Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo are the current triumvirate of the gaming console market. These three have been relatively uncontested for the better part of the past two decades. However, more competition is always better. If the recent reports are true, then Apple is looking to throw its hat into the ring to compete with the likes of the PS5, Xbox Series S/X, and the Switch.
Apple's ecosystem of devices is fairly capable of gaming. It also doesn't hurt that the Apple Arcade has an excellent selection of games for kids and adults alike. But, according to Windows Central reporter, Jez Corden, Apple is making moves to position itself as a console manufacturer. Corden explains in a recent The Xbox Two podcast that he's heard that the California-based tech giant is "poaching" engineers from Xbox to make this happen.
Although Corden clarifies that his sources aren't 100% legitimate, he believes that there is a strong possibility that these rumors are true.
It should already go without saying but do take these rumors with a grain of salt. Corden notes that he's not 100% sure about the details of Apple's console.
The gaming industry is not exactly in desperate need of a new gaming console. However, the success of the Steam Deck does suggest that the market is always open to one. If Apple ends up making a console, we're curious to see what kind of device it is going to be. Will Apple release exclusives for the console? What kind of games are we going to see on the console? Is Apple's console going to be traditional? Will it have VR capabilities? Or is Apple going to use it for metaverse applications? These are just some of the questions that we'd love to find out an answer to but might not.
What is interesting here is that Corden's statement comes just a short while after Microsoft secured the largest acquisition in video game history by acquiring Activision.
Just like any other industry, video game companies do tend to one-up each other. If Apple thinks that entering the console market can help it compete against Microsoft in gaming and tech, who knows?
In other console news, Microsoft has reportedly stopped the production of the Xbox One for almost two years now. In comparison, Sony will continue to support the PS4 in 2022 but later denied accusations that this is to help mitigate the current PS5 shortage.
