4 ms·

I'm actually surprised (after reading his bio) by this article. Did I completely miss the point of Metal? It sounded like more similar to low-level console plat

by jkrems 12y ago

I'm actually surprised (after reading his bio) by this article. Did I completely miss the point of Metal? It sounded like more similar to low-level console platform APIs than to OpenGL or DirectX.

Pxtl 12y ago
Which, realistically, is what Apple needs. The iOS platform is becoming one of the de-facto big players in the portable console market. Console-level APIs are a logical extension. Insert speculation about Apple TV as Wii competitor here.
- wavefunction 12y ago
  Can you elaborate about Apple becoming one of the big players in the portable console market? I don't really follow Apple so maybe you're referring to their other offerings and some sort of integration but Apple has never seemed to understand "gaming."
  - jkrems 12y ago
    iOS becomes a pretty big gaming platform currently. This years Apple Design Award winners have a pretty decent game percentage: https://developer.apple.com/design/awards/ https://developer.apple.com/design/awards/
  - wtallis 12y ago
    What isn't Apple understanding? Do they need to make a dedicated gaming device for them to be considered to "understand" the gaming market? The iPod Touch outsells the PSP/PSVita, which is the second-place of the dedicated portable gaming consoles. Add in the iPhones, and you're looking at an install base as big as Nintendo's DS/3DS family.
  - potatolicious 12y ago
    It's quite simple really, Apple kind of accidentally became one of the biggest players in gaming. Not everyone has a DS, not everyone has a Vita, but nearly everyone has a smartphone. Smartphones are the one device you always have on you, and it is by far the mobile device that consumes the most of your time. This makes Android and iOS huge mobile gaming players, even if they didn't set out to do so. Gaming on smartphones and tablets has become a much larger thing than what Apple and Google ever suspected. How many hours do you figure people game on their Androids and iPhones every day, vs. "real" mobile gaming devices like the DS or the PS Vita? Easy low-level OpenGL access paved the way, somewhat accidentally, and Apple has been shrewd in keeping middleware developers well-supported, and now they're working on a bunch of first-party libraries that lower the barrier to entry for game devs. And now, they're working on their own low-level hardware access.
    - Pxtl 12y ago
      Relatedly, I've been incredibly disappointed in how Google is failing to show much leadership in the gaming and set-top sides of Android.
      - pjmlp 12y ago
        They just want to sell their web services and collect data. Android still lacks the comfort of iOS and WP 8.x for game development on the official SDK and the NDK is treated as a undesirable cousin that appeared unannounced.
- bluthru 12y ago
  >Insert speculation about Apple TV as Wii competitor here. I thought the Plants vs. Zombies demo already looked better than the Wii U. If Apple puts an A8 in the next AppleTV and keeps it under $200, it would be a very appealing alternative to a $400 xbox. Apple selling a game controller still seems like a weird prospect, though.
  - smackfu 12y ago
    >Apple selling a game controller still seems like a weird prospect, though. Rather convenient that iOS 7 included a game controller API and Apple hardware certification for Bluetooth controllers. (Of course, they are expensive and poorly reviewed, but the groundwork is there.)
  - scrumper 12y ago
    It's an interesting thought, isn't it. I think iDevices are natural controllers, with 3rd parties making dedicated hardware as the market grows beyond casual games. It'll start with stuff like shared family games (board on the TV, your secret deck in your hand on your own iDevice), with more hardcore but less controller-dependent games like racers following, then twitchy shooter stuff requiring proper gamepads coming last of all.
  - Pxtl 12y ago
    I'd think the Wii1 provides the best model here - a really accurate and solid pointing-device controller that turns sideways into a gamepad, combined with the minimal media nav buttons. There's your perfect console controller / media device hybrid interface. Of course, the problem is that everybody also wants to stick a keyboard onto the darned thing, and that's where the slickness goes away.
  - pjmlp 12y ago
    > Apple selling a game controller still seems like a weird prospect, though. Why not? Ever heard of Pippin?

by jkrems 12y ago

I'm actually surprised (after reading his bio) by this article. Did I completely miss the point of Metal? It sounded like more similar to low-level console platform APIs than to OpenGL or DirectX.

Pxtl 12y ago

Which, realistically, is what Apple needs. The iOS platform is becoming one of the de-facto big players in the portable console market. Console-level APIs are a logical extension. Insert speculation about Apple TV as Wii competitor here.

wavefunction 12y ago
Can you elaborate about Apple becoming one of the big players in the portable console market? I don't really follow Apple so maybe you're referring to their other offerings and some sort of integration but Apple has never seemed to understand "gaming."
- jkrems 12y ago
  iOS becomes a pretty big gaming platform currently. This years Apple Design Award winners have a pretty decent game percentage: https://developer.apple.com/design/awards/ https://developer.apple.com/design/awards/
- wtallis 12y ago
  What isn't Apple understanding? Do they need to make a dedicated gaming device for them to be considered to "understand" the gaming market? The iPod Touch outsells the PSP/PSVita, which is the second-place of the dedicated portable gaming consoles. Add in the iPhones, and you're looking at an install base as big as Nintendo's DS/3DS family.
- potatolicious 12y ago
  It's quite simple really, Apple kind of accidentally became one of the biggest players in gaming. Not everyone has a DS, not everyone has a Vita, but nearly everyone has a smartphone. Smartphones are the one device you always have on you, and it is by far the mobile device that consumes the most of your time. This makes Android and iOS huge mobile gaming players, even if they didn't set out to do so. Gaming on smartphones and tablets has become a much larger thing than what Apple and Google ever suspected. How many hours do you figure people game on their Androids and iPhones every day, vs. "real" mobile gaming devices like the DS or the PS Vita? Easy low-level OpenGL access paved the way, somewhat accidentally, and Apple has been shrewd in keeping middleware developers well-supported, and now they're working on a bunch of first-party libraries that lower the barrier to entry for game devs. And now, they're working on their own low-level hardware access.
  - Pxtl 12y ago
    Relatedly, I've been incredibly disappointed in how Google is failing to show much leadership in the gaming and set-top sides of Android.
    - pjmlp 12y ago
      They just want to sell their web services and collect data. Android still lacks the comfort of iOS and WP 8.x for game development on the official SDK and the NDK is treated as a undesirable cousin that appeared unannounced.
bluthru 12y ago
>Insert speculation about Apple TV as Wii competitor here. I thought the Plants vs. Zombies demo already looked better than the Wii U. If Apple puts an A8 in the next AppleTV and keeps it under $200, it would be a very appealing alternative to a $400 xbox. Apple selling a game controller still seems like a weird prospect, though.
- smackfu 12y ago
  >Apple selling a game controller still seems like a weird prospect, though. Rather convenient that iOS 7 included a game controller API and Apple hardware certification for Bluetooth controllers. (Of course, they are expensive and poorly reviewed, but the groundwork is there.)
- scrumper 12y ago
  It's an interesting thought, isn't it. I think iDevices are natural controllers, with 3rd parties making dedicated hardware as the market grows beyond casual games. It'll start with stuff like shared family games (board on the TV, your secret deck in your hand on your own iDevice), with more hardcore but less controller-dependent games like racers following, then twitchy shooter stuff requiring proper gamepads coming last of all.
- Pxtl 12y ago
  I'd think the Wii1 provides the best model here - a really accurate and solid pointing-device controller that turns sideways into a gamepad, combined with the minimal media nav buttons. There's your perfect console controller / media device hybrid interface. Of course, the problem is that everybody also wants to stick a keyboard onto the darned thing, and that's where the slickness goes away.
- pjmlp 12y ago
  > Apple selling a game controller still seems like a weird prospect, though. Why not? Ever heard of Pippin?