Xbox creator: It’s hard for Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft to ignore the Apple experience

Ed Fries, co-creator of Microsoft’s Xbox gaming console, believes it is harder for gaming platform makers Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft to ignore the gaming and app experience that Apple has created, highlighting the iPhone and iPad maker’s creation of a platform that is easy to develop for and affordable for gamers.

[GynGa]

But it's easy for gamers

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

Microsoft is the worst of the 3. imo..

I mean they are in direct competition with apple and want to be them & they are obsessed with trying to get wii like sales from the casual. And the casual mobile market with windows 8 app store, surface, windows 8 phones coming. They basically try to have an ipad, macbook, iphone thing going on.

3 or 4 eclusive core games on xbox & 61 kinect xbox exclusives. 11 kinect games announced for 2012.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

Can't wait to see if MS really makes a casual version of xbox. I will make popcorn.

All three have to deliver to the casual market and people who mostly want a media hub.

But loosing sight of the loyal gamers is the worse.

Nintendo wants to go back to their core gamers.

Sony well business as usual.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/new...

And MS has it's head in the clouds while they just throw another halo bone to their loyal puppy like follower who get to pay for the privilege to play online.

steam = free, psn = free, wiiU online = free, xbox live = pay, xbox live gold = pay more.

[nukeitall]

Catering to the core gamer is quickly becoming a niche market, and if you don't embrace new business models you will soon find yourself in the same shoes blackberry is.

Just look at Sony's last decade and where their stock price is now and how their bonds are rated junk by major financial institutions.

"Nintendo wants to go back to their core gamers."

Because Nintendo already got the casual market. It's about expanding your market, not just maintaining your market. That's a recipe for failing business and bankruptcy.

Just take a good look at what Sony says, does and where they are headed. They seem to go hand in hand.

"steam = free, psn = free, wiiU online = free, xbox live = pay, xbox live gold = pay more."

First of all, how is "Xbox Live" pay when you also list "Gold"?

Also, isn't it telling if competitors are offering something free, yet people choose to pay?

Hint, it might have something to do with it's still worth it! If you don't use XBL on a regular basis (or where those fanboy shades), you probably won't get it.

[ALLWRONG]

More people buy core games on the 360 than all the other platforms combined.

[SephirothX21]

Let's not forget that MS is behind DirectX which is the graphics API used my most games on PC and 360. They're also behind PC and Visual Studio which is used to write the code in the first place. Also, try write code in objective c and then in c# and tell me which is better.

[Ryan_Hay]

"More people buy core games on the 360 than all the other platforms combined."

Whats actually pathetic is that you probably believe that.

[ALLWRONG]

Name one core franchise (single game or combined) other than COD, that has sold 10+ million in the past 7 years on PS3 or PC.

Here, I'll Google search it for you.......................... searching................ searching.......... sorry but Google search has timed out, please try again later, or when they actually exist.

[Ryan_Hay]

i don't even understand the point you're trying to make.How does one franchise equate to all core gamers buying on 360?

Off the top of my head i know GT5 is at 9 million (probably more by now) & GT:Prologue is at 5 million.

The uncharted games as well are easily over 10 million by now.Don't even get me started on PC games.Jesus man, are you just delusional or what? Good lord.Seek medical help!

[andibandit]

I see that nukeitall has more disagrees than agrees, but im afraid he's spot on.

Also as a gamer you think you might be able to ignore it, but the Game Developers that supply you with your gaming drug, wont ignore it, and will by all probabillity follow $ wherever it leads them.

[Oh_Yeah]

@ Ryan_Hay are you serious? It's fact that most multiplats sell more on 360 than pc, ps3, and wii.. Sometimes even combined. Check vg chartz if you think otherwise. Your attacking another member when your the one whose wrong... Wtf dude? Always research before assuming something, that applies to everything, or your just going to sound ignorant.

[AfricanGamer9ja]

@GynGa well said, you took the words from my mouth, I cannot understand how people can choose ipad over a proper gaming console :/

[IPrino]

I have to agree, I have never owned an Apple product and I will not pay for a device is not made to last. Not to mention the fact that these things are ridiculously priced.

[USMC_POLICE]

So you must not own an xbox then :) good choice

[phinch]

i want to ignore that curtain fringe

[Wintersun616]

True! It's very hard to ignore a truck sized pile of shit.

:)

[DestinyHeroDoomlord]

Very interesting... And $40,000 daammnn thats like R400,000 which is stupid crazy. How could it be that much?

[Rayko]

Playing games on iphone or ipad is not fun at all, more like a minute killer while you're waiting for the doctor, bus or whatever. The controll is way too bad to enjoy these silly games. I would consider spending money on a console game but I would never spend money on an apple/android game.

[neogeo]

I agree but what you just said is what the casuals want. Quick play a on the go. Not what e want but we are the 12% of the market:(

[Summons75]

The Apple experience.....you mean being sued?

[Wintersun616]

The bubble icons on this page have a striking resemblance to the rounded rectangle, patented by Apple!
http://www.huffingtonpost.c...

Note to N4G and everyone else too, stop using rounded rectangles, you will be sued!

[Axonometri]

Say what you will... The numbers speak volumes about "people" purchasing and playing on those platforms.

[IPrino]

I believe the fact that the devices play games also, is just a bonus to the people that buy them. They are not bought with the intention of becoming a gaming platform. I would be willing to bet that a number of people that own an Ipad also have at least one dedicated gaming machine at home.

[Dlacy13g]

I think you hit on a very important part of the Apple puzzle. They dont focus on games....but they have games and people playing them. Apple has consistently been bullish on making their products "gamer" friendly but instead focus on them being great devices that can do games too. Less focus on games and more on functionality across devices. Sounds oddly familiar.

[animegamingnerd]

never had a apple product most likely never will

[joeorc]

for people that still seem to ignore his sound advice
Ed Fries, and what he touched on is the trends moving forward, you can ignore it if you will but it will not take away the fact that all three companies see this. I think ED has or maybe missed the shift of both Microsoft and Sony in this movement to the model that he talks about. Microsoft with smartglass, surface and windows Phone all having Xbox Platform functionality on said other platforms aside from the xbox360 or xbox 720 or what ever the name may be of the new platform soon to be released.

Son has embraced the f2play market with Playstation Home, and more on PSN and playstation Mobile.

the only one who has not made a real movment very quic k to this change out of the three is Nintendo, not that they will not in the future. but the trends are there look at what EA publishing is reducing their package game production too.

Got Game? Videogame Industry Turns to Mobile

Electronic Arts is in a particularly precarious position, because it must grow its mobile profits without cannibalizing sales of $60 packaged games.
Its response is a strategy EA calls “fewer, bigger, better.”
It’s slashing the number of new console and PC games it releases each year from 67 in 2009 to just 22 this year. Next year EA will release just 14 packaged game titles, but it’s doubling down on digital, with more than 30 mobile and social games, building on its library of over 500 mobile titles.

from 67
down to 22
now down to 14

for game console and PC

but it increased to with more than 30 mobile and social games !

http://forums.n4g.com/Got-G...

its not as grim an outcome as many may fear, in my opinion it will just mean more choices on the market to choose from.

[Monstar]

Fuck Apple.....prefer oranges anyways.

[Vickistheman]

Not a bad article, it's got some decent points.

Sony, MS, and Ninty will have to adapt to the market shifts. I have a feeling all 3 will find a way to thrive.

[DigitalRaptor]

To start with, what the heck is the Apple experience? Cause I could swear I've gotten more out of my Android mobile than I'm sure I could ever with an iPhone 5, iOS version XX. Open platforms FTW!

I've also gotten more joy from my time spent with dedicated games machines over the years than I have from any number of cheap mobile games or free to play social ones.

"Easy to develop" fine, that's good for certain developers.

"Affordable for gamers". Re-phrase that as "for casual gamers". If you're not dedicated enough to stick with the more expensive games that can actually do more for your money and provide a deeper experience, then you're cheapskate and not what I would call a dedicated gamer.

Mobile games are getting better, but encouraging a culture of lower rate games because "they're cheaper for gamers" is terrible. I'm not saying ignore it, but don't let it take over.

[Picnic]

I love the way that Ed Fries always looks like he's going to show me a magic trick. Which he is in a way, the way that they make those pixels dance...

[josephayal]

APPLE
it's actually sold more than all major console systems

[millzy102]

but apple does not sell GAMES CONSOLES they sell the same shit different year in a slightly different box. GAMES CONSOLES LAST 5+ YEARS I'm sure if Microsoft Nintendo and Sony realeases the same console in a different box with a few shifty features added that should be there on the first place on a mobile tarrif they could sell more. but then probably not because real gamers don't take to the shit. also Nintendo's 1.3milion units sold in a week say hi. its prob not as high as apple's shitty
product sales but for a dedicated game firm (and only one on market) its not bad.

I have a 3ds and psvita to kill time don't play android games and got no time for apple.

also this gen has sold the most units during any generation.

64m ps3

67m 360

100m wii (not counting Wii u and portable market)

equals 231m units total.

last gen

123m ps2

25m Xbox

21m GameCube

total 169m units total

it would be a lot more if 3/ds gba, PSP and psvita added over the 2 gens so console makers are doing something right.

[ZeroG19]

Microsoft Sony
and Nintendo must unite to form Voltron

[Legend_Killer]

Played Modern Combat, Shadow Gun, Dead Trigger, Sprinkle..... and so on. As a gamer, all these games left me unsatisfied. I need depth in my games, length, story, button mashing and so on. Mobile games are only for killing time to me, not entertainment.

[wiiulee]

he may be right and only nintendo understand that...thats how come the wiiu is built the way that it is....in effect nintendo created a supersystem to battle any competition..especially apple

[joeorc]

@wiiulee
"he may be right and only nintendo understand that...thats how come the wiiu is built the way that it is....in effect nintendo created a supersystem to battle any competition..especially apple"

what the Hell are you talking about?
its not Only Nintendo undarstanding this , All three companies understand this and if you want the blunt truth of the matter, both Microsoft and Sony are better prepaired for this shift, for the simple fact Nintendo's Ceo's have not made any real strong plans to expand the Nintendo platform outside of only Nintendo Hardware, while Sony and Microsoft have.

Thats not to say that Nintendo cannot do very well or be qute happy with those sales and the consumer's that buy such product from Nintendo are not going to be happy with what Nintendo is offering. But to sit there and Say that only Nintendo understands this is Quite Arrogant and no where near true at all.

[Stroke666]

not for nothing, but is it only me that finds the sarcasm in there being "affordable" games on $700 devices? sure there is the cheaper $500 option but you want space to download all those affordable games. and as we all know with apple you pay out the ass for space. more on topic... ms, sony, and nintendo are aiming at apples audience so they shouldnt ignore the trend. imo it would be way harder for apple to go after gamers if possible at all. if ea would prefer to pump out more trash hoping for an agry bird or minecraft lettum have at it.

[rainslacker]

True, but the games are free or only cost a few dollars, so after the initial investment it's cheaper I guess.

[Pillsbury1]

Consoles > tablets

[rainslacker]

Honestly I wish they would ignore the "Apple Experience". I really have nothing against Apple, but I don't find their "Experience" that engaging. It's the same experience I can find on any number of devices. I think the Vita is the closest I would want them to get to that experience.

I know game consoles aren't just game consoles anymore, but if they're going to play games then let them be the major focus. If it can do all that other crap then great, I'll use the features I find useful.

In the end I would take a $600 console that last 5-10 years over a $500 tablet/smartphone which won't even last two.

Now onto this article. A lot of what this guy is saying is geared more towards the development side of things. Namely patching a game is costly on the consoles, whereas it is nothing on the tablet and ouya market. He's asserting that because Apple and Ouya don't require large sums to update patches, the console manufactures will be forced to re-evaluate their pricing structure.

I do agree that will likely be the case if these companies want to keep the indie scene available on their consoles. However maybe they should strive for quality content to be released in the first place that doesn't require patches. Console certification was put in place for a reason, and damn has that gone downhill this gen.

There's a reason Apple (and I guess Ouya) don't charge for that stuff...it's because they hardly do anything to ensure that a game is of a certain quality to the end user. So long as it doesn't crash the system, do background routines that go against the TOS, or have a memory leak, then it will get approved. There are some good games/apps out for the iOS, but the market is flooded with some of the poorest excuses of software imaginable. This is not the approach that I want to see MS, Sony, or Nintendo take in the future, and because of this, I believe it will be quite easy for them to ignore the "Apple Experience".

[Bolts]

The fact is that Apple is making money off casual gamers in ways that Nintendo, Sony, and MS can only dream of. However on the flip side he is totally ignoring the success of core games like Call of Duty. If there's any lessons to learn from this generation is that multiplat is king.

[badvlad]

Its hard for me to ignore that hot burrito from yesterday.. i think its time to start the engine.

[chasegarcia]

Nintendo is already riding the apple train to cash money. Reason why the Wii is white.