Streaming is all the rage these days. Tons of companies are trying to get in on the burgeoning market of stay-at-home streaming for all manner of product, whether it be television streaming, movie streaming or video game streaming. And based on the latest reports within the tech sector, it appears Apple may be planning to get in on a gaming subscription service, too.
According to Cheddar, sources have apparently leaked that Apple is working on a streaming service. The website reports that the subscription service would work similar to Netflix, except instead of streaming television shows and movies, you would be streaming video games.
The site notes that Apple has been working on this service since the second half of 2018. There isn't a definitive date on when this service is supposed to go live, and since it's still early in development, the sources told Cheddar that Apple could very well abandon it if it turns out that it doesn't look like a very profitable venture.
The report goes on to say that Apple has also discussed partnering with various developers, working as a publisher and rivaling the likes of Electronic Arts, Activision, Ubisoft, and the rest of the herd.
This comes amid Apple's pursuit of other streaming media, including shows being developed to rival the likes of Netflix and Hulu.
Hardware sales are supposedly petering out on the market plateau and Apple has to find new ways to drive profit. Gaming makes sense given that analyst have said that video game apps drive plenty of profitability through the iTunes App Store. So pursuing a subscription based service that targets the core and the mid-core audience would make a lot of sense, right?
Well, the main thing to consider is that right now that's the plan of a lot of other services as well. PlayStation and Microsoft already occupy slots in the console space for streaming and digital subscription gaming with the PlayStation Now and Xbox Game Pass.
On the PC side, there's no shortage of streaming and subscription services. From Utomik to OnLive to PlayCloud, there have been a number of competitors attempting to leverage the business for streaming purposes, but it hasn't always worked out. The biggest issue has always been infrastructure.
Right now, trying to provide users with high-quality streaming options and top-notch frame-rates just hasn't been viable. Either the costs are too high or the technology doesn't afford gamers the sort of playability and stability that matches the kind of quality that you would get from dedicated hardware.
Apple would obviously have to solve the infrastructure conundrum first before tackling the software availability problem. There's also an issue with attempting to play AAA games with mobile controls, which hasn't always historically been a fan-favorite. Amazon is also hoping to get in on the game-streaming business with its own take on the service, but details are still sketchy on its service, too.
It makes sense why Apple declined to comment to Cheddar about the streaming service because until all the logistics are in place, it would be terribly dangerous to announce something and not have everything worked out from a technological perspective. It could definitely be a big thing and worth keeping an eye on if Apple does decide to follow through with a game streaming service
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