alt Hacker NewsApple tried this, I forgot which year, there was a push to make the Apple TV a console. Arcade support, controller compatibility, it all shipped. You can plug in an Apple TV and pair an Xbox controller right now and play a surprisingly large number of AAA and indie games, from Resident Evil VIII to Slay the Spire. It was too little too late, though. Most games are played on phones, and the console market is falling apart. Microsoft seems to be pulling out, Sony is basically shipping locked-down gaming PCs with a couple of exclusive games. Nintendo is holding course more or less, but their main value propositions are simplicity and first-party exclusivity, and phones already ate the first half of that.
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As someone who used to be into console gaming but has been out basically since the PS2, this is an interesting summation of the current state of things. Do you have any color you'd add with regard to the Steam Machine and its potential?
> Nintendo is holding course more or less, but their main value propositions are simplicity and first-party exclusivity, and phones already ate the first half of that.
Someone at Nintendo had the genius idea of charging you a subscription fee for internet access.
So, you can play Pokemon Champions on a Switch 2 for $35 / year, or you can play it on your phone, which has an internet connection outside Nintendo's control, for free.
Nintendo's value proposition really seems to be "we will screw you as hard as we can, and we hope you like that".
Yep! Some more details, many of which kill it:
The Apple TV chip is currently quite old. It would be fine for much indie stuff or streaming but pales against a modern phone/iPad.
Have to buy games from the App Store meaning limited selection. Few bother because no one plays games on Apple TV. And since it’s the same as the iPhone app it’s often optimized for that even if the Apple TV was more powerful.
The other big Apple sin is Apple tried a push but (at the time, later changed) demanded games worked with the Apple TV remote only. At least for Apple Arcade. They “had to” because they’ve never sold a gamepad. Only 3rd party ones which weren’t very good.
So you have to buy games from Apple that are either super simplistic (to work well on phone) or advanced but old (RE VII), play on an old chip, on a TV while it was probably designed for a phone, and pay $70+ to Nintendo/Sony/MS to buy a good quality game pad.
Surprise. It never went anywhere.
There was a rumor that they’re going to try again with a first-party controller. If they’re smart they will just white label one from a good company. And they should absolutely push cloud gaming with PS/MS. Steam Link is a good idea.
A new Apple TH is rumored any day now (and has been for a long time) but between the high original cost, the insane cost increases due to RAM/storage, and the price of buying a controller, it just doesn’t seem worth it. Buy a Series S or Switch 1/2 and be happier.