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Apple Finally Getting Its Game On? 176

Posted by Zonk from the nice-change-of-pace dept.
Gamespot reports on the possibility that, in some way, Apple is making moves to develop games. From the article: "This week, GameSpot learned that there may be more to the Apple-game rumors than mere Mac-mad daydreams. A tech-sector recruiter contacted the GS NewsDesk with an interesting story of a prospective hire that got away. Recently, when said recruiter made an offer to a software engineer, the engineer turned the offer down--saying he was being 'heavily recruited by Apple.' According to the engineer, an Apple hiring manager named Mike Lampell is heading up a group inside Apple's storied iTunes division. The group is specifically hiring for 'C/C++ coders with a gaming background.'"
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Apple Finally Getting Its Game On? More

Apple Finally Getting Its Game On?

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  • Nice move... (Score:5, Funny)

    by EvilCabbage ( 589836 ) on Sunday May 28, 2006 @08:23AM (#15419982) Homepage
    "The engineer says the project in question was described to him as "super secret," and Apple would not even tell him the exact nature of it until he had been hired and signed a non-disclosure agreement."

    Anybody want to place bets on his chances of being hired now?

    • Re:Nice move... (Score:1, Interesting)

      by FidelCatsro ( 861135 ) *
      I could also place a wager on it being an intentional leak . No trade secrets to protect here , but letting a little slip at a time could build up some hype , perhaps push shares up and sales.
      • If this were any other company, I would think about it being an intentional leak. That doesn't seem to be Apple's way of doing things (under Steve Jobs). Apple seems to prefer to present finished projects out of the blue when they're ready for us to buy them.

        David

      • Rumor management (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Gorimek ( 61128 )
        If it's an intentional leak, it is to spread confusion. This rumor won't increase any sales.

        Think of it this way: It's impossible to keep rumors of new and important products from happening. Too many people are involved. But if you can drench out the true rumors with tons of false ones, it's gonna be very hard for the public to sort out which ones to believe in. And your product announcements will still be newsworthy and surprising.

        Somtimes I think 90% of the crackpot "Art Bell" theories slushing around on

  • About Time (Score:5, Interesting)

    by DingerX ( 847589 ) on Sunday May 28, 2006 @08:29AM (#15419992) Journal
    Easy here: apple develops a bunch of simple, casual games that run on ipod/with interface, and sells them for a couple bucks a pop at ITMS. Nothing fancy, and nothing that taxes resources (as so many phone games do).

    With the money to be made, the market share to be exploited, and the minimal investment required, I'm surprised they haven't already done this.
    • My thoughts exactly. Develop a bunch of casual gamer games (a la PopCap) and offer them for sale through iTunes. Even better if they run on both Macs and iPods.

    • Re:About Time (Score:3, Informative)

      by catwh0re ( 540371 )
      Small form gaming devices (as with mobile phones) is currently an incredibly booming market at the moment. It's so serious that game developers are co-developing lightweight java versions of their games as they produce major titles.

      This might just save java too.

      • This might just save java too.

        I'm a little confused as to what you think Java needs saving from; it may not be popular round these parts, but out in the real world, its in huge demand, at least in the web. Increasingly it's also to be found gluing web fornt ends to legacy systems and even replacing those systems altogether.

        Yeah, it pretty-much died a death on the client, but that's hardly indicative of it requiring "saving" from anything.
    • Yes, but couldn't one just as easily distribute episodic game content through ITMS, similar to the plans for continuing Half Life 2 and some of the things happening with XBox Live?
    • This makes far more sense than actual games for the MAC. With codeweavers work on getting crossover office working on MACs it probably won't be long before Windows games run fine. Not that that better than native ports, we all know, but at least they will be avaliable.

      However the iPod idea seem like it would be a money maker. People spend tons of money on cell phone games, why shouldn't apple get in on it. Hopefully they will also open it and the ability to sell through iTunes to others as well.
    • ...but the skillset for programming iPod games is a lot closer to the skillset for programming the iPod than it is to the skillset for programming computer games. IMO, an unlikely hire if that's what they're looking to do.

      -fred

  • 3D visualisations for itunes? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by JensR ( 12975 ) on Sunday May 28, 2006 @08:34AM (#15419999) Homepage
    What if they just want some 3D visualisations for iTunes? Something that requires experience with character animation, skinned models or complex shaders?
    • Think Front Row. Front Row is very much like a video game menu system. Although it looks pretty and I like to use it, the functionality blows. They have a lot of work to do with it. Or maybe they want some better games for their new video iPod. One this is for sure, the iTunes group aren't developing games for the Mac platform. They want some people with lots of graphics experience, probably for some custom GUI stuff (every game has it's own widgets).

  • They called me... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 28, 2006 @08:40AM (#15420015)
    I've been called by an Apple recruiter as well, maybe 6 - 8 months ago. The person I spoke to said that they were looking for people with my skills. I've been in the games industry since I was 18, I've shipped around 3 dozen titles for consoles and handhelds, so my resume basically shows that I'm perfect for one thing: getting games out the door. For personal reasons I wasn't even slightly interested in the job, but the call itself was vastly intruiguing. I've been waiting eagerly ever since to hear what the heck Apple is up to.

  • Excellent news! (Score:5, Funny)

    by Haeleth ( 414428 ) on Sunday May 28, 2006 @08:50AM (#15420037) Journal
    No doubt Apple is tired of seeing Microsoft dominate the games market. Look out for the all-new iPippin [wikipedia.org]. With an Intel chip inside, it's twice as fast as the PowerPC-based XBox 360!*

    * May not actually be twice as fast outside the Reality Distortion Field. But who cares? You know you'll buy it anyway.

  • Mac's as ideal gaming platforms? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by ProppaT ( 557551 ) on Sunday May 28, 2006 @08:56AM (#15420056) Homepage
    I'd actually argue that Mac's are ideal gaming platforms. There's only so many different configurations available, so it's more or less like programming for a game console (you know what you're programming for and optimise it for a specific hardware set), except everything is in x86 on a Linux platform. So really, no new hardware and api's need to be learned...it's pretty much all pre-existing. And with the number of game engines readily available, I bet Windows gamers would be pretty impressed with what you could do on a Core Duo Mac.
    • The main problem with writing games for the mac isn't the platform itself, however.

      The real reason why mac gaming hasn't taken off is the very small audience. The PC already has a large install base, an established audience and still only finds a small segment of the whole games market.

      Any mac game venture could only hope to gain a small improvement over its currently modest array of titles, unless some serious money was put in to convincing developers/publishers to port more games to the platform the only
      • The rise of network gaming has made the Mac more important though. I'm convinced that one of the reasons World of Warcraft took off so far ahead of its contemporaries is the fact that it's a cross-platform game.

        Sure, out of 20 of your friends, only one might be a Mac user, but if you want to do any MMO gaming with that one friend, it can't be on EverQuest, EverQuest 2, Star Wars Galaxies, or City of Heroes. It has to be World of Warcraft.

        When deciding on an MMORPG for you and your circle of friends to ea
        • I think it is great that World of Warcraft (WoW) supports Macs, however I don't buy the argument that Windows gamers are leaning towards WoW because the rare Mac friend will be able to play. The Windows users are playing WoW because they are having more fun, I don't think that they would play a game with a monthly fee that was less fun so the rare Mac friend could join in. Now if it was a one time purchase, like Myth back-in-the-day, that would be different. You play Myth when you Mac buddy is ready, you pl
    • There's only so many different configurations available, so it's more or less like programming for a game console

      Macs come with all sorts of CPUs and GPUs; a game written specifically for the Radeon X1600 in a Macbook Pro isn't gonna work well on the Intel chip in the Macbook/Mac mini or on the NVidia chips in a Power Mac (or Mac Pro, as it may turn out). I don't think Macs are really any more standardized than PCs as far as game programming goes.

    • Not only is the mac base relatively small, but it is split between two different chipsets (powerpc/intel). Meaning you can market you game for 90% of the market, or 1% of the market.

      And nothing stops a mac guy from putting a radeon x1900 in his mac.
      • For one, it's only a very recent issue, so it doesn't go anywhere towards explaining anything about the history of lack of interest in writing mac games (marketshare issues do). Also, most reports I've heard say that Rosetta runs programs about as fast (on Mactels) as their PPC counterparts, so you approach your marketting strategy from the same place every other game developer has done: either develop for only the most current, up-to-date system (the Mactel) and screw everyone else, or take a performance h
      • And nothing stops a mac guy from putting a radeon x1900 in his mac.

        Purchasing an iBook, iMac, Mini, MacBook, MacBookPro certainly does.
    • "I'd actually argue that Mac's are ideal gaming platforms. There's only so many different configurations available, so it's more or less like programming for a game console (you know what you're programming for and optimise it for a specific hardware set), except everything is in x86 on a Linux platform. So really, no new hardware and api's need to be learned...it's pretty much all pre-existing."

      Ideal, except Macs with a graphics card worth a shit start at 1999USD (and even then it's a MacBook Pro with a
    • The only problem is that is the lower and mid range Macs are crippled (by gaming standards) with weak, integrated and non upgradable video adapters. The Macs that don't have that problem cost considerably more and are easily outclassed by a dedicated gaming rig built from commodity hardware.

      Oh, and the idea that people are going to install Linux on a Mac to play games is about one of the most absurd things I have ever heard.
    • no... not really.

      Osx, is sadly not a "linux platform."

      OSX has benched quite a bit for games than windows on the same hardware... I'm not sure what the slowdown is, but it probably just has to do with mac ports usually being done as quickly and shoddily as possible. I've also heard some people saying that the kernel just isn't that fast, although I'm not sure that would have much of an effect on games.

      I love OSX, but it is definitely not the ideal gaming platform. The fact is that what makes a gaming platfor

  • Disney? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 28, 2006 @09:00AM (#15420068)
    Has anyone thought that this may be more an in-house tie-in with Disney/Pixar? It would be quite the coup for them to have control of the kids-game market : If your kid wants to play the next Ice Age game, why not buy the system from that nice company who made their iPod?
    • Except Pixar/Disney didn't make Ice Age. Or Ice Age 2 for that matter. Blue Sky Studios [blueskystudios.com] did.

      Good point though, but I think it's a little bit too niche of a market?, but hey, what do I know, since I'm obviously not in the target audience.

  • I could see iPod games, maybe, or at least something more than Chess on the Mac when you buy it (chess is great, but Ma and Pa like Sollitaire, natch.) The real thing that gets me is, if it's for the iPod, why hasn't anyone else figured out how to get games on it? I've hunted and all I've found have been text games that read like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, but nothing like what currently resides there. It's a shame really, since I used to load my PDA down with distractions for long trips when it was

  • Think Different... (Score:5, Funny)

    by __aaclcg7560 ( 824291 ) on Sunday May 28, 2006 @09:04AM (#15420084)
    Ballmer will be hurling an entire conference room of chairs off the roof when Apple can claim:

    One billion games downloaded!

  • Mini versus PS3? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by gozar ( 39392 ) on Sunday May 28, 2006 @09:46AM (#15420198) Homepage
    What if they are gearing up for the Mac mini to take on the PS3? Apple has to be looking at the similar price points, and all it would take is to add some wireless controllers [tattiebogle.net] and the DVI-video adapter to the mini.

    Yes, the PS3 blows the mini out of the water in performance, but if the Wii takes off, then Apple might want a piece of the action. Plus, it has all the home media hub functions already, and a distribution network for music and video.

    The return of the Apple Pippen? Ars technica had a journal article from 2005 about Apple and Sony integrating the iTMS with the PS3 [arstechnica.com], could Apple just be deciding to do it themselves after they saw the price of the PS3? Remember the sales pitches of the 80's for the Commodores and Ataris? "It not only plays great games, but it is also a full blown computer!"

    • Re:Mini versus PS3? (Score:4, Informative)

      by Lysander Luddite ( 64349 ) on Sunday May 28, 2006 @11:15AM (#15420490)
      You're kidding right? An intergrated Intel graphic chip and a 4200 RPM hard drive? A friend of mine complained about how slow the Mini is running DJ apps. The only thing a Mac mini might take on is a Nintendo hand held in terms of games.

      Even high end Macs are poor gaming machines because the graphic cards Apple sticks in them are at least a generation or two behind PC cards. I dropped $1600 18 months ago and all I have is a Geforce 5200. At the time it wasn't even that great. Mac users typically have 2-3 upgrade card options available at any time and any of them will cost about the same as a console.

      Don't forget that PC games are heavily into the ActiveX camp, which AFAIK still doesn't run on OSX.
      • I think you mean DirectX though ActiveX is also important.

        MS is pulling some totally insane stuff with DirectX X so people will be looking for alternatives... I'd like Apple to offer some I like gaming, I hate windows.

        The transition to Apple drivers, graphics extensions and hardware, might allow some new players into the graphics market, which is getting really expensive these days.

        (Lookie I made a comma splice!)

      • You're kidding right? An intergrated Intel graphic chip and a 4200 RPM hard drive? A friend of mine complained about how slow the Mini is running DJ apps. The only thing a Mac mini might take on is a Nintendo hand held in terms of games.

        The mini's actually have a 5400 RPM drive. And yes, the integrated graphics won't win any awards, but even with these defecencies the Mini makes a lot better home media center than a PS3 or XBox 360. It should be able to run slightly older 3d first person shooters accepta [anandtech.com]

        • When I said Nintendo handhelds I meant more in *type* of game rather than raw power. For example, older type games (80s remakes), many RPGS, puzzle games, etc. Mac Minis are not going to be running Doom 3 or similar high end games at any reasonable speed.

          Additionally, the lack of upgradeable graphic cards ensures that a Mac Mini will be unable to "grow" in the future. I'm not sure that a Mac Mini would be able to compete with a console which is where the Mac Mini would compete best. Since it is a computer f

      • My G5 plays World of Warcraft with better graphics, a comparable framerate and better stability than my wifes windows box (and I got the bundled graphics card when I bought the G5, rather than upgrading to the much nicer gaming card option).

        But no, the Mini might become a media center, or a set top box, or a DVR or maybe even a casual gaming machine, perhaps. It's really unlikely to be a console competitor or your platform of choice for FPS in the near future. But that's because it's a very, very low-end

  • Apple should be in handheld gaming. They should be shooting for the inevitable, a true convergence of the handheld market. That uber-Phone/PDA/Ipod/Gameboy - all in one - that geeks have dreamed about since the Star Trek communicator.

    Apple sells the most expensive device in our pockets right now. It has mass storage, a color screen, significant processing power and it's own OS. Of all the pocket based systems, the Ipod requires the least additional work to accomodate the features of all the others.

  • Latest Mac ad (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 28, 2006 @10:05AM (#15420274)
    (The screen is white, two men stand, full view, in front of the camera. One is middle aged, and wearing a suit. The other is wearing jeans, a "Think Different" T-Shirt, and an iPod. The suited guy is holding a joystick, and making reflexive movements)

    Suited Guy (PC): "Woah... out of the way... bang, gotcha! Hahah! Oh no. Oh no! Dudududududu! Ha! Who's your paternal-figure? Hey? Hey? Who's your paternal figure?"

    Hip Young Guy (Mac): "Hey dude, whatcha doing?"

    PC: "I'm playing a really awesome game. You play a secret agent, and you have to shoot the henchmen, and... hold on... woah! Ok, you want a turn?"

    Mac: "Oh, come on! Surely you could be doing something productive, like, erm, burning DVDs? I can burn DVDs. Yeah! Make your own movies, it's cool"

    PC: "Yeah, I did that once. Hold on... woah! Gotcha! Haha! Gotcha, what's behind the wall? Oh... hey, it's multiplayer if you want to join in."

    Mac: "Oh, games. Aren't those what games consoles are for?"

    PC: "Depends on the game. This is an mod someone did for Doom 5, so you'd never see it on a console. You just don't get that kind of innovation on closed platforms like consoles. Hold on, I got it! I got the papers! Now, how do I get out? Er..."

    Mac: "You know, you ought to be sorting through the pictures on your digital camera which I can do really easily with iPh..."

    PC: "Yeah, that'd be a real fun time. Real. Fun. Time. Yeah. Sure you don't want a game? Hold on... blam! Gotcha! Where the hell did he come from anyway? Ok, through this wall..."

    Mac: "Oh no, games are such a waste of time. I'd rather do something productive like, erm, manage my iTunes collection. That's something I'm good at..."

    PC: "Me too, you do know I run iTunes right? Aw come on, let your hair down a little. I thought I was supposed to be the stiff."

    Mac: "No."

    PC: "Wait... I think there's a hidden passage here... read it in a forum somewhere... oh yeah, next to the pot plant, got it, extra health, excellent. Anyway, why not? Why don't you want a go?"

    Mac: "I don't want to talk about it."

    PC: "What?"

    Mac: "I said I just don't want to talk about it, ok? Ok?"

    PC puts the joystick down for a moment: "You can't play games. That's what it is, right?"

    Mac: "Right. Ok. So I can't play games. What's the big deal? Nobody plays games anyway."

    PC: "Sure. Nobody does. Right. Yeah, just me. Just boring, suited, me. Not like I play more games than all the games consoles put together. Right."

    PC falls on floor, rolling with laughter.

    Mac: "Ok. OKAY! Now let me turn this photo slideshow and jingle I put together in Garageband into a DVD. Not a waste of time like playing games is."

    Mac walks off in huff. PC picks up joystick and continues playing.

    Fade to black:

    "Apple Macintosh"

    "The Computer That Can't Play Games"

    "But That's Ok Because Nobody Plays Games Anyway"

    • I love working with my Mac, but whenever I see those commercials, I feel drawn to Windows. The PC guy seems so much friendlier and more approachable than the show-off blow-off in the t-shirt. Maybe I should compromise and go Linux.
    • That was very funny. It reminds me of my peeve about those commercials. I was fine with the one that said that PCs were more prone to viruses, and the one that said PCs crash more, and sort-of ok with the one that said the apps were better on mac.

      Was anyone else bugged like heck with the one claiming that Mac had the better device compatibility? No one in their right minds makes a device without windows drivers, and more than a few make windows only devices.

      That commercial just wandered off into the real
      • Heaven help you when you're reinstalling Windows and you need to feed it three dozen driver disks though.

        I just watched that commercial to see if what you said is true. I don't think it is.

        They start off saying that the Mac networks with Windows. It does. It used to be a big thing that a Mac couldn't talk to your Windows network very well.

        Then the girl comes in. She's a digital camera. The Mac does have very good connectivity with digital cameras. I have a friend who just returned her new HP notebook
    • That games section at the Apple store must have been my imagination.

      Isn't that weird? I see it every time I go in there! I must be suffering from detached retinas or something.

      Granted we don't have Half-Life but I'm addicted to RTCW anyway (yes it's older than moses - but between the map-mods and the overall speed from the last great game based on the Q3 engine that cranks decent even on g4's - I'm SO frigging addicted).
  • I know a lot of people, including me, are skeptical about convergence. But let's face it, convergence is going to happen, the question is when, and who the winners will be. Will it be the Cell phone people (Nokia, Motorola)? Will it be the Palm people (Palm, iPaq), will it be the Laptop people? (Dell, HP, etc), will it be the OS people (Microsoft, Windows CE, their new tablet PC), will it be the games people (Sony, Nintendo) or will it be the MP3 people (principly Apple). Somebody is going to invade the tur
    • it didn't in the computer/game console market. Remember those William Shatner adds where he asked 'why buy just a video game'? Really, why would you. Well for one thing, it's always going to be cheaper to make a device that does one thing well instead of 2, 3 or more things well. Even in the savings are marginal, when you're selling a million of something it adds up. For another thing, it's hard to design a user interface for a pocket size device that's good for playing games, quickly accessing music, manag
  • ... This [pbs.org] is making more and more sense. Win32/DirectX should be supported environments within XCode, even if the compile target is only Intel, and even if you have to rebuild the GUI in NIBs.

    At the very least, DirectX makes sense given games typically run in fullscreen and don't really care about UI widgets anyway..
    • Win32/DirectX should be supported environments within XCode

      Obviously it's not an officially-supported environment, but there's nothing stopping you from writing Win32/DirectX code in Xcode right now. Just install the Cygwin cross-compiler from DarwinPorts and set up an "external makefile" target. I've also used it to build SDL & Qt apps for Windows.

  • Give away some blades; sell razors & blades! (Score:4, Insightful)

    by martyb ( 196687 ) on Sunday May 28, 2006 @11:54AM (#15420611)
    You've heard the adage: "Give away the razor and make money on the blades." Right? Like game consoles - subsidize the console and make money on the games. Apple is doing something brilliant here: They could give away the games (okay, sell them for $CHEAP and make money on the player (iPod). From TFA:

    According to the engineer, an Apple hiring manager named Mike Lampell is heading up a group inside Apple's storied iTunes division. The group is specifically hiring for 'C/C++ coders with a gaming background.' (Emphasis added.)

    From: Strategy Letter V [joelonsoftware.com]. (Commoditize your complement)

    Every product in the marketplace has substitutes and complements. A substitute is another product you might buy if the first product is too expensive. Chicken is a substitute for beef. If you're a chicken farmer and the price of beef goes up, the people will want more chicken, and you will sell more.

    A complement is a product that you usually buy together with another product. Gas and cars are complements. Computer hardware is a classic complement of computer operating systems. And babysitters are a complement of dinner at fine restaurants. In a small town, when the local five star restaurant has a two-for-one Valentine's day special, the local babysitters double their rates. (Actually, the nine-year-olds get roped into early service.)

    All else being equal, demand for a product increases when the prices of its complements decrease. (Emphasis added.)

    There is a precedent for what Apple may be doing here. Anyone remember the Atari 800? [wikipedia.org] I bought one just so I could play Star Raiders [wikipedia.org]. I bought it at a store outside Boston (IIRC at a Bit Bucket in Newton, MA) which had this set up on a 5-foot projection TV for video and a 100 Watt stereo driving the audio. The salesperson told me: THAT ONE GAME was responsible for something like half of their sales of the Atari 800. At the time (1980 or so), the Atari 800 cost me about $800... and I happily paid it so that I could play a ~$50 game. AND, once I got the computer, I bought many more applications and peripherals. Star Raiders was the "killer app" of its day.

    Apple might be looking to do the same. Sell some subsidized games on iTunes for little money so as to encourage additional iPod sales. Once he consumer has the iPod, and has overcome paying its (non-negotiable) price, the barrier to buying more things for it is overcome. Increased iTunes sales. Even MORE profit for Apple. A larger market. Synergistic growth.

    Someone else here mentioned about Disney. Kid sees friend playing Disney game on iPod. Kid Wants Game. Kid pesters parents incessantly. Parents buy an iPod for junior to play these nice kid-friendly Disney games. Kids become experienced users of an increasingly dominant platform. [Apocryphally, IBM gave (?) Selectric typewriters to schools to use in Touch Typing Classes. Said students go off into the business world and are faced with klunky manual typewriters. Secretaries all-so-often are the ones who Get. Things. Done. Not too hard to start persuading the PHBs to buy a Selectric typewriter. Lather, rinse, repeat.] Apple has done similarly with schools by offering a significant educational discount for their computers. Microsoft has a student discount for their Office suite. Hook 'em while they're young.

    Here, Apple could hook 'em before they even GET to school! Like I said, Brilliant. Absolutely Brilliant!

  • Only reason Microsoft has been successful is because they have an ass-load of money to buy up great game studios (Bungie, Rare, the creator of Final Fantasy, and a variety of others). Although Apple is doing well, I have my doubts they are over-confident enough to try buying some big-name companies......
    • Way back when, they bought Softimage so that they would be seen as a player in the 3D and effects market. As soon as the market was established, they sold it off again.

  • Good move (Score:3, Interesting)

    by vga_init ( 589198 ) on Sunday May 28, 2006 @02:33PM (#15421186) Journal

    When I first read the headline, I didn't realize that it was referring to games. Rather, I thought it meant that Apple was getting ready to gear up for hitting the personal computer market. As time passes, they move themselves further and further in that direction; the popularity of the iPod/iTunes, the cheap Mac mini, moving to a different architecture, development and release of OS X. Never has Apple been more attractive to the consumer than they are today.

    And what do consumers love? Games. If Apple can roll out some high quality hits, people will love the game first, then notice the publisher. They'll learn to associate Apple with good things, and next thing you know, they'll be buying one.

    Sure, this is looking at it optimistically; whatever games they are going to produce are really going to have to take off in a big way for this to have more than a marginal impact, but to me it seems like a small step in the right direction.

    • Looking back on every generation of consoles, the most popular and successful systems had fantastic games, many of them exclusive to the system.

      Apple probably won't be able to woo some significant game developers away from Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo into anything exclusive, but they can certainly leverage their large installed base of iPods, and create some good first party games that take advantage of the clickwheel and audio/photo features and other unique aspects of the ipod.

      I'm curious to see what com
  • they're hiring someone to port minesweeper to the mac!
  • This has to be a total friggin' joke.

    Look, they can't even get Open GL to run at reasonable speeds on OS X. Actually, it's so bad that 1-year old laptops such as mine (12" powerbook) don't even reach minimum specs to play friggin' Civilization IV [insidemacgames.com], for chrissake.

    Actually, their latest move of not including a decent GPU on the Macbook [barefeats.com] is a pretty strong indicator that they don't give a fuck about games, gamers, the gaming market, or game publishers. What, do they really expect even casual gamers to shell o

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