Gaming reaffirmed as central tentpole of Apple TV revamp - report
When Apple executives take the stage on Wednesday to unveil the latest rendition of the company's set-top streamer, the pitch will reportedly revolve around the device's capabilities for living room gaming and could put Apple in direct competition with traditional industry powers like Nintendo.
Apple TV's existing gaming capabilities are limited to AirPlay streams of iOS games.
Games will be "a primary selling point" of the new Apple TV, according to the New York Times. Apple's foray into the console market is believed to focus on casual gamers --?rather than those who prefer AAA titles like Call of Duty --?making the company's entry somewhat more worrying for Nintendo than for Microsoft or Sony.
Apple's iOS platform has become the de facto standard for casual mobile gaming, spawning a multi-billion dollar gaming sub genre of its own. Shifting that momentum toward the Apple TV will encroach on turf recently dominated by Nintendo with its Wii and Wii U consoles.
Electronic Arts and 3DO founder Trip Hawkins implied that Apple's ability to make new technology useable for every consumer could be a major competitive advantage.
"No company has done more for the digital man-machine interface than Apple," Hawkins said. "They've warmed up to games and are a worthy candidate to win the family room in the next decade, though the competition and inertia are epic."
Gaming aside, previous reports have indicated that Apple also plans to address content discovery in the updated Apple TV with a new "universal search" feature. Using Siri, consumers would be able to enter the name of a program and find out where they can watch it, from a number of providers like Netflix and iTunes.
The new Apple TV is expected to carry beefed-up internals that include a more powerful A-series processor, possibly the A8X found in the iPad Air 2. That and other changes --?including the addition of a new remote control with a built-in microphone and touch pad --?could bump the retail price as high as $150.
Apple will likely announce the Apple TV refresh this coming Wednesday, when the company is expected to unveil its next-generation iPhone lineup. AppleInsider will be on hand at the venue in San Francisco and will bring live coverage from the event beginning at 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Eastern in San Francisco.
Apple TV's existing gaming capabilities are limited to AirPlay streams of iOS games.
Games will be "a primary selling point" of the new Apple TV, according to the New York Times. Apple's foray into the console market is believed to focus on casual gamers --?rather than those who prefer AAA titles like Call of Duty --?making the company's entry somewhat more worrying for Nintendo than for Microsoft or Sony.
Apple's iOS platform has become the de facto standard for casual mobile gaming, spawning a multi-billion dollar gaming sub genre of its own. Shifting that momentum toward the Apple TV will encroach on turf recently dominated by Nintendo with its Wii and Wii U consoles.
Electronic Arts and 3DO founder Trip Hawkins implied that Apple's ability to make new technology useable for every consumer could be a major competitive advantage.
"No company has done more for the digital man-machine interface than Apple," Hawkins said. "They've warmed up to games and are a worthy candidate to win the family room in the next decade, though the competition and inertia are epic."
Gaming aside, previous reports have indicated that Apple also plans to address content discovery in the updated Apple TV with a new "universal search" feature. Using Siri, consumers would be able to enter the name of a program and find out where they can watch it, from a number of providers like Netflix and iTunes.
The new Apple TV is expected to carry beefed-up internals that include a more powerful A-series processor, possibly the A8X found in the iPad Air 2. That and other changes --?including the addition of a new remote control with a built-in microphone and touch pad --?could bump the retail price as high as $150.
Apple will likely announce the Apple TV refresh this coming Wednesday, when the company is expected to unveil its next-generation iPhone lineup. AppleInsider will be on hand at the venue in San Francisco and will bring live coverage from the event beginning at 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Eastern in San Francisco.
Comments
(FYI he worked for Apple in the early days)
All they need to completely turn the gaming industry upside down would be a partnership with Nintendo (as unlikely as that is). Apple hardware with Nintendos franchise games would be a killer combo.
AppleBox
I guess that's what Hey Siri give us a hint meant.
We'll control our games by giving commands to Siri.
"Hey Siri, joystick right."
I hope it's $199 with high-end internals (like an A9X) and more storage so it'll remain powerful enough for a couple years.
All they need to completely turn the gaming industry upside down would be a partnership with Nintendo (as unlikely as that is). Apple hardware with Nintendos franchise games would be a killer combo.
I am thinking more along your lines as well. Apple I believe will follow the iPad approach where they blew everyone's mind, not with the product specifically but with the price point (everyone was thinking it was going to be twice what it was).
In this new case, Apple is no fool and are aware of the entrenched players and the performance of their machines.
I can see the price point being kept lower to create interest and pressure on the existing players
but of equal importance is that the internals will not be limited by form factor and battery - as such this will be an iOS core with mains power and due to that i think we are in for performance well above what people are imagining (which seems to be iPhone graphics on the big screen).
Also storage - It will have more than 4gig being touted by some places - An iPod Touch sells for $199 with 16gig storage. So strip away the screen, battery, camera and drop the materials quality down. $149 is a shoe in. They might be bold and go 32 gig, though given the attitude towards storage on the iPhone that's just a dream.
TLDR; Apple isn't going to enter this market with a weak play of iPhone quality graphics, a high price and 4 gig storage.
Right, just like how Ford and Honda will go bankrupt after the Apple Car comes out. :no:
I think they are only comparing it to Nintendo is due to no one making AAA games for it. The WII U being so under powered compared to the Xbone and PS4 is viewed as the casual entry level game console. Apple would have never chance releasing a casual game console to compete against the big boys. Remember if apple makes it its media first. Also to play a moderately sized hd game requires 15~25 gb. Hints why the smallest hard drive on the two big consoles is half a TB.
The Apple TV is definitely a potential STB killer.
I just hope they spec it out.
With the volume a proper Apple TV will do combined with ecosystem potential, they can exceed the ps4 capabilities and completely own the market.
Otherwise, it's just iOS games. And while a fun little diversion at times, they aren't all that.
I would think that they would need games like Until Dawn, or Metal Gear Solid. We shall see what they have in store.
They will be able to sale more units then the PS4 if they don't that's pathetic. However it will not be a PS4 competitor so it does not matter. For apple to compete with the PS4 it would have to cost around 350-400 just to be comparable far out of range for a streaming device.
Yeah, a quick time game from the inventors of QuickTime.
... the pitch will reportedly revolve around the device's capabilities for living room gaming ...
Probably. But remember: this is the "Hey Siri" event. The tag line on the invitation reads "Hey Siri, give us a hint." So maybe, just maybe, there's a chance that Apple may announce some kind of Siri API for developers. Just the few top-tier developers who Apple allows to publish apps on the ?TV App Store. I seriously doubt that any and all random developers will be allowed to publish ?TV apps. Just the premium content providers and game developers. I doubt people want 400 app icons on their TV screen any more than they want to actually watch 400 TV channels.
And guess where else Apple might want to provide a Siri API for a select few app developers other than ?TV? You guessed it: CarPlay. I expect Apple to severely limit the number of apps available for use with CarPlay. Most non-Tesla car infotainment screens are quite small. And the icons need to be quite big to make them tappable from a distance. I think even fewer developers will be allowed to publish CarPlay apps.
Think of it this way: if Apple maintains a monopoly on the Siri API, in 10 years we'll be living in a "Her" future. The OS will be the only thing that interacts with the user. Apps degenerate into services that feed only data to the OS, and the OS determines whether to display images and text or to present a voice-only interface to the user.
On the other hand, if Apple opens up the Siri API to developers, starting with just a few premium "brands," then there may still be diversity and vibrance in the apps and their interaction with the OS. Just a thought.
This event is not WWDC
I'd love to see a Real Racing with motorcycles
This event is not WWDC
Exactly. Why would Apple tell 5,000 WWDC attendees that only 30 or 40 of them will be able to use a new technology?
Better to notify the select few privately, get them to sign an extra-special NDA, and not let anyone else know.
Something like the way Apple has been working with HBO, Netflix, and others on the existing ?TV.
But, if and when there is a public announcement, it could go something like this:
"... and we will be working with a few select partners on SiriKit apps to bring you the best possible experience."