Jimmyjames
Site Champ
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2022
- Posts
- 994
File it under wild speculation.
Rumor: Sony and Apple to collaborate on games.
- Thread starter Jimmyjames
- Start date
Could be interesting if true and depending on scope of the deal. As the video says, it’s plausible, but that doesn’t mean it will happen.
A hardware for software deal would be really cool, but I think that’s too far for Apple. It strikes me that they’d much prefer money for software which if this deal is really being talked about is what this sounds like.
In some ways a Nintendo hardware-for-software partnership would make a lot sense: they are already ARM based, though a Nvidia is their current Switch 1 chip and almost definitely future Switch 2 chip supplier, with a low power on-the-go system. But Nintendo is also basically culturally very Apple-like which in this case is actually a negative. They know their primary asset is first party games and while they’ve dipped their toes into other ecosystems, they guard that ecosystem incredibly jealously. In the same way that it would take an unprecedented leap to get Apple to share its treasured toys, the same would be true for Nintendo.
I'd give some credence to it.
Win for Apple - they get a major publisher to give them software for their platform. The platform that is potentially great for gaming, but sorely lacking AAA content.
Win for Sony - they get to put their stuff on portable devices without having to do the R&D to put out just another x86 low power device to compete with the Steamdeck that people will hack, or a low powered arm device like the Switch that people can emulate these days on a potato.
Sony has been burned by both the PSP and the Vita in trying to make their own portable hardware. Significant R&D for what... they were not big sellers (i have a PSP but...).
As per the video apple are already in music, books and movies. Gaming is just another media type for them, and indeed the largest most expensive sector.
Very much doubt this would result in new bespoke hardware. Why would anyone want that? I already carry enough stuff around with me.
It would be a licensing deal to get sony software on whatever hardware apple is already selling to people. And as far as nintendo goes - you can bet it won't be an exclusive deal with Sony. Apple don't need to make that deal and will court nintendo too.
As per the video - Sega were the first massive console hardware vendor to go under as far as hardware goes. They won't be the last. The days of gaming devices being specific to gaming, especially in the portable space - when people are ALREADY carrying a massively powerful CPU/GPU platform in their pocket... are OVER.
People are already refreshing their phones every 2-3 years, they will continue to advance FAR quicker than the 5-10 year console cycle. Plenty of people are still on PS4 and Xbox One. When did they come out? How many people haven't upgraded their phones 2-3 times since then?
Oh and in addition to the above re: using an iphone as the sony portable target - guess what SOC runs in the AppleTVs?
If you already own an AppleTV and iPhone - you already have the same sort of platform capabilities as the nintendo switch - if not faster. The switch hardware is junk at this point and was never fast. it's the software. That's what apple stand to gain out of this, and Sony gain a platform for their software to be ported to without spending a cent on building a mobile SOC that will struggle to outperform Apple's mobile SOC on release - that will get refreshed much more quickly anyway.
Last edited:
