

Five reasons Apple shouldn't get into gaming - technologizer
http://technologizer.com/2009/05/06/5-reasons-apple-should-not-get-into-gaming/

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grinich
"1. The Best Ideas Are Already Taken"

I don't understand how anybody could think this. It just simply isn't true.
There doesn't need to be a "void" in order for something new to be successful.
It just has to be better in some way than the existing technology.

I don't think anybody on HN thinks that the best ideas are already taken. It's
the people /not/ starting companies which believe this.

~~~
Batsu
Completely agree. That's the anti-competitive spirit that prevents good ideas
from happening :)

I agree with the author's other 4 points, however. I'd hate to see a fourth
console out there buying up exclusives, seeing another contender in the
endless console wars... ugh.

... and if you thought people complained when the PS3 cost $600? :) I kid, I
kid.

~~~
adamc
What's to kid about? Apple doesn't usually get into markets to be the low-cost
supplier. They are the Ferrari of computers.

OTOH, they might well produce something so good that it captures the top end
of the market. It's risky, but if they thought they could do it...

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mr_eel
The problem is thinking that they want to make a console. I doubt they do.
They may be thinking about pushing the iphone/ipod touch more heavily as game
machines. The portable gaming market has a lot of room yet.

"1. The Best Ideas Are Already Taken"

Digital distribution: Other companies have started to do it, but the only
distribution on portable devices are either java games for phones or dinky
little games off Nintendo’s DSi service. The PSP has something, but it seems
ad hoc and fiddly.

Apple have distro down pat. It’s about as easy as it gets.

Pricing: Make it cheap basically. Go for volume. Valve is a company that
understands this. They commonly discount products to a huge degree in order to
stimulate sales and it’s not hurting them, the opposite in fact.

If you want to look at games as mass-media, you can see there is still a way
to go. Compare them to movies. Films in general cost substantially more — or
can at least — yet will be priced much lower than games when offered at
retail. Games in comparison are still being treated like premium products with
premium pricing. There are a bunch of other issues affecting how well a game
can succeed — accessibility and subject-matter for example — but there is no
practical reason why games can’t be made that will sell more cheaply, to more
people.

I’m still dubious about a big push into games, but Apple is a surprising
company, so I wouldn’t discount it entirely.

