Apple – The Silent King of the Games Industry

The Daily Reaction crew discuss Apple's entry into the games market, and how Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are looking at them for inspiration.

[doctorstrange]

Sad, but true.

[badz149]

of course numbers talk and Apple makes A LOT from app sales and that's including games. but to say that Apple is the KING of gaming industry is kinda wrong IMO!

sure, they are king of profits but iOS only accounts for 25% of the overall smartphone markets while Android is the majority of the remaining 75%! looks like they are doing things right where they earn so much with smaller market share but that is due to Apple users are used to have to pay for stuffs and Apps while Android users prefer free Apps! I know I do.

so, as far as gaming is concern, Apple may be earning more but do people really think of Apple when talking about gaming? nah...not so much and I think Apple don't care too much about it either! if they do, they would've established their Macs to properly play games but they didn't and even devs know that games are not going to sell THAT much on Macs which make the effort not even worth it!

[LocutusEstBorg]

No body buys Android apps in 90% of the world. iOS games outsell console games in volume and revenue. Apple makes the most money by an order of magnitude. iOS games have sharp image quality, 32-bit colour and run at native resolution. Consoles games are blurry, jagged, have poor image quality and shitty textures.

[saladthieves]

It doesn't matter how many games or how much money the company with a fruit logo is able to sell/make - they are still mobile device games and to me should not be compared with the console ones.

@KurianOfBorg
Try harder next time

[3-4-5]

Quality > Quantity

[TrendyGamers]

I wouldn't exactly call them silent, they get pretty loud every 6 months when a new iPad comes out.

[humbleopinion]

And I wouldn't call them kings either. Not because apple doesn't even make games, but because 500M devices still doesn't mean people actually spend money on games there (especially since most of the stuff is free). In dollar terms (meaning how much money was actually spend on gameS), the entire mobile gaming market is a small blip on the radar - probably still less than 10% of the overall market.

Hell, by the same logic one can call Nokia the king of games: They sold over one billion devices which had the game Snake on them (which is probably twice as many devices as Windows PCs with Solitaire/Minesweeper). But that's not a real market.

[NastyLeftHook0]

silent....but deadly. (poof)

i disagree, sony are the kings of the gaming industry.

[dbjj12088]

Oh yeah, I forgot that they're watching N4G.

I love Sony too!

[Thirty3Three]

I agree, Tentons.

Sony has it!

[AngelicIceDiamond]

I disagree PS360 are.

[adorie]

I want to try that console out.

[knifefight]

Day 1!

[romancer]

Sony "are"...? Sony is the plural of what?

[Lvl_up_gamer]

Pretty sure Nintendo is...

You would think the KING of gaming would have made more then $6 million in their Gaming Division in Q3 while their competition made $540+ million and $450 million in the same time frame....

[Whitefeather]

If you're in it for the games not sales you'll know Sony is where it's at.

[gobluesamg]

I see you on every thread spouting your BS man. Get a life. Who cares if you don't like Sony. What a hollow existence sticking up for a company that doesn't give a s@#t about you on the internet.

[Lvl_up_gamer]

@ Whitefeather

Sony makes money off of exclusives. With a $6 million Q3 profit...it doesn't look like "Sony is where it's at" regarding games since nobody seems to be buying them.

@ gobluesamg

Why you so mad? I am just simply pointing out a flaw in tentonsoftube logic. If we are talking "kings" of gaming, then it would be the company that is actually making a profit off of their gaming division since their profits show consumer purchases.

If Sony is the KING of gaming, then why is it nobody is buying their exclusives? What is the sense of having a large library of games if nobody is buying them? It's just money wasted...which explains why Sony only made $6 million profit in their gaming division while companies like MS and Nintendo are making $550 million and $450 million in the same quarter respectively.

You wanna talk "kings" of gaming...

MS - $550 million profit Q3 Gaming division earnings
Nintendo - $450 million profit Q3 Gaming division earnings
Sony - $6 million profit Q3 Gaming division earnings

Just looking at those numbers, it's pretty clear Sony is FAR from being kings of gaming.

I am just using facts. Sorry they upset you.

And for the Record, I do like Sony. I have a Phat 60gb launch PS3. It's a great system. I have a huge library of blu-ray movies. Just because I point out the "ugly" facts shouldn't upset you so much.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

***"And for the Record, I do like Sony. I have a Phat 60gb launch PS3. It's a great system. I have a huge library of blu-ray movies."***

lol you think people believe that bull?

***" Just because I point out the "ugly" facts shouldn't upset you so much.'***

It's not that you point them out. It's that it's all you ever do when you comment on anything Sony related. Pretty much comes off as trolling or trying push an agenda or somethin'.

[dbjj12088]

I get the argument, but I think there's pretty even competition in the gaming industry. It's fierce, but that keeps the industry moving forward.

[Wedge19]

Yeah, I don't think there is one clear "victor" in the games industry. There's always the need for competition.

[doctorstrange]

Need does not guarantee outcome.

[shodaime]

Silent these nutz!! They are like activision, every year some new shit come out from them..nd shit hella expensive too

[doctorstrange]

And just like with Activision, people line up in droves to buy it...

[smashcrashbash]

Yeah Playstationlifestyle talk tons of nonsense.Apple neither makes games, concentrates on games or would survive with a console or get any one who owns a gaming system to switch to them. The people who play games on phones usually just play them as time wasters and are hardly true gamers.I would hardly call Apple King of gaming, silent or not. Being a big phone and tablet maker with games on it hardly qualifies you as a king of the games industry.Think about it. Who is going to buy it? The people who already have their game device of choice will ignore it and their Apple sheep only care about tablets and phones and won't buy a console. Between the Wii U, PS4 and next Xbox they have three times the competition who have been doing gaming for decades. I assume that most of you have never heard of barriers to entry right?

[Steadyhndz]

I've always said since 2008 that Apple should make a console. They'd do an amazing job at it and it would give opportunities for them to create more innovation. It wouldn't be your hardcore system, it would be a home system that would do so much.

[shikamaroooo]

The console would be locked into an ecosystem, that would limit multimedia capabilities. Lets not forget a premium price tag, and yearly variations released.

[Steadyhndz]

Who said it wouldn't sell even if it was that lol.

[3GenGames]

It probably would. But not to any gamer. Only a bunch of hipsters who don't know a single thing about technology and want the status symbol. But it won't work because you don't bring it out in public enough like most other successful Apple status symbols. Apple can suck one. They're no different then a dictatorship. To even snease at the App Store is $100 a year+Owning a Mac with the most recent OS+An iPhone. That's BS!

Android and Linux are the Future. They'll eradicate Apple and Windows will be along for the ride...PS4 Runs linux. Steam Box runs Linux. Linux runs everything from servers to phones. Get ready. It's the real sleeper in the technology world...at least to the people who only know things by how often they see their logo in the store.

[redtideone11]

lets see how many educated developers in the gaming industry for the Ipad? NONE end of story.

[fourOeightshark]

Mobile games only keep me entertained for like 10 minutes and then i uninstall them.

[FlyingFoxy]

That's because they are not a full experience like you get on Console/PC, they are good for a quick blast.. nothing that lasts a while.

[Pillsbury1]

If they ever release an official apple controller for the iPad or Apple TV they will dominate. But tablets will never take the place of consoles.

[FlyingFoxy]

if Apple released a console, it'd be overpriced like the Ipads for sure.

[LOL_WUT]

"Apple will never get into the console business – the market is too small, the returns are too little and the effort required is too high."

It's a known fact that Apple is one of the top dogs in the mobile industry with innovating tech that goes on to sell millions. Seeing how they are expanding into the living room with Apple Tv and so on I wouldn't be surprised if they came out with a console someday.

Also who cares if they tried it in the past. The technology has advanced in so many ways since then, i'm sure Apple would come out with something good. ;)

[fourOeightshark]

Last time they really innovated was with the first iPod and iPhone.

[cyhm3112]

apple and microsoft are too ambitious to do good in the gaming business, they want to do something big, the whole living room, the whole mobile space(tablet, mobile phones), and pc,mac. That's why they can't concentrate on gaming alone, and this will make them fail.

[shodaime]

since they go by horse power number on their marketing,i doubt apple console would be $900

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

everything Apple provides is already behind what the competition has been doing for years!

I'd pick my PS3/360/WiiU over an Iphone/Ipad any day, no questions asked!

[Treian]

No just no

[Hicken]

I can see why some might wanna believe this, especially if they're the type that's really keen on believing mobile gaming is the wave of the future.

But, as cliched as it has now become, gaming is FAR more than Angry Birds. And, while they may make a lot of money off their game apps, they do NOTHING else related to gaming. In my opinion, it takes FAR more than just making lots of money in the industry to be considered the king.

And all Apple's got is the money... as usual.

[FrigidDARKNESS]

I would love forApple to enter the console business. Tjey will definitely give gamers the console they want.

[hot4play]

I got a Vita on launch day and have been enjoying the device ever since. (Currently playing Persona 4 Golden) I think it's the best handheld gaming device ive ever owned.

Then a few weeks ago, my mom gave me an iPhone as an early birthday gift. I tried out a few apps/games and I have to say, some of them have changed my views on mobile gaming.

Apple's App store absolutely destroys whatever Sony currently has on the Vita (in sheer quantity and variety ). I hate to say it as Ive been a strong Sony supporter since the PS1 days but Sony really has to step up this year in terms of quality software for the Vita if it wants to compete in the handheld market.

Tearaway, Soul Sacrifice, and Killzone are a step in the right direction this year. But I think we need more games that take advantage of the device's unique features. They also need lots of free, innovative games and useful apps if they want the Vita to stay relevant.

MORE GAMES, MORE APPS (where the hell is that t@g app?), CHEAPER MEMORY CARDS, BETTER MARKETING are what Sony needs to stave off Apple's advances in the market.

Sony is still (imo) the king of home consoles---but in the mobile market, I have to say Apple is king. A lot of recent iOS games are compelling enough for mobile gaming. It's hard to deny that. Sony, you need to step up and show this generation of gamers how it's done!

[squarecircle]

I have to agree with you there, I felt the exact same way at first.
If mobile gaming is so bad; like some of you say, then why do most mobile games get ported to consoles/PC?
Hell even the OUYA is going to bringing Android games to your TV and there's a reason...

[Oh_Yeah]

Lol lol lol. Thanks for the laugh. Where's apples console... Where's apples game support on pc? Apple are king of hype and popularity in the mobile department. That's all.

[V0LT]

We don't need $200 games and $5,000 consoles from these ppl. It amazes me ppl feel into their high price BS.

[T3MPL3TON]

First off those sales figures are incorrect. Second. Apple doesn't produce these games. In order to be the king of the gaming industry, you need to actually be in the industry. That'd be like e going, I'm the king of weed because I smoke a lot. I don't sell it. I just simply partake in the truest profit of the industry.

[MultiConsoleGamer]

Finally some who gets it.

[Vickistheman]

lol terrible article. Does Apple even make games? Hell no, they just take a percentage of all the app sales. How does that make them king of anything?

[arbitor365]

thats a pretty hollow definition of "dominating the industry." making the most money does not equate to "being the most relevant, important, or innovative."

lets get something straight. companies that profit primarily off of casuals, like apple with the Ipad or nintendo with the Wii, do not in any way detract from or dominate the PS3 or xbox360. they are, for all intents and purposes, an entirely different market.

and no matter how much money they make, they will never override or take over the hardcore consoles, because hardcore gamers have shown that the strong majority of them dont give two ****s about what the casuals are into, at the moment.

if you are a hardcore gamer and especially someone who values games on an artistic level, it is a slap to the face and an insult to the intelligence to deem the Ipad, with its 99 cent games, to be the king of the industry.

[AO1JMM]

Apple = bargain bin king of gaming.

[Ggame]

Let them keep silence continually.