about/actually buy a "Surface/XBOX" gaming tablet -- my protestations to the contrary,
the iPad Mini's a monster hit.
This whole Surface/mobile Windows 8/tablet/phone thing is just one big mess -- much, much bigger than Plays For Sure/Vista/Zune/Kin/etc., etc.
And will FINALLY bring about the ouster of Ballmer.
But Mi¢ro$oft's got so much money, they can take this MASSIVE failure of a hit.
Then, a strictly by-the-book guy will come in, focus only on managing their regular Office/Windows business
& ride the desktop era off into the sunset -- concentrating, then, on tap-optimized versions for iOS & Android.
They'll ditch XBOX, too, sell the IP to Mattel or whoever, so all non-Office/Windows trifle will be over & done with.
All of this will be looked at as Mi¢ro$oft's "restless period" & be forgotten.
If true, this IS NOT an iPad toy like you see preschool kids on the plane playing or watching bids.
Think mobile hardcore gaming, portable lan parties, COD/Halo groups at Starbucks...
This could be a literal game changer.
Hardcore gaming does not lend itself to ultraportable devices. "Gaming" laptops are huge, weigh 10 lbs, and have a battery life of 45min.
Even if you managed to cram all that hardware into a surface size device, how are you going to controll the game? You'd have to drag around a decent keyboard and mouse, and in the end you might as well have bought the full sized laptop.
Sounds like the same "1337 g4m3r 4lif3" marketing that Sony uses with their oh so successful PS Vita and PlayStation-branded Android tablets. Game changer? Microsoft is following the herd.
That's not really what hardcore gaming means any more. Hardcore gaming is playing the latest AAA titles on 7 year old console hardware.
Red Dead Redemption would be not be considered a casual game but it doesn't exist on the PC.
OpenGL 3 ES looks like this:
[VIDEO]
From this year onwards, tablets will have current-gen console quality and will improve each year.
In terms of controls, Microsoft can easily (and should) make a slim version of their 360 controller. This can have a cable to plug into the tablet or work wirelessly. The slim controller can be almost flat with weak or no force feedback motors, slim sticks or capacitive pads.
Kids in the back of a car could finally take proper games with them and play multiplayer.
I personally think this should be the next-gen console. People talk about the PS4 and XBox 720 and imagine the same boxes we have now but why bother? A tablet has a connection to a store with a much easier UI to buy games, it can be docked with any TV in the home, it can be undocked and taken on the go.
Nobody is really looking for vastly improved graphics, just good, affordable, accessible games and a machine you don't have to give up old games when you upgrade. New models can come out yearly and it doesn't mean games don't work, they just downgrade visually.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LuxoM3
40 Million XBox live subscribers gentlemen.
If true, this IS NOT an iPad toy like you see preschool kids on the plane playing or watching bids.
Think mobile hardcore gaming, portable lan parties, COD/Halo groups at Starbucks...
This could be a literal game changer.
Forget talking sense here. These guys have their heads buried so far up Apple's hind end that they can see Tim Cook's breakfast selection before it hits his teeth; they can't and won't see what's coming at them, which is ironically the same arrogant top of the world attitude that nearly killed Apple the first time, and that allowed Apple to then overtake MS and regain the prize. Arrogance always leads to complacency and myopic thinking, and it abounds here in spades. Until the school of hard knocks kicked some sense into him, Ballmer's arrogance was Apple's secret weapon. Now I see that the arrogance field has moved to Cupertino.
MS sold out of the entry level Surface, people. And they have quietly gone about the business they need to in recent years in order to erect an ecosystem that rivals Apple's. Want to sync wirelessly across your many different devices like iCloud? Yes, MS can do it too. Want to buy music, TV, and movie content? Yes, xBox music store and media does just as much as iTunes does. Yeah, it synchs between devices just like Apple, too, automatically. Oh yeah, it also lets you listen free add supported, or pay a flat rate for however much music you want per month - features Apple doesn't have. Want to watch that content on any of your devices, pick up on one where the other left off like you can with AirPlay? Yeah, got that too. Except you can also interact with content in more robust ways. And oh yeah, you can actually do the outlandish like hook your device up to about any USB device and add a memory card. In many ways, MS is now the biggest contender for taking on Apple in this space. Forget Android - it is pure junk by comparison.
Look, I love Apple products and I have a load of them. I'm writing this on my iMac, with my MacPro laptop nearby, and I'll probably look up replies on my iPhone. But I'm not so stupid as to think that Apple is the only game in town, and I'm not willing to be blinded by militant fanboyism. Thinking that Apple is somehow magic and that nobody else can ever touch their game is foolish and when that sort of thing is a characteristic of a leader, it has a very predictable path. If you think MS can't wade into this pool, you are dreaming. This is a pitched battle - for survival folks - and if you think MS isn't going to go all in you are fooling yourselves.
I went out and bought a Surface, FYI. I also own an Android tab and an iPad. I have developed for all three. And I can tell you something right off the bat: Android is the loser here. Android sucks by comparison to both of the others. Windows 8 is startlingly different but it is not bad. In fact, it is quite good. Maybe even great. You boys blow it off at your own peril.
Originally Posted by LuxoM3
40 Million XBox live subscribers gentlemen.
If true, this IS NOT an iPad toy like you see preschool kids on the plane playing or watching bids.
Think mobile hardcore gaming, portable lan parties, COD/Halo groups at Starbucks...
This could be a literal game changer.
Way more Game Center subscribers. Why do you think this means anything?
And shut up if you're going to call the iPad a toy. Of course it's a toy when you're using it as one. It's also a professional product if you're using it as one. Can't say that about most of the other products on the market.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Way more Game Center subscribers. Why do you think this means anything?
The fact that you have to ask that question suggests that you don't know what xbox live really is, as does the comparison to game center. Game center is nothing at all like xbox live. Xbox live is in some ways more like the tip of the MS ecosystem; it is not simply a hub for game play, and I suspect we'll see that concept continue to evolve with the next xbox.
Originally Posted by tt92618
The fact that you have to ask that question suggests that you don't know what xbox live really is, as does the comparison to game center. Game center is nothing at all like xbox live. Xbox live is in some ways more like the tip of the MS ecosystem; it is not simply a hub for game play, and I suspect we'll see that concept continue to evolve with the next xbox.
Yeah, it does music and whatever too. Guess what; so does the iPad. And the latter has a larger ecosystem than the former.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Yeah, it does music and whatever too. Guess what; so does the iPad. And the latter has a larger ecosystem than the former.
Isn't the refrain 'size doesn't matter' the one that we hear echoing around these fora whenever anyone points out that Apple doesn't have the market lead in some given category? I remember MS and others snidely making similar remarks about how few apps were in the app store when it first started.
You just can't be dismissive in this industry - it moves too fast for that. Simply dismissing the ecosystem MS is bringing to market is unwise in my opinion, because it ignores the ways that it can leverage the huge market potential that exists in MS's installed base. My fond hope is that Tom Cook and the rest of Apple's leadership take the threat more seriously than do the fanboys running around here, because if they don't, it is inevitable that they will yield market to MS.
Originally Posted by tt92618
Isn't the refrain 'size doesn't matter' the one that we hear echoing around these fora whenever anyone points out that Apple doesn't have the market lead in some given category?
Yeah, but that isn't what we're talking about here. That's used to highlight the quality and success of what is had, not the potential of what can be. With a greater hardware install base, like we have here, developers will be more likely to work with iOS than they would any individual console (or that industry as a whole).
If it plays Halo I'll buy it.
The thing about tablets is that they can do practically ANYTHING. Whether it's to play games, surf the web, go on Facebook, or use the hundreds of thousands of different apps that do all sorts of different things from actual productivity work to completely trivial and menial tasks, the tablet can do it all.
That's why having a "dedicated gaming" tablet strikes me as odd. It seems restrictive in its purpose as device, taking away one of the best things about of owning a tablet, its flexibiility.
The thing about tablet gaming is that it's also very different from the "hard-core" gaming usually associated with the Xbox 360.
The biggest difference is the controls. You simply cannot control on a tablet as well as you can with a gaming controller nor is it possible to get that level of immersive feeling of playing, say, "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2" using touchscreen as you would from the Xbox 360 controller.
With much of the Xbox 360's attraction being able to play online on its Xbox Live service and the high level of competition it can provide, the touch-screen tablet controls simply don't allow for that level of skilled playing that a Xbox 360 gamer would want or expect.
I see tablet gaming more geared toward "casual gamers" that are not going to spend weeks or months playing the same game online or trying to finish some RPG.
Rather, these gamers are more attracted to simple, easy to pick-up, and quick games like "Angry Birds Star Wars", "Bad Piggies" and other "puzzle"-type games, and which utilize and incorporate the tablet's entire touchscreen in the gameplay.
The market for games is also MUCH different between the two devices. One of the great things about tablet games is that they are usually very cheap if not free. Most of the most popular games can be bought for $3 and below.
That's not true for console games, where the games are usually around $30-$50 if not more. Despite the high price, they can be great investments providing literally dozens of hours of entertainment compared to say a Blu-ray movie which you may watch on only once or twice.
Yes, Xbox 360 also have games targeted more for the casual gamers like on Xbox Live Arcade or using the Kinect controller, so there is some cross-over in the potential audience, but generally I think "hard-core" gamers are going to stick with consoles.
One thing that's interesting about tablet gaming is I think the iPad (and now tablet market in general) basically RUINED the handheld game console market for Nintendo and Sony, at least with that section of the market that can afford an iPad or tablet device.
I mean really, who wants to play on some tiny 4.88" Nintendo 3DS or 5" Sony PlayStation Vita screen when the iPad gives you 9.7"?
And again with the variety of great games at little to no cost available to download from the App Store, it seems a LOT more attractive than paying $30 or $40 for a 3DS or Vita title.
Not surprisingly, the 3Ds got off to a rocky start with sales and was close to being branded a total failure.
It wasn't until Nintendo slashed $80 off it's initial $249 price just MONTHS after it was released did sales start picking up, though it's still hasn't come close to matching the success of the previous generation Nintendo DS.
The Sony PS Vita, on the otherhand, HAS been considered a total failure. The latest sales figures released in Japan shows that it sold less than 5,000 units that week, and it hasn't even been on sale for a year. Can you even imagine any IOS device selling just 5,000 units in a week???
What's also funny is how Nintendo is trying to introduce a "tablet-style" controller in its new Wii U console called the "GamePad" that's being launched later this month.
Much of how Nintendo is promoting the GamePad is not as a gaming device, but as tablet interface with your TV, being able to choose movies from Netflix, go online and text with friends.
Unfortunately as a "tablet", it already looks horribly outdated and obsolete, with a 6.2" screen at 854x480 resolution and 158 PPI.
And when you consider this device will probably have around a six year life cycle, it just seems like a HUGE miscalculation of Nintendo's part to try to "cash in" on the "tablet craze" started by Apple when this GamePad "tablet" will look increasingly ridiculous and out-dated with each new iPad life-cycle.
Add another failure to the pile...
Originally Posted by bobborries
Add another failure to the pile…
A picture says a thousand words. Maybe the "new" guy can take a hint from that.
I like that Ballmer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tt92618
Forget talking sense here. These guys have their heads buried so far up Apple's hind end that they can see Tim Cook's breakfast selection before it hits his teeth; they can't and won't see what's coming at them, which is ironically the same arrogant top of the world attitude that nearly killed Apple the first time, and that allowed Apple to then overtake MS and regain the prize. Arrogance always leads to complacency and myopic thinking, and it abounds here in spades. Until the school of hard knocks kicked some sense into him, Ballmer's arrogance was Apple's secret weapon. Now I see that the arrogance field has moved to Cupertino.
MS sold out of the entry level Surface, people. And they have quietly gone about the business they need to in recent years in order to erect an ecosystem that rivals Apple's. Want to sync wirelessly across your many different devices like iCloud? Yes, MS can do it too. Want to buy music, TV, and movie content? Yes, xBox music store and media does just as much as iTunes does. Yeah, it synchs between devices just like Apple, too, automatically. Oh yeah, it also lets you listen free add supported, or pay a flat rate for however much music you want per month - features Apple doesn't have. Want to watch that content on any of your devices, pick up on one where the other left off like you can with AirPlay? Yeah, got that too. Except you can also interact with content in more robust ways. And oh yeah, you can actually do the outlandish like hook your device up to about any USB device and add a memory card. In many ways, MS is now the biggest contender for taking on Apple in this space. Forget Android - it is pure junk by comparison.
Look, I love Apple products and I have a load of them. I'm writing this on my iMac, with my MacPro laptop nearby, and I'll probably look up replies on my iPhone. But I'm not so stupid as to think that Apple is the only game in town, and I'm not willing to be blinded by militant fanboyism. Thinking that Apple is somehow magic and that nobody else can ever touch their game is foolish and when that sort of thing is a characteristic of a leader, it has a very predictable path. If you think MS can't wade into this pool, you are dreaming. This is a pitched battle - for survival folks - and if you think MS isn't going to go all in you are fooling yourselves.
I went out and bought a Surface, FYI. I also own an Android tab and an iPad. I have developed for all three. And I can tell you something right off the bat: Android is the loser here. Android sucks by comparison to both of the others. Windows 8 is startlingly different but it is not bad. In fact, it is quite good. Maybe even great. You boys blow it off at your own peril.
#next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }I disagree. I have recently bought a a Sony Duo 11, which is a very nice device, but the idea that regular windows and tablety things can coexist just DOES NOT WORK. In the windows desktop mode, the windows and fonts and the buttons are too small, the desktop internet explorer and the metro internet explorer are the same yet completely different, I could go on forever. Apple knows that while it would be cheaper to maintain one OS instead of two, it just is not feasible, while MS seems to have not gotten the memo. Sad.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tt92618
Look, I love Apple products and I have a load of them. I'm writing this on my iMac, with my MacPro laptop nearby, and I'll probably look up replies on my iPhone. But I'm not so stupid as to think that Apple is the only game in town, and I'm not willing to be blinded by militant fanboyism. Thinking that Apple is somehow magic and that nobody else can ever touch their game is foolish and when that sort of thing is a characteristic of a leader, it has a very predictable path. If you think MS can't wade into this pool, you are dreaming. This is a pitched battle - for survival folks - and if you think MS isn't going to go all in you are fooling yourselves.
See, here's what I don't get when people like you claim you're "not blinded by fanboyism." The rumor of an Xbox tablet has you people singing its praises, like the rumor has already won, and the iPad is no longer a contender and Apple is now doomed. Except for the fact that this is just a rumor: you have no specs, no hardware, no benchmarks, no announced titles, prices, description, features, nothing. Versus iPad's real hardware, specs, benchmarks, hundreds of thousands of titles, prices, features, and an entire ecosystem. It's real, you can buy one now, and you can play real games on it, including triple-A sports titles, fighting games, shooters, racing games, arcade classics, and plenty of casual games. Go ahead: pretend none of that exists. Pretend your rumored Xbox tablet is real and already beaten iPad. And say with a straight face that you're not the one blinded by militant fanboyism. While you're "fooling yourself" over a rumor, I'll go play Need For Speed and Rage on my real iPad. Let me know when your rumored 7-inch Xbox gaming tablet wades into the pool.