Michael Pachter is probably the most visible gaming industry analyst out there — while he’s not always right about his predictions and insight on the video game industry, he does usually know what he’s talking about, and he’s definitely got the ear of a lot of investors. And so when he says that Apple is planning to turn the Apple TV into a game console, people listen. Read more…
As the iPhone has proven itself to be a formidable competitor in the handheld gaming business, the president of Nintendo has said his company must differentiate itself to survive.
As Apple portrays the iPod touch and iPhone as the ultimate portable gaming machine, Nintendo, maker of the Nintendo DS, has seen its profits freefall last quarter, from 133 billion yen a year prior to 64 billion yen. Highlighting the newfound competition between Apple and Nintendo, The Wall Street Journal noted that Nintendo has fended off several potential portable challengers, but it hasn’t quite faced a competitor like the iPhone.
John Carmack, creator of the classic PC game Doom, described working with Apple as a “rollercoaster ride,” and suggested that company executives are not happy about the popularity of gaming on the iPhone and iPod touch.
In an interview with gaming website Kotaku, John Carmack revealed that top executives at Apple do not look fondly on the growing popularity of games on the iPod Touch and iPhone.
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Microsoft has confirmed gaming capabilities for the new Zune HD via a promotional video posted online.
The Zune HD features a 3.3-inch OLED touch screen with 480 x 272 resolution and 16:9 display. It is considered Microsoft’s first viable competition to the iPod at $219.99 and $289.99 for the 16GB and 32GB respectively.
Amazon is currently offering the Zune HD for pre-order; however, only the black and platinum editions can be pre-ordered:
Zune HD 16 GB
Zune HD 32 GB (Platinum)
Via iClarified.com