Apple and video games

Apple has come up with what is perhaps the best way to win the video game market and give video game console vendors even more reasons to worry.

As of iOS 7, there is a standard way for application/game developers to interface with video game controllers by means of a new framework.

What that means is that as long as a game controller is compatible with the hardware profiles supported by that framework, it can be used to play games on an iOS device. Which is to say, any hardware vendor can build a video game controller (Logitech, etc) and it will work and now that there is a standard way to integrate support for video game controllers into games, virtually all new iOS games will support those controllers.

A year down the road, with many games shipped with support for video game controllers and many existing ones updated to do so, and a long-time coming Apple TV (appliance, thing, whatever) out, not to mention advances in hardware, Apple will just have millions of folks playing video games on its platforms.

Real games, not touch based fun distractions that usually occupy a minute or two of one’s time. The real thing. Then, it’s potentially game over — well not quite, but one gets the idea — for the remaining video game console vendors.

While on the subject, I am really excited for both PS4 and Xbox One, and perhaps even more excited about the forthcoming Steambox. The fact all major video game systems are really souped-up PCs is huge in terms of technology advancements, compatiblity, consoles lifetime( one should expect them to ship new hardware every 2-3 years, given there will be no architecture update, just updated hardware), gameplay innovation(mostly thanks to the indies who can now target one architecture) and incredible experiences (thanks to the fact developers don’t have to target many different architectures(x86), and things like the Oculus Rift ).

It’s on like donkey kong.