Epic: 'If next-gen consoles aren't bleeding edge, Apple will beat them'

Meeting with Epic's always well-spoken VP Mark Rein at GDC this week, CVG highlighted the growing concern among gamers that next-gen consoles could turn out to be technically underwhelming - especially with Wii U's reportedly modest specs and the next Xbox rumoured to be utilising a year-old graphics card.

[Shok]

Didn't know Epic was this stupid.

[gypsygib]

I'm happy Epic is pushing Sony, MS and (hopefully) Nintendo to make next-gen consoles as powerful as possible. Gamers win by having the corps subsidize our purchase.

Remember, if it wasn't for Epic, 360 would have likely failed this gen right after the RROD fiasco, as every PS3 game would have looked and ran noticeably better.

[dp277407]

Im thinking he means Gears of War came out early enough to make people want a 360 even with the risk of rrod or we could let him tell us.

[SuperLupe]

Yep next gen kicked off with Gears. RROD or not you had to be a part of it.

[gypsygib]

@ dp277407 & SuperLupe

I'm talking bout how Epic convinced MS to make 360 more powerful by upping the RAM from 256 to 512...because Gears didn't look particularly next-gen at 256.

The whole point of the article is that Epic is trying to convince Console makers to up the power by showing them what can be done with high specs (Smaritan Demo), and I'm saying that's good because it allowed or greatly contributed to 360 being where it is today.

If 360 was noticeably less powerful and relied on multiplats as much as it does, PS3 would have dominated again = less competition to push the envelope = gamers lose.

[sikbeta]

@gypsygib

No, it's not, Epic is riding Apple's d*** because they want to license the f*** out of their Engines and put them everywhere, they don't care if the games on I-devices are s*** or not, as long as they can make money from the UE, bleeding edge tech on new consoles will make more devs go out of business, raise prices and less variety of games, it's not working, PS1 and PS2 werent successful for being the most powerful consoles, same with the wii

Also, those who are expecting a massive bump in HW like we saw this gen are delusional, that's what made Sony from being number 1, to being in last place and with no chance to catch up against the competition

Face it, people want flashy stuff with colored s****, that's why Apple is so big, that's why kinect is so succesful, it has nothing to do with Specs or HW, casuals want gimmicks and what's hot at the moment, nothing else

[Machioto]

@sikbeta What you said reminded me of this.

Can someone tell me power wise how the ipad 3 stacks up compared to ps vita,I know the ipad has a higher res screen but two less cpu cores and the same amount of GPUs but they are not based on the rumored powervr series 6.

[ChrisW]

However, with Sony and MS using current AMD (6000 series?) graphics technology... by the time their next-gen consoles are released, they will already be a generation or two late in graphics.

So if Apple takes that into consideration, they'll have the definite advantage.

[SilentNegotiator]

If they try to make them "bleeding edge", Apple will ABSOLUTELY beat them. Was the Wii "bleeding edge" in power? Was the ps2? Nope, but they WERE the most successful consoles of all time.

Gamers aren't going to "jump ship" to a buttonless tablet.

"especially with....the next Xbox rumoured to be utilising a year-old graphics card"
-
Uhhh, what do they expect? Graphics Cards from the future? Consoles have "outdated" cards out of the gate. That's just the way that it is. They have to be marketably affordable. It's that simple. It's quite sad to see people blubber about even 5 year old consoles having old cards; do you want to buy new hardware every, what, 3 years, then?

"The "Next gen" consoles will already be outdated when they release because AMD/Nvidia will have a slightly more powerful series of card out...MEH MEH MEH MEH MEEEEH"

Epic only cares because they care about how THEIR games sell on the consoles, and the more flash, the better for them. The big three, however, actually have to worry about hardware sales and more than one token game series like Gears selling.

[Kos-Mos]

Good graphics do NOT make a game good tiny.

[LeShin]

@silentnegotiator wish I could get you a drink for talking so much sense, but a bubble will have to do :-)

I've said it before and I'll keep saying it....touchscreen controls just don't work for most games! I have a really good smartphone and I've bought ONE game in a 6 month period.

....and don't get me started on how much an Ipad costs compared to a console! Buying a ipad strictly for gaming just seems like a very stupid idea

[debian_zac]

@SilentNegotiator

if i can buy ram at the consumer rate of ~50 for 8GBs of it, than for each GB of ram I'm paying ~6.75 USD.

Now all i'm saying is that 2GB isn't gonna cause consoles prices to sky rocket because for each system they are only investing 12.50 USD at the consumer rate. Which current systems only have 512MB of ram so thats increasing the available ram on the system by x4 the amount without breaking the bank. NO way in hell could M$ or Sony find a way to justify that 2 GBs for more ram would cause the systems price to increase by 100 or 200 USD. Now the only thing really holding back consoles would be the Bus systems on the MBs and hopefully M$ doesn't do what they did this gen are try to cut costs with cheaper and poorer quality parts.

Source of prices : http://www.newegg.com/Store...

All i'm saying is the systems have decent processing power, albet weak but sufficient GPUs. But the problem is the lack for ram to store textures, general game data, models.

[Anon1974]

@SuperLupe "Yep next gen kicked off with Gears."
Exactly. I remember that awe I felt when Gears game out. This was next gen, I said. This raises the bar. I expected to see the bar raised from that point on. But it didn't happen. At least not on that console. On another console, I saw the graphical bar raised again and again.

Not every developer can push the hardware, otherwise every game would look like Gears or Uncharted or Battlefield or the Witcher. That's why next gen, it doesn't matter what the specs are. We aren't going to see a graphical revolution overnight. If it were that easy, we would have seen it already.

@SilentNegotiator "Gamers aren't going to "jump ship" to a buttonless tablet."
I wouldn't discount the touch screen so soon. Obviously Nintendo thinks there's something there, and you can't deny that it's much more precise to touch the screen exactly where you want as opposed to using a thumbstick. A touchscreen used with buttons would bring the precision of a mouse with the buttons of a controller. Any PC gamer will tell you how limiting a controller is compared to mouse input - and as a developer myself I can tell you, for some games the touchscreen interface will let you do far more things than a controller. It's not for every game, but to simply write it off as "gamers need buttons"...that's not always the case.

[MaxXAttaxX]

Oh wait, they're not.

[Dude420]

"Exactly. I remember that awe I felt when Gears game out. This was next gen, I said. This raises the bar. I expected to see the bar raised from that point on. But it didn't happen. At least not on that console. On another console, I saw the graphical bar raised again and again."

Wow, who cares, even if the PS3 apparently raised the bar, that didn't stop the Xbox from getting better looking games. There's a huge difference between Gears 1 and 3. Forza 4's graphics were vastly improved and there seems to be a pretty significant difference between Halo Reach and 4, but we'll see.

The point is, the Xbox still has juice left in it and some devs do their best to ensure that there's a high quality in the visuals. This is a result of competition. Even though the PS3 can produce amazing looking console games, I was amazed that the Xbox can still improve as well.

[nveenio]

The iPad will not take over handheld gaming. That's like saying that Macs will take over PC gaming. It's not happening. I will be buying an iPad 3, but only because I'm a software developer, and so I need to have one for work. Will I play games on it? Sure. But it won't replace my PS3, let alone my PS4, and definitely not my PC (preferred multi-plat of choice).

Epic has an interest in as many platforms as possible. It makes their engine look really great when you can use it to develop every platform in parallel. Just because their Epic doesn't mean they're not blowing smoke.

[Perjoss]

Even the mention of Apple or Wii when talking about bleeding edge gaming is quite silly. Apple and Nintendo devices are not aimed at gamers at all. YES there is the odd hardcore title on the Wii but they make up about 5% of its library.

You only have to look at sales charts to see that stuff like Wii Sports and Wii Fit ridiculously outsell stuff like Resident Evil and Xenoblade Chronicles.

[pangitkqb]

I enjoy the bleeding edge of technology. It's expensive, it requires many sacrifices to be made, but the experiences are incredible. I'll never forget the first time I put Oblivion on my PS3 after years of playing on my PS2. It was mind blowing.

And games have only gotten better since then.

[MysticStrummer]

"Yep next gen kicked off with Gears. RROD or not you had to be a part of it."

Not me. I knew I wanted a PS3 but thought Gears might make me want a 360 also. That didn't happen. It's not a bad game by any means, but it didn't make me regret waiting to jump into the next generation.

OT - No. No they won't. Apple makes good products, and games made for smart phones and other touchscreen devices have their place, but nothing they have beats what I get from my PS3.

[F7U12]

And the proof of what he's saying is sitting right here next to me, it's my gaming PC. A console just couldn't offer me the experience that I was looking for. This is the experience that I was looking for and it's only going to get better when nextgen hits.

http://img689.imageshack.us...

[ikkokucrisis]

I don't know if it's good to side with Apple Mark,

Apple releases a new product every year and Epic based console/PC games already take 2+ years to make so...

[SilentNegotiator]

"@SilentNegotiator "Gamers aren't going to "jump ship" to a buttonless tablet."
I wouldn't discount the touch screen so soon. Obviously Nintendo thinks "

Nope, nuh-uh, stop, halt, freeze, hail....

What part of "buttonless" do you not understand?

[Angainor7]

you are the stupid my friend... you know the things better than the company that created the Unreal Engine? for christ's sake... go to sleep...

[MeridianHope]

I'm a big Apple fan (had a Mac since the 80s, iPods, iPhones, picking up an iPad soon), and even I think it's a little crazy to say Apple will beat next-gen consoles.

Why? Because Apple (as far as we know) isn't making a console. As much as I think Apple and the Mac and the iPad are awesome, I do not for one second think they are viable replacements for a console or gaming PC.

The only thing I think the iPhone / iPad *are* viable replacements for would be handheld game devices (like the DS or PSP/Vita), but that all depends on the type of mobile gamer you are. The DS or PSP/Vita are still definitely going to have their market because they will be capable of gaming functions the iDevices simply can't match - the Vita especially.

Until Apple unveils a console of their own (one that's not a joke like the ill-fated Pippin was), this is a nonsense statement. I think the iPad and other iDevices are great, but they simply do not compete with consoles in any significant way.

[TheGamingArt]

I couldn't agree more with MeridianHope

[dredgewalker]

@Meridian

I agree with everything that you've said. Even if Apple decides to make a console you can be sure to pay premium prices for the peripherals and accessories for their console since they will never allow 3rd party manufacturers. I also think that it will be pirated easily seeing how many jailbroken ipads/iphones are out there.

[FrankDrebin]

If you don't think Epic is making a point here then you are lacking some commonsense and intelligence. Sorry but true.

Maybe some of you don't realize it but the latest iPad (3, hd, whatever you want to call it) has more memory that the 360 and the Ps3. The graphics capabilities are very close to those of the consoles. With the rate that Apple releases updates it wouldn't take long for Apple to catch up and possibly surpass them. It only makes sense if you understand specs and stats.

Now listen, I'm not saying that Apple products are the best gaming machines on the planet. I'm not saying that at all. I have iPads and all that stuff and rarely play games on them. It isn't my personal cup of tea.

One thing to remember is this, EPIC knows the market. They know technology. They know it a heck of a lot better than you! Give them some credit!

[MeridianHope]

If the point is "the iPad tech will surpass that of next-gen consoles unless they are bleeding edge" then yeah, ok sure... But saying "if next-gen consoles aren't bleeding edge, Apple will beat them" is kind of dumb. That's like saying "if next-gen consoles don't do the dishes, the Whirlpool Gold Series dishwasher will beat them" - it doesn't matter.

If the iPad tech is better than next-gen consoles, does that mean a significant number of people will abandon consoles and start playing exclusively on their iPads? No. Absolutely not. Why? Because even if the iPad tech is better, the *experience* will be better on the consoles because they're designed primarily for that purpose and have the inputs for it, the iPad doesn't and Apple has shown no signs of changing in that regard.

[jeeves86]

Specs don't mean anything. People who tout Apple over Android have long said this - Apps and games make the machine, as well as the ease of use. Or if you're into that sort of thing, customization.

If Apple were to allow a bluetooth controller to be paired up with their devices, then I could see the next gen consoles taking a hit. As it stands, I can't see the market for dedicated gaming consoles dying down anytime soon.

[FrankDrebin]

Actually specs do mean a lot. Since you don't think so it only shows how much you know! haha Good try Jeeves86

[HunterRose]

Frank- If you think specs are the end all be all of a devices potential, then it shows how little you know.

The original Xbox had better specs than any other console at the time. And which console won that particular generation? Could it be the PS2, since it's still selling consoles today (which is 5 years after the Xbox was discontinued)?

And just so you know, having a holier-than-thou attitude when you're obviously wrong makes it worse.

[MeridianHope]

@jeeves86

Apple already "allows" bluetooth controllers to be paired with the iDevices - but because they don't sell any themselves or bundle them, it's unlikely to gain enough momentum to topple the console market (and arguably wouldn't even if it *were* bundled).

The iPad is great, it's more than enough for the casual gamer or even the serious gamer that has another dedicated gaming console or PC. But is it positioned to be a serious gamers primary gaming device? Absolutely not.

Anyhow, just for your edification, here's a couple links to info about OnLive supporting bluetooth controllers on the iPad for gaming with the OnLive service. Very impressive looking stuff, but again, as much as I like the iPad, if I were really going to do something like this I'd prefer it on my big screen TV, not a 10" iPad screen, no matter how much better resolution it may have.

http://www.macrumors.com/20...

http://www.onlive.com/corpo...

[FrankDrebin]

@HunterRose

Whoa now, who said specs are the end all? I certainly didn't. Assuming makes an A$$ out of U and Me.

Kids these days...think before they speak. Gah!

Also, sorry if I make you feel inferior! :(

[HunterRose]

No, you're right. You didn't say that specs were everything, and they do mean something. And to be honest, I vented other frustrations on you, so... sorry about that. And your attitude isn't snotty or anything like that... so a double apology.

The point I was hoping to make before I typed my response and ended up venting is simply that specs are lower on the list of what sells video game consoles, the Wii and PS2 being prime examples of this.

And we all know the iPad is going to sell more than any console anyway, regardless of the specs. It just won't be because people want to play games on it, it's because people buy Apple products to say they own an Apple product.

[thewhoopimen]

@MeridianHope: You do know you can not only hook up bluetooth controllers to iPads, you can also AirPlay the game on any flatscreen TV right? Basically the iPad3 is already a superior version of the WiiU in specs/capabilities. It's just a matter now whether Apple wants to support Gamedevelopers and launch a marketing campaign.

[OpenGL]

The iPad 3 is less powerful than the PSP Vita, which itself is still considerably less powerful than the PS3 or 360. Apple hasn't said which GPU the iPad 3 is using but they said it's 2x as powerful as the iPad 2 graphically, and the iPad 2 used the PowerVR SGX543MP2, so it seems pretty clear the iPad 3 is using the SGX543MP4. While technically the same as what's in the PSP Vita, the Vita's version is the SGX543MP4+ with the + indicating it has 128MB of dedicated video memory, a significant advantage for 3D rendering.

I do agree though in another year or two the iPad could reach the power of current gen consoles, but there's nothing stopping Microsoft or Sony from releasing a new console that widens the gap again.

[MysticStrummer]

Devices with decent tech at the right price usually win over devices with the best tech at premium prices. It has always been thus, and thus it will always be.

[StraightPath]

Ipad 3 will do seriously damage to the ps vita which is already suffering and struggling.

[TheGamingArt]

Suffering and struggling...... and serious damage? You my friend are a troll.

[kmanmx]

Three words: No physical buttons

[FrankDrebin]

Agreed! If you think that is a trolling remark then you have no clue how the industry works and the current sales of each of these devices.

[pain777pas]

Gameboy color is a better gaming device than the ipad.

[WitWolfy]

Lets say it does HYPOTHETICALLY! Who's gonna pay $800+ for a device that isnt even made for THAT type of gaming in mind?

[WitWolfy]

Lets say it does HYPOTHETICALLY! Who's gonna pay $800+ for a device that isnt even made for gaming in mind?

[GribbleGrunger]

i absolutely LOVE my Vita, but if it didn't have buttons and two analogue sticks, there's no way i would have bought it.

[palaeomerus]

iPad 3 costs $400-$800.

Vita costs $250-$350.

I don't think they are in the same market.

Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet are more in the same price range as Vita and stuff like the Samsung Play 5, the very low end galaxy android tablets, and the iPod touch.

[MysticStrummer]

Those two things aren't even part of the same market. You might as well claim that the sales of an SUV will impact the sales of a sports car.

[Jamzluminati]

No Epic is correct. The Samsung Galaxy SIII & III, iPhone 5, iPad 3, and The Asus Transformer Prime are already stronger than the current gen systems as they are running on either dual core or quad core(III, iPad 3, Prime, and soon to be the iPhone 5.) And they're being released every year so. By the time you know it they will have 6 core processors like my desktop.

Wtf a pad as powerful as my beastly desktop.

[tiffac008]

Of course those devices should be more powerful. Your talking about 5-6yr old consoles to devices with the current tech in them.

Besides its already been proven that the console industry is not won by how powerful your console is but by how well your service and software line up is.

The console makers must balance power and price. Not everyone can afford to sell their devices at a premium without any backlash, especially not in the console industry.

[badz149]

last time I checked, Samsung sells more phone than Apple and even mid range smartphones are having more RAM than both 360 and PS3! have we seen any game convincing enough for people to ditch consoles and move to mobile gaming instead? as far as I'm concerned, there's NONE! as long as consoles stay true to true gaming, not the casual 99c CRAP, consoles are here to stay!

Apple can still continue making money like it is! hell they even worth $340b at the moment but do they manage to stop dedicated gaming platforms to sell? NO! less people playing CoD nowadays? NO! so...seriously Epic, go to hell with THAT statement!

[thewhoopimen]

because if Samsung sells more phones than Apple, Apple generates more profit from phone sales than ALL smart phone companies combined. If Apple is making inroads into media entertainment and the livingroom, wouldn't you as a competitor be worried? it's just a matter of time they might look into gaming as a new revenue stream.

[Cosmo811]

You have a convincing argument.

[JsonHenry]

With the $$$ that Apple has I am surprised they have not tried something more than AppleTV/iOS devices to get into peoples homes. Right now they could subsidize the hell out of a powerful console/media extender and beat the competition into the ground if they played their cards right.

However, me being an "apple hater" I do not want to see that happen. But if any company is poised to do such a thing it is them. Right now. Why they still have the cash to do it.

[dabri5]

I guess people don't read articles. Epic didn't say Apple would beat consoles if they weren't bleeding edge.
"This is why we did Samaritan and why we're doing a really high-end demo in the room here. We really are pushing these guys, because if they don't, Apple will go right past them."
He is referring to tech. He means if the next consoles don't push hardware specs, other companies that don't even make gaming their number one priority will surpass them in hardware capabilities. We are already seeing the Ipad (a portable machine not dedicated to gaming) start to exceed current consoles in certain specs.
What is so wrong with devs pushing to make the next consoles more powerful?
"The console gaming experience is about delivering something that's way out past the bleeding edge and subsidising it through the software royalty model - just like Apple does with the phones. It's not that much different."
He is absolutely right. EVERY console released with the exception of the Wii has sold at a loss at first. Price drop would occur when the console hardware started breaking even. Console makers would recoop all the money and more through software sales. This is how they got such good hardware to it's customers at affordable prices and made the tech worthwhile for years at a time instead of needing an update a year or two later.

[Frankfurt]

HUGE LOL at kids comparing shitty, slow PC RAM to super-fast, expensive CONSOLE RAM.

LOL.

[mabreu]

Just to make things clear. Epic and Apple are companies selling a product to a large user base that don't even know or care about iPad specs.

[tantobanto]

I think he means beat them in terms of tech, not in terms of games

At least thats what i hope he means

[CynicalVision]

That wouldn't be a difficult thing to do, Apple seem to be hell bent on releasing a new iPad every year while consoles are around for 5-6 years at a time.

[TopDudeMan]

Yeah, I couldn't play a serious game on an iphone or an ipad. A little 5 minute game of tetris or angry birds will do me on the bus, but I couldn't play games like dark souls or skyrim on something like that. You'd just lose the whole feel of epicness.

[WitWolfy]

You took the words right out of my mouth

[tantobanto]

I mean PC's had better tech than consoles the moment they launched, so its not really a big deal

[CynicalVision]

Exactly, and look at the PS2..it's a decade old and it's still selling!

The games are the reason why people buy consoles, not the specs. Apple just don't have the gaming brand recognition and experience like the others have.

[GamingTruth]

better tech than a chip sony used in sony pictures, oh nevermind you meant wii

[smashcrashbash]

How is it that Epic is kissing Apple's @$$ so much lately?

[Megaman_nerd]

because they are making games of the iPad.

[ZippyZapper]

LOL no because Apple is allowing Epic to make games on the iPad. :P

[Dannehkins]

Probably has something to do with Infinity Blade.

The likelihood is, is that Epic's games for iOS probably don't cost the world in development, they reach an extremely large consumer base and they no doubt get a good return on their money considering Apple keeps touting a new Infinity Blade for new hardware releases, particularly the iPad. Look at the new iPad, they gave a hoot to a new Infinity Blade there.

Now I'm not interested in the debate about whether console gaming is better than mobile gaming etc etc, not in this case anyway, but by looking at the situation, I imagine the above case could probably be applied to Epic and when you consider the fact that they are in this for the money, all of a sudden Apple's platform looks far more interesting.

[militant07]

the question is how can they not know about the new xbox or ps!

[josephayal]

Not the PS4!

[TitanUp]

epic doesn't seem like they care about pc gaming at all now.

[GamingTruth]

no its just that epic knows that the only ones capable of ushering in the movie and realtime blur is someone like sony and microsoft, pc can have some good graphics, but sony and microsoft are the only ones that can blur the line of high end cgs and realtime

[Pandamobile]

Lmao

[GamingTruth]

im guessing at your laugh, that your saying im wrong, so tell me who else can get closer to movie cgs in games than a corporation like microsoft who already makes computer tech and has over 500 billion dollars at their disposal, and sony who also is a multi billion dollar corp and has an entire branch in movies called sony pictures studios and has very deep ties with AMD and IBM even Intel with making renderfarms and Movie Gpu grade Gpus? PC? lol thats who you should be Lyao at

[pucpop]

apple should re-release the pippin

[CynicalVision]

Can you imagine that? A new Pippin console costing £750 for the basic model and a re-release every year with minor improvements.

[Seventh_Blood_Reborn]

The funny part is that the Apple fans would be excited about this lol

[theeg]

they need to get their consoles out fast, like this year, the ipad 3 is more powerful than ps3/360, thats sad, more so because all that power will go to waste on mini games!

[Resistance_lord]

I agree with the mini games part, but..the part about the Ipad HD Being more powerful then the 360/PS3 I would sure hope so since both of thos consoles are over 5 years old now ;o

[CynicalVision]

Apple will not release a console any time soon, not unless Microsoft or Sony throw in the towel. There isn't enough room for another console.

[chazjamie]

you forget nintendo, the real beast

[madjedi]

@chaz "you forget nintendo, the real beast" Sorry that's more like a kitten meowing than anything resembling a ferocious beast, judging by the wii's lineup.

If nintendo is the "beast" then it's a declawed and house broken beast that lacks innovation(even if it's one of the most over used terms this gen) and is generally terrified to try new things.

You must be confusing the nes/snes era with today.

Nintendo is still playing catch up to the ps3/360's entire package. Try again.

Should be the term seriously after community but i guess it ran out of space.

[FernandoMartinez]

@ madjedi:
rofl

WTF are you talking about?

Nintendo won this generation by far, they sold more consoles and software than Sony and MS together...

They shifted their focus to the new console they will launch by holiday season and which i'm sure wil be flying of the shelves...

[rob6021]

Ipad 3 is more powerful than ps3/360? Not from what I've read. I know epic said it had more memory and more resolution, but I don't believe the 3D tech is near a ps3/360 or even vita.

[BattleTorn]

I agree with you. We have current-gen games being played on iPads via OnLive.

There used to be a popular mantra that "next-gen is only needed once the current one can be emulated"

Clearly, we've pasted this mark.

[Cosmo811]

I wouldn't be so certain if I was you about the 'mini games'. Epic Games have at least two console-level games out (Infinity Blade and IB: Dungeons), then there's others of similar level like Shadow Gun, Modern Combat 3 etc. With all this extra power I think we'll see an Increase in the number of console-style games on the iPad.

[OmniSlashPT]

Ok, compare PS2 actual sales to any 12 year old hardware...In gaming games are the key, technology is not what matters.

So the iPad3 is more powerful than this generation? For what? To play an unplayable GTAIII port? lmao

[BitbyDeath]

I guess we'll just have to suffer in silence only being able to play games like Halo, Uncharted, QD's next game, God of War, Metal Gear, etc

[gamernova]

Oh Apple...just go away from gaming already. Why are people pushing this so much?! Hell, the new iPad falls to the VITA. I even think the 3DS is better at this point hahaha

[schlanz]

And PCs will always beat apple..

[christheredhead]

Even if next gen consoles aren't "bleeding edge" I would still purchase one, if not all of them. One simple fact...exclusives. I don't think anyone would abandon their gaming platform so they can play Infinity Blade on their phone.

I have no problem with Apple gaming. Its pretty cool that you can turn on a mobile device and play some fairly advanced games. Yet, the market and appeal are in 2 different universes. Apple can't beat next gen consoles just because they have games. They are selling vastly different products with the common place of a "video game." Its ridiculous that these two are opponents. I can sort of see the relation to that of a handheld, but Apple beating out the console market? Yah.

[soundslike]

Technology moves too fast to, when planning for a future hardware device, settle for today's standard of "decent"

Full steam ahead!

I'm not getting a next-gen console unless its going to be future-proofed and not cutting costs anywhere it can.

[madjedi]

Right future proof that is as useless as epics meaningless definition of bleeding edge.

@epic It is called specifications and if you want bleeding edge get a pc and keep quiet, consoles will likely never be bleeding edge due to either reasons of keeping a acceptable price or heating and cooling issues.

Anyone expecting high end pc hardware is a fool, it will be older pc hardware that will still roast the hell out of either the ps3 or 360. New hardware vs old hardware, big surprise.

So the latest ipad is at or more powerful than the ps3/360, considering this generation is beginning to wind down and a new one replace it before long. So this should concern console gamers why?

[bahabeast]

lmao i choose vita over ipad and i choose a dell over a mac ummmm what dose apple have that will sway me away from my ps3??? or any future home console?

[GraveLord]

I submitted this article(but from IGN) 11 hours ago. How did this one which was submitted 2 hours ago get submitted first?
http://n4g.com/news/956771/...

Lazy N4G contributors! Curse you!

[glennco]

this guy is wrong. releasing a yearly tablet will not be that successfull if you need the latest version to play the latest games. only idioticly obsessed fanboys buy the latest ipad every time one is released. sooner or later even they must say "what is the point?"

has the whole world gone stupid or something. how does one brand have such a stupifying effect on people?

[baodeus]

The main point is not about maxing out HW specs, "casual" don't really care. The key is to get decent HW and make it affordable for as many as possible.

Just look at the Solar panel business. Chinese are killing American Solar business (Solyndra for example) because they can produce similar product but at a much lower cost.

And the graphics is not the main factor for a good game.

[Raoh]

gears is so overrated.. amazing that people put up with rrod and fees

Well if Epic is a deciding factor, epic is making more money with infinit blade on iOS and will make even more off of infinity blade dungeons...

before the haters respond... I love how people hate ios saying its a closed system and android is better because of it, yet, xbox live is the most closed system and gamers shun the more open system and networks like sony.

people talk out of both sides of their mouths sometimes.

yearly tablet a problem? you don't need to upgrade, no one is forcing you to buy one every year, its not like it has an rrod issue.. would yall prefer the 10 android devices a month or one apple device a year that you do not have to upgrade. I don't get how people bought multiple 360's (pre warranty) knowing it would die but throw stones at apple?

people are weird

[iliimaster]

yeah thats great but id prefer an HD game with a campaign as massive as final fantasy 7 the more and more real games look we end up with a 10 hour campaign

[hazardman]

I wish Sega would release the 2nd version of your default pic!

[tarbis]

Hey Epic, how about you try to push the PS3's full potential before you ask for the next gen. Oh, wait. They can't, they're married to M$ and now Apple. =/

[lategamer]

Games running UE3 on PS3 look great :/. Bulletstorm, ME3, Bioshock Infinite, etc.

Epic is actually talking to MS and Sony to put better hardware into there next consoles, so graphics and games look better, so whats the problem?

[tarbis]

Multiplat games can't push a console to its limits.

[lategamer]

So you want Epic to develop exclusively for Playstation? Why? I really don't think were gonna see games better-looking than Gears and Uncharted this gen.

[PixL]

Epic staff are now playing Pachter?

[JoeSchmoh]

It's sad when you see people trying to predict s#*t because things aren't swinging their way. Sony and Nintendo ain't gotta pay me s#*t, I'll write what I want about Microsoft and Apple! GET THE FK OUT THE GAMING INDUSTRY! Xbox fuked it up enough! >_< The fking reason we gotta pay for s#*t we used to unlock for free back in the day on PS2 and Gamecube. Gaming is fuked if people think the future of it lies in some fking Ipad/Tablet cell phone app. game!

[lategamer]

The reason we pay for shit we "used to unlock" is because gamers buy it. Stop buying it (DLC you don't like), and publishers will stop selling it.

[Gladiak]

Am I missing something? Apple is always behind in hardware, Just look at the new ipad...dual core a5x cpu? really? But it has a higher rez screen? *hand goes up* I want to watch all my 1080p stuff stretched out over a larger screen. In my opinion only the movie studio giants can push a new resolution on the masses.

They sell you last years hardware in a pretty store with a pretty box with a pretty damn ridiculous price. Why because it has a logo on it. Apple is excels at marketing plain and simple. I can't see them selling a console for a loss to make it up with game sales, its against their pedigree. Apple and Microsoft duking it out next generation would be a huge loss for everyone, please Sony pull through.

[ironmonkey]

well future or not future, didnt stop ms,sony and especially nintendo from selling millions and millions.

[OmegaSaiyanX]

If Microsoft wanted to they *could* easily make a very powerful system, they have enough money problem is they are too busy catering now for Kinect and not the core gamer. Also would people be willing to pay £500 for a high end console where PC gamers would still laugh and make jokes?

What PC gamers fail to realise is that there is far less running in the background and no full on operating system that takes up much of the resources and now messing about with blue screens, constant updating/patches in order to get the game to run and also trying to mess with the settings to get better fps.

[TextualBeef]

LOL Epic and their famous iOS game that makes you do nothing other than swipe when fights occur.. Yeah that can really beat console games

[aaaaqqqqq]

PLEASE NO MORE APPLE SHIT!!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE NO MORE APPLE SHIT!!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE NO MORE APPLE SHIT!!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE NO MORE APPLE SHIT!!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE NO MORE APPLE SHIT!!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE NO MORE APPLE SHIT!!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE NO MORE APPLE SHIT!!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE NO MORE APPLE SHIT!!!!!!!!!!

[Bebedora]

LOL

[creepjack]

Screw Apple and Mark Rein. A buttonless small device where the games consist of doing nothing more than swiping replacing a full fledged console? Please, graphics dont matter that much. My pc will always be the greatest gaming machine in my house anyways. I cant believe people are still being suckered into buying that over priced crap. Apple could put their little Apple logo on a turd and these idiots will still buy a new on every year.

[MilkMan]

Sounds like EPIC has a new sponsor. Wonder how M$ feels about that.

[bacrec1]

and $ony and Nintendough.

[Bebedora]

The devil is in the pudding?

I think I've learned something about tech and people after I saw the success of the Wii. But I must be the only one, not from the Wii-camp

[NnT3291]

the new Ipad is more powerful than ps3/x360, so what? it is not utilized for gaming. More power doesnt mean it runs games better. I tried GTA3 on Ipad2, it was nearly unplayable.

[_LarZen_]

The day Apple makes a hand controller for the iPad and the Apple TV is a day Microsoft,Sony and especially Nintendo should hope never comes.

[OhReginald]

Gabe Newell: 'If next-gen consoles aren't bleeding edge, I will eat them'

[TextualBeef]

LOLOLOL that actually made me laugh

[mamotte]

According to Epic, pc's are beating consoles from a long time ago, specially the poor underpowered Wii wich sold poorly.

Right?

[susanto1228]

GODDDDD what a STUPID STUPID thing to say.....My PC and my FUTURE PC would RAPE an apple console....there is now way the two kings of console gaming Xbox and PS3 will let stupid APPLE get a lead on them in the console wars....no FREAKING way....EPIC just FAILED.

[McLuvn]

touch pads are for scrabble. they will not replace consoles.

[saumer]

How?

[XboxInnovation]

He's totally wrong, in fact I think gaming console companies need to not worry about specs so much in the future and worry more about making the easiest kits with current technology to build games on so the devs can worry about features and making great games, not worrying so much about graphics.

[kesvalk]

translation: we wasted a lot of money on this new engine, and if ppl don't buy it, we're fucked!

[Tacklebait]

well said

[Tacklebait]

double post

[Tacklebait]

well said

[SpinalRemains138]

Im no consumer historian or economics major by any means, but if anyone seriously thinks that a tablet is going to be "the undoing" of console gaming, they are seriously delusional.

Console gamers want a product they can easily plug into their beautiful large television and play the games they have come to love. Yes they are always anticipating the next new IP, but a buttonless slab can not, and will never satisfy the gamer's need to explore worlds, develop characters or play an online sports game. It just doesn't hold up.

[ChickeyCantor]

Yes I love iPhone 4s....

[DW74]

Apple is no threat to traditional gamers. They are not invading the market of traditional gamers. They created their own: the cheap, throwaway game. They are *never* going to attract the hardcore crowd with that kind of approach. I think traditional gaming will be just fine for the foreseeable future.

Look at it this way: if their aim is to attract casual gamers to casual games, then that'll be less casual gamers infesting the hardcore scene demanding shallower, shorter, shit games because they "don't have the time to play"! Heh.

[portugamer]

the day n4g starts posting links to ipad game reviews, i stop coming here.

i hate apple, i hate their products, politics, i hate how people become addicted to apple products: everything apple does, it's great, what all the other companies do is shit.

i don't give a fuck about a retina display or x quad cores and everything else. i don't want to play a game and post comments on facebook, read and send emails, and do 10 other tasks while gaming on some tower defense like games, angry birds and other little small games done for rich kids who can afford to buy an ipad, some girls and some non adult gamers.

gaming is like fu..ing, when you do both, you're concentrated, want to enjoy the most, and get the most pleasure from it, as possible.

when i play a game, i want to be perfectly comfortable on my couch, with my gamepad, my 7.1 system around me, playing my god of war 3, or my uncharted 3, doing some headshots on killzone 3, or having fun online with other people, on little big planet 2, all this on a huge tv. THIS IS WHAT I CALL GAMING.

i don't care about ipad3 power, or gpu, or anything else. i don't want it to be compared to a psvita, which is a TRUE PORTABLE CONSOLE, MADE FOR GAMERS AND GAMES.

i don't even want to hear this or that game is being done on ipad. i don't give a fuck, and i don't want to come here, and, in every story, read comments about how great the ipad is, how it cured cancer and stopped africa from starving. I DON'T GIVE A FUCK, IS THAT CLEAR?

i don't care if a 345th tower game has sold 25000 copies on apple store, or if rovio is releasing a 244th version of angry birds : ANGRY BIRDS - 2nd WORLD WAR

please people, forget apple and their i-devices.
all we should care about is our portable consoles, old gen consoles, ps3 and x360, and the future x720 and ps4, and wii U. THAT is GAMING related, and IMPORTANT.

playing a game on ipad during 4 minutes, while writing an email or commenting on facebook, it doesn't deserve being talked or commented here. ipad fanboys are even worse then ps3 or xbox fanboys. apple is the real GOD, everything apple does it's great, like they find it's normal, if you go abroad, you want so simply erase a song or a picture, from your ipad, you need to return home, do 10000 miles, just to connect your fucking ipad to itunes, and delete it from itunes. apple people will still say this is normal, and great.

NO, PLEASE, NO, n4g, we don't need ipad games stories and other news related to apple. i don't want to talk to blind and indoctrinated robots, who would eat their own pooh, if only apple said it's good for the health, and people should do it.

N O, N O A P P L E H E R E, P L E A S E.

[DW74]

You seem angry.

[kesvalk]

he mad.

[DW74]

Apple isn't coming to bulldoze his house for a mini-mall. Christ.

[jjb1981]

It's all about game immersion..

[hazelamy]

so long as they have buttons and the I-devices don't, they'll still be around.

[Donnywho]

So Apple is going to beat Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo at gaming? LoL, you uh, you sure about that?

[Donnywho]

One more LoL for the road

[esemce]

NO and NO!

[jag_stilvecchio]

Consoles don't need to be bleeding edge and Apple doesn't have sights set on Nintendo or Sony or the XBox. If anything Sony proved last gen that packing too much expensive tech in one box isn't a guaranteed recipe for success. Leave the bleeding edge to PC gamers that are happy to update their rigs frequently (not a knock against them).

Besides, I've yet to see any Apple product approach the "bleeding edge" unless we're talking about price. Apple is content to push average hardware with above average price on masses that are willing to fork over cash for a status symbol.

Console gaming needs to stay affordable and approachable by gamers young and old.

[TBONEJF]

WHY keep putting APPLE in our gaming CONSOLE industry for? They would only beat them buy suing the BIG 3 like their doing with the phone industry.

[Zephol]

i don't know whta console wins in graphics in the next gen. But i know the Xbox 720 and Ps4 come out soon.

[Kaneda]

I played NBA JAM on the iphone. It was pretty good. In a way, Apple mobile games are improving and will soon dominate mobile games or they already did!

[Bobby Kotex]

Apple can always make peripherals like controllers that connect to the ipad with a tv out.

[Saryk]

I hate to break it to you guys but he is right. Apple isn’t run by a bunch of rednecks. They are a blood thirsty company that will expand its products. I would have never guessed that MS would have gotten in the consoles when it did. Apple is on fire and I wouldn’t be surprised to see an Iconsole in the future.

[Ulf]

The spiffy, new "iPad 3" has a mobile GPU roughly the equivalent to a desktop nVidia 6600 GT or AMD Radeon X1650 Pro. I think that's probably being generous, even.

I don't think the consoles are in any danger, anytime soon from mobile devices. Having a monster-sized screen does not inherently make the GPU more capable.

[Gamerita]

APPLE will beat them & WE all gonna be playing ANGRY BIRDS. lol

PC & PS4 unbeatable combination PERIOD ;)

[Jag-T1000]

Without a controller Apple will never be a contender. An ipad is only good for simple $1 games. I just wish Nintendo or Microsoft would come up with a tablet.

[jalen247]

Even though Apple won't succeed in the console market....

I hope this scares Microsoft and Nintendo to up their next gen specs....we know Sony will future proof the PS4...