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Recently in a Game Informer magazine, someone wrote about a rumor that's been circulating that Apple might join in the console wars, by introducing a new ystem probably under the "iBRAND" name. Can this be posible? IMO, yes. If true and Apple will join in the console wars, history has taught us one thing. Whenever a new company releases a new console, they succeed. We saw it with SONY, and recently with Microsoft. Maybe not in this current generation, but before we even come close to the next generation of consoles, we might see Apple talking about a new console. If this were to happen, I'm pretty sure people will be intrigued and very interested to see what Apple is gonna come up with.

Let's wait and see, we might see a new contestant in this never ending war!

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PS3 tag: TipoDLuffy

"...quite possibly the greatest game ever made"

I hope they do. I think they would make an AMAZING console and in-house produced games.

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Join the Army, see the world, meet interesting people - and kill them.

~Pacifist Badge, 1978

Quote (SaffireWeapon @ 19th January 2007 16:24)

history has taught us one thing. Whenever a new company releases a new console, they succeed. We saw it with SONY, and recently with Microsoft.

Wow, two examples. How much research did you spend on that? Remember the 3DO? The CD-i? The Gizmondo? Those are three examples of unsuccessful consoles, and three is more than two. Hell, it's hard enough for companies wiith built-in gaming fanbases and industry experience to make a successful console, looking at the early collapse of the Dreamcast and the doubt-laden future of the PSP.

There's a concept in the economic theory of competition called "barriers to entry". Basically, whenever a new company enters a competitive market, chances are lower (rather than higher, as you've suggested) that they succeed if the market is already crowded. Video games are a bigger industry than ever right now, so I think it is harder than ever for any new console to make a significant dent in the market structure. Microsoft only succeeded with their XBox (which still hasn't given them an ounce of profit) because of their nearly limitless economic resources and a few early hits to keep them afloat in their early years of questionable developer support (on that note, it could easily be argued that Gates's determination and willingness to use Microsoft capital and the early success of Halo were the two key factors that "saved" the XBox).

But I'm not saying Apple would fail if they ever put a console out. I'm only saying it's extremely likely that they would fail, or at least fail to meet their own expectations (which are way up, of course; those Apple guys are really high on themselves). Also, I have my doubts that they're even interested in cashing in on the console sales market. If anything, they'll have games made for the iPhone, trying to make it a phone, an MP3 player, a computer, AND a handheld gaming device. That's probably a more likely situation than Apple making a brand new console.

This post has been edited by laszlow on 19th January 2007 22:24

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END SPOILER

"History" or coincidence?

I bet the console will look flashy and sleek, but get lost in the popularity of other well-established systems. Some curious folk will migrate towards it, and will form a clique, maybe even a gamer cult, around it. Then a gap will form between them and other gamers.

That's history, too. ;P

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"Judge not a man by his thoughts and words, but by
the quality and quantity of liquor in his possession
and the likelyhood of him sharing."

All apple really has is the money to get developers on board who would probably be unwilling to risk making games exclusives, the brand name, and the money to blitz the media with ads. That's not enough. XBox and even N64 were three games within failure iMO* and had there not been Goldeneye, Halo, Project Gotham Racing, Mario Cart 64, and so on, those consoles would have sank and we'd have no console war now.

Besides, do we really want a million versions of the console released within 6 months of the first version? iGame nano? iGame Shuffle (3 DVDs inside at once, picks a random game)

*Ha ha, I'm on fire.

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"Only the dead have seen the end of their quotes being misattributed to Plato."
-George Santayana

"The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here..."
-Abraham Lincoln, prior to the discovery of Irony.

Wasn't this report in the April Issue and later revealed as the April Fool's Joke? I don't think I still have the issue but I was pretty sure it was.

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Elena Indurain

Currently Playing: Suikoden II

The version I heard was that Apple might be getting into the handheld market, which makes a lot more sense.

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Veni, vidi, dormivi.

Dudes, it'd be just like a computer! Has no one noticed that all of these newer consoles are turning out to be just a computer that get's hooked up to a TV and has a controller instead of a mouse?
~ Take the Nintendo Wii for example. Sure, you can play music on it, but you can also access the internet, download old games to it, get the weather and news... Same stuff that I can access on my computer...
~ Besides, why the hell would Apple have any reason to create a console? I mean, it doesn't get much more next-gen once all of the next-gen consoles have already come out. They'd just be fighting a losing war.

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We, who cannot see into tomorrow, have no way of knowing... But... But... If you don't find dreams yourself... if you don't capture your ambitions... happiness won't just come to you.

In light of some of the things that other people have said, does anyone see a trend of cell phones, gaming systems, and portable computers starting to inch toward each other?

Additionally, it IS probably the wisest decision for Apple to make their iPhone a gaming system, since it's their easiest way of making any kind of gaming system, as opposed to formally entering the game console market with a gaming-dedicated system.

This post has been edited by Glenn Magus Harvey on 20th January 2007 06:31

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Quote (RoughknightVII @ 19th January 2007 19:58)

Dudes, it'd be just like a computer! Has no one noticed that all of these newer consoles are turning out to be just a computer that get's hooked up to a TV and has a controller instead of a mouse?
~ Take the Nintendo Wii for example. Sure, you can play music on it, but you can also access the internet, download old games to it, get the weather and news... Same stuff that I can access on my computer...
~ Besides, why the hell would Apple have any reason to create a console? I mean, it doesn't get much more next-gen once all of the next-gen consoles have already come out. They'd just be fighting a losing war.

For me this isn't as horrible of an idea as it might be to some because quite honestly, I hate sitting at my computer. I sit at one for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for work. I would like to have some computer-like functionality sitting on my sofa or even laying in my bed without having to put down the bucks for a laptop. Plus, my chair is horrible and it's hard to get a good computer chair that will move and sit nicely on normal household carpet.

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Elena Indurain

Currently Playing: Suikoden II

I for one would find this AWESOME!

More importantly, the apple system would win hands down for graphics and effects.

And... more devious and evil product standardization:

The iPod could BE the portable system.

They could just put a dock point right on the system. The iPod could be the memory card, handheld system (the 5th generation ones anyway), and possibly part of the controller?

It would be genius.

Of course I'm just dreaming based on the topic. Don't site me as having inside information, but it would make so much sense!

And it would be sweet, but I've said that.

But it would be sweet.

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If internal struggles were as enjoyable and glamorous as the self conflicted wars within video game characters, we would all be statues, reveling in perpetual self war. -Me

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