The video game industry is a lucrative business niche and has actually overtaken films as a major player in entertainment. Having said that, getting into video games is an expensive proposition for any company, even something as huge as Microsoft. The company may be selling millions of Xbox 360s now, but it took billions of dollars to bring the original Xbox to the consumer market when it was released in 2001. Microsoft’s gamble can be largely considered as having paid off. It is now considered not just a software company but also an entertainment brand, a cache it needed to expand its market reach.
With the Microsoft model proving to be a success for the company, many think that some companies – mainly, Apple – should also be getting into video games. But this is something that Apple does not want to get into.
According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, gaming has been evolving and this is seen in the changing gaming habits of people – who have been moving on to portable devices. Cook said that he is not keen on getting into the console business and traditional gaming. But Cook said that Apple is already a big player in gaming, referring to the growing number of people who have been shifting from portable game consoles to its award winning and hugely popular mobile devices – the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
But Cook has said that in the future Apple’s presence in gaming will only get bigger in the future. He could be referring to the Apple iTV, which is a high definition smart TV. Although the Apple iTV is not really considered a gaming console, Cook – answering questions whether or not the product will be positioned as a gaming console in the future – said that “it could be interesting.”
